Flynn checks for anything that might help the Guardians and Dawnbringers with the shield barriers, but soon realizes that's not in the cards. Berrik and Lotty study the green gas around them. It is magical and isn't bound by the physics one would expect. The duo finds a crack in one of the library walls but notices that the gas doesn't dissipate through the gap. The wizard and artificer determine that the "culling fog" is meant to last until dispelled or dismissed by its caster. Dispel Magic would only suppress it temporarily.
The party reconvenes and discusses how to proceed. They are presumably much closer to their goal than the other teams. Would it be better to hunker down and wait here for awhile, or move towards the turbine and risk getting discovered before shit pops off at the shield barriers? Flynn decides to use his Arcane Eye to peep outside and get the lay of the land before we make a decision.
The warlock remotely pilots the Arcane Eye through a crack in the wall to the outside. The eye sees that this library is in a ritzy part of town. Cobblestone, fine architecture, water features and artfully landscaped greenery decorate this neighbourhood. The eye also sees creatures abound, including 2 cultists on a park bench, and a ghost dragon chillin' on a nearby roof. Small motes of light float around the area - Flynn thinks they might be souls but he's not sure. He is sure, however, that we are now less than a mile from the turbine tower, but blocks and blocks of patrolled metropolis lie between it and us.
As Flynn dismisses the Arcane Eye and we turn to strategy. We land on trying to get closer to the turbine - Once we see what we're dealing with we can decide whether or not it's a good time to engage or if we need to continue to lie low. With Erithax overhead and countless creatures with possible Trusight or Blindsight on the streets, we don't think relying on Seeming to avoid detection is a good idea. Null suggests that she carry the rest of them in the urn - It will be easier for her to maintain a stealthy approach alone. We all feel a little apprehensive about using the urn this early in our mission, but we don't come up with another plan. Flynn hands the jar to Null and the trio hop inside.
Null pockets the urn and activates her invisibility cloak before heading outside. She will need to cross a sprawling courtyard in order to proceed towards the turbine tower. She sticks to the sides of buildings (avoiding windows) and uses the pockets of trees and bushes to advance northeast unnoticed, hovering to that her footfalls don't make any noise. As she moves, she notices that the courtyard is populated by more monsters. As she narrowly avoids being spotted by a lich in a nearby building doing magic with some of those motes, she sees even more monsters in her way:
- one of the big minotaur-esque demons they saw upon arrival
- another bull-like demon wielding a lightning sword and a flaming whip
- a giant floating skull surrounded by spectral eyes
- a 40 ft. tall creature that looks like it's made of shadow - Seen lazily eating those motes of light.
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Inside the urn, Lotty and Berrik are anxious. Flynn is ultra-relaxed and not at all worried about their chances of success.
A low and resonant hum suddenly pulses out. Null sees the eyes of all the monsters outside flash green, while Lotty and Berrik see the same happen to Flynn inside the urn. Null, Berrik and Lotty seem unaffected thanks to Mind Blank. Flynn just makes his saving throw against whatever this effect is - He hears a booming voice in his head say "Bow before my dominion" before he pushes the influence from his mind. Well that's certainly another thing to worry about.
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Null is planning her route in the next leg of this courtyard level when she hears footsteps behind her. The lich from earlier is on the move and will definitely see through her invisibility when it rounds the corner. Panicking, she activates Ghost Walk and dives underground. Since she's already here, she decides to proceed through the rest of the courtyard this way, taking force damage every turn. Null doesn't realize it at the time, but this strategy forces earth into the urn. Mord and her friends are soon assailed with dirt and begin to suffocate.
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Null surfaces near a makeshift fort in a neighbourhood a little less than a half mile from the turbine. She ducks out of view of a cultist on the battlements and sees a panicked text from her friends about their dirt situation. She quickly starts scooping out dirt with her hands, which makes for a welcome but alarming sight inside the urn. They're okay now.
She peers around a corner to get a good read of the area and relays it to her friends. Encircling the fort are several 20 ft. radius spheres of culling fog. As she's texting the Ashen Company about whether to enter the fort or swerve it in favour of the tower, she hears a familiar voice just east of her. A chill runs down her spine. Kill Bill sirens, the whole thing. She moves further around a nearby building and out of sight of the north/south street running to the east. Trolley's voice echoes past Null, stating that her master has requested more children for experimentation. As the voice trails off, Null whips out her sidekick to update her friends about what has transpired. She will follow Trolley towards the tower. No one protests.
She follows the decrepit old bitch through the streets of Myridia, keeping a low profile and a generous distance to avoid detection. On the way, she has to avoid the Truesight of two more liches by going underground again. As soon as she's clear of them she empties the urn of dirt again and texts her apologies to her friends. She continues to follow Trolley all the way to the base of the turbine tower.
This place is hoppin'. There are so many monsters around that it's hard for Null catch up to the old bitch. All she can do is watch as Trolley dismisses her monstrous escorts, and disappears from sight as she steps through the the wall at the base of the tower with two children in hand. Null examines the tower: There are no doors or windows. There is a small opening about halfway up emitting an eerie green light, while a larger green light shines from the top of the tower. Is that the turbine?
Null knows she has to get off the streets and so finds the attic of a dilapidated shop to hole up in. Texting the rest of the Ashen Company about what she sees, they go over their options. She wonders about whether she might be able to Ghost Walk through the walls, but thinks that a place like this could have wards against such things (like in Ezra's tower). Do we risk an all-out assault on the turbine right now by flying up to it? She sees a cultist brush up against the tower base where Trolley went inside and the wall remains solid - Okay, so this is an access thing. Maybe Trolley has something on her person that will let them enter in a more low-key way. The party goes back and forth via their sidekicks about what their next steps might mean for the overall plan - the other teams have yet to reach their goals. A few minutes go by.
Null spots Trolley exit the tower the same way she went in, but this time there are no children in sight. The old bitch reunites with her escort and starts travelling through the streets, back towards the fort. Null does some mental flailing before landing on what she's going to do. She types an update about Trolley being on the move and that we're following. Null rushes to overtake Trolley unseen, taking side streets to reach an alley ahead of the the old bitch's route. She pulls out the urn and texts her friends that Trolley is coming - We're going to ambush her before she reaches the fort, so get ready. No one protests, as I'm sure everyone's a little bored of having to sit in a jar all session.
The gang hops out of the jar! As we see Trolley's escort start to come into view, we set a few things in motion. We play enough cards to get a bunch of temp hit points: including ones that mean goon enemies can't act in the first round, Flynn gets advantage for this round and Null gets to make a free attack after killing an enemy in this encounter. Berrik crushes blue exaltium so that Trolley fails the saving throw on the Cone of Cold he unleashes upon the cluster of baddies. Trolley recognizes Berrik and sneers at him before using Dimension Door to flee towards the fort. Berrik's use of exaltium sparks some Wild Magic and compelling him make a disparaging remark about a friend before casting spells going forward. Lotty places a Gravity Sinkhole in the middle of the remaining crowd, while Flynn starts blasting. Null kills a cultist right off the bat and immediately whales on the guy next to him. She tries to grab a soul token from the newly dead guy but finds herself contesting the pull of the nearby soul turbine. She fails the roll, and the soul slips away.
Sure hope we can catch up with Trolley! We'll find out next week.