Bands of Power - Game thread

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Jan 26, 2026 12:38 am
Unless someone says differently, I’m going to assume that Berith and Elspaeth follow Borgo and Thak?

Elspaeth’s lantern fully illuminates trap room as she enters it. The shattered skeletons lay where they fell and she can see the crossbows primed in their alcoves.

Lattremond follows up the rear, stopping near the open doorway near Borgo. He works quickly at his belly to free the two potions given him earlier and hands them off to Elspaeth, "Take these, I fear they might break or be lost if it comes to battle." Then he draws his own sword and stands ready facing into the partially shadowed end of the treasure room.

Elspaeth’s lantern casts enough light to illuminate both rooms from where she is just beyond the doors inside the TRAP room. Berith stands near her and Thak is just ahead of them. Those three are clustered within 10’ of the doors and within the bounds of the door frame.

L-man and Borgo stand about 5’ in side of the treasure room.
Jan 26, 2026 1:34 am
As if summoned by Borgo’s words, you all hear the creatures ululations change in pitch a they increase in volume. You know it’s now coming up the chute and much more quickly than Berith could have.
Its voices preceded it. Chatterings, laughter, gnashing teeth, babbling, howls all the possible noises you could imagine coming from beast or man assault not just your ears, but your minds.

The creature itself seems to spill up and out of the illusory floor into the room. It’s great slick bulk covered in myriad bawling drilling mouths, and blood shot eyes squinting in the light. It pours out and across the flagstones in glossy black jittering surges.

The horror is quite large, perhaps 10’ across at most, but it’s difficult to quantify the exact dimensions of its amorphous body. The edges surge in and out in pseudopods large and small and its height swells and collapses, but never higher than perhaps 3-4’.

The creature is within close of Borgo and Lattremond and within near of the rest of you.

Borgo stands just inside the room to the left in front of the closed door. L-man stands in front of the open doorway. There is easily enough room for Borgo to run past out for someone to push forwards.

Everyone needs to roll a Wisdom save against DC12 annd also roll a 1d8 with your action and any other rolls you make.


Jan 26, 2026 5:51 am
"Lead it to the bolt throwers!" The panicking goblin exclaimed, his voice mingling with the horrendous mouthings of the newly revealed abomination.

Rolls

WIS check, effect roll - (1d20-1, 1d8)

1d20-1 : (2) - 1 = 1

1d8 : (8) = 8

Jan 26, 2026 9:27 am
Borgo Begins to formulate a desperate plan, but he just can’t seem to, "…the noise!" The black viscous thing seems to grow before his very eyes. Its mouths full of fangs seeking his flesh! "How can he win against that!?"

Shrieking loudly in despair, Borgo bolts out of the room and towards the stairs leading to the exit. As the Goblin passes in front of the crossbow it fires and the bolt sinks into Borgo’s flank, knocking him stumbling to the side so that he collapses onto the top few steps down the stairway.

Light Sources:
Elspaeth - Lantern (10)


Initiative Order:
Borgo 0/3HP
Thak 3/7HP
Lattremond 4/5HP
BerIth 4/10HP
Elspeath 6/6HP

Unknown Horror from Below

Rolls

Trap Crossbow - (1d20+2)

(11) + 2 = 13

Deadly bolt - (1d6)

(2) = 2

Jan 26, 2026 9:46 am
The creatures cacophonous gibbering and horrible visage seem to have overwhelmed Borgo, who flees in terror. Thak, Berith and Elspaeth see the Goblin turn in terror and run past them screaming towards the stairwell and the into the path of the reloaded crossbow trap with unfortunate consequences. Its bolt strikes true and sends the Goblin to the ground where he lay sprawled near the left hand side of the top of the stairwell.

Thak is up! Remember your two rolls! Wisdom save bs DC12 and a separate roll of 1d8
OOC:
Man! To bad you were at 1hp, though a max damage roll would knock any of the chars down.
Jan 27, 2026 3:00 am
Berith winces as she can barely think through the horrendous noise. Watching in horror as the bolt hits Borgo and he goes tumbling down the stairs, Berith will step out the doors and move a few paces forward, about in line with where the stairs end. She hopes the creature will follow if it sees her there.
OOC:
If the creature does follow, she would like to try and jump out of the way towards the stairs if possible, heading down them.

Rolls

Wisdom save - (1d20-1)

(12) - 1 = 11

1d8

(1) = 1

Jan 27, 2026 2:10 pm
OOC:
Just posting the two rooms again to give context.
https://i.imgur.com/tSYtR8h.jpeg

https://i.imgur.com/6weCTn6.jpeg
Jan 27, 2026 3:10 pm
Ciao @matmaisan, can you please roll for Borgo’s death timer? 1d4-1
Jan 27, 2026 3:24 pm
As he plunges into unconsciousness the panicked goblin form fights to breathe.
OOC:
Borgo’s max hp was 3: he’d have gone down in any circumstance. Now you have 2 rounds to vainly attempt to stabilize him, while you are eaten by this abomination… I guess I should start rolling a new character…
Last edited January 27, 2026 4:04 pm

Rolls

Death timer - (1d4-1)

(3) - 1 = 2

Jan 28, 2026 1:54 am
Thak turns to face the horror as he watches his buddy fall before him. "Borgo!" He raises his greatsword and attempts to attack the horror.

Rolls

Greatsword Attack - (1d20+4)

(4) + 4 = 8

Greatsword Damage - (1d12+2)

(1) + 2 = 3

Wisdom Save (DC12) - (1d20-1)

(20) - 1 = 19

d8 roll - (1d8)

(6) = 6

Jan 28, 2026 3:58 am
Elspaeth backs away from the seething horror ducking into the corner near the stairs down, where Borgo fell, with lantern in one hand and her crossbow ready and tucked in the cradle of her other arm.
Last edited January 28, 2026 4:01 am

Rolls

Wisdom (DC 12) - (1d20+1)

(10) + 1 = 11

Roll - (1d8)

(5) = 5

Lattremond

Dhakhan Inactive for 1 months

Jan 28, 2026 5:44 am
Lattremond
....Lattremond's save

Rolls

Stuggles to think with hysterical jabberings filling his mind - (1d20+1)

(14) + 1 = 15

Gibber, gibber, gibber.... - (1d8)

(2) = 2

Jan 28, 2026 1:33 pm
As he sees his companion fall, Thak charges forwards and swipes awkwardly at an outstretched pseudopod. The blow lands and mouths squeal before it retracts into the main mass.

Lattremond grits his teeth and focuses his mind on the wailing death before him. His knees shake with fear, Thak comes forward to swipe at the thing, his shoulders sag even though his stance firms. Dropping his sword, he grabs Thak’s pack and attempts to push him bodily back out of the room.
OOC:
Dante_dark, let me know how Thak responds to this? Does he allow it or resist? I’ll finish his action once I know.
Jan 28, 2026 1:43 pm
OOC:
I just noticed a typo I made above about Thak’s, Berith’s, and Elspaeth’s locations. They are just inside the TRAP room.
Berith stands just behind the closed door, the creatures myriad cries rattling through her head like a thousand crazed echos. "My sword! The Goblin? Flee! Death! Valor before…?" Half formed ideas and impulses run through her mind but she can’t manage to turn any into action.

Lantern held close with one hand, one ear covered tightly with the other, Elspeath gawps at insanity manifest. There is confusion and fear burning brightly in her eyes. She can see the flailing abomination through the doorway. She can feel its loathsome gaze upon her. She shambles away so that it can’t see her and finds herself standing on the stairwell below Borgo, his bright red blood slowly running down the stairs.

Okay! Berith and Elspeath were both adversely affected by the creatures maddening voices and were unable to function properly. Berith is behind the door to the treasure room. Elspeath on the stairs.

Thak and L-man notice the darkness draw closer to them as Elspaeth moves down the stairway. The creature is still in view but much of the treasure room is in darkness now. They stand just in the door way, and L-man is busy trying to push him out. I’ll wait for how Thak responds to being man handled before finishing the round.

Rolls

Direction 1=N, 2=NW, etc.. - (1d8)

(5) = 5

Jan 31, 2026 8:11 pm
Dhakhan says:

Lattremond grits his teeth and focuses his mind on the wailing death before him. His knees shake with fear, Thak comes forward to swipe at the thing, his shoulders sag even though his stance firms. Dropping his sword, he grabs Thak’s pack and attempts to push him bodily back out of the room.
OOC:
Dante_dark, let me know how Thak responds to this? Does he allow it or resist? I’ll finish his action once I know.
Thak feels the pull on his pack and turns. His initial thought is aggression, but when he sees Lattremond, he allows himself to be led from the room.

Lattremond

Dhakhan Inactive for 1 months

Feb 1, 2026 1:18 am
Lattremond
…Sending Thak stumbling through the open doorway, Lattremond attempts to follow but finds his foot won’t budge. It’s then he looks down to see a thick black rope covering his boot and moving up his leg.

Thak as you are looking back, you see him look up with despair which quickly changes to determination. He reaches for his dagger, but that is the last thing you see as he closes the door.

A moment later, you hear his muffled screams. They don’t last long.

Light Sources:
Elspaeth - Lantern (10)


Initiative Order:
Borgo 0/3HP - 2rnd Death Timer
Thak 3/7HP
BerIth 4/10HP
Elspeath 6/6HP

Unknown Horror from Below

Okay. L-man is surely dead. The treasure room is sealed from view but the close fitting doors.

You don’t know what the creature is capable of other than climbing. Nor do you have any real indication of its intelligence. Perhaps its soupy form will be to your benefit in this circumstance? You are sure that it likely cannot ooze through the flush stonework of the door and doorframe. …It might do to say a prayer for Dwarves and their meticulous craftsmanship.

Berith and Elspaeth wrest their minds from the warbling wails grip. What does the group do now?

The creature is still generating its mind addling racket, but it I’d muffled by the thick stone. Everyone roll your Widsom saves with advantage next round; still DC 12.
Feb 1, 2026 5:33 pm
Bleeding silently on the ground, Borgo is blissfully incapable of reacting to the horrid droning of the abomination.
OOC:
I’ll roll despite supposing that it won’t affect the unconscious. I suppose he ought to roll a death save at some point as well.

Rolls

Wis check - (2d20h1-1)

(1420) - 1 = 19

Death save #1 - (1d20)

(14) = 14

Feb 2, 2026 2:48 am
matmaisan says:
OOC:
I’ll roll despite supposing that it won’t affect the unconscious. I suppose he ought to roll a death save at some point as well.
OOC:
Shadowdark doesn't really have a "death save" mechanic. Someone needs to come to your aid and stabliize you. Without a medicine kit (which I believe is tied to the outside of your pack???) they have to make a DC 15 Int check. With a Medicine kit, one use is expended and you are stablized at 0hp whatever they roll. If it's a nat 20, you get 1hp back.
Feb 2, 2026 3:58 am
Shaking her head, still a little dazed from what happened, Berith rushes down the stairs to get to Borgo. Scrambling to get his medicine kit, she uses it to try and stop the bleeding from the arrow wound.
OOC:
I'm going to go ahead and expend 1 use to use the medicine kit. As long as I roll good enough for the wisdom save.

Rolls

Wisdom save - (2d20h1-1)

(157) - 1 = 14

Intelligence check to treat Borgo - (1d20-1)

(16) - 1 = 15

Feb 2, 2026 6:28 am
Will something, or someone, able to stop Borgo’s lifeblood from leaving his diminutive frame?
OOC:
I misnamed the rule, but it does exist:

Death Timer. A dying character rolls 1d4 + their CON modifier (minimum 1 total) on their turn.
They die in that many rounds unless healed or stabilized. On each of the character's subsequent turns, that player rolls a d20. On a natural 20, the
character rises with 1 hit point. (p.89)

Here’s hoping Berith’s INT modifier is better than her WIS modifier.
Last edited February 2, 2026 6:30 am
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