Chapter 7: Battle of Nizbon’s Hill

The Hunt Begins

  We start with the group of mercenaries from before, stalking through the woods looking for their bounty. The Wood Elf leading them through the brush has something unsettling about him, something primal. The Bog Elf, talking to plants & fungi along the way, looks like a cross between a dark-robed cultist & someone who tortures small animals for fun. A hulking Half Orc woman trots behind them, bulging with strength and a desire to fight. A tall Sun Elf woman follows behind, not contributing as much to the hunt as the others, but playing with small sparks of fire between her fingers. Off the main path and parallel to the party, a Half Elf man moves silently in the shadows, watching from a wider perspective.   Kiara & Haku, both residing in separate parts of the forest, pick up on incoming life forms and hide. However, Haku & Kiara are spotted by Vailok (the Wood Elf) & Moulgus Vane (the Bog Elf), respectively. The hunters move silently after them, to which the predators give chase.  

Chase: Vailok & Moulgus Vane chasing Haku & Kiara

Round 1

• Haku’s chase: Haku gains 10 ft of ground and keeps a 40 ft distance ahead of him. Jezza stealths out of Vailok’s view, following the chase from the flanks
• Kiara’s chase: Kiara doesn’t move as fast as Moulgus, who gains 10 ft on her and is now 20 ft behind. She uses her recent spiritual experience with the woods to send a pulse of Warian energy (altered cast of Mind Link) through the plants. Within that pulse is a message, “BOUNTY HUNTERS IN THE WOODS, HIDE!”. Moulgus casts Thorn Whip and grabs Kiara, dealing 15 piercing damage and dragging her 10 ft closer. They are now only 10 ft apart.

Round 2

• Haku’s chase: Nearly matched in woodland running speed, Vailok gains the slight edge and closes 5 ft, leaving 35 ft between them. Vailok casts Grasping Vine (4th level), but Haku dodges it and tosses his Trunk Weapon, hitting the elf for 11 damage
• Kiara’s chase: Moulgus rushes over while Kiara gets up, casting Primal Savagery & biting into Kiara’s tender flesh (10 acid thanks to Warian Dodge). Kiara screams in pain and angrily casts Mind Probe to find out who sent him, but only deals 7 psychic and learns nothing.
• The mercenaries: Jenzo leads successfullly while Forzina & Barna fail to find any sign of the group
• The group: everyone hears the call back at Nizbon’s Hill. Haku hears it too, which will impact his chase. The gang agrees that they aren’t hiding, they’re saving their friends & killing whoever dared to come after them. Dr. Nizbon says he’ll be right behind them, but that he must prepare something first and runs off to do so. Jenzo also hears the call, but keeps it to himself for now.

Round 3

• Haku’s chase: sicks Jezza for a flanked attack to distract the elf, then books it in the direction Kiara’s pulse came from. Jezza lands a Pounce for 10 slashing, knocking him prone. Jezza then slashes and bites, missing the slash but sinking his teeth into the elf for 15 piercing. Vailok, to Jezza’s surprise, transforms into a Weretiger & throws the jaguar off of him.
• Kiara’s chase: Realizing the danger she’s in, Kiara casts Brain Wave (2nd level) and deals 26 psychic damage to her assailant. She then darts off to regroup with her friends, but Moulgus casts Entangle (1st level) and traps her there, rushing over to embrace his prey
• The mercenaries: Jenzo tells his friends that the targets are definitely here, as one of them telepathically called out for the others to hide. Let’s look for anything that would make for a good hideout. They arrive at the hill, but nothing about it seems off enough to Jenzo for special consideration.
• The group: geared up and ready, Nyrus casts Vibrosense to detect their foes at the bottom of the hill. He tells Viko & Hana, and they get into position for a stealth strike

Round 4

• Haku’s encounter: Haku expertly navigates the forest and sneaks up on Moulgus with a Trunk Weapon attack for 14 slashing and injuring the druid. He breaks concentration from the pain and releases Kiara. Meanwhile, Jezza gets a claw on Vailok for 12 slashing, while Vailok lets loose a mystical jaguar roar (Pack Alpha) to call Jezza to his side, but the loyal jaguar resists the call. Annoyed, Vailok slashes Jezza for 10 damage.
• Kiara’s encounter: Free of the druid, she looks at the bleeding psychopath with disdain, feeling the urge to direct a painful Brain Blast or call upon the various powers of nature to destroy this savage, holds to her morals and casts Shillelagh on her escrima sticks, striking twice for 3 bludgeoning damage. Moulgus smirks and casts Poison Spray on the druid, but she withstands its effects and takes no damage
• The mercenaries: They start walking up the hill, but Jenzo senses the traps and orders the team to stop. Barna is too excited though and trips, setting off a Stovetop Trap and taking 10 fire damage
• The group: They stealthily take position. When Barna sets off the trap, Nyrus lets loose an explosive arrow, dealing 8 piercing/14 thunder/25 sneak attack damage to Barna (47 total), 7 thunder to Jenzo, & 14 thunder to Forzina. Satisfied with their first blow, the trio stand at the top of the hill, starting combat on this side.

Combat: The Gang vs. The Ferocious Five (13,000 XP each)

Initiative

 

• Viko: 5
• Kiara: 18
• Nyrus: 19
• Haku: 19
• Hana: 8
• Jezza: 11
• Dr. Nizbon: 1 (enters in later round)
• Barna: 14
• Moulgus: 20
• Jenzo: 22
• Vailok: 16
• Forzina: 11

Round 1

 

• Jenzo: Looks up the hill at the archer, thinks for a moment. “One hell of a shot there, do I know you by chance?”. Uncertain, he casts ElectroSpear and launches it at Nyrus. Unfortunately, he crit fails and launches it 20 ft in front of himself, successfully avoiding the electrical explosion that seats off all the traps throughout the base of the hill. Moves 55 ft up the hill.
• Moulgus: Casts Detrivore’s Feast (1st level) and gained 13 HP. “I’ve seen how light you swing little girl”, and runs towards Haku’s tree. Kiara opportunity attacks and smacks his fleeing face for 10 bludgeoning, smirking at his surprised expression. He stands fixated on Kiara, but 20 ft between her & Haku.
• Nyrus: Launches an arrow, but it whizzes by Jenzo.
• Haku: Runs back to support Jezza upon Kiara’s insistence
• Kiara: Alone, she connects her feet with the land through mystically-called roots, then psionically encourages the trees to rustle their leaves & branches. This creates enough wind to form a circular storm cloud in the early evening sky, spinning with electrical ferocity. Finally, Kiara releases another psionic command and calls a bolt of lightning down on Moulgus, completing her cast of Call Lightning (3rd level). This deals 7 lightning damage to Moulgus, and Kiara holds her spell.
• Vailok: Slashes Jezza for 15 damage, then bites him for 16. Haku arrives just in time for Vailok to bite Jezza’s throat out from his neck, killing the jaguar and eating the entrails. He roars at his approaching challenger, Jezza’s fresh blood dripping from his mouth.
• Barna: Enters a vicious rage, runs up the hill and launches a Fireball (1 Rage usage, still raging) at Viko. Viko & Nyrus dodge the brunt of it while Hana takes the full blast, with each taking 12 fire damage (Hana’s resistance shines through). Barna stands with a fiery aura about her rage, implicating Goultani magic to both Viko & Haku.
• Jezza: spurts one final blast of blood from his open neck as the life leaves his eyes, right before his master.
• Forzina: As the gang realizes what they are up against, Forzina walks forward, charges and fires Sunbeam (6th level) at Hana, dealing 40 radiant damage as she gets up from the fireball.
• Hana: Heavily singed, Hana glows with a green aura-ed rage. She calls twin torrents of water from her pouch and casts Hydro Rush (5th level) with Twinned Spell (5 sorcery points). Barna & Forzina get jetted with 30 cold damage and are knocked into each other, nearly hitting Jenzo. Both fire users are prone.
• Viko: Embraces his foes with pleasure, activating his Gaiodrenaline (+1 Strength, +2 Con) and fuming with Rouzhai power. He charges down the hill at prideful speed, launching a Flamebeam (2nd level) and dealing 37 total fire damage with that & the Gaiodrenaline. Barna takes only 18, recognizing her potential equal.

Round 2

• Jenzo: Seeing the pair ups, Jenzo runs 55 ft up the hill, casts Tornado Jump (1st level) to avoid the potential trap area, then casts ElectroSpear (4th level) from the air at Nyrus. He hits, with Nyrus taking 12 piercing thanks to Uncanny Dodge. However, the bolt then explodes in his chest, dealing only 16 lightning damage thanks to his resistance (28 total)
• Moulgus: Casts Insect Plague (4th level) on Kiara, dealing 16 piercing and losing Concentration.
• Nyrus: Casts Shock Enhancement & fires a sharphead arrow at Jenzo, which would have dealt 20 total damage if he hadn’t caught it. Jenzo throws it back for 8 piercing to Nyrus (1 ki point). Angered, he fires a Grapple Shot for 8 piercing, but Jenzo escapes the grapple before Nyrus can slam him down.
• Haku: Screaming in grief, Haku jumps towards Vailok and casts Ground Spike (3rd-level) for 34 piercing damage. He runs over to his fallen friend, feels his wounds and body, then looks with murderous intent towards Vailok.
• Kiara: After coming to from the insect swarm, Kiara immediately senses the outpour of emotion from Haku and the nearby loss of life, concluding the worst. She spiritually (and unintentionally) channels Haku’s grief into her own and casts Shriek of Mourning (6th-level Warian spell) for the first time, dealing 22 psychic damage to Moulgus. Her grief briefly channels Haku’s rage for an impulsive escrima strike with her Bonus Action, but misses the grievously wounded Moulgus.
• Vailok: Transforms into a Werewolf and lunges at Haku, dealing 12 slashing from a claw, crit failing the second claw and falling out of bite position. Frustrated, he uppercuts with his claw, but Haku dodges it effortlessly.
• Barna: Closes the distance between herself and Viko and swings twice with her thunderous maul, dealing 18 damage to Viko
• Forzina: Casts Sunburst (8th level spell) on Hana & Nyrus, who both succeed and take 28 radiant damage
• Hana: Casts Aquaflesh, then casts Aqua Whip (5th level) on Forzina, dealing 50 damage and kills Forzina by drowning her in an icy aqua grips, with intense prejudice. Drops the corpse at the bottom of the hill, then proceeds downward.
• Viko: Dual wields the longsword & morningstar, then goes for 2 strikes. Hits both, dealing 12 fire/10 bludgeoning/10 slashing (32 total). As she winces on her last moment, Viko nods in respect before removing her head from her body via longsword.

Round 3

• Jenzo: Sees the situation around him, then dashes towards the woods to regroup with Moulgus & Vailok. This earns a full 4-Shuriken opportunity attack from Nyrus, dealing 15 piercing.
• Moulgus: Smiling at Kiara, Moulgus casts Bio-Drain (8th level), dealing 13 necrotic damage to Kiara and draining 13 HP from the nearby plants. He regains 26 HP from doing this.
• Nyrus: Casts Shock Enhancement and gives chase to Jenzo, tossing two volleys of reg-explosive shuriken combos as he goes and dealing 33 damage.
• Haku: Casts GeoRift (3rd level) to crush Vailok, but the nimble predator avoids the fissure.
• Kiara: Casts Brain Blast (4th level), dealing 23 psychic damage to Moulgus.
• Vailok: Transforms into a Werebear and swings a claw at Haku, dealing 14 damage. Misses both bites, crit failing the second and earning a Trunk Weapon smack from Haku that misses
• Hana: Casts Organic Mending (4th level), regaining 14 HP. Runs after Nyrus.
• Viko: Casts Photosynthesis, gaining 5 temp HP and advantage on Strength, Dexterity & Constitution ability checks/saving throws/attacks/spells. Runs after Hana

Round 4

 

• Jenzo: runs through the forest expertly, casting Barrel Bolt (3rd level) to trip up his pursuers. Nyrus evades it completely, while Viko & Hana fail and take 24 lightning damage. Viko loses his Photosynthesis bonus, and both Viko & Hana loses the trail for now
• Moulgus: Casts Flesh to Stone on Kiara, who fails and begins transforming to stone (Restrained)
• Nyrus: Does not navigate as well as Jenzo, losing his pace. To keep up, he casts Speed Boost, then launches two successful grapple blade attacks through the trees to propel him up to Jenzo. He ends his turn less than 10 ft behind his target.
• Haku: Casts Geostrength (1st level), then Barkwhip (3rd level) with a nearby tree, dealing 39 bludgeoning. He glares at Vailok and circles him like a predator, ready to deal the finishing blow.
• Kiara: Restrained with her body, but not her mind, Kiara casts Mind Probe, asserting that “You’ll tell me everything, including who hired you. It was Garen, wasn’t it?” Moulgus, in his last moments, keeps his mind and expressions clear of Kiara’s answers, smiling masochistically as he dies from the 7 psychic damage. Horrified by her unintentional kill, Kiara succeeds on her Constitution saving throw and frees herself from near petrification. She spends the remainder of her time processing what she just did.
• Vailok: Goes rage mode and slashes at Haku, dealing 21 damage. Misses one bite, but sinks his teeth in for the last one, dealing 15 piercing (36 total). Haku, in his enraged grief, nat20s the lycanthropy curse, fighting off its effects but briefly containing its magic within his body.
• Hana & Viko: successfully navigate the jungle, then agree to split up; Viko will look for Kiara, while Hana looks for Haku.

 

Round 5

• Jenzo: turns around and engages Nyrus, Stunning Striking him for 9 damage and a successful stun (1 ki point). Dashes into the trees and within range of Kiara, who notices him in the woods but does not immediately react.
• Nyrus: stunned, tries to catch his breath
• Haku: Turns his Trunk Weapon into a spear and impales Vailok through the mouth, killing the wereranger. He immediately rushes to Jezza’s side and cries, unknowingly embracing the feline shapeshifting powers of the wereranger (gains all the hybrid forms, werebear, werewolf, Weretiger, werebat, wereboar) into his Wild Shape arsenal.
• Kiara: Feeling even more of Haku’s grief and her own confusion from her actions, Kiara turns to the monk and casts Brain Blast (7th level) with nothing held back, dealing 41 psychic damage to Jenzo and causing him to scream in pain.
• Hana: Arrives at Haku’s scene and is immediately distraught when she sees Jezza. She hugs her life partner and they cry over Jezza
• Viko: Arrives at Kiara’s scene and immediately attacks Jenzo, swinging three times with the War Bident, dealing 47 damage and killing Jenzo where he stood. At this point, Nyrus catches his breath and begins to stand up, ending combat.

   

Aftermath

  Viko & Nyrus comfort Kiara, and the three have a heart to heart about the weight of killing on one’s soul. Kiara sees something in the guys that she didn’t before; empathy and understanding of her philosophy and the morality of killing itself. The trio eventually make it over to the Seregan family, with Kiara telling the boys what happened along the way. Viko is visibly distraught by this, having quickly bonded with Jezza. Nyrus tries to hide it, but its clearly affected him to. When they arrive, all five of them circle up and mourn together over Jezza’s body, entering the night on a somber tone. At least they gained 13,000 XP from the experience.  

Elsewhere...

  In a grand office, Knightlord Garen (first time we actually see him) is seated in his chair examining a crystal ball, showing what appears to be the scene near Moulgus’ body after he died. With this view, he sees Viko kill Jenzo and both Nyrus & Viko comforting Kiara. The visual fades out as the trio heads off into the woods, presumably generated by a magical object on Moulgus’ person. Based on the vision, Garen concludes that his bounty hunters failed, as predicted. Therefore, it was time to initiate his backup plan; with a call through the VibroNet, Garen orders all local forces to move in on and decimate the nearby village, intending to draw the group into a final conflict and end them once and for all.