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Previously on War for the Lost Plane

Starring:
Kaelan, level 14 tiefling Monster Slayer Ranger/Fiend Warlock
Scarlet, level 14 human Oath of Devotion Paladin
Gillian, level 14 triton Champion Fighter/College of Lore Bard
Kethra, level 14 half-elf Assassin Rogue
TIM, level 14 warforged War Domain Cleric

Gillian’s magic axe tears a hole through the magical ice wall that had sprung up in front of us, sealing Scarlet inside the ice cave with the demons. The ice wall cracks, leaving a small hole. To small to fight through, but enough to see.

I say the words, channeling demonic power into my body and disappearing in a puff of sulfuric mist through the hole, reappearing next to the shining paladin.

“It’s me, don’t stab me,” I cry, half-serious as Scarlet’s attention whips toward me. I fire a volley at the canine demons charging at Scarlet, then back up toward the darkened edges of the cave, leaving the paladin to what she does best.

My clever tactics distract me from the clacking sound from above, as a large insectoid creature drops down next to me. An ice devil! The damn ice wall – of course!

The hulking insectoid clacks its mandibles triumphantly as it lunges forward, raking my body with its icy claws. I spit blood, and glance back to see the other demons charging at Scarlet, the rest of the party still trapped behind the ice wall.

“Shit.”

We had a choice of which of Marina’s threats to deal with first. Kethra was excited about potentially getting infected by lycanthropy from the were-orcs, but was out-voted by Kaelan, Scarlet, and TIM, who all wanted to go demon hunting. 

We returned to the dark tunnel with the portcullis. TIM and Scarlet raised the rusty gate, making a terrible squealing sound. Kaelan’s darkvision could see the wolf-like demons retreating deeper into the dark tunnels.

We cautiously moved forward. The demons were aware of us, but we didn’t want to bumble into an ambush. Kaelan used Pass without Trace to help the clunkier tanks creep through the tunnel, while Kethra quietly scouted ahead, noting a broken portcullis further inside as the temperatures dropped.

It became so cold we had to roll CON saves, though the DM would forget about the ongoing cold hazard as the upcoming fight broke out. The tunnel opened into a large cavern covered in crystalline ice, the sounds of growling and clacking reverberating off the walls.

Kethra quickly ducked back inside, seeing the wolf-demons with scorpion tails, called shoovusa, were ready to pounce on either side of the entrance.

Scarlet had a plan: confidently walk into the ambush using her Channel Divinity to drive them back in fear. As she walked out into the ice cave, TIM and Kaelan cast buffs on her for extra protection (Warding Bond and Protection from Evil and Good).

The shoovusas both made the WIS saves, and a magical wall of ice suddenly formed at the entrance, cutting off Scarlet and the demons from the rest of us – Roll for Initiative!

Gillian used her phase axe to being carving up this sudden ice block, opening up a small hole. Eager to get his demon-slaying on, Kaelan Misty Step’d through to the other side and began shooting the demons, then running into the shadows to leave the far tankier (and buff’d) Scarlet to deal with them.

D&D

But then the ice wall-maker revealed themselves. An ice devil dropped down from the ceiling and began gleefully skewering a surprised Kaelan. The rest of the party broke through the ice wall, with TIM and Gillian charging inside to help deal with the shoovusa, one of which landed a painful crit bite on Scarlet.

Kethra hung back to shoot from the shadows, as is her modus operandi. But a demonic figure charged from the tunnel behind us – the nycaloth from the One Wood! The one whom I had Fear’d, the one who escaped, the one who harassed us when we tried to Long Rest. He had followed us the whole time, and now was trying to exact his revenge.

Suddenly we were fighting three different battles: Kaelan and the ice devil, Gillian, TIM, and Scarlet versus the shoovusa, and Kethra dealing with the nycaloth.

The trio fared best, killing one shoovusa and flanking the second, but it was Kethra that had the best moment in the fight, grappling the nycaloth with a nat 20 Athletics roll, and shoving it into the ice wall opening, forcing it to make the save against the cold damage (while Scarlet stabbed it in the butt).

The nycaloth responded by teleporting away and escaping, vowing further vengeance. 

Meanwhile Kaelan was getting his butt kicked by the much bigger ice devil. Using Hellish Rebuke (immune to fire, oops), Zephyr Strike (to escape) and Counterspell when the devil cast a hail storm (failed, despite Dark One Own’s Blessing and Bardic Inspiration, ugh!). With only the ice devil remaining, the party swarmed over it. In the end Kaelen charged at it, crossbows firing rapidly, until it was long past dead.

The demons were defeated; the caves were clear. We were exhausted, but alive. Next up: were-orcs!

MVPC – Kaelan

Post-session live discussion: 

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