The Mysterious Hooded Figure is back, and this time they brought company! Can our heroes repel these three vicious and venomous foes? Where did they come from? What has become of Amadi? All this and more, in this week's thrilling episode!

CONTENT WARNING: This episode features a battle that involves a firearm being discharged in a crowded area, resulting in mass panic. The firearm is not fired at any civilians, but we thought the situation might still be triggering for some. See below for a description of the battle and a timestamp to avoid the battle entirely.

Starring: Shamini Bundell (she/her) as Reth (they/she, Eland's Blessing Swala, Squared Circle Pugilist)
Liv Kennedy (she/her) as Juji Osei (she/her, Bloom Emere, Circle of Stars Druid 4/Twilight Cleric 2)
Jonathan Charles (he/him) as Aboade (he/him, Copper Ironmaster, Battle Smith Artificer)
and Jeremy Cobb (he/him) as your Very Neighborhood Dungeon Master!

Post-production by Seth Leue and Daniel Ramos

Jump to 1:02:49 to skip to the aftermath of the battle!

BATTLE DESCRIPTION: Juji has engaged Hooded Figure 1, but she missed with her attempt to cast Light on them. Juji shouts "I was right!" as Hooded Figure 1 dodges out of the way and stabs her three times with small daggers that drip with venom. Juji takes 22 points of piercing and poison damage.

Reth, seeing this, charges forward through the crowd and shoves Hooded Figure 1 to the ground, getting a brief flash of a memory of Tish, Reth's mentor, cheering them on. Reth attempts to grapple the downed opponent, but the figure twists out of the way. Frustrated, Reth punches Hooded Figure 1 in the face. It's a crit! The face under the hood feels strangely hard as Reth punches it for 13 bludgeoning damage. Hooded Figure 1 uses a Legendary Action to shoot a web out from one of its hands and yoink itself 35 feet away, which doesn't incur opportunity attacks, landing directly next to Aboade.

Aboade casts Branding Smite and shoots Hooded Figure 1 in the face, shattering its head and causing it to shrink down into a broken yellow stone. Hooded Figure 1 has been vanquished! Aboade scans the crowd, sees Hooded Figure 2 30 feet away, and shoots them for 10 piercing damage. The crowd starts to become alarmed by the sound of gunshots.

Hooded Figure 2 ducks into the crowd, emerging next to Reth. Large, purple, wooden mandibles with yellow, dripping tips burst out of its hood, and it bites Reth in the shoulder for 10 points of piercing damage, forcing Reth to make a Con save. Reth succeeds and suffers no further effects.

At this point, Hooded Figure 3 bursts out of the crowd and plunges its own set of mandibles into Juji for 13 points of piercing damage. Juji also succeeds on the Con save. As they're bitten, both Reth and Juji get disjointed flashes of memory: Reth leaving an arena in the Upper Realms with a pit in their stomach, and Juji climbing the Mahogany Tree in Wagadu, dreading what comes next. Hooded Figure 2 then uses a Legendary Action to thwip away into the crowd using its web.

Juji activates her Star Chalice ability, which causes her markings to radiate like constellations and nebulae, boosting her healing abilities. She uses a 3rd level Cure Wounds on herself, regaining 14 HP, and also heals Reth for 12. She stands up, but stays put so she doesn't take an opportunity attack from Hooded Figure 3.

Hooded Figure 2 then uses a Legendary Action to blast a cone of psychic energy at both Reth and Juji, forcing them to make a Wisdom saving throw. Juji succeeds, taking 5 psychic damage and suffering no further effects, but Reth takes 10 psychic damage and is stunned as they're trapped in a stupor of memories. A number of bystanders are caught in the blast, killing some and incapacitating others. Reth is forced to relive the memory of themselves walking through a seedy part of the Upper Realms city to see Faizah, who is behind a screen having a man tortured and maimed for having spoken against her in public.

The crowd has fully started to panic at this point. Aboade sends a tiny metal plate from his clothing flying between Hooded Figure 3 and Juji, as he casts Sanctuary on Juji. He then shoots Hooded Figure 3 once for 13 piercing damage, and he misses his second shot. He tries to reassure the crowd, but his words don't have much of an effect on the panicked folks.

Hooded Figure 2 comes running out of the crowd and stabs Reth 3 more times for 30 points of piercing and poison damage, but Reth is so deep in memories that they don't even feel it.. Hooded Figure 3 makes the Wisdom save to bite Juji again for 11 piercing damage. Juji again makes her Constitution saving throw and suffers no further effects. As Hooded Figure 2's turn ends, Reth comes out of their stupor. The last thing they hear before they come back to reality is Faizah walking up to them and saying "right, let's talk". Reth then uses their Bloodied but Unbowed feature to regain all their Moxie points and a bunch of temp HP.

For her turn, Juji uses Healing Word on Reth for 10 HP, then uses her Chalice ability on herself for 5 HP. Juji then produces her holy symbol: a piece of the Mahogany Tree, and uses her Channel Divinity ability Twilight Sanctuary, giving 7 temp HP to every ally and bystander within 30 feet at the end of each of their turns.

The crowd is now fully panicking and fleeing the area, forcing all combatants to make either Strength or Dex saves of DC 10. All our heroes succeed, but Hooded Figure 2 gets knocked prone. Everyone now has 1/2 cover against ranged attacks. One of the Hooded Figures uses the psychic blast Legendary Action again, dealing 6 psychic damage to Juji and 11 psychic damage to Reth, stunning Reth yet again. Reth returns to the memory of Faizah, who seems surprised to see them.

Aboade keeps blasting away, completely shattering Hooded Figure 3 and turning it back into a yellow stone. He then commands Yim to use Thorn Whip on Hooded Figure 2, who shoots out a spiced yam-covered vine and pulls it closer to him, dealing 10 points of piercing damage. Hooded Figure 2 runs back to Juji and bites her again for 7 piercing damage. Yet again, Juji makes the Con save and suffers no additional effects. Hooded Figure 2 flees back into the crowd as Reth snaps out of being stunned. Hooded Figure 2 then uses a Legendary Action to web itself another 35 feet away. Juji, not wanting to let it escape, rolls a Nat 20 on a 2nd level Guiding Bolt and obliterates Hooded Figure 2 with 33 points of radiant damage. Juji then rolls another Nat 20 on her Withered Woman check, and the DC goes up to 2. The Hooded Ones are vanquished!

Unfortunately, the crowd is still surging, and all our heroes have to make Str. or Dex. saves again, this time DC 12. Juji fails and is knocked prone, taking 4 bludgeoning damage as terrified citizens run over her. Reth picks through the crowd, runs over and picks up Adofo, who had been knocked over by the crowd, and sees Khadija lying prone, possibly unconscious. Reth uses the rest of their movement to run over and pick Khadija up as well. For their part, Aboade and Yim start pulling bystanders to their feet. The crowd surges again, knocking Aboade and Yim over, but Reth uses their movement to Dash through the crowd, set Juji, Adofo, and Khadija down safely, and then run back to help Aboade and Yim as the crowd runs out of the area. With our heroes and their allies safe, the crowd clears the area and the guards arrive. The battle is over!

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