Hello, everyone! WaterDragonMaverick here with Chapter 20 of my Owl House D fic, "Your Turn To Roll". When we last left off, our heroes managed to get through the single-round matches of the Mountain Bird Brawl with Luz's pirate character, Carmen Valentina winning the whole thing. Now, the Witch Blade Pirates will be fighting together against some of the other teams. How will this go? Will all of them working together mean a better chance at getting some cool prizes? Let's see how this all goes.
Ring the bell!
The Owl House was created by Dana Terrace and is owned by Disney
Dungeons and Dragons is published by Wizards of the Coast and was created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson
With several days passing since the last session, Luz and her friends were excited to continue their game. News even spread to Willow's roller derby team and Skara said she might be able to join them for the next part of the story for a while. She spent the next few days going over ideas with Vee and figuring out how to bring her into the game. Eventually, they decided on an idea and agreed on when she could join the others. The next weekend, Luz and her friends met at Eda's store to continue their session. "Hey, kids. King told me everything that happened. Nice going, Luz. Definitely sounds like something to be proud of in that game, even if you had to fight Willow for the win," Eda told Luz.
"Thanks, Eda. Right now, I just want to fight by her side again," Luz told her friend and boss.
"Ah, thanks," Willow said with a smile.
"Okay, everyone got their stuff," Vee asked, getting a chorus of replies from the others. "Okay, let's begin. With Carmen claiming victory in the Mountain Bird Brawl's single match bracket, she gave the prized Panacea Peach to Sora Kiboh, who was actually Prince Gilford Grinberryall. With the gift, they gained the favor of a kingdom before he left to use the magic item to cure his mother's illness. With everyone now rested up and their wounds tended to, you wake up to the sound of the bell in the temple ringing and alerting you all to breakfast. After you enjoy your meal, I'd like everyone to give me a Perception check."
The clattering of dice on the table filled the air as all the players made their rolls. "I got an 18," King said with a grin.
"I have 9 for 10," Gus said.
"Ugh, natural 1. Guess I'm too busy looking at Philomena's gorgeous face," Luz grumbled before cracking a joke.
"I've got 10 like Gus too," Hunter said.
"Natural 20," Willow cheered.
"Natural 19," Amity said with a smile.
"Like Luz said, Carmen is busy checking out Philomena and doesn't notice that a bandaged Scalnoir is speaking with the Bubblegum Renegades. Reverence, Sariel, and Philomena are able to overhear what's being said," Vee narrated. "The long and short of it is that he's attempting to recruit Valafar's team, but the winged Tiefling laughs and declares himself too cool and powerful to join him. Even saying that Scalnoir couldn't beat Carmen while she was able to beat both Sariel and Kondai."
"Guess he knows better than to join that guy," Willow remarked.
"Scalnoir leaves and goes to rest up more since he's not competing in the team battles," Vee said. "After that, Jachun arrives and speaks to everyone," she added before voicing the Tortle. "I'm glad that everyone has rested up for today as we begin the team brackets of the Mountain Bird Brawl. As I said before, iron sharpens iron. While this can apply to the single matches, working with your team will sharpen your skills just as much as healthy competition. Figure out how you can best apply your skills for teamwork."
"When do we start," Hunter said as Caleb.
"The first battle shall begin as soon as everyone is transported to the first battlefield," Vee said as Jachun. "The mages and monks then guide you and the other teams to the courtyard before teleporting everyone to a mountain pass that looks like it was part of an old trading route based on the area having a smooth path, mostly likely to take goods to the villages you remember battles happening in before."
"This will be interesting. Who's fighting first," Eda asked.
"Jachun steps forward and speaks to everyone," Vee said before voicing the Tortle. "The first match shall be between the teams Trinity Palm and Phosphor. Everyone else, please move aside so the members of the teams may step forward."
"Anybody we recognize," Luz asked.
"Funny you should ask that," Vee said with a grin. "The first two combatants are actually the Kensei Monk and the Tabaxi you fought before. They're joined by Salix and the three all get ready to face the people that make up Phosphor. When Jachun declares the beginning of the battle, the monks head into battle against the spellcasters of Phosphor. Flames, ice, and lightning shoot out from all directions every few seconds, but the members of Trinity Palm are soon able to overcome the five-to-three advantage and Salix delivers a flying kick to the final member, knocking them out when a cluster of vines wraps around her foot and burst forward," Vee narrated.
"Dang. Strong martial artists," Eda said.
"Jachun declares Trinity Palm as the winners and the Mercy Monks soon tend to everyone's wounds. After that, the mages then transport everyone to a large floodplain where a river of black water flows nearby," Vee said before voicing Jachun again. "Our second battle shall be the Bubblegum Renegades VS the Witch Blade Pirates."
"Time to show what we're made of," Gus said as Wrenn.
"I'll be sure to get further in the tournament here," Amity declared in Philomena's voice.
"I'll show my training won't be a waste in this battle," Hunter said in Caleb's voice.
"As you all walk toward the center of the area, you hear a familiar cackle as Valafar Orphic and his team face you," Vee said before voicing the enemy leader. "So, it all comes down to this. You may have been the best in the single battles, but not here! With my boys backing me up in combat here, you will all TREMBLE BEFORE ME! HAHAHAHAHA!"
"Really? Because some of them didn't do that well," King said as Reverence.
"You wanna say that to my face, pipsqueak," Vee said as Valafar. "When he starts to get in your face, he feels a gentle tug on his wing and a light kick to his shin."
"What's happening here," Willow asked.
"Sumi Amakiir and Geist are shown to be the culprits before they speak to Valafar," Vee said before doing the first character's voice. "Boss, let's just work on fighting them together. You know how well we work as a team," she said as Sumi.
"Yeah, no need to let a little demon munchkin like him get under your skin," Vee said as Geist.
"Hmm… yeah, you're right. It's better to just show you all how strong the five of us are," Vee said as Valafar.
"Five? There's only four of you," Willow said as Sariel.
"Sumi's bear lets out a small growl to remind you he's still there," Vee said. "Tifaret then adds to the conversation," she added before voicing the character. "Gio's just as much of a member of the team as we are. While I abhor violence against those who don't deserve it, I simply must test my magical prowess against all of you. With the five of us working together, we'll be able to defeat any opponent that comes our way."
"Same with the rest of my minions, who were unfortunately indisposed when I invited them to come with us on the trip here," Vee then said as Valafar. "However, we'll be more than enough to best the likes of you. And if we aren't, well… that's just because you have a leader that's just as awesome as myself."
"I'll have Carmen make sure her pepperbox is fully loaded and her cutlass is prepared," Luz said.
"I draw my sword and hold up my shield," Hunter said.
"I prepare my rapier and cast Mage Armor on myself," Amity declared.
"Same spell for me," Gus added.
"I have my staff ready," Willow said.
"I make sure to pull out my crossbow and have my ammo ready," King said.
"With all of you ready, Jachun speaks up while the Bubblegum Renegades have their magic and weapons ready with Tifaret casting Mage Armor on herself," Vee said before speaking as the Tortle. "Let the brawl begin!"
The players then all began to roll their dice while Vee did the same for all the characters she was controlling. Luz was the first to speak up about her initiative roll. "I have a 6 for 13 total."
"Mine's 15 for 23," King said, remembering his Alert feat abilities.
"16," Hunter declared.
"I have a 3 total," Willow said.
"9 total," Amity said.
"18 for me," Gus added.
"As for the Bubblegum Renegades, Valafar got a 13, Tifaret has an 11, Geist has 13 as well, and Sumi has 22," Vee explained.
"Looks like the order is King, the elf with the bear, Goops, Bad but Sad Boy, Luz going at the same time as the other Tieflings, Fluffy Mage, Mittens, and Derby Queen," Eda remarked, giving several of the others nicknames.
"Will you stop calling me that," Hunter asked in annoyance.
"No," Eda replied with a grin.
"I kinda like the nickname," Willow said with a flirty smile toward Hunter, making him blush.
"In any case, time for battle. King, what does Rev do to start the battle off," Vee asked.
"I'll start by hiding behind one of the big rocks around here," King said as he pointed toward a spot on the map Vee provided. "I got an 18 for the Stealth roll. After that, I'll ready my crossbow for when somebody gets close to the others," he added.
"Good to know," Vee said. "Sumi will start things off by drawing her longbow and firing an arrow at Caleb. She hits with a 26 and casts Hail of Thorns."
"Uh-oh," Amity said.
"The arrow hitting Caleb does 5 piercing damage to him. Now, Caleb and everyone within 5 feet of him has to roll a Dexterity saving throw. The DC is 14," Vee told the players.
"That means Hunter, Willow, and Luz have to roll," Gus said as he looked at the positions on the board.
"Natural 20 for me," Willow said with a grin.
"I have 9 for 16," Luz said.
"And I have a natural 1," Hunter groaned.
"Fortunately for you, it's only 1 damage on the Hail of Thorns. The three of you try to dodge, but the splinters that shatter from the arrow shaft go flying and dig into all three of you," Vee said. "Sumi will then follow up by firing a second arrow at Carmen, but she misses on a 12. And moves to safety by heading for the water with her bear following her."
"My turn," Gus said. "I'll cast Fireball and attack the other three. They have to make a Dexterity save of 16 or take the full damage."
"Yeah! Blast them, Gus," Luz cheered.
"Time for the three saves," Vee said as she rolled the three different d20s. "The only one that makes the save is Geist, but she and Valafar are naturally resistant to fire damage as tieflings. Right now, roll the damage."
Gus took his 8d6 and shook them in his hands, making the rattling sound out through the room before tossing them into his dice tray and checking the total. "1, 1, 2, 1, 5, 4, 5, 5… that's 24 points of fire damage dealt to Tifaret and 12 to the other two," Gus said.
Marking down the totals, Vee nodded before gesturing for Hunter to begin his turn. "With his turn up, his training would kick in and Caleb would go for either the enemy that took more damage or the leader of them. Hmmm, let's roll to see which I should go with," Hunter said before tossing a die to see who he should target. "That's an odd number, so I'll go for the Sorcerer that was hurt," Hunter decided. "I got a 10 for 16 on my first attack."
"She casts Shield, bringing her AC up to 20," Vee said. "Your blade bounces off an arcane barrier she forms just in time."
"I got a 5 on my die for the second attack, so that doesn't work either," Hunter said.
"My turn with Geist and Valafar," Luz declared. "Carmen will go toward Valafar and swing at him with her cutlass. I got a 5 to make 12, so that doesn't work."
"You attempt to swing your sword, but Valafar laughs as he jumps out of the way with his wings giving him extra lift," Vee described. "Geist will get behind you and slash at you with the psychic blade box cutter claws."
"My attack is triggered and I fire a bolt at Geist," King says. Since I'm hidden, I've got advantage."
"Okay, since this is all happening at the same time, Valafar will also swing his greatclub at Carmen. All of these attacks are at advantage since Carmen is flanked and Rev is hidden," Vee said. "Geist gets a 14 and 13, so her attack result is 23 with Sneak Attack. Valafar got a 12 and 4, so he gets a 16 total."
"I got a 9 and 13, so my result is 19," King said.
"That hits Geist, so you go ahead and roll damage," Vee said while she did the same with her characters. Valafar deals 3 bludgeoning damage as he hits Carmen in the shoulder as she misses her cutlass swing. As for Geist, she slashes at Carmen for 23 psychic damage."
"Ouch, that'll hurt me," Luz remarked.
"Reverence does 16 piercing damage to Geist," King said.
"Because she doesn't see this one coming, she doesn't use Uncanny Dodge to half the damage," Vee said, allowing the result. "After that cluster of attacks, Valafar gives Sumi some Bardic Inspiration. Then with her turn, Tifaret goes and uses a 1st-level Cure Wounds with Quickened Spell before using a Disengage action. She heals Geist by 13 hit points, then starts running away."
"My turn," Amity said. "I'll use my Bladesong with my bonus action before moving close enough to cast Maximillian's Earthen Grasp on Sumi. Now, she has to make a Strength saving throw of 16 or be restrained and take 2d6 of bludgeoning damage."
Vee rolled her die to see what the result was for the bear-commanding Ranger. "That's a total of 12. She gets captured by the hand and is crushed by its grip," Vee said.
"She takes 6 damage to start," Amity said after rolling her dice.
"My turn. I'll turn into a Dire Wolf and pounce toward Geist," Willow declared. "With Pack Tactics, I have advantage on this attack. I got a natural 20 on my first one, so no need to roll again," she told everyone, who erupted into shouts of excitement. "I got a 3, a 4, a 6, and another 4. That's 20 piercing damage total with my bite and Geist needs to make a DC 13 Strength save or be knocked prone," she said.
"Geist hears the growling of a wolf and turns around to see you pounce at her before your fangs dig into her side. With a powerful bite and throw, you send her to the ground when she couldn't push you off of herself," Vee declared.
"Never mess with a wolf's pack," Hunter said with a grin.
"Top of the order with Reverence," Vee said. "King, what's your move?"
"Hmm… With Sumi stuck and Geist knocked down, I'm thinking I'll go for Valafar," King decided. "I'll go for him with my dagger and get him in the side." Rolling his d20 twice, he looked at the results. "7 and 17. That gets me 23. I deal 8 with my silver dagger and 12 with my Sneak Attack."
"Valafar doesn't see you come in with the dagger and grunts in pain as he takes the blade to his side," Vee said. "Sumi attempts to break free from the spell and succeeds after using her Bardic Inspiration, then moves out of the arm's reach and orders her bear spirit to attack Philomena for trapping her. I know your AC is now 21, so the attack fails as you gracefully dance out of the way," Vee told Amity.
"If I'm up, I'll take the chance to attack Sumi," Gus declared. "I'll back up enough from everyone and cast Fire Bolt at her. I got a 17 to make 25. And for damage, I deal 9 points of fire damage to her."
"Because you used fire damage on her, time for her to roll a Wisdom save," Vee said, confusing Eda and the players. "She got a natural 2, so she fails the save and you watch as she begins to breathe heavily and panic," she told everyone before voicing the elf Ranger. "No. No! No no no!"
"What's happening," Willow asked.
"Sounds like she's scared of fire," Eda remarked.
"You'd be right. Now, she has to skip her next turn as she tries to recover from her panic attack," Vee said.
"At least we know a weakness she has. But it would just be cruel to exploit it," Amity said.
"I sense a dark and troubled past with this," Luz said, wanting to know more about the character.
"You can learn more later," Hunter told Luz. "It's my turn now, so I'll run up to Valafar and swing at him. 17 on my first roll for 23, but my second attack misses. I'll make this into a two-handed swing and use a 2nd-level Divine Smite on him," he said before rolling for the damage. "I got a 3 on my sword to make 6 slashing damage, but I deal 20 radiant damage to him as the slash I deal leaves a glowing wound on him."
"Valafar is looking very beaten up and about to pass out as you managed to get him in his side," Vee said.
"Time for the three turns at once," Luz said. "I'll swing my sword at Valafar to try and finish him off."
"At the same time, he'll try and heal his injuries with a 3rd-level Cure Wounds and Geist will get up from being prone and Disengage to back away, then throw more psychic blades at Caleb," Vee said. "Luz, you roll to see if you hit Valafar before he can try to heal himself. This is with advantage since Rev is flanking him."
"9 and 19. That second one hits," Luz exclaimed.
"Valafar takes your cutlass to his wound from Caleb, making him pass out from the pain," Vee said. "As he falls, Sumi lets out a cry of fear," she added before voicing the Ranger. "BOSS!"
"One down," Luz said as Carmen.
"Geist gets a total of 24, so she hits Caleb with 17 psychic damage as she throws the psychic blades at the paladin," Vee said. "Seeing her leader go down, Tifaret makes her way toward Valafar and uses Spirit Guardians to summon her little angel lambs with a Quickened Spell. She then uses her main action to heal Valafar with a potion. He's healed by 15 points and shakes himself awake," she said before voicing Valafar. "Wow! That hurt a lot. Thanks, Blondie. Now, let's deal with these guys!"
"My turn, so I'll have my Earthen Grasp reach for Sumi again," Amity declared.
"She gets a 9 on her saving throw, so she gets grabbed again and takes damage," Vee says.
"She takes 11 points of damage," Amity told Vee.
"I'll circle around and go after Tifaret, then attack her in my Dire Wolf form," Willow declared.
"Roll a Wisdom saving throw to see if you can withstand the Spirit Guardians attacking you," Vee requested.
Willow took her die and rolled to see what the result was. "11 plus my Wisdom and proficiency, that's a 19 total."
"Then you only take half damage from 3d8s of radiant damage," Vee said before rolling her dice. "That'll be 7 reduced to 3."
"Sariel now attacks and that's a natural 20 on the bite attack," Willow declared, making the table erupt in cheers.
"That's my girl," Luz shouted in excitement.
"I end up dealing… 14 piercing damage," Willow said.
"You manage to dig your fangs into Tifaret, biting her like a wolf goes after a sheep and the pain has her scream before she passes out," Vee narrated. "The girls cry out in shock as they watch their friend hit the ground and her Spirit Guardian sheep vanish. King, it's your turn."
"Reverence will disengage from Valafar, then get closer to Sumi while she's stuck in the spell's grip and fire a crossbow bolt at her," King declared.
"It's with advantage because she's restrained," Amity reminded King.
With that knowledge, King rolled his d20 twice and checked the results. "6 and 8. That's a total of 14."
"Unfortunately, that misses as the bolt digs into the clay hand holding Sumi down instead of into her," Vee says. "With her taking fire damage before and failing her Wisdom save, she'll have to skip her turn's main action as her bear tries to comfort her instead of battle."
"Aww, emotional support bear," Luz gushed.
"My turn," Gus said. "I'll cast Tasha's Mind Whip on Valafar and Geist by using it at 3rd-level. Now, they both have to make Intelligence saving throws of 16 or higher or take 3d6 of psychic damage," he declared.
"Smart," Vee said before rolling her d20s for the two characters. "Geist gets an 11 total and Valafar gets a straight 11. Both fail and take the damage," Vee told Gus.
"That means they take 12 psychic damage," Gus said.
"As they get hit with the psychic tendrils that erupt from your gnomish head, Geist ends up falling unconscious and Valafar's mind is burning. He looks ready to pass out, but is still standing," Vee said.
"Luz, this should make it easy for Carmen since Valafar can only take an action, bonus action, or movement," Gus told his friend and the team leader.
"Thanks, man," Luz smiled before she rolled her die. "I'll move to have Valafar between myself and Caleb, then attack with my cutlass by using the flat side of it. I end up missing with a 4 and a 3 on my die."
"Valafar will use his last attempt at a spell again, healing himself with a 3rd-level Cure Wounds, giving himself 14 hit points back," Vee said.
"My turn," Amity said as she thought of what to do. "I'll thrust my rapier forward and attack with it," she decided. With the clatter of her d20, everyone leaned over to look at the result. "That's a miss, even with the advantage. Only a 7 for 13, so I end up aiming wrong and my spell catches it."
"I'm up, so I'll attack Valafar with my Pack Tactics for a bite attack," Willow said. "I got a 9 and a 6. That means my total for the attack is a 15."
"That just hits Valafar, so roll for damage," Vee said.
"I got a 6 and a 5, so that's 14 total," Willow said after looking at her roll.
"Rev's turn! Rev's turn," King chanted. "I'll attack Sumi again with my crossbow. I got a 3 and an 18 on my die."
"That'll hit, so give the Sneak Attack damage," Vee said.
"I deal 18 total damage," King said after rolling his 4d6.
"A crossbow bolt flies through the air and strikes Sumi in the shoulder just before she snaps out of her fear-induced panic," Vee said. "After that, Sumi will wriggle herself free and manage to break loose with a 19 on the die. Then, she'll move and spend her bonus action to have her bear attack Philomena, but that attack misses as she dances around with the bear like it's a circus act."
"Oh man, a circus would be fun to check out in D ," Gus said. "I could be the illusion master of the show."
"Me and Rev could be the acrobats on the trapeze," Luz chuckled.
"As fun as it would be to brainstorm a circus thing, it's time for Wrenn's turn," Hunter reminded.
"I'll try and hit Sumi with another Fire Bolt," Gus said. "I know it's mean, but it's our best shot at winning against her," he added before rolling. "That's a total of 11, so I think that misses."
"It does," Vee confirmed.
"Then I'll use my turn to attack Valafar again and knock him out before running over to Sumi and attacking her," Hunter declared before rolling his twenty-sided die. "I have advantage thanks to Carmen flanking him, so I got a 2 and a 9. That's 15 total and I hit him."
"Not when he uses his reaction to use Cutting Words on you and even the lowest roll sends it down to enough for a miss," Vee said with a grin as she spoke as Valafar. "Good luck hitting me, loser!"
"Then I'll have to use my second attack to strike him with a 15 and a 17, bringing my total up to 23," Hunter said.
"And that knocks him out as when he says that, he laughs with a big crocodile smirk on his face," Vee described. "You whack him upside the head with the flat side of your sword to knock him out for the second time this battle."
"It's my turn, so I'll use my Ring of Shooting Stars to blast Sumi with a Guiding Bolt," Luz declared. "I got a 19 on the die."
"That hits, so roll for damage," Vee said.
"I got… 15 radiant damage," Luz said.
"You throw your hand out and the glyph in the ring appears for a moment, sending a ball of light like a shooting star straight into Sumi's chest and making her sparkle in golden light as she looks like she's nearly done for," Vee described. "Because of this, I'd like everyone to roll me a Perception check," she added.
The sounds of the dice hitting the table sounded off in the room as the party members checked their results. "I got a 3 total," Gus said.
"Natural 20," Hunter said with a smug grin.
"12 total," Amity told Vee.
"26 for me," Willow said.
"Flat 16," King said.
"That's… 15 for me," Luz replied.
"Wrenn and Philomena are the only ones who don't notice that when Carmen used her spell, Jachun seemed to notice the glyph and put his hand to his chin in thought," Vee said. "Philomena's turn is up."
"I'll thrust my rapier forward to attack her," Amity declared. "16 and 9, so I got a 23 total."
"That hits, so roll for damage," Vee said.
"I deal 9 total piercing damage to her," Amity said.
"How do you want to do this," Vee asked, confirming the team's win against the Bubblegum Renegades.
"I'll thrust my rapier forward and strike her in the shoulder before spinning like a ballet dancer and kicking her into her bear," Amity declared.
"With a magnificent flourish, Philomena defeats Sumi with elven grace and knocking her out," Vee described. "With the members defeated, Jachun steps forward and speaks," she added before voicing the Tortle. "The winners are the Witch Blade Pirates! They move onto the second round of the team brackets!"
"Yeah! Way to go, team," Luz cheered as Carmen.
"After that, Valafar soon stands and uses his magic to heal his allies so they can wake up," Vee said. "He then approaches you with a serious look in his eye before his scowl turns to a grin," she added before laughing as Valafar. "Hahahaha! We really got a run for our money this time! I like you guys. How'd you like to be members of the Bubblegum Renegades?"
"I'm good with my crew here," Luz said in Carmen's voice.
"Same," everyone else said as their characters.
"If you won't join us, at least become our allies. You're all skilled and we could use you when dealing with some of the jerks around the empire. You help us when we meet up again, we'll help you too. Does that sound like a deal," Vee said as Valafar making the offer.
"Should we roll for Insight on this guy," Hunter asked.
"If you want," Vee said.
Everyone's dice began to roll on the table as they made their checks. "I got a natural 1," Willow groaned. "I make sure to turn back to my regular self while I do that."
"I have 16 total," Gus said.
"12 total for me," Amity said.
"17 for me," King said.
"Natural 2, so that's a 5," Hunter groaned.
"8 total for me," Luz said.
"Wrenn and Rev can tell he's being genuine, but the rest of you think he's being an idiot," Vee explained.
"Deal," King exclaimed as Reverence. "And I shake his hand."
"When you do, both of you feel a bit of a shock as you clasp hands firmly. When you separate, you think for a second that you see black lightning spark from your palms," Vee described.
"What was that," Willow asked.
"For now, you don't see it, but Reverence thinks he hears something for a second that sounds like a low rumbling. It sounds powerful, but not dangerous," Vee explained, intriguing everyone while King decided to write down the mysterious moment in his notes. "After the Witch Blade Pirates and Bubblegum Renegades form a friendship, the contestants are now transported to the next battlefield. You step into a cave system that the groups of Invidia and the Mithril Miners do battle in. It's a grueling battle, but the dwarves of the Mithril Miners take the win and everyone is taken to the final battlefield of the day," she said.
"Time to see what those siblings are capable of," Hunter remarked.
"Jachun says that the final battle will take on a plateau overlooking the Pellucidar Plains. The members of Oracion Clover and the Holstein-Quartz Family all prepare for battle," Vee describes. "The divine magic of the Clover members allows them to do well for a little bit, but each of the siblings are able to match the four members of the enemy team. Viridian slams his axe into a Paladin's armor to knock them down, Logan's able to use his armor to discombobulate a Cleric, Mariposa uses her martial arts skills to hurt another Paladin, and Roxanne unleashes a powerful Lightning Bolt to defeat all of them after sending the magic through the Cleric she fought," Vee narrated.
"Wow," Eda said with a whistle.
"With that, the battle comes to a close with the siblings all victorious and Viridian lifting all three above his head. After that, the mages transport everyone back to the monastery for rest and Jachun speaks to everyone," Vee described before voicing the master monk. "With this, the tournament shall finish in another day or two. Be ready for battle and be mindful of your limits."
"Should we do anything else for the day," Gus questioned.
"I wanna know where Scalnoir is," Hunter said.
"Go ahead and roll me a Perception check, everyone," Vee requested.
"5 to make 12," Luz said.
"Natural 20," Willow exclaimed. "What is with me today?"
"9 for 10," Gus said.
"I got a 2," King moaned.
"14 to make 16," Amity said.
"13 for 14 total," Hunter says.
"You all look around, but Sariel spots Scalnoir within seconds," Vee explained. "He's speaking to the defeated teams, but isn't having much luck. He then gathers himself some food and returns to his room to eat alone."
"Guess he's not recruiting as much as he wanted," Hunter remarked.
"If there's nothing else important, maybe we should rest up. Salix and her team are tough if it's just the three of them," Willow said.
"That's true. Let's deal with what we need and get a long rest in," Luz agreed.
"Then with that, we'll skip to the next day with all of you rested up and beginning your battle in the Forest of Eternal Bloom," Vee says. "No need to go through all of the effort of saying what would happen until the battle."
"Yeah, true," Amity remarked.
"Let's roll for initiative," King exclaimed as he shook his die. "I got a 3 for 11," he said.
"I have 13 for a dirty 20," Luz declared.
"12 total," Willow said.
"16 for me," Gus said.
"21," Amity said with a smile.
"I have 11," Hunter declared. "I go at the same time as Rev."
"Salix gets a 21, so she goes at the same time as Philomena," Vee says. "The tabaxi gets 8 total and the Kensei monk gets 15 total. Salix starts off by going after Carmen, but misses with the first two attacks. She then spends a ki point to do Flurry of Blows, missing the third attack before landing the last one. She deals Carmen 12 bludgeoning damage as vines coil around her fist on the last attack and they slam into you. "
"Okay, with Carmen being attacked, Philomena will use Bladesong as a bonus action and cast Fireball to get the other two monks," Amity declared.
"They both failed their saves, so deal the damage," Vee told Amity.
"I deal… 29 points of fire damage to them," Amity said after rolling her dice.
"If Salix is on me, I'll swing my cutlass at her with a 25," Luz said.
"That hits," Vee confirmed. "Roll for Sneak Attack, you Swashbuckler."
"I hit her with… 16 slashing damage," Luz said.
"My turn," Gus said. "I'll use my own Fireball on the monks Philomena hurt."
"They both fail again," Vee said in surprise.
"22 points of fire damage to them," Gus said after his rolls.
Checking the character notes, Vee gawked as she looked at everyone. "The two monks are taken out before they even get their turn," she said.
Hearing this, Eda burst into laughter. "That's what happens when you can't get away from magic," she said.
"So, do we just gang up on Salix now," Willow asked.
"It's the pirate way," King shouted before humming a piratey tune.
"Guess I'll attack by turning into a brown bear and swiping at her," Willow says. "I got a 12 for 18 on the first attack and the second is a 4 to make 10."
"That first one just hits," Vee said.
"I deal 9 piercing damage with my bite," Willow said.
"Our turn! I take my crossbow and fire it at Salix. Since she's fighting a bear, I get advantage," King exclaimed. "Natural 1 and 19 total," he said. "I deal 14 damage to her."
"Or you would if she didn't have Deflect Missiles to try catching the bolt," Vee said. "She can lower the damage by a d10 plus her Dexterity modifier and her Monk level. She got a 2, so that's 12 damage lowered."
"I still have my turn, so I attack with a Divine Smite," Hunter declared, then his eyes went wide at the roll of his d20. "Natural 20. I'm making this a two-handed strike with a 2nd-level slot," he said, making everyone gasp. After collecting and rolling the needed dice from everyone, Hunter rolled to see what he got. "9 and 8 on the sword and 3 for my Strength… 17… 15… that's 52 total."
"How do you want to do this," Vee asked.
"With her distracted by catching the bolt that cuts into her cheek, I basically go Demon Slayer and with a deep breath, I swing my sword at her neck for the damage to mainly knock her out from the radiant damage more than the sword itself," Hunter decided.
"Oh! I know what to call this," Luz said. "It should be 'Radiant Breathing: Golden Dawn'! You like that?"
Hunter stared at Luz blankly for a moment before he spoke. "Okay, that's good," he admitted.
"With Reverence firing his bolt and cutting Salix's cheek as she catches it, Caleb rushes in and scores a powerful swing, knocking her out with the divine magic fueling the attack," Vee described. "With the battle over, the Mercy Monks tend to the wounds of everyone before the next battle of the day takes place in a village on the mountain."
"Let's see how the Holstein-Quartz Family does," Amity says.
"The family stares down the dwarven team in the village square before them just as McCabe Ironfist, the dwarf Salix fought in the first round speaks up," Vee says before speaking as the dwarf. "So, this is our newest obstacle? We'll best you just as easily as the other team we faced! Especially since the only threat is the bull towering above. The rest of you will fall just like you did in the first round of the single matches," she said with arrogance in every word of the character's tone.
"Is he going to have another broken arm this time," Gus asked.
"Maybe," Hunter replied.
"Hopefully," King and Eda said with grins.
"After hearing that, the siblings all agree in silence that McCabe was going to get what was coming to him," Vee said. "Jachun then begins the battle and the eight opponents get started," she declared as she rolled a handful of dice. "The dwarven monk goes first and attacks Viridian with a jerky punch, but it misses. The second attack also misses him, so he spends a ki point to use Flurry of Blows and scores two hits," Vee said. "With unpredictable moves that makes him look like Eda after too much wine or hard cider-"
"Hey," Eda shouted in indignation.
"The monk deals 16 points of bludgeoning damage, then uses his 'Drunken Technique' feature to Disengage with an extra 10 feet of movement for free," Vee continued. "Roxanne begins her turn by backing away from the others and casting Fireball on the other Mithril Miners."
"Looks like she was paying attention to our battle earlier and thought of a strategy with her brothers and sister," Willow remarked.
"All three targets fail their saving throw, so they end up taking… 26 points of fire damage," Vee said. "After taking that pain, McCabe attacks Viridian and scores two hits on him for 14 on the first and 11 on the second."
"Ouch. How's he looking," King asked.
"Bit irritated they're attacking him, but he's not too hurt," Vee answered.
"Yeesh. He took over 40 points of damage without raging. Is he made of bronze or something," Gus asked.
"Mariposa takes her turn and attacks, going after the Drunken Master monk," Vee said. "The first attack hits, the second misses, but a Flurry of Blows helps her land the fourth attack attempt. The first attack does 7 bludgeoning damage, but the second does 11 bludgeoning damage with an extra 7 necrotic when she uses an extra ki point to deal a Hand of Harm."
"That's 25 damage to him total," Hunter remarked.
"And now, it's Viridian's turn. He lets out an angry snort and tenses his muscles, showing he's entered his rage," Vee narrated. "He then makes a move with Reckless Attack, landing the first hit on McCabe and gets a full damage swing of his greataxe. That does 19 points of slashing damage and his second attack is a critical hit," she said, making everyone gasp. "That's 11 and 10 on the d12, so that's another 28 damage dealt as he swings his axe so hard, he cuts part off McCabe's chain mail."
"Dang, bull boy got beef," Eda remarked.
"Logan begins his turn and runs up to attack the Paladin," Vee said. "He hits with a 25, but misses on the second attack," she said. "The armored bull attacks and lands a sucker punch on the Paladin before he ducks out of the second attack's path. But he still ended up taking 10 thunder damage. After that, the Paladin shrugs off the pain and rushes past Logan, taking another hit from his gauntlets as well."
"Guess McCabe and his guys are too focused on Viridian," Luz theorized.
"The attack Logan lands as the Paladin runs toward Viridian and the dwarf takes another 6 thunder damage," Vee said. "The Paladin then attacks the minotaur man, but as he swings his maul, Logan's gauntlets let out this odd pulse that distracts the Paladin from landing an easy hit. It still hits, but it wasn't as easy as he thought it would be. Viridian then ends up taking only 6 damage instead of 12 from the giant hammer since he was raging."
"What was with that," King asked. "Why'd the gauntlets do that pulse thingy?"
"If any of you want to roll for Arcana, I'll let you," Vee said.
Everyone gathered their dice and rolled to see if their characters understood what happened. "I have a 4 to make 9," Hunter declared.
"21," Gus said.
"14 total," Willow said.
"Oh wow, natural 20," King remarked.
"18 total," Luz said.
"Dirty 20," Amity said. "But can I roll with advantage since Philomena's dad is an Artificer?"
"Sure thing," Vee said.
Rolling her d20 again, Amity announced the result. "That's a 3, so the dirty 20 stays."
"Hunter, Caleb is the only one to be unaware of this, but from what everyone could see in the battle or from knowledge of arcane enhancements, the gauntlets let out a distracting pulse to make the enemy have a disadvantage on an attack when targeting somebody else," Vee said.
"Interesting," Gus said.
"After the Paladin's second attack misses, it's the Cleric's turn. He casts Heat Metal and tries to make Viridian drop his axe," Vee announces. "Viridian gets a total of 19, so he passes and only takes 5 fire damage reduced to 2. The Monk decides to actually battle Mariposa since she's in his face. The first attack misses, the second misses, he spends a ki point for Flurry of Blows, the third hits, and the fourth hits as well. That deals minimal damage as he only deals 5 bludgeoning damage on each. He then uses his free Disengage to stumble away with an extra 10 feet of movement."
"What's Roxanne do," Willow asked.
"Roxanne sees all of the dwarves looking hurt, so she'll target who she can with Rime's Binding Ice to freeze them in place," Vee said before rolling the dice she needed. "All of the dwarves she casts the spell on fail their Constitution saves, so they take… 13 cold damage and can't move. Their speed is reduced to 0 for one minute and they or somebody else needs to spend an action to break the ice if they want to get free sooner."
"Does McCabe waste his time," Luz asked.
"Oh, he does," Vee confirmed. "He slams his pick into the ice to free himself, but that takes his action as he basically attacked the ice with all his effort. Mariposa will then go after the Monk she was fighting, using Step of the Wind to reach him and attack," she said before rolling the dice. "That's a hit on the first attack and another on the second. That gives her the chance to attack with her Hand of Harm on one of the strikes," Vee added. "The first is 7 bludgeoning damage while the second is 6 bludgeoning and 5 necrotic. That's 18 total."
"These siblings are a beast of a team together," King remarked.
"And speaking of, Viridian's turn is next and he goes after the Paladin with a Reckless attack," Vee declared. "Manages to hit, so I'm making this into a Pushing Attack. With a 4 on the axe, his plus 7 to the damage while raging, and a 4 on the Pushing Attack, the Paladin is defeated when Viridian's swing knocks him aside. Not only that, but he still has one other attack. He'll attack the Cleric now and gets a hit. He deals 9 slashing damage to the Cleric."
"He's a monster in combat. A hot, hunky, muscle tower of a monster," Willow said. "Sariel would say this too."
"Caleb says that Viridian would have a weakness in battle," Hunter declared.
"Probably saying that out of jealousy because the guy's getting a certain elf girl's attention instead of you," Amity teased.
"No," Hunter exclaimed with his cheeks turning a bright red.
"As fun as it is to mock our favorite angry blond boy about his obvious crush on his captain, shall we get back to the battle," Eda asked, chuckling at Hunter's entire face going red while Willow gave a sheepish smile.
"Yes," Vee said. "Logan uses his turn to cast Magic Missile, sending one dart at the Cleric and the other two at the Drunken Master Monk. The first dart knocks out the Cleric while the other two hit the monk for 7 force damage," she told everyone. "The monk then attacks Mariposa and misses on the first punch. The second one hits, but the third misses when he uses his Flurry of Blows again. The final attack fails too. Mariposa only takes 8 bludgeoning damage and tries to run."
"What's Roxanne do about her sister getting hurt," King asked.
"She decides to cast a Fire Bolt, sending the mote of flame at the monk and it hits. A total of 10 fire damage is dealt as she sends her cantrip toward the gourd of alcohol on his side, igniting it and the blast knocks him out cold," Vee described. "Upon seeing his allies defeated, McCabe glares with anger before he chooses to rush up to Roxanne with an Action Surge and attack twice. Both attacks hit and 21 points of damage are dealt to Roxanne."
"No! Keep your hands off the hot goth girl," Luz dramatically cried out, making the others laugh.
"Maybe I should try goth fashion out if you like it so much," Amity said with a flirty smile toward Luz.
"You'd look good with black lipstick on," Luz replied.
"Can we get to the violence now? The punchy twin is ready," King said.
"Oh, absolutely," Vee said before rolling her die. "That's a natural 20, so it's a critical hit and with McCabe's low health, there's no need to roll the dice. Because of what happened to her sister, Mariposa rushes forward and gets ready to throw a punch, but fakes out and slams her foot right between McCabe's legs with enough force that everyone hears something crack."
Hearing that description, Eda and the players all winced in sympathy. "That's gotta hurt," Gus said with a grimace.
After everyone recovered from the description, Willow chuckled before singing something. "Ave Maria~"
"Rest in peace, Ironfist clan. You shall not have any new descendants with McCabe as the father," Eda jokingly eulogized.
After everyone laughed, Vee gave a small cough to get everyone's attention. "After Mariposa kicked McCabe in the groin hard enough to knock him out, Jachun recovers from sharing the male pain to announce the victorious team," she said before voicing the Grand Roshi. "Our second finalist team is the Holstein-Quartz Family! Tomorrow, they and the Witch Blade Pirates shall battle at noon in the temple courtyard. Rest well tonight. As tomorrow, we shall see how sharp the iron has become."
"This will be interesting," Hunter said. "Caleb would be looking at all of the siblings, but mostly Viridian."
"Carmen would do the same, but give a flirty wink to all four," Luz said.
Rolling her dice, Vee determined what the responses from each sibling were. "Mariposa smirks in response, Roxanne giggles nervously, Logan blushes like mad, and Viridian just flexes his muscles as a way to flirt back," she said.
"Carmen's definitely hot and bothered by that," Luz chuckled.
"In any case, I say we're all heading back to the temple to prepare for our battle," Amity voiced. "And Philomena would also be a little upset at Carmen flirting with the siblings."
"It was mostly to mess with them for fun," Luz admitted.
"I think we should talk with them before we rest up. Say no hard feelings before we fight," Willow suggested.
"I think that works," Gus agreed.
"Might as well," King said.
"Alright. After you all make it to the temple again, the monks work on preparing dinner for everyone as you find and talk with the Holstein-Quartz Family. What do you talk to them about," Vee asked as she prepared to voice each character.
"So it looks like we'll be fighting each other after all," Luz said as Carmen.
"I'm looking forward to it. We never did get our match," Vee said as Viridian.
"It'll be a tough one with how much damage you could take," Gus said in Wrenn's voice.
"Gotta take as much punishment as possible so I can protect my family. That's what the big brother is supposed to do. They keep an eye on their brothers and sisters," Vee said as the bull-horned humanoid.
"But it looks like your sisters can take care of themselves well," Amity responded as Philomena.
"Hey, we gotta make it easier on our big brothers. Viridian's been protecting us, so we should help him out too," Vee said as Mariposa.
"Is it just you four in the family," Willow asked in Sariel's voice.
"We have other sisters too, but not all of them are skilled warriors or spellcasters. We were just the ones old enough to go out and compete," Vee answered in Roxanne's voice.
"Who else is there," Amity asked as Philomena.
"And where'd you learn of the Mountain Bird Brawl," Hunter asked in Caleb's voice.
"Aside from us, there's Natalie, Ashley, Willow, Marcy, Hinata, and Penny," Vee said in Logan's voice. "And we learned of this from our grandfather and parents. Grandpa Terracotta was a very tough and skilled minotaur warrior when he was younger. He's still as tough as he was, but he's retired now. And our mom managed to win this before as well."
"Where are you all from? You from an island in the Empire," King asked as Rev.
"No. Our family isn't a fan of that Belos guy. He may claim to be a leader, but he's not letting people do what they want when it doesn't hurt anybody," Vee said as Mariposa.
Hunter slammed his fist on the table to show Caleb's anger at what was said. "Emperor Alexander Belos has done wonders to protect the people from chaotic magic users and unite the lands!"
"Yeah, but he forces people to follow his rule. You think he's the best guy ever? Try asking some of the people in Gigantesco. I've heard rumors of the warden locking people up just because they're oddballs," Vee said as Viridian.
"Not to mention some stuff about his elite magic force," Vee then said as Roxanne.
"Would we know about that," King asked.
"Everyone, roll me a History check," Vee replied.
The six players began to roll their dice, looking at the numbers before adding what was needed for the total. "I got a natural 20," Willow said.
"Oh, wow. Got it in one, just like history class," Luz remarked before looking at her results. "I got a 15 for 16."
"Mine's a 7 for 12 total," Gus said.
"23 for me," Amity said.
"17," King declared.
"21," Hunter said.
"Wrenn is the only one without knowledge of the group Roxanne is talking about," Vee said.
"I was probably wrapped up in my other research," Gus chuckled.
"The Mystic Inquisitors, also known as the Mystic Inquisition, are a collection of the best spellcasters in the Alexandrian Empire. They form covens in service of the Empire and their leaders, the Magus Supreme are directly under the command of the Emperor himself," Vee explained. "For everyone that got over a 20, you know that the main number of Magus Supreme change over the years, but the most common number of them that are in charge is normally 8 or 9. Each of them are known to be a master of their own style of magic speciality. Transmutation, Evocation, Divination, Abjuration, and so on."
"What do you mean about the Mystic Inquisition," Amity asked as Philomena.
"Some of the Magus Supreme are rumored to use prisoners or members of their covens as test subjects for all sorts of arcane experiments," Vee replied as Logan.
"A friend of mine said she was going to join one and was doing fine. I still had a bad feeling and it got worse when I received a letter that had something strange in it," Vee then said as Roxanne.
"What did you get," Gus asked as Wrenn.
"Roxanne reaches into a bag and pulls out an old piece of parchment that has faded notes about something. From what you can make out, it has a sketch of a humanoid figure and scribblings in an odd handwriting. You're not sure if it's smudging, age, or just terrible penmanship. If you want, roll for an Investigation check," Vee said.
Everyone picked up their dice again and rolled to see if they could figure out the mysterious paper. "I got a 6 for 11," Amity said.
"Dirty 20 for me," Luz said.
"23," Gus said with a smile.
"6 for 9," King said. "I need a way to get my stats higher," he remarked.
"Nearly a 17, but that's a 7 for 8," Willow told everyone.
"Natural 1," Hunter groaned.
"Carmen and Wrenn are able to make out some of the words. You notice that it's in bad handwriting, but you can see it's all written in a mix of Common, Halfing, and Gnomish," Vee explained. "With what you gather from the barely legible writing, you see one word that catches your attention. You see that 'Galdorstone' is one of the only eligible words on the parchment."
"Carmen, do you see that," Gus asked in Wrenn's voice.
"Galdorstone? I thought we dealt with those already," Luz replied as Carmen.
"It doesn't matter what this says. It's all baseless accusations against the Empire," Hunter said as Caleb.
"You won't be saying that when you actually see what they do to people," Vee said as Mariposa. "I heard that there are a few members of the Royal Guard that really enjoy killing anybody they deem unfit for the Empire."
"They wouldn't be men under my command," Hunter countered in Caleb's voice.
"Moving on, let's just focus on preparing for our battle tomorrow," Willow said as Sariel.
"Yeah, that's true. I'm looking forward to a rematch," Vee said as Roxanne.
"May the best team win," Amity said as Philomena.
"Which might be us," King said as Rev.
"That all depends on if you can take out our brother," Vee said as Logan.
"Carmen will hold out her hand to Viridian as a friendly gesture and wait to shake his hand," Luz said.
"He does so and gives a firm grip that you feel tighten as he shakes your hand," Vee said. "After that, the monks come and give you all a nice meal for your evening before the final battle."
"Where's Scalnoir? I don't think he'd be interested in recruiting anybody else," Gus asked.
"As you all enjoy your meal, you catch glimpses of Scalnoir with a packed bag leaving the area with the Mithral Miners and Canyonhorde following him," Vee says. "With some skilled members of a new crew, he begins to leave while you prepare for the next day."
"Should we take a break here? Because I need to stretch my legs," Willow asked.
"Go ahead," Vee said. With that, everyone got up to handle what they needed to do before they continued again.
And with that, we have the team battles being breezed through. Some fights were easier than others, but the Holstein-Quartz Family will be much tougher than they were in the single matches. We also got some more lore about the Alexandrian Empire and rumors of what they do. If you're wondering, the Mystic Inquisition ARE indeed supposed to be the Coven Heads. But what was that parchment about a Galdorstone about? You'll need to stay tuned and learn later.
Until next time, WaterDragonMaverick signing out!