Episode 245 - Dance of Undeath

With the Lich finally revealing itself our brave heroes now have the chance to put this evil to rest, murder style! Something makes me think that Liches are really powerful…maybe maintaining an illusion of a whole town for several days including towns people with personalities. Wait…what did we eat? What about that rad new cocktail everyone is talking about…my god.

## **Story**

### Long Story

Well, this is how it is. Sinu the Red has just revealed his great trick: that the entire town of Tarry Hollow was no more than an illusion, created to trap the Ätlän-tã Fælcons and retrieve Katrina's amulet. They are now standing before a large army of zombies and former townspeople, now revealed to be skeletons and monsters and the like. Sinu himself leads them. He says to them, "Give me the locket." He then asks Toby why he is wearing his robe. The fight begins...

Jaela is still holding Teddy, so she hands him to Toby. As she does, he whispers *"Free me..."* Toby, having cast Detect Magic last episode, doesn't detect any magic from Teddy, but senses that something is definitely off. Jaela notices Katrina a few feet away, in the crowd of decomposing zombies. She is also a decomposing zombie. Toby puts Teddy in an Adamantine box with breathing holes, and an immovable rod on top. Teddy says, *"No, you fool. Free me."* Jaela casts Locate Object and determines the locket to be in the box. Teddy's appearance becomes a lot more menacing, and he has sharp pointy teeth. Rowan's dancing sword she got earlier is rattling around and asks to be let out, so she does that. Teddy is actively becoming more and more terrifying. He is hissing, and his skin is becoming more leathery and taught. He looks deranged. Toby grabs him and shifts into the Astral Plane with him. But when Toby gets there, Teddy is not with him! Sinu turns to Steve and says just one word. *"Die."* Steve falls to the ground dead.

### Short

There is a mighty battle between the Ätlän-tã Fælcons and Sinu the Red. Sinu demands his sister's locket. Toby puts Teddy in an Adamintine box, and Teddy begins transforming into a monster. Jaela determines, using magic, that the locket is in the box with Teddy. Toby grabs Teddy and shifts to the Astral Plane, but Teddy is gone when he does this. After doing almost no damage to Sinu (except Jaela), Sinu casts the spell Power Word Kill on Steve, killing him instantly!

## **Trivia**

* The locket that Sinu is searching for seemed to belong to his sister at one point, and their mother before them. The locket is referenced in the Diary of Sinu the Red, in Episode 241 - The Actual Diary of Sinu the Red, Seriously This Time
* The magic words for Rowan's Dancing Sword are *"Aura, Aura, Aura."*. This is a reference to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
* This entire episodes essentially take about 18 seconds.
* This episode used music from Syrinscape:
	+ The song *Clash Defiant* was from Kevin MacLeod, at Incompetech.

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

### **Cast and Player Characters**

* Michael DiMauro - *Dungeon Master*
* Tim Lanning - Toby Treacletart
* Jennifer Cheek - Rowan Grey
* Mike Bachmann - Steve Meloncamp
* Nika Howard - Jaela

### **Non-Player Characters**

* Denton Glenchester
* Sinu the Red
* Teddy Dozar

### **Locations**

* The Astral Plane
* Drunkeros
	+ ~~Tarry Hollow~~
	+ The abandoned village outside The Crypt of Sinu the Red

### **Quest Log Updates**

* [Active] - Curse of the Raven Queen / Destroy Sinu the Red

## **Rolls**

* **Recap**
	+ Nika - 3
	+ Tim - 6
	+ Bachmann - 4
	+ Jennifer - 7

*Combat Begins vs Sinu and his army*

* **Initiative**
	+ Rowan - 19
	+ Jaela - 17
	+ Toby - 13
	+ Sinu the Red
	+ Steve - 5
	+ Denton

*Round One*

* **Rowan**
	+ Casts Silence on Sinu, meaning he can't casts spells that use verbal components

* **Sinu the Red - Legendary Action**
	+ Uses his Disrupt Life, requiring CON saving throws
		- Toby - 30
			* Success - takes 10 necrotic damage
		- Rowan - 22
			* Success - takes 10 necrotic damage (Resistance, takes 5)
		- Jaela - 30
			* Success - takes 10 necrotic damage
		- Steve - 13
			* Fail - takes 21 necrotic damage

* **Jaela**
	+ Hands Teddy to Toby

* **Toby**
	+ Creates a trash can out of Adamantine around Teddy, places an immovable rod on it.

* **Sinu the Red**
	+ Points a finger at Steve, requiring a CON saving throw
		- Toby Counterspell - 27
			* Successfully counters the spell

* **Steve**
	+ Uses Enhance Ability to grant everyone advantage on CON saving throws, and grants everyone 2d6 temp hit points - 4 hp

* **Denton**
	+ Attempts to banish Sinu
		- Sinu just turns to him and laughs

*Round Two*

* **Rowan**
	+ Casts Conjure Woodland Beings to conjure 8 Blink Dogs
		- New Initiative for them - 8

* Everyone makes another CON saving throw
	+ Jaela - 28
	+ Toby - 29
	+ Rowan - 19
	+ Steve - 30
	+ Blink Dogs - 11
		- Blink dogs all take 21 points of damage
		- Party takes 10 (**Jaela** should take 5)

* **Jaela**
	+ Casts Locate Object
		- Detects the locket in the Adamantine box

* **Toby**
	+ Casts *Maze* on Sinu the Red
		- Sinu casts Counterspell - 23

* **Sinu the Red**
	+ Casts Fireball at 5th level
		- Toby Counterspells - at 4th level. Rolled 3+5=8 (he is adding his proficiency which he should not be) vs DC 15 (Spell level, 5, plus 10)
			* He fails, and they are Fireball-ed requiring DEX saving throws
				+ Toby - 14
					- Takes 35 points of damage
				+ Jaela - doesn't beat a 20
					- Takes 35 points of damage
				+ Rowan - doesn't beat a 20
					- Takes 17 points of damage (evasion, takes half damage)
				+ Steve - 22
					- Takes 17 points of damage
				+ And it doesn't matter what the Blink Dogs roll, because they were all down to 1 hp.

* **Steve**
	+ Casts Haste on himself
	+ Melee Attacks the nearest zombie with spear - 30
		- Kills him instantly, granting him 2d6 hp - 11 temp hp

* **Denton**
	+ Casts Mass Healing Word, granting them all 23 hp

*Round Three*

* **Rowan**
	+ Casts Conjure Barrage, requiring a DEX saving throw
		- He is immune to non-magical piercing and slashing damage
	+ Also, uses her Dancing Rapier - 8
		- Misses

* **Sinu the Red - Legendary Action**
	+ Shoots Ray of Frost at Jaela
		- Toby Counterspells

* **Jaela**
	+ Melee Attacks Sinu (x3) - Nat20, 26, 30
		- Hit, Hit, Hit - 64 total damage

* **Toby**
	+ Makes an *Arcana* check to see what he knows about Liches - 23
		- He knows they are immune to poison and non-magical attacks, and are resistant to cold, lightning, and necrotic damage. They can't be charmed, exhausted, frightened, paralyzed, or poisoned.
	+ Grabs Teddy and uses his robe to once again shift into the Astral Plane, but Teddy isn't with him!

* **Sinu the Red**
	+ Casts Power Word Kill on Steve
	+ Says to Steve *"Die"*

* **Steve**
	+ Dies

*Needle in the Hay*

*Episode Ends Mid-Battle*