Alex poured over his notes one last time. He'd meticulously crafted this plot to ensnare and capture, to draw in his unsuspecting prey until there was surely no escape, and leave her helpless before the insurmountable will of the unflinching villain that she would soon face.
He arranged the table carefully and set out a couple snacks, as well as his traditional goblet of mead and glass of water for himself. Honeyed words always made bad news more palatable, or at least that's what he told himself. He set the map and props he'd need on a nearby table and sat back. He pulled up his laptop and checked the time. His guest wasn't due for another 15 minutes, so he began double checking the ambient music he'd lined up. He'd honestly been relieved when his players had all asked for individual adventures leading up to the final confrontation with the big bad evil guy. They'd needed to power up and wrap up some individual plot points, and if he'd had to try to work it all in it could've majorly impacted their timeline. He'd already had sessions with Braggi (Jason), Rickard (Julia) and De'astia (Helena), leaving only his current query Alistana (Sasha) to round out the party. A knock at the door sounded breaking him from his thoughts, and he went and welcomed his guest
Sasha set up her dice tray on the table with an eager giggle "I am so excited. This cave and that necklace...there's unfinished business here". Alex chuckled as he laid out the map of the cavern with a black cloth over it to obscure past the entryway. "Aw come on! We explored the whole cave last time we were here!" She whined, looking angrily at the map. Alex rolled his eyes.
"That doesn't mean YOU know what's in it. Alistana has an intelligence of 12 and a wisdom of 8. So, I'll let you roll to see if you know where the next turn is, min maxing has consequences. But let me set the scene first." He hit a few buttons on his phone and the lights dimmed, a slow ambient cave music started playing, and vaguely twinkling lights appeared all around the table and the room. Alex had spent a couple grand designing his Great Hall. Sasha put her mini down on the map at the opening to the cave and set up her character sheet, pulling out her flask and setting it down on the table.
"You arrive at the cave of Prata Maina, having split with your party to do some individual training before you make your assault on the Horned King's castle. In your previous quest here you were on the trail of a hag kidnapping people from the nearby village. You were forced to retreat when you realized the hag's power was greater than your own spellcasters, but in the process, you lost a necklace sacred to you and your village. You swore to someday return, reclaim your holy relic, and slay the hag who took it from you. You approach the cave with quiet trepidation, your faithful sword Hydra Fang at your side, what would you like to do first?"
The adventure progressed as planned, with Sasha succeeding on some key checks to avoid traps and environmental hazards. Her high level stats, skills, and the plethora of magical items she'd collected on her journey aided her well in that regard. As she approached the hags lair, Alex made the switch to a haunting folk ballad and a dramatic flashing sequence of lights. He tapped another button and a fog machine at the edge of the table began to cover the map in a slow stream of eerie fog.
"Holy Shit" Sasha whispered, looking over the map with wonder. It's true, this was the kind of pageantry he usually reserved for the Big Bad of a campaign, not a singular villain that individual party members would face in their free time. Switching on his voice modulator he placed it against his throat and began to speak.
"Ah, little mouse, I see you didn't learn your lesson last time and wandered right back into the vipers den hmmm?"
The modulator and his computer, making sure his next words would echo through the hidden sound system in the room.
"Weak and helpless"
he tapped again
"Before me?"
Sasha bristled a little bit at the insinuation, but Alex could already see her nerves beginning to get the better of her. "She obviously knows you're here, but you can't see her anywhere. Roll for initiative"
Sasha made her roll, and started off strong taking the first move. She tried using a magical item to reveal the hag should she be invisible, but it showed nothing. Alex tapped a few more keys and the music began to loop a little more quietly with the underlying whisper of his words still murmuring underneath it all. "So she's gonna use a legendary action at the end of your turn, make a wisdom saving throw for me" He smiled in his most soothing voice. Sasha rolled high, but her non-existent modifier made it all but impossible for her to make the save. "You feel your muscles drain of strength, and feel your body go limp, as you hang in the air like a rag doll. You are considered paralyzed and cannot move or speak." She flinched because she knew she was in trouble.
"The hag appears before you, her face hidden beneath a cloaked hood"
He smiled, donning a cloak and black blank mask from the back of his chair and approaching Sasha with his face hidden.
