RECAP 5th Avengers, 4-5-20
By Tucker
Back in the upstairs of Gralhund Manor, Lauris sneaks into a room off the corridor. Dodging a cleaver, he sights four servants (including the cook who swung at him) who immediately begged him not to hurt them. Lauris asked what had happened, and they all began speaking at once, saying that members of some gang had barged in and were killing people and looking for something. Lauris promised to help them escape and look for their compatriots, though he said that it was pretty messy out there and would take some optimism. Culdock checked another room and faced a similar scenario, and asked some questions about secret passageways and nimblewrights, and upon describing the nimblewright they did say that they had seen something like that recently.
We walked back downstairs. Going through a door next to the stairs, we entered the great room to see a pile of corpses, all humans, with two dead Zenterem in black leather armor and numerous dead house guards with tattered House Gralhund livery, with two Zenterem holding bloody maces above them. We see ornate iron chandeliers, a large larch dining table with high carved chairs at each end, and a marble fireplace with a framed family portrait above, with tapestries lining the walls.
Culdock missed with his warhammer. Geth cast Heat Metal on the nearest Zent’s mace, who took damage but held on to his weapon. Jarry downed the same Zent with Magic Missile, and Lauris sent a crossbow bolt into the other Zent’s torso, who missed with his attack. He was summarily dispatched into the beyond with a blow from Culdock’s warhammer.
Lauris and Geth noticed the sound of something sneaking upstairs. We hear combat coming from upstairs, and wasted no time getting upstairs. We see two dead Gralhund soldiers and hear sounds of combat from beyond. Turning the corner, there is a lot going on in the elegant foyer. Sounds of combat, and several Zents and several Gralhund guards doing battle with each other. Lauris pops a crossbow bolt into a nearby Zent. Jarry cast Crusader’s Aura, and Geth Wild Shaped into a lion and bit the nearest Zent dead. After the Gralhund and Zent did some rounds of battle, Culdock cast Guiding Bolt and badly wounded a Zent. Lauris gored a Zent with a crossbow sneak attack, Jarry killed the last with Magic Missile. Geth stood on his hind legs and roared in Lion: Stand down or be slaughtered. The Gralhund guards turned to fight us. Geth bit one, and Culdock used Spiritual Guardians. Lauris missed with his rapier, and Jarry cast Magic Missile on a guard. Geth bit another, and the guards hit him and Lauris. The guards took damage from Spiritual Guardians, and Culdock hit one with his warhammer. Lauris hit another with his rapier. Jarry hit the one in front of Geth with Magic MIssile and he collapsed in a heap after the first missile. The remaining two hit the one diagonal to Geth, who then bit it and throttled its lifeless corpse, and then the next one missed its attack, took damage from Spiritual Guardians and then met his fate with a blow to the head from Culdock’s warhammer.
From the next room, we hear a female voice shout “The City Watch is on its way!” We burst into the next room, and a half-orc bearing a morningstar and wearing body armor and and a female noble stand in the room. Culdock and Jarry believe that she is the head of the family, wearing a breastplate and carrying a rapier, standing in front of a fireplace, mounted over which is a shield that bears the Gralhund coat of arms. She yells, “How dare you come into my bedroom!”
Jarry asked, “Lady, do you know these Zents?”
The lady asked “What’s it to you?”
Jarry pulled out the Nimblewright Detector, which did not seem to be going off quite as much as before. The lady dismissed it as a child’s toy, that proves nothing. Culdock says, “You know where that nimblewright is, don’t you?”
Culdock sidles toward the balcony. Lauris aims his crossbow at the noble, and shoots a bolt at her. The half-orc attempts to block the shot but fails, and the bolt pierces the noble’s chest and sends her flying back toward the fireplace. With great effort, Culdock cast Hold Person on them and after a long battle, Geth incinerates him by casting Heat Metal on his chainmail.
Jarry explains that we have just slain Yala Gralhund, one of the matriarchs for one of the noble families in Waterdeep. We see a locked chest at the foot of a bed, a claw-footed tub, and we find a ring of keys on Yala. Jarry hears a regular thumping sound, as though someone was trying to kick someone. About forty-five minutes have passed since we first spoke to the servants.
