Episode 170 - The Murderer

The party opens up the cocoons left by the drider to find a mass of baby spiders, Kipper's wife Janine, and the murderer of Balder. Bachmann makes a ridiculous Deception check, Nika asks for clarification on how to do non-lethal damage because she doesn't do that, Jennifer actually rolls some Natural 20s, Tim feels tricked regarding a dagger, and Thrifty is, "My Sorry."

## **Story**

The party defeated the monster attacking them and they have to continue searching for Balder's murderer to clear Jaela's name. The investigate as they can, but not much can be gleaned from the dead drider before them. It's a typical drider. A lone hunter that was created as a form of punishment for drow. But perhaps the three cocoons it's made contain something useful. Jaela slices open the first and a billion spiders come out. Harper is creeped out and casts Thunderwave to take care of them and readies a *Fireball* as they go about opening the other cocoons. Jett opens up the one on the right, and Kipper cries out in horror as he sees the dead body of his wife Janine. However, Jett puts on the performance of a lifetime or Kipper was just open to accept anything to cling to hope that his wife still lives, and is convinced that the body before him is the dead body of his wife's twin that he's never heard about because, as Jett says, she was a real knob and so Janine never spoke of her. Inside the third cocoon is what they were looking for.

The boots on the body match the tracks they were following. This is the murderer. He's alive but unconscious. The bind him with drider silk, and Jaela uses *Lesser Restoration* to cure him of the poison from the obvious drider bite. Harper searches his pockets and they find a bag of coins minted with the same moon symbol as the coins in Tipsy Two-Fingers' possession. When Harper reaches for the dagger sheathed on the bandoleer draped across his body, the murderer bolts up and grabs Harper's wrist and stares into Harper's eyes with a crazed look and yells out, "Soloni! Why have you forsaken us!" Jett attempts to use his way with words to calm him down, and regardless of it having an effect or not, the crazed look fades from the murderer as he slumps back down unconscious once more. Harper sends a slight shock through him to reawaken him using *Prestidigitation* to turn his eyes a swirling purple for an added intimidation effect. The murder bursts out of his bonds and combat begins.

The battle is quick and murderer yells out the mysterious name of Soloni a few more times. But after he gets telekinetically slammed up against the ceiling and impaled with a javelin, he knows he is defeated. He pulls an opalescent, almost gem-like dagger from its sheath, the last remaining dagger where three used to be held, and cries out, "For Nareev!" before stabbing himself. The party watches him rapidly age until he appears five hundred years old and dies.

Before anything else can be done, the party hears footsteps approaching. One of the new people steps forward and lowers their cowl and Aludra instantly recognizes the person.

## **Trivia**

* Nyx get scolded by King Titus Harper for exclaiming that driders are cool. She represents him and needs to be more careful with her words.
* The origin of *"My Sorry"*. Thrifty said drider when Tim rolled his arcana check trying to study the dead drider. When he was corrected, he said, "My sorry- My bad."
* Aludra has five javelins. Thrifty reminds Jennifer Cheek and she actually uses one.
* First reference to both Soloni and Nareev, though we don't know what either of those things mean yet.

## **In This Episode...**

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Nika Howard - Jaela
* Mike Bachmann - Jett Razor
* Tim Lanning - King Titus Harper
* Jennifer Cheek - Aludra Wyrmsbane/Nyx

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Janine
* Kipper
* Rat Mask Assassin

### **Inventory Updates**

* ~~+1 Animal Mask Assassin Dagger~~
* +Some drider parts
* +Some moon coins

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Complete] - Find Balder's murderer
* [NEW] - Who is Solani?
* [NEW] - Who or What is Nareev?
* [Active] - Clear Jaela's name

### **Quotes**

**"Kipper, it's okay. You don't know that fish. It just looks like her, mate. It ain't your wife. I promise you. I just spoke with your wife."** ~ *Jett Razor*

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Tim - 17
	+ Jennifer - 16
	+ Nika - 8
	+ Bachmann - 3

* Harper - **Nature Check** into the details of the cocoon
	+ 12 - Thinks it's drider shit.

* **Nature Check** from the rest of the party
	+ Jaela - 17 - Jaela is pretty sure that driders are solitary hunters
	+ Jett - 12 - Has no idea. Says that he heard that the northern silverback drider hunts in a pack so they should be careful.
	+ Aludra - 4 - Has no idea
	+ Nyx - 4 - Has no idea

* Harper - **Arcana Check** into the three cacoons
	+ 8 - There is magic coming from everywhere

* Harper - **Religion Check** into knowledge of driders
	+ 9 - Thinks they're created as punishment for male drow, but nothing else.

* Jett - **Deception Check** to convince Kipper that the dead duo toa isn't his wife Janine
	+ 22 - He's convinced that the body is his wife twin sister that he's never heard of because she was a real knob

* Bachmann - **Odds or Evens** to determine which cocoon to open
	+ DM - Odd - He opens the one on the right

* Nyx - **Acrobatics Check** to attack the last cocoon
	+ 17 - Cool flip and hi-yaa! There's a big thump. Heavier than the others, but it' still closed. Whatever is inside moved a little.

* **Nature Check** to review knowledge about this poison
	+ Jaela - 3-1
	+ Jett - 8
		- They both know nothing.

* Harper - **Arcana Check** to review knowledge into the effects of the possible poison
	+ 15 - Examines parts of the dead drider. Some pouches, some teeth. He sees the drider sword is kind of magic. Spinnerette on its bum can be used to make webbing stuff.

* Harper - **Sleight of Hand Check** to hide pouch of coins recovered from the body that everyone is looking at.
	+ 15 - Everyone notices him make the attempt and he tries to play it off saying he's going to use it for expenses.

* Harper - **Arcana Check** when studying the enchanted sword on the unconscious murderer
	+ 18 - Definitely magic.

* Harper - **Religion Check** into the word/name Salaani
	+ 20 - Does not know who that is.

* **Medicine Check** to heal the slumped murderer
	+ Nyx - 8 + 4
	+ Jett - 8 + 3
		- He's still unconscious

* Harper - **Arcana Check** to shock the slumped murderer awake
	+ 22 - His eyes shoot open.

* Harper - **Intimidation Check** to demand who sent him
	+ 26 and 23 - For Solani, I will do this. (Bursts out of bonds.)

*Combat Begins*

* **Initiative vs The Murderer**
	+ Harper - 18
	+ Nyx - 17
	+ Aludra - 16
	+ The Murderer - (??)
	+ Jaela - 12
	+ Jett - 4

*Round 1*

* **Harper** vs The Murderer
	+ Taunts, "Solani is a punk, ass punk who sucks and is ugly and smacks his but 69 times and then casts Invisibility and moves and shouts, "And salami, well... it is... shit!" and moves again.
* **Nyx** vs The Murderer
	+ Melee - Nat20+9, 11+9, & 9+9
		- Critical Hit, Hit, & Miss - 26 damage (bludgeoning) - She hits with her staff and then punches and then misses.
* **Aludra** vs The Murderer
	+ Entangle with spell save DC 15
		- Fails - (??) - He is not restrained. Vines attempted to shoot out and reach him but shot out only a foot or so
* **The Murdereer** vs Harper/Nyx
	+ (??) - His sword, on Harper's belt, flares extremely brightly and starts making a loud whining noise. With blinding speed he appears next to Harper with the sword in his hand. He looks around and can't see Harper and so charges at Nyx.
		- Hits - 28 vs AC - 48 damage (from the sword)
* **Jaela** Tells Nyx to get in the back - 22, Nat20, & 19
	+ Hits - 15, 28, & 15 damage
* **Jett** vs The Murderer
	+ *Heat Metal* 17DC to drop it
		- Fails - (??) - He drops his sword
		- 10 damage - his hand is throbbing

*Round 2*

* **Harper** vs The Murderer
	+ Telekinesis - To throw him up in the air and smash him against the ceiling/stalactite. Spell attack vs Strength.
		- 22 vs (??) - Wins - Keeps him pressed up, non-lethally, up against he ceiling. Harper if floating above the ground.
* **Nyx** vs The Murderer
	+ Says, "I'm good. I'm just going to lay here on the ground." She's at 9hp.
	+ Wholeness of Body - +36hp
* **Aludra**
	+ Javelin... she has five. - Dex+Proficiency - Nat20+5
		- Hits - (Roll damage twice) - 7 damage - The javelin goes through his torso and pins him to the ceiling
* **The Murderer**
	+ "For Nareev!" - He pulls out an opalescent, almost gemstone-like, dagger and jabs it into his chest. The party seems him age instantly and dies looking as if he's 500 years old.

*Combat Ends*