Calling All Freaks (Group I IC)

[Ezeze]

OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=7298783#post7298783)

The city of Vost is bubbling over with excitement. Queen Lillian of Mareay, the Dragon Queen, is visiting to attend her cousin's wedding. No monarch has ever visited Vost before, for two simple reasons. The first, and perhaps most important, is the fact that the monarch has no power in Vost. When it was established by charter a hundred years ago, Mareay's most pressing concern was to find a place to garrison troops. So it was declared that as long as Vost continued to house Mareay's soldiers and pay a tithe to the royal treasury, the guilds would be left to administrate the city as they saw fit.

The second is geography. The city sits, nearly alone, on the Great River which marks the end of the Kingdom's boarders. To its West are the Steppes, and further West from that the Kingdom of Almeniea, with which Mareay has never been on good terms. To the South down the river one firsts passes Kithinacia, then comes to the sea and eventually the island kingdom Sourin. Trade with either Almeniea or Kithinacia is illegal, officially, but that hardly seems to matter to the Merchant Guilds of Vost. It still matters very much, however, to the Queen's royal guard. They insist that her majesty would not be safe in such a place.

But Queen Lillian has never given overmuch thought to her own safety. Unfortunately for her cousin, the occasion of her visit has completely overshadowed the wedding its self. The majority of Vost's citizens have never seen a king or queen. In excited preparation streets and homes have been cleaned, patriotic songs are being sung, and the soldiers have been on triple duty ensuring there will be no unexpected interruptions. The city's Eastern Gate, small as it is, has been flung wide open and the wealthiest of Vost's citizens has volunteered his home for the Queen and her retinue.

In just a few moments, the royal procession is scheduled to parade down the main road before settling into their temporary home. Hordes of people have set out to see them, their work temporarily forgotten, beset by a second horde trying to sell them things until it's impossible to move for the bodies packed so tightly.

CockroachTeaParty/ Kethend
Your scales itch all over, and have for days. No matter how thoroughly you clean yourself, it persists. It's a mild irritation, but you know in your heart that it's indicative of something bigger. Something that is worrying Bahamut.

Rhiannon87/ Kalinda Gray
Two days ago there was a celebration for one of Pelor's many holidays. But while most call for feasting, dancing and marry-making, this one required only attendance of a simple ceremony and the burning of incense. Midway through, the chain holding the high priest's holy symbol broke and it clattered to the floor. The steel chain. The steel chain that you know, for a fact, is meticulously taken care of, and has been for a number of years. Most of the priests are taking it as a small embarrassment, and nothing more. You aren't so sure.

loser0ll/ Dirin Vencippi
Over the years, you've gotten accustomed to wearing your holy symbol. It's a comfortable weight around your neck, and you feel naked without it. But not today. Today it feels too heavy, or too cold, or too hot, and you just can't seem to find a way to wear it that doesn't cause discomfort.

Wiz/ Cassandra
It's a slight thing. You doubt anyone else would notice. Who knows, maybe you're just imagining things. But you'd swear that today, every frog you've seen has run from you.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda's never minded crowds, but this is a bit much for her. She looks down at the gathered masses, most of them unable to see the road from behind a wall of people. Don't make any sense, she thinks. Comin' all this way to see nothin' but the back a' somebody's head.

She shifts position slightly, leaning back on her hands and uncrossing her legs to let them dangle over the edge of the roof. She checked to make sure she's away from any windows; someone stealing her boots of her feet would be pretty terrible. From her vantage point on the roof of a three-story warehouse, she can see the whole road, all the way up to the gate.

She glances around the roof; as far as she can see, she's alone. Not many who could make it up here. Kalinda absently rubs her fingers over the holy symbol resting against her chest. Everyone at the Temple had been so anxious to make sure everything was clean and beautiful for the Queen. She was of the opinion they should've left the city as it was. Let her see this place for what it really was. Let her see the poor coming to the Temple, begging for food. Let her see the suffering in Hell's Port. Maybe then something would get done.

Big dreams, she thinks with a sigh. She ain't gonna do nothin' to make this place better. Gotta do it ourselves. Still, the arrival of the Queen was pretty exciting, her inability to solve all the city's problems notwithstanding. She leans forward and squints in the direction of the gate. She thinks she can see the dust kicking up from the procession...

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend, Nurh Ux Rasvim Persvek Ulhar Litrix Ekess Aurix Darastrix Azenath Tibur Guntz, Dragonborn Good Incarnate

Kethend stands alone, his strange appearance earning him a small berth in the crowd by the side of the main thoroughfare. He resembles a human-shaped dragon, clad in fine full plate armor and a luxurious blue cloak. His scales are a deep midnight blue, with flecks of gold and copper, resembling flickering stars in a cold winter night sky. His reptilian eyes of brilliant blue scan the crowd and the procession, the expression on his draconic face inscrutable to those who don't know him.
His alien appearance is further enhanced by the presence of several strange possessions on his person: a pair of translucent pauldrons float a half-inch above the shoulder guards of his actual armor; a silver necklace with a large blue sapphire graces his thick neck; a shimmering blue vest hugs his breastplate, nearly see through in the daylight; a fine pair of sky-blue sandals adorn his clawed feet, oddly out of place compared to the rest of his heavy armor; he grips a shimmering, bluish warhammer, slightly oversized, in his right hand; lastly, the various blue gems and stones adorning his armor, shield, and the clasp of his cloak pulse with a faint light. While his stance and demeanor is not menacing, he is nevertheless equipped for battle, despite the occasion and weather.
Despite his intimidating appearance, he does not hold himself with menace, pride, disdain, or confidence. Somehow, he almost blends into the crowd; many people give him a glance or two, then direct their attention elsewhere. This does not bother Kethend. As much as he would like to remain unnoticed, his appearance is bizarre enough that the curiosity of passers by is never far from his side.
There is little the dragonborn can do about how bad he itches underneath his thick armor. Once, Kethend's body sweated. Now, after his rebirth, he is still growing accustomed to the changes to his physiology. His mouth is dry, his legs grow tired. The conviction deep in his breast is for some reason shaken. He is on edge, and unsure of what to do with himself, or of what awaits him in the future.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The bartender pulled down the old bottle and blew dust off of it. "Are you sure about this? It's only supposed to get more powerful with time." The woman at the bar nodded, pushing back her hood. "The frogs are running from me... it's going to be bad this time." The bartender blinks at this nonsequeter. "You already sound like you're on something, lady, I don't think you want to mix it with this." The woman, who should have been beautiful, laughed - and her eyes turned into wounds, "I'm not on anything... though if it would get rid of the visions and the dreams, I'd gladly become a drunk." She pushed two gold across the bar. The bartender nodded, sweeping up the coins. "It's rare and costly stuff, but there's no call for it - especially at ten-years age. It would just put the drinker out like a light, no high, not even any interesting dreams, just a big black sleep, several hours long." The woman smiled, "Just what I'm looking for, I'll just take it up to my room." The bartender shrugged and poured it out, emptying the dregs of the bottle into a shot glass. The woman picked up the glass, then looked at the bartender squarely. "I was tempted not to tell you, but you'd better bank the fire tonight in the kitchen, the cook would have messed it up and your inn would have burned." She looked down at the shot glass of black liquor in her hand. "Maybe I shouldn't have said... I could have just sleep through it. Just ignore me... I ramble on sometimes." She walked to the stairs and went up them to her room. Going in she locked the door and set the liquor on the bedside table. She looked around the room, mumbling to herself. "I'm here... like you wanted, but I don't have to watch what's going to happen outside, or do even do anything about it." She prepared for sleep, but just as she was about to get into bed; a sudden, sharp sound hit the outside of the inn, shaking the wooden walls and furniture. The woman ran to the shudders and opened them, looking out to see a heavily-loaded wagon that had rolled down the street to crash into the outside wall of the inn. Looking up the street she could see the drovers trying to control the wildly bucking horses they'd been hitching to the wagon. She could also barely make out the reason for the animal's disturbance in the form of tiny colorful shapes that were hopping around underfoot. She turned from the window and cried out, seeing that the drink had fallen over on the table, the pungent-scented liquor leaking through the cracks in the floor. "Noooooo..." she whimpered as she collapsed to her knees. "I just wanted a few hours..."

[loser0ll]

The streets were massively packed indeed, in no small part due to the massive presence of those selling things. Among these sellers, you can find those selling nearly anything - miracle cures, herbs, food, clothes, flowers to throw to the royal procession... even damnation and salvation. Your average man or woman worked - that's a simple enough fact. They get up early and work late trying to scrape by, and any fool without the sense to avoid selling his person God to a man at work would needs divine favor or quick reflexes to avoid the shovel blow coming for his head. Even after the common man finishes working... he still sort of works. And when he's not working, being polite to someone selling salvation is simply too much work.

But today, these men and women weren't working, weren't resting from work - and were in damned high spirits. So two-bit priests of every God and Goddess were out in full, handing out promises of this and that. They had little that was real to offer - a handful could actually squeeze out a spell or two. But one man wore robes and a decorated holy symbol marking him as more than just some follower trying to gain favor by converting one or two undecided gawkers.

He talked his way through the crowd with the voice of an expert diplomat, never bothering to try and convert directly - he was here for two reasons. One, was to 'show the flag' by having a well-ranked member of those who follow Wee Jas standing front-and-center for the royal procession. Two... to serve Wee Jas. Things didn't feel right today - not in the least. And when things go wrong, the order his brethren worked tirelessly to cultivate falls apart. His service was to make sure that if something made things go wrong, a representative of his Goddess would be here to make sure it didn't happen again.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack sighs as the group of people surrounding him manages to crush him. He attempts to fight through the crowd so he can get somewhere he won't be at risk of being accidentally beat to death. "It figures I'd pick this day to come see her. You'd think I'd have heard if the Queen was coming." He attempts to drone out the roar of the various people in the crowd, talking, shouting, and attempting to sell things. It's beginning to give him a headache.

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling was having a good day. It was weird that Kethend had withdrawn into himself - even more than usual - these last few days, but what can you do? The boy was an enigma - never spoke about himself before the change, and seemed reluctant to talk about anything at all. Last that Tex had seen him, the dragonborn had seemed like he was making a concerted effort to jump out of his skin.

Today had been a real relief. The last week had been good money but unexciting work, searing moss and crap off of the inside of the city walls in preparation for fresh murals and paint. Better than standing around guarding some dman thing. Still, he was kind of happy that he didn't have work on the day of Queen Lilian's arrival. Might be fun to get a better look at the reason for all the hoopla.

He glanced casually over at the bar, where a woman who looked like death on a half-loaf was pestering the barkeep. She'd really ordered that? Great Mother, no wonder the girl was stretched taut.

Where was Jord? Sure, it hadn't been definite that the big man would join him for the procession, but Tex had specifically mentioned that he'd be eating here before heading over to watch the grand entry from a rooftop somewhere.

The server arrived with Tex' mug of tea. He took a sip, and grimaced. "Dammit, woman, I said hot. No, I'll take care of it."

Tex's hands cradle the goblet, turning first dark and then a deep, deep red. He holds them there until he hears the tea begin to boil in the mug. "Ahhh. Yeah." He took a sip, the bubbling liquid splashing onto his magnificent moustaches. "Perfect."

His head whipped up as there was a great sound outside the inn, and a shudder that shook the whole structure. Sliding down off of his chair, Tex darted to the doorway. A wagon and team that had gone out of control and smashed into the wall. Crazy. Even crazier was the mass of frogs hopping around the horses' legs. Dman.

He turned back, to see the strung-out lady sink to her knees. Already drunk, maybe, or got the shakes? Well, maybe Kethend was rubbing off on him, but it seemed like a perfect opportunity to offer a kindness when he had a moment. Sliding casually over to the kneeling woman, Tex touched the brim of his most favourite hat, and spoke up.

"Ma'am. You look a mite in distress, and I'm wonderin' if you'd be needing a RE-fresh on that hooch, or maybe somethin' a bit gentler?"

[Cespenar]

Jord

Wandering into the inn was Jord, an impressive figure which seems composed solely of steel, hair and fur, with a great piece of studded wood hanging loosely from his back and holding a half-full bottle of wine, looking somewhat drunk already.

"Hey, Tex!" he almost roars, spotting the halfling from afar, and his sudden move launches his greatclub to knock a nearby chair down. Looking surprised, he pulls it with a quick jerk of his foot from the ground and steadies it with his hand. Then, with several great steps, he approaches Tex's table and throws himself down on one of the chairs, which creaks ominously in return.

"Hey, where is that scaly fellow? What's his name... someth-, nah, can't remember, where's he went?"

He waves his bottle-free hand to the window, pointing at the ever increasing crowd on the streets.

"An' what's with them people anyway?" he continues. "Runnin' around like the king is coming!" He laughs heartily at his own attempt of a joke, and takes a long swig of his bottle, bringing its contents down to almost a quarter.

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling beams at Jord's arrival, and marvels again at the big man's ability to move through chaos, adding to it and adjusting its amplitude. He was like poetry in motion, if by "poetry" you meant a dirty limerick.

Tex hopped back up onto his chair, and lets out a guffaw at Jord's joke.

"Hey, don't knock it, pard! Assumin' no one's stupid enough to try to pick our pockets, this here's been a real holiday of work for you 'n me. And I ain't seen Kethend all day. I was kind a hopin' he'd join us - I could'a got a real good view from his shoulder - but your'n might do. If you're not too drunk by parade time."

The halfling hoists his own mug of tea to toast Jord.

"I figure we give scaly another half hour - or another bottle of wine for you, whichsoever comes first - and then go lookin' for a place to watch the Queen mosey on in. Whatayasay, pard?"

[Wiz]

Cassandra

After crying for a few eternities, Cassandra sat up on the floor, still dressed in her shift. She took a few deep breaths and focused on the meditation exercises she learned in the Arcanum to strengthen her concentration, then she climbed wearily to her feet and dressed again, this time in her explorer's garb rather than her scholarly robes. She grabbed the Sharrash from where it was leaning against the wall of her room, the cold-iron blade gleaming in the light from the window - centuries... perhaps millenia old, and showing no sign of rust. I wonder if Wastri was an enemy of the fey? I saw nothing else to indicate that in the temple. She grabbed her haversack, knowing that the murky visions that guided her here were starting to fall into place, like pieces of a puzzle. Once again, I'm doing what I forsaw myself doing... however unclearly... stumbling around like a blind woman in the present, guided by vague recollections of the future. She looked at herself in the mirror, in the dark cloak with the scythe she looked like a representation of death... especially with her shadowed eyes. Suddenly, for a moment, she was transported in her memories back to the Arcanum - listening to a lecture by the Master Diviner, Peli.

"All people see the knowledge and power of wizards and wish they had some of it themselves, for they think that the greater their knowledge and power, the more they will be free to act as they would. This is a trap, and many of us fall into it as apprentices... but eventually our eyes must be opened. Knowledge and power do not grant greater freedom. The more that a wizard knows, the more their choices become limited, until finally they are forced to do only what they must do... despite their own desires. As potential diviners, we are the ultimate expression of this, for we are the wizards of knowledge itself."

Cassandra's eyes refocused on the mirror. "No rest for the godless... or the god-ridden." She turned to the door and went downstairs. In the time that she'd been in her room, a second piece of the puzzle had entered the inn. The future was coalescing fast around her, like a seed crystal placed into a saturated solution, the alchemical elements were coming together, making the crystal grow and take shape. She walked over and sat at a table that seemed familiar from a dream.

[CockroachTeaParty]

The crowd parted, or failed to part on occasion, as Kethend slowly made his way down the main road, trying to avoid the thickest knots of crowding people. Tex had told him about a tavern where he and Jord were going to meet, and seeing how he had no other acquaintances even approaching 'friend' status in the city, he decided to make his way there.
The iching was maddening. Peering through the first floor windows of one of the taverns, he spots the diminutive yet fiery form of Tex, and the hulking, slightly swaying hulk of Jord. He opens the door and steps into the gloom of the bar.
"Tex. Jord." His voice is deep and soft, rather difficult to hear over the ambient noise of the crowds outside. He unstraps his shield and secures it on his back, before pulling up a stool and taking a seat. "Sorry for being late. I've not been myself." His blue eyes immediately lock on the surface of the table.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda's intense focus on the gate is broken when a wagon crashed into the inn across the street. She frowns, looking down at the wreck. It doesn't seem that anyone was hurt, not even the horses or the frogs.

As she scans the crowd, she spots a familiar face. Or, well, a familiar head, to be more accurate. Jack's down there, getting shoved around by the crowd. He's probably quite unhappy, moreso than usual, Kalinda guesses with a grin. She looks around her rooftop and sighs melodramatically. Gotta make some sacrifices. She slides to the edge of the roof and looks down at the alleyway. It's clear-ish of people. There's enough space for her to jump. Three stories... thirty feet. Piece a' cake!

With that, Kalinda hops over the edge of the roof, her gloved hands and boots slowing her descent along the wall. She curls into a ball near the end of her fall, rolling along the ground and bouncing neatly to her feet. The people nearby stare at her like she's lost her mind; she just grins and starts weaving her way through the crowd towards the place she last saw Jack. "'scuse me, sorry, 'scuse me... 'scuse me, just meetin' up with someone, 'scuse me..."


Kali can make that jump with her slow fall ability-- works like the monk ability, she can ignore the first twenty feet of a fall so long as she's next to a wall-- and then a successful DC 15 tumble check to negate the last 10 feet. Her tumble mod is +17, an auto-success. Let me know if any of that would fail for some reason...

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The woman who was formerly dressed in scholar's robes is now sitting by herself at a table, dressed in dark explorer's garb with a haversack across her back and a very lethal-looking scythe of some kind leaning against the wall behind her. She doesn't seem to have been affected by what she took upstairs to drink, causing the bartender to throw curious glances her way.

Cassandra looks around the room. A third piece had arrived. We have the burning man, the peaceful brute, and the sapphire knight. She frowns. Where is the honorable thief, the gem cutter, and the evangelist?

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex gestures expansively to an empty chair - hopefully a sturdy empty chair as the dragon-man arrives.

"Kethend, yer just in time. I b'lieve Jord here was about to regale us with the long hard road of life it is, being hisself. Or maybe that was a belch. Hard to tell with him.

"Ah, it's a beautiful day to be unemployed. I ain't got nothin' to do till tonight - when I got a gig bein part a the fireworks celebrations fer Her Nibs. How 'bout you? Ya got any special..."

Tex's drawl grinds to a halt as he gets a better look at the dragonborn's face, and his fixed stare.

"Hey, you okay there, bud? Get you a drink a somethin?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend glances up briefly, his face long and sad.
"I just feel... odd. Uncomfortable. No need to worry, Tex. I look forward to the fireworks."
There is no real conviction to those words however. The dragonborn often has bouts of melancholy. Perhaps it will pass.

[Cespenar]

Jord

Looking around blankly for a moment, Jord snaps back into reality with the harsh truth that his bottle is finally empty. Dropping it on the table (dangerously close to Tex's teacup), he gestures for the barmaid.

"Two tankards of your cheapest stuff, dear," he says, and pushes the maid gently but strongly from her back, underlining the required haste.

"Now, what were you babblin' around, Tex?" he retorts, remembering the halfling's words from a minute ago. "Me getting drunk? Keth arrivin? Well, one out of two, you're losing your touch there, old boy. And if I belched, you'd have remembered," he adds, blasting out with another laugh.

Turning his head to the dragonborn, he gives him a look from tip to toe.

"'f course he's okay, look at the fella," he cuts into Tex, and pulls Kethend down from his shoulder (if he lets him) and on a stool. "Here, have one on me."

Pushing one of the tankards over to Kethend, he begins downing his with great appetite.

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling looks over at Jord with something approximating admiration. The singlemindedness, the utter un-selfconsciousness. He was like a pure, perfect thing, in his own way. Well, except for the smell.

He looked out the window as the carters finish getting the horses under control. Weird. That had been wierd.

"Did either a you see a whole passel a frogs hopping around the front doors when you came in? Funkiest think I seen since the scum in Jord's washbasin turned into a grey ooze, just in self-defense-like."

Pulling out his aiming stick, he causes a small flame to appear and dance around the tip of it. He blows on the end of the stick theatrically, causing the flame to disappear.

[Cespenar]

Jord

The quip striking in mid-gulp, Jord sprays foam all over Tex and Kethend as he bursts into laughters.

"Ha, grey ooze! Good one!" he manages in between, "But 't least it's better than your cooking! I keep some of your last rabbit stew still with me, to scare the wolves off when I camp outside!"

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack continues to fight his way through the crowd, muttering under his breath. "Why so many people to see someone who doesn't even care about them?" It's difficult work, but Jack manages to almost escape the crowd, before running directly into somebody and nearly being knocked over. He regains his composure, and prepares to move on, until he sees who he ran into. A smile crosses his face briefly before it returns to its normal apathetic state. "Kalinda? Is that you?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend cracks a brief smile. He still wasn't quite used to people who accepted his company, or even things like humor. Still, he takes the offered mug, and begins to drink.

[Rhiannon87]

"Jack!" Kalinda shrieks entirely too loud, deafening her friend and drawing stares from those around them. She practically jumps on the older man, throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. "When'd ya get in town? How've you been? Did ya know the Queen's comin' today fer somebody's weddin'?" She detaches from him, mostly, grabbing his arm and dragging him further away from the crowd. "C'mon, let's get away from all the people, it's crazy out here!"

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack, glad to have found Kalinda, follows her away from the crowd. "I actually just got into town an hour ago," Jack says, answering her question, even though he isn't quite sure she'd be able to hear him.

After getting out of the crowd, he asks her, "How have you been, Kalinda?"

[Rhiannon87]

"Oh, I've been real good," she replies, still hanging onto his arm. "Keepin' busy. Lifted this statue outta the temple a' Hextor coupla weeks ago, looked like they'd drowned it in garnets, worth a fortune!" She grins. "Everybody at the Temple was real happy when I brought that one home, bought us a buncha new weapons for the pallys, lots more food for the people who come beggin'..."

She can tell Jack would rather be away from the crowd. It's getting to be a little much for her, too. "Wanna hang out indoors 'til the Queen gets here?" she asks, pointing at the inn. "Not like we were gonna be able to see nothin' from the street, and I don' think you could follow me back up to where I was sittin'."

[Ezeze]

Almost on Kalinda's cue, the sound of trumpets can be heard. It is drowned out almost immediately by the cheers of the crowd - most of them, you suspect, unable to see exactly what they are cheering about. A line of knights on horseback, riding two, then three, then two, with a banner high in the air, come first. Their armor brilliantly reflects the light of the sun, making them shine like seven moons. They are followed by half a dozen stallions, well bred with shiny white coats, pulling an ornate open wagon. The wagon is painted white and inlaid with flowering golden designs, the complexity of which must have taken a dozen and a half craftsmen. In it sits three people - the first is a man in full armor, a heavy sword at his side and a circlet upon his head. The second is a woman, her torso clad in a fine chain shirt atop a brilliantly red dress. Her crown is larger and more ornate than the man's, leaving little doubt in anyones mind that this must be Queen Lillian. She looks like coins you've seen bearing her visage; her eyes are almond shaped beneath a tall forehead, her nose small and slightly upturned, and her lips are wide and full. The third is a small boy, no more than ten, with a modest silver circlet. The young prince looks less than thrilled to be dressed in royal finery, but sits in silence between his mother and father, occasionally waving at the gathered crowds. Following this wagon is another three, pulled by four horses each and bearing two riders who you do not know.* They are a diverse bunch, ranging from an old woman similar in appearance to the queen, to an elf draped in a heavy cloak despite the morning's heat.

(ooc: * = Unless you want to give me a Knowledge (Nobility and Royalty) check)

[loser0ll]

Knowledge Nobility and Royalty Check[roll0] Is it okay if I roll things first, then role-play the value of the roll? For example, with this, I could say that he had trouble focusing as well as his normal standards because of the odd feelings most of us have been having. I know some DM's prefer for players not to interpret their own performance, especially since horrible (natural 1) luck on a knowledge check at this level still gives me access to any decently common fact (DC 10) about anything (+9 or higher Mod in all Knowledge Skills).

[Ezeze]

loser0ll (and anyone else who gets between a 10 and a 15. Since people have been talking about this all month, the DCs have been reduced.)
The first wagon contains, of course, Queen Lillian. The man and boy with her are her husband, King Theoris and their son Prince Dallin III, who was named after the Queen's father. The elderly woman riding in the wagon directly behind is the Queen Mother, who married into the royal family instead of being born into it, and so is not permitted to rule. Of course, that doesn't mean she has no influence. The others, you don't know. Although considering their dress, you assume they are the Queen's advisers.

Queen Lillian's Nickname, the Dragon Queen, comes from an incident before she inherited the throne. She was kidnapped by a red dragon who had announced his intention to ransom her back to her father. When he instead sent a troop of knights to rescue his daughter and slay the dragon, they passed the princess going the opposite way - she had escaped the dragon's lair on her own talents. The dragon was eventually slain, but until her father's death she was called the Dragon Princess, and now the Dragon Queen.

[Wiz]

Cassandra stands, "Innkeeper. Is it possible to watch the procession from your roof, or is my second floor room the best view I can hope to get?"

Knowledge (nobility & royalty): [roll0]

[Rhiannon87]

"Oh, wow!" Kalinda bounces up on her heels, trying to see. "Can't see much-- sure sounds neat, though!" She looks at the inn behind her, then at Jack, then back at the inn. "Think you can climb if I throw you a rope?" she asks him. She feels quite confident in her ability to scale the building, or at least to not get hurt if she does fall.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Hearing the fanfare, Tex drains the rest of his tea and slides down off of his chair.

"How bout we go check out this queen we been hearing about for so long. Too bad you ain't got wings to go with that dragon puss a yourn, or you could fly us up to take a look. Hey, Jorn! I'll pay for this round if you let me sit on your shoulders."

Tex heads over to settle up for the table.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend gulps down the last of his ale. "Actually, Tex, I can..." He almost says 'fly,' but he trails off. The sandals bound to his feet, made from the energy of care-free, far-traveling souls, were capable of flight. But to see a draconic man clad in heavy armor flying around with perfect maneuverability would no doubt attract attention, and that was the last thing he wanted.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack hesitates for a moment. "Yes, I think I would be able to." He's not actually very sure about his ability to climb, but doesn't want to hold Kalinda back.

[Rhiannon87]

"Don' worry, it won' be that hard!" Kalinda smiles reassuringly at Jack. She checks the spool of rope on her belt, then starts to climb.

[roll0]

Chain, I don't know what the building's made of, so I'm not sure what the DC is to scale it. Let me know if I succeed, and then I'll continue with the action.

[loser0ll]

Dirin feels agitated with himself - he fell into that dangerous habit of focusing so much on the idea of a goal that he forgets to think about the parts of the goal going on around him. The royal procession is right there, but he only recalls the names of the royal family members present at the last minute - he should have been able to recall things far more important easilly. It -had- to mean something that so many different royals were here, and all together. There should be feuds preventing that, or making it oddly significant at least - or at least some even keeping them busy with their own affairs. Maybe something would come to him later... For now, he tried to look as clear, dignified and impressive as possible as a representative of his nation and church.
Diplomacy Check for results of having tried to get and maintain a clear position, clear out the area surrounding me, etc... basically, Diplomacy check to look noticeable. [roll0]

[Cespenar]

Jord

"Mmh, fine," mumbles Jord unwillingly, never understanding all this excitement over a couple of feeble men and woman in fine linen and jewelry. In the Steppes, he muses briefly, people with real strength and command ruled, not like these dandies. But with a sudden grimace, he lets the issue go, as memories of his own demotion starts to rear up their head from the thick layers of alcohol.

"Fine, but get me another bottle to go," he adds, getting up. "Come on, Keth." He slaps hardly on the dragonborn's scaly back and moves for the door.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex nods, recognizing that grimace and resigned to the prospect of another afternoon spent keeping Jord the Juggernaut out of jail. The city guard had been pretty jumpy, it felt like, leading up to this. He suspected that they wouldn't take too long to pounce on disturbances. And, let's face it, the three of them were a disturbance waiting to happen. He tries not to check out the strung-out babe at the bar next to him, but...old habits die hard. He hears her mention something about watching from the roof, which didn't seem like such a bad idea at all.

Tex motions for one more bottle of wine, pointing to one of the cheap southern vintages that he knew Jord was partial to, and pays up. Carrying the bottle, nearly half his own height, back to the table, Tex comes up alongside the big warrior.

"All right, pard. Shoulder, now? Gal at the bar is askin about watchin from the roof of the inn. Seems a mite good idea. You both up for it?"

[Cespenar]

Jord

Turning around to see which girl Tex is referring to, Jord shrugs and looks around for a way to the roof.

"Okay, how are we getting up there, then?" he asks, postponing the shoulder-lifting until the ceiling is of a viable height.

[Ezeze]

The Innkeeper shrugs at Cassandra's question. When he speaks, it's with a gruff voice. "If you can get up there, you're welcome to it. Wont be too comfortable though - it's made of thatch." When Jord speaks up, the prospect of the huge man clambering up there as well seems to worry him. "Now, I don't want to have to replace the thing. It's just meant to keep out the rain and occasional snow."

The houses here are made largely of clay bricks, wood being too scarce and stone being too expensive. The roofs are either pantiles or thatch, depending on the status of the owner and the roof's slope. (ooc: So the DC to climb would be 25)

Dirin looks calm and dignified - but in a crowd of maybe seven thousand, that wont get you much.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend clears his throat.
"Um... well... I could fly up to the roof. I have a rope. I could lower it down, and you could climb up."
He seems almost embarrassed, for some reason.

[Ezeze]

Anxious for another escape route, the barkeep suggests "look, the building right next to this one" he thumbs back through the wall behind him "It has a tile roof, more comfortable and less steep than this one, right? And it can support more weight" he adds, with a glance at Kethend. "It's a guild house, and right next to the main road, so people are always coming and going. They have stairs up to the roof on the inside, too. If you went in there and acted like you belonged, they might not bother to check if you actually did 'till after the parade..."

[Toliudar]

Tex grins. This was a skilled barkeep - rerouting rather than blocking their interest. He glances up at his companions, and speculatively over at the young woman.

"Much obliged, Mister. That's a right good idea."

He claps his hands together, throwing sparks into the air briefly.

"Whataya say, boys? Over to the guildhall for a better look?"

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda makes it a whole five feet off the ground before slipping and falling. "Oof!" She blinks sheepishly at Jack. "Er... maybe not such a good idea after all." She gets to her feet and looks around. There's a building next door that looks like it might be a better prospect-- tile roof instead of thatch, which means she could throw her grappling hook up there and climb up the rope instead of going barehanded. "Let's try that one!" she declares, grabbing Jack by the arm again and dragging him in the direction of the building, past the front door of the bar.

[Wiz]

The woman nods, "I'm called Cassandra, by the way, I will join you."

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack frowns at Kalinda's less than optimal results, a bit worried now. "Now Kalinda, you're about four times better at climbing than I am... are you sure I'll be able to climb up this?"

((Hrm, does worry count as an emotion? It usually does, but I see Jack's as more logical than emotional. Bah, emotions are confusing, even when you aren't feeling them.))

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex tips up the brim of his hat with a finger in salute to Cassandra.

"Morning, Ma'am. I'm Tex, this here's Jord, and the big lizard is Kethend. He pretends not to be riled when I call him a big lizard, cause he's a good lad, and his manners are bettern' mine."

He gestures towards the door.

"Be a right pleasure having you along. Leastwise, it's someone else sharing the bottle so Jord here don't drink it all."

[Wiz]

Cassandra walks toward the door after picking up her scythe. Interestingly, for those who are expert warriors, she doesn't really carry it like someone trained how to use it. "No bottle, I think. If it were anything that could do me any good, I'm sure that some accident would see it wasted... and I wouldn't want to deprive you gentlemen of your drink."

[loser0ll]

With a crowded street distracting him and his symbol of faith to Wee Jas feeling unusually irritating against his skin, Dirin only just manages to maintain a respectable level of decorum and calm. He is irritated at his own failings, and for a second his hand drifts towards his holy symbol - he contemplates a show of his power, perhaps using the power granted to him by his Goddess to calm emotions in the area? No - that kind of showboating might make his presence clear, but it would also be needlessly reckless. He was also here to help keep the peace, and if he got rid of the most effective anti-riot spell available to him merely because he was flustered, he was no better than those insane godless mages who hurled bolts of thunder into every problem they encountered.

Instead, he calmly moves along, aware that while he might have failed here, just moving a little further down the path would allow him to deal with an entirely new group of people - the good thing about swaying random masses has always been that you only need local success to shine. Sometimes it was nice knowing that a single failure with an individual wouldn't cripple his efforts, as it might have in his days as a diplomat.
Moving further down, and trying to establish a dominant presence in this new area... hopefully my streak of bad luck will change.[roll0]

[Cespenar]

Jord

"The Guildhouse then, eh? Let's get on with it," Jord says, grumbling. When they get near the building, he will hold Tex from his belt and lift him to his shoulders with one easy move.

"There."

[Rhiannon87]

"It'll be fine!" Kali beams brightly at him. "The rope'll hold ya, no problem." She's so busy sizing up the building that she nearly plows into a group of people leaving the inn. "Oops! Sorry!" Kali grins apologetically, and starts to weave around them, still leading Jack by the arm.

[Wiz]

Kali is about to plow into Cassandra, when the woman suddenly steps aside without even looking and instead Kali runs into someone else. "Not a problem... for me. Greetings to you both, I am Cassandra."

[Toliudar]

Tex

This was not the first time that the two had had this arrangement, and Tex was beginning to enjoy it. Settling into place on Jord's shoulder made it easier to face the world without having to prove his worth. He could metaphorically, and literally, look any man in the eye.

If only there wasn't the smell.

"Indeed. Guildhouse, ho! So, Miss Cassandra. You just in town for the whoop-up, or you a native of our fair burg?"

[Wiz]

Cassandra looks up at the halfling after adeptly dodging the inbound Kalisti. "I was... led here. Something important is going to happen, but it's not a matter I'd really prefer to discuss."

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex glances over at the odd couple that just crashed the party, and then back at the weirdo.

"Hey, no problem. Not discussing things is pretty much our specialty, eh, Jord?"

He pauses, hearing another fanfare.

"What say we continue this conversation up on the roof?"

He points in at the guildhall.

[Rhiannon87]

"Hello!" Kalinda says cheerfully. "My name's Kalinda Gray, and this is my friend, Jack." The other four all seem to know each other to some degree, and when going to the roof is mentioned, she grins broadly. "Ya'll are headin' up there, too? Got enough rope for everyone? If not, I can spare ya some, once I'm up there."

She notices the wings on the dragon-man's back and asks curiously, "Oh, wow, can ya fly with those? I always thought it'd be real neat to be able to fly around, it'd make gettin' from place to place so much easier! An' if ya can fly, then maybe ya help with gettin' everyone else roof-side, huh?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

(Keth doesn't have wings o_0; He's got magic sandals that let him fly.)

Kethend isn't very comfortable with the prospect of potentially trespassing, but he nevertheless follows the group outside. Kalinda's energy is somewhat overwhelming to him. He doesn't meet her gaze, but points to his sky-blue sandals.
"Uh... I can fly with these sandals. They're... magic. Just a second."
Kethend takes out his rope, then without a further word soars upwards to the roof, leaving a trail of faint blue mist sparkling in his wake. He lowers the rope, and sets his feet wide apart, ready to help the others in their ascent.

(With a 22 Strength, he should be able to support everybody's weight (one at a time, of course), with Jord perhaps giving him some trouble...)

[Rhiannon87]

(Oops, my bad. I could've sworn one of your descriptions of him mentioned wings. >.< )

"Wow!" Kalinda watches as the dragon-man flies up to the roof. She pulls out her grappling hook and a length of rope, then attempts to toss it to the rooftop.

[roll0]

For a 20 foot building, this should be a DC 12 Use Rope check. I'll do another post after this once I see what the roll is.

[Rhiannon87]

(Success!)

The grappling hook digs into the tiles and holds. "Ya'll can follow once I'm up," she says. Kalinda gives it a couple experimental tugs, then quickly climbs up to the roof, bracing herself off the wall as she goes.

Once on the roof, she sits down near her rope, looking over at the street and the parade. There are far more important-looking people in attendance than she'd heard about. The only people she can pick out are the royal family, and that's mostly just because they're obviously the center of attention. She leans back on her hands and watches the parade, trusting the others to make it to the roof on their own.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex is a bit baffled why climbing a rope up the side of a building is somehow better than taking the stairs to the roof...but he's not the kind of halfling to stay baffled long.

"Yeeee-haw! You just zip right on up there, dragon man."

Tex leaps from Jord's shoulder to Kethend's foot as he starts to ascend, although he IS careful not to pull off the Magic Sandals of Getting to the Roof.

I'm figuring that, with a net weight in the 50-pound range, Tex is not a problem for Kethend. I can amend as needed.

[Cespenar]

Jord

Looking at the people around him, Jord feels a bit out of space to join in a vain activity such as this, but he grunts as he recollects himself and tries to find a viable way to make his way up to the roof. The rope that girl so conveniently found on her person seeming the best option, he climbs that way after everyone else does.

"Hope this is worth all this trouble, Tex," he grumbles yet again.

Hmm, forgot to make a climb check. But if it's really DC 12 as Rhiannon put it, Jord only fails on a 1, so it's (arguably) not much of a problem.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack sighs and attempts to pull himself up Kalinda's rope, a bit cautiously less he fall. He is careful to brace himself against the wall as he climbs.

(([roll0]))

((Since it's a rope with a wall to brace himself against, he should have succeeded with that roll. If he didn't, tell me so I can invalidate the following.))

After a bit of struggling, Jack manages to climb onto the roof. A bit winded, he sits next to Kalinda. "I don't know how you can possibly manage all that climbing you do."

[Wiz]

Cassandra takes hold of Kethend's rope and climbs up. Maybe I'll fall and break my neck. Wouldn't that make Wastri upset!

Climb: [roll0] - climb DC for a rope with a wall to brace against is 5.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda just beams at Jack. "It's ain't that impressive," she says. "Just doin' what Pelor's blessed me to do! You've got your powers," she wiggles her fingers in an imitation of spellcasting, "and I've got... climbin' and jumpin' and--" She cuts herself off, realizing almost too late that they're in mixed company. While Jack knows that she only steals from evil people and donates everything she takes to her church, others might not understand, or see the distinction between what she does and petty theft. She just grins knowingly at Jack, then returns her attention to the parade.

[Wiz]

Cassandra looks out over the parade from on high, she sits close to edge without little care for safety. Turning to Kali, she smiles, which makes a surpising difference from her perpetual frown, "It's all right... I know you are honorable in pursuit of your profession."

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling busies himself finding a comfortable spot at the edge of the roof from which he can see the royal procession. A word from Cassandra catches at his brain.

"Oh, so you folks are already acquainted-like? Gotcha."

[Wiz]

Cassandra shakes her head, "No... I didn't meet any of you til now. But I've seen you in my dreams for the past two months." She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as if focusing or meditating. "Sorry, sometimes it hits me harder than others. I think he's angry because I tried to avoid this."

[Ezeze]

In the middle of the roof you climb onto is a small door that looks as if it would provide stairs downwards. The other people on the roof, each thin, pale and scholarly in appearance, are surprised to see the mismatched group fly or grappling hook their way upwards. They are even more surprised when there is an explosion from below and the shouts turn into screams.

A building has burst outwards not ten feet in front of the royal wagon. The rubble lands as if aimed on the knights marching in front, and you can scarce determine what has happened to them. What you can see, what everyone can see, are what looks like three bloated, stitched-together corpses shambling out of the half-destroyed building. They are followed by a strange man with rotting skin in armor, dragging the tip of his longsword in the ground behind him. While the monstrosities attack anything within reach - the first almost absentmindedly cracking a peasant's spine with a massive fist - the man walks with a steady pace towards the wagon.

Roll initiative!
Everyone make Spot Checks on your turn.
The squares on the roadway are Heavily Crowded and moving away from the wagons. It takes 2 squares of movement to move through a square occupied by a character. A character who moves against the flow of traffic must make a DC 15 reflex save to avoid being knocked prone. If you take a move action to avoid oncoming traffic, you get a +4 bonus on that save. If you are knocked prone, you take 2d6 bludgeoning damage from being trampled. While standing in the crowd, you take a -2 penalty on attack rolls, reflex saving throws, and all skill checks that are affected by Armor Check. You also lose your dexterity to armor class and casting spells requires a DC 10 concentration check.

It will move away at 30 feet a round on initiative count 0. Right now, only a 20-foot-wide line stretching from the aggressor back through the wagons is clear.

[Ezeze]

DMs notes, don't read.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]

[Toliudar]

Tex

Initiative [roll0]
Spot [roll1]

Chain, how far are the rooftop group from the explosion?

"Whoooooo-eeeeee! A big explosion, and I didn't even do it!"

[Ezeze]

Chain, how far are the rooftop group from the explosion?

Oh, that's kind of important, huh? You're 20 feet up and 50 feet out. So, about 55 feet in total, if Pythagoras is to be believed.

[Rhiannon87]

Initiative: [roll0]

Also, Chain, would there be a way to tumble through the crowd?

Kalinda doesn't have time to respond to Cassandra's strange words. "Oh no!"

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Initiative - [roll0]
Spot - [roll1]

Jack sighs and quickly considers his options, quickly moving through which of his powers would be effective.

((How would an Energy Wall-Ring work here? Would I be able to contain them all with it (20-ft radius)? If not, how many would I be able to contain?))

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 13, HP: 31/31, Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 12, Flat-footed: 10, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (70 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (70 rounds).
Cassandra sighs, "Oh... it's going to be that dream!"

She holds up her strange scythe and says a quick phrase that sounds garbled somehow, she repeats it and it sounds clearer, the third time she pronounces it like an eloquent oratory; though in all cases it is still arcane and unintelligible. Suddenly, Cassandra is holding the scythe like a weapon master! Then, not finished, she begins a long and dolorous chant that sounds like a dirge, spoken in arcane phrasing. As she does this, the scythe's blade grows dark and vibrates in time to the chant.

Initiative: [roll0]
Spot Check: [roll1]

Cast Master's Touch (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010216a) (SC:139) (swift action).
Cast Dolorous Blow (http://www.virtualadept.co.uk/resources_spells_dnd_detail.cfm?spellNo=6791) (SC:70) (standard action).
Having cast a 1st level Divination, her initiative should be +1 next round (Insightful Divination).

[Cespenar]

Rhah

His attention drawn by the explosion, Jord curiously looks down to the blast point to see what's going on. A joyful smile appears behind his overgrown moustache.

"Ha! I knew something interesting would come up!" he bellows, squinting to improve his eyesight, to not much avail. He turns to the others, hoping that they have sharper eyes than his.

"What's going on there? Is it a fight?"

[roll0]
[roll1]

Also see, if you please, my question in the OOC thread.

[loser0ll]

My RP and actions depend on the results of my rolls and questions...
1) I'm rolling a few Knowledge Checks - I'm trying to identify the three creatures attacking everyone, and I'm trying to identify what I can tell about the man and his... skin condition. For Arcana and Religion (since this is Undead stuff, Religion usually applies, but you never know...) I have a +12 modifier. For all other Knowledges, +9.
2) The others are 55 feet away, but I was set up just ahead of the wagons down on the street. How far am I from the wagons and the attackers, how many rounds does it look like I have to get to them before the lurching guy dragging a sword does, and would I be moving against traffic or with it? Since I'm just ahead of the wagons, I'm guessing me and the attackers are dealing with the same flow..?
Knowledge Rolls
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
Spot
[roll3]
Initiative
[roll4]

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend

The dragonborn had just finished putting his rope away when the explosion happened. Kethend looks downwards, scowling. No need to bother detecting evil: the slaughtering of innocents was all the evidence he needed. He straps his shield to his left forearm, the gems on its surface glowing a bright blue. The massive blue-tinted warhammer materializes in his free hand as Kethend launches from the roof in a stream of blue mist. He lands on a closer rooftop, feeling a surge of boiling heat build up in his chest.


Initiative: [roll0]
Move action: ready shield
Move action: fly 40 ft. to a closer rooftop to the scene of carnage.

[Toliudar]

Tex

"Naw, see. That's not an explosion. This is an explosion!

Sorry about this, Chain, but I'm having a lot of trouble picturing the situation (where we are relative to the wagon, the crowd, the three stitched-up guys and the sword-dragger), so I'm giving you If-thens:

If there is a position (say, mid-air, about 15' up from a point between sword-guy and the three hulks) where I wouldn't also be catching more than a couple of people in the crowd, I'll throw a fireball to detonate at that point. Maximized for 60 damage, Ref DC 20 for half, any resistance or immunity is only half as effective as usual.

Failing that...

If there's a point that I can see inside the building that just exploded, such that the blast will hit the sword-dragger but not other people (through the magic of blast mechanics in D&D), I'll aim the fireball there. Damage as above.

Failing that...

If the stitched-up guys are between us and the explosion, I'll be able to reach them with Flame Bolts. Rapid shot, focusing on one of them until it falls, then shifting to another:
Touch Attack 1: [roll0] Fire damage [roll1]
Touch Attack 2: [roll2] Fire damage [roll3]
Touch Attack 3: [roll4] Fire damage [roll5]
No save, resistance at half effect.

[Ezeze]

Map
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f89/ChainDrizzle/RoadFightGroupI-1.gif
The first letter of your character's name in his speech color marks where he is. T, D and L are Theodis, the prince and Lillian respectively. R is Rutherford, the "zombie," the brown squiggles are the horses, the gray squiggles are the golems, and the peach marks the crowd - three to four creatures to a square, moving away from the golems and the road.
Initiative Order: Kalinda, Queen Lillian, Jack, Golems, Tex Arcana, Dirin, Cassandra, King Theoris, Rutherford, Kethend, Jord, Queen's Advisers, Crowd.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack manifests Energy Wall (Electricity) with it's center one square below Rutherford and a radius of 15 feet, with the energy waves emanating inwards. If I'm right, it should contain them all except for the one in the crowd on the right, but I'm not quite sure about the golem on the far left.

Save is 21 (Level (3) + Int Mod (6) + Electric Bonus (2).

Damage for being in the waves - [roll0]
Damage for passing through wall - [roll1]

-5 Power Points, 83 Current

Jack focuses for several seconds as a deep-pitched hum emanates seemingly from nowhere, strongest near the zombie. He exhales quickly, his eyes glowing, and a circle of electricity springs up. The hum grows in intensity before fading away again.

[loser0ll]

This roll's result is needed before I know exactly what I can/can't do. It won't change my plan, but it'll affect whether or not I can do an extra action.
[roll0]

[Toliudar]

Tex Arcana

To confirm, Chain: based on the map (THANK YOU! You rock!), and on the assumption that the golems are all going to move towards the wagon on their turn (whether through the electricity wall or otherwise), Tex will choose to aim a fireball above them, and sufficiently behind them so that it hits as many of the golems as possible, but not anyone in the wagon. Sadly, he'll probably kill some horses, but he cares a lot more about the queen than the horses.

If Kalinda moves during her action, Tex will 5' step into her square before fireballing.

Of course, if the golems DON'T move before his turn - yee-haw! Tex will aim the fireball 10' above and 5' south of Rutherford, which hopefully means that it hits all four of the nasties. As far as I can tell, Jack's energy wall breaks line of sight but not line of effect, so even if the "ring" is a sphere, the fireball should get through.

[loser0ll]

DANG! I had a great plan ready, until I realized that I didn't have Mount prepared after all... I was planning on using the Bear as my mount. Well, ignore that last roll after all - it was for using the Fast Mount option to mount up as a free action. So, instead I... let's see.... I pull out a Scroll of Righteous Might and cast it on myself.
1) 5-foot step up and to the left, to put me safely at the edge of the crowd without having to move against the crowd and face that DC 15 Reflex... too high for my tastes.
2) Draw out Scroll of Divine Power
3) Cast it
4) I shout a message to anyone who might be within ear shot

The man standing at the front of the crowd looks with alarm at the destruction. He quickly rubs a hand over his Holy Symbol and mutters a quick prayer of thanks to Wee Jas for her divine warning that helped to keep him ready and in the right place. Convinced that her divine favor is with him in this fight, he draws out a scroll and calls out the name of his Godess - and suddenly seems to become considerably more powerful looking as his muscles swell with holy energy. A light glow tints his eyes as he shouts out a warning to all around. "Destroy the sword-wielder, the Flesh Golems are not under his control - he is the only real threat to the life of the queen and king!"

[Cespenar]

Jord

His blood quickening with the promise of battle, Jord laughs as he roughly measures up the distance, and (provided Kalinda moved away from his front before he did), with a great cry, he runs off to the edge of the building, leaps over the river of people, almost floating in air like some kind of wizard, and falls heavily just after he covers the distance. Fortunately, he manages to revolve his body and roll right away, lessening the damage but not preventing a bruise or two.

Reorienting himself to the situation, Jord draws the greatclub on his back and positions himself between the northernmost horses, throwing a look at the sword-carrying figure.

"Don't know what your plan is, friend, but you don't get to start fights when I'm around. That's my job!"

Running start, taking 10 (no threats) with the Jump check makes 30, which equals to a 30 feet long jump, made directly to the west. A DC 15 Jump check (beaten the same way), lessens the 20 feet fall by 10 feet, reducing the damage to 1d6 nonlethal.

[roll0]

That was the move action(his speed is 40 feet), he initially plans the standard action to position himself between the horses, but if Rutherford happens to stops in a position that I'd like, I might change this into a full blown charge.

[Rhiannon87]

Spot Check: [roll0]


Kalinda darts forward and jumps off the edge of the roof, slowing herself on the wall. As soon as she hits the ground, she starts to push through the crowd, running for the wagons.


Reflex save: [roll1]
I'm not gonna have Kalinda charge-- I figure I'm taking two move actions, one to fall off the edge of the roof, and another to move up through the crowd. She'll probably charge next round, just to get through the area.

[Ezeze]

Before the rubble has cleared, Kalinda has rolled off the side of the roof and is making her way towards the road, and the mysterious attacker.

DM Rolls (don't read)
[roll0] (20)

[roll1] (23)
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]

[roll13] (20)
[roll14]
[roll15]
[roll16]
[roll17]


The queen stares, wide-eyed with fear, at the creature approaching her. She stands and with a movement of her arm, tucks her young son behind her. King Theoris jumps to the front of the wagon, pulls his sword from its place at his side, and cuts the reigns of the panicking horses. They surge forward towards the creature, who bends unnaturally to avoid being trampled. A hoof strikes him in the chest, but he recovers as if unbothered by the fleeing animals.

Tex's fireball blossoms around the strange man and his minions. It slows the golems, who seem bothered by the heat. Rutherford, on the other hand, feels the fire's full effect. At the last second he shields himself with a flick of his wrist and an arcane gesture - which might be the only reason he has survived.

"Fool!" he hisses at Jord, who now blocks his path. "do not stand in my way!" He charges forward and slices into the man through his armor, his blade glowing unnaturally and cutting deeper than it should.
Jord takes 27 damage

An opaque sheet of crackling lightning forms around the creature and Jord, trapping him there with his golems - who seem to be enjoying the electricity as they pick through the crowd, chewing happily on people who can't get away.

(ooc: Now it's the PC's turn again! Yay!)

[Cespenar]

Jord

"Agh!" cries Jord with anger more than pain, as the blade cuts into his flesh.

He takes a moment to look coldly at the wound, and at the hideous creature himself, and raises his club to the air.

"So you want to get on the bad side of me, eh? Then you got it COMING!"

As if sharing Jord's fury, the club suddenly erupts in flames, before it has been swung down heavily on the creature, once... and twice, leaving scorch marks as well as battering it.

Raging.

[roll0]
[roll1][roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4][roll5]

AC down to 16, HP up to 74/101.

[Rhiannon87]

"Pelor protect me," Kalinda mutters as she charges through the crowd towards the royal family. She's never seen creatures like the terrible things around the crowd, and she doesn't want to try jumping through Jack's electric field. She takes up a defensive posture in front of the wagon. If any of those creatures started towards the royal family, they'd have to go through her first.


Reflex save to finish moving through the crowd: [roll0]

Kalinda's going to end up three squares in front of the wagon, fighting defensively (+4 to AC, -4 to her attack), and ready an attack action-- if Rutherford or the flesh golems move within attack range, she's going to try and attack.

[Ezeze]

(ooc: Almost forgot! Jord and Rutherford both take [roll0] damage from Jack's wall. The golems "take" [roll1])

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 14, HP: 31/31, Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 12, Flat-footed: 10, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (69 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (69 rounds).
Cassandra looks out over the battle to see where her magic can do the most good. Perhaps because of the intervention of others, she refrains from using her scythe immediately, but instead chants a higher-order spell, the words of which sound mutable, as though they were trying to change into a different spell.

Cast Shadow Conjuration (SC:139) (standard action) - to create a Servant Horde [Sorcerer/wizard 3 - Conjuration (Creation) (SC:182) Creates [roll0] Unseen Servants at 40' range to start digging the knights out of the rubble]. True, they are only 20% effective, unless the knights start believing that they are truly being helped by invisible servants, in which case they become fully effective). Cassandra's initiative should now be 14, I doubt that changes the order.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend

Kethend does not hesitate for an instant, even with the presence of the wall of electrical energy. He swoops down from the rooftop, trailing blue sparks, and lands next to the apparent ring leader of the madness, placing the villain between himself and Jord. With a thought, he redirects the soul energy in his sandals and pauldrons, channeling it into his warhammer. The magic hammer begins to glow with incredible brightness as he swings it at the fiend...


Move action: swooping down next to our friend Rutherford, ideally getting into a flank with Jord. While moving downwards, Keth's fly speed doubles to 80 ft. (perfect), so I think he can land pretty much exactly where he chooses. He'll suffer whatever damage or AoO's this implies without complaint.
Swift action: redirect 4 essentia into his Incarnate Weapon (3 from Airstep Sandals, 1 from Adamant Pauldrons). His fly speed drops to 10 ft. (perfect), and he loses his damage reduction, but his weapon is now effectively a +4 warhammer that counts as magic, bludgeoning, and good for the purposes of overcoming damage reduction.
Standard action: Attack: [roll0], and if the foe is subject to flanking that will be 2 higher.
Damage: [roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack curses under his breath at the golems; they don't seem to be phased by the electricity. He stops concentrating on the manifestation, and looks around quickly. He runs to jump down off the building, seeing no better solution.

Jack stops concentrating on Energy Wall, stopping it. He takes a double move action to move two squares to the left and eight squares down (unless the crowd is moving down that way. If so, I may need to re-evaluate my actions). He jumps down, turning the first 1d6 into nonlethal damage, and attempts to Tumble (DC 15) to ignore another 1d6.
Tumble: [roll0]
Non-lethal: [roll1]
Lethal: [roll2]
Lethal (negated if Tumble succeeds): [roll3]

Edit: realized Tumble is trained only. Will make jump check in OOC instead.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex squints down from the rooftop, sighting the movements of the stitched-together men. He turns to the dour-looking man next to him, who seemed to be the source of the crackling wall.

"Hey, pard - any chance ya kin make that thar fancy storm circle vamoose? T'ain't seem to be doin' any good agin them bruisers."

Spellcraft [roll0] to know what Rutherford cast to avoid his fireball.

Tex will delay until after Jack's action.

If the ring disappears, he will target each golem with a fire bolt as follows:
Attack, damage: [roll1] [roll2]
Attack, damage: [roll3] [roll4]
Attack, damage: [roll5] [roll6]
In the unlikely event that any of them are within 30', he gets +1 to the attack & damage rolls. Precise shot should mean no penalty for firing into melee.

If the ring of electricity does not disappear after Jack's action, Tex will 5' step towards Rutherford and aim all three bolts at him. Just use the above rolls, if that's okay.

[Toliudar]

Aplogies. Tex's third attack should be 5 points lower, for a touch attack result of 20.

[loser0ll]

Invigorated by holy energy, the ring of energy means little to the magically and adrenalin pumped spellcaster. He rushes through the ring, charging ahead with a vicious-looking morningstar. While it doesn't do anything as impressive as bursting into flame, it is covered in strange magical runes that have a faint white glow to them...


Charge attack (+2 more to attack if I can get into a Flank with either other attacking PC)
[roll0]
Damage (For DR, counts as +1 Magical, Adamantine, Bludgeoning, Piercing)
[roll1]
I also channel the Cure Serious Wounds into him - DC 16 Will for Half of this
[roll2]

[loser0ll]

Reflex for Wall of Electricity[roll0]

[Cespenar]

Jord

Scowling at his allies who are striking the sword-carrying monster, Jord barks angrily.

"Hey, don't get between a man and his fight! You're making it unfair!"

[Ezeze]

Rutherford hisses in pain as your weapons cut into him. Gray, horrid smelling pus oozes from his wounds in place of blood. He's obviously aware that he can last no longer under the unexpected onslaught, and decides to cut his losses. "This is not over. I will be back, and my whore mother will pay for what she's done to me!" He slips a ring from his finger and drops it, disappearing into a puff of smoke and reappearing - three stories straight up. With a swoop a strange woman, elven except for her horns, hooves and bat-like wings, catches him mid air and casts a spell. The two are gone.

DC 20 Knowledge (Religion) or 15 (The Planes) check
The strange woman was a half fiend - the unholy spawn of union between mortal and demon.

DC 20 Spellcraft Check
The woman cast Teleport.

You've little enough time to reflect on the man's words as a bellow rips from one of the golems. Wherever the pair have gone, they have not taken their servants with them. Thankfully, the fire seems to be slowing them - even if there is no sign of other damage.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2][roll3]

The Queen stands, still shocked beyond reason at the corpse's pronouncement. Theoris has no such problem, vaulting over the front of the wagon and charging headlong into battle. He cuts into one of the golems, who is moving too slowly to react.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend is glad that the creature is gone, though slightly angry that it managed to avoid justice. With a moment's concentration, he drains the soul-energy in his hammer and cloak, redirecting it to his sandals and armor pauldrons. He then flies through the air with a burst of speed, landing between the retreating crowd and one of the golems. Noting that they don't seem to like fire, he breathes deep, then unleashes a red-hot beam of light from his mouth with a roar.


Spellcraft: [roll0]
Knowledge (religion): [roll1]
Swift action: reallocate essentia: subtract 4 from Incarnate Weapon, subtract 2 from Soulbound Cloak of Resistance, place 3 in Airstep Sandals and 3 in Adamant Pauldrons; his weapon loses the +4 enhancement bonus to attacks and damage and the +2 resistance bonus to all saves, but he gains DR 3/evil and a fly speed of 40 ft. (perfect).
Move Action: fly 40 ft., landing on the ground between one of the golems and the crowd. If possible, Kethend would try to line up two or more of the golems in a 40 ft. line, though he will not endanger innocents if they are in the way.
Standard Action: breath weapon against one or more of the golems, 40 ft. line, [roll2] fire damage, Reflex save DC 20 for half, may use again in [roll3] rounds.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda watches the scene in shock, trying to piece together what's happened. The King charges past her, and she feels like she should maybe go help, but... those things look really tough. They don't seem to like fire, but she's not like the others-- her weapon can't burst into flames, she can't cast fireballs, and she certainly can't breathe fire. And the Queen and Prince are still behind her. She holds her ground, weapon at the ready.


Knowledge (religion): [roll0]

Kali's going to maintain her readied action against the golems. One of them moves into range, she's going to attack with rapier. She's still fighting defensively (+4 to AC/-4 to hit).

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack takes a few steps towards the golems and focuses his mind. Another deep tone sounds through the area, like the one that occurred when he manifested Energy Wall. He points his fingers at the nearest golem, and a thin ray shoots from his fingers, exploding in a small but potent burst of fire when it collides with the golem (or whatever it hits, if it misses).

Jack moves ten feet to the left, previously right below the bottom left corner of the building the group was on, and manifests Energy Ray (Fire). He augments it, spending five PP and bringing him to 78.
[roll0] - Touch Attack
[roll1] - Damage

[Toliudar]

Tex

"Huh. One of my bolts, plus a fireball - that could'a dropped a giant. Guess it's time to try something else with these rutters."

Focusing his attention on the furthest of the three roaring creatures, Tex stares at it until its head catches fire.

He's using his Ignite ability to keep the creature slowed. The ability doesn't mention a save or miss chance, only a reflex DC 15 to extinguish itself as a standard action. So, this probably won't do the standard 1d6 damage, but might keep it slowed. Plus, it's head is on fire! How cool is that? :smallwink:

[Cespenar]

Jord

"It was a tough one, Tex!" Jord yells to the halfling far behind, as if he heard him. "And you guys scared him away!"

With that, he looks around the field, focusing on a golem that has been damaged the most, and dashes upon it in an instant, swinging his club around like a bat.

Charging at the most damaged golem, or the nearest if the former isn't accessible. Using full Power Attack and Heedless Charge to redirect all the attack penalties from Power Attack to AC. So it's +16 to damage and -8 to AC.

[roll0] (added +2 further attack from charge)
[roll1][roll2]

AC down to 6, HP still 74/101.

[loser0ll]

Dirin takes in the scene for a moment, watching each and every event that unfolded. Finally, he shrugs, grabs the strange ring the man dropped before it gets lost to one of the thousands of people running around wildly so that it can be examined, and rushes to help against the Golems.
Knowledge Religion + Planes for the Half Fiend Identification
[roll0]
[roll1]
Spellcraft for Teleport
[roll2]

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 14, HP: 31/31, Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 12, Flat-footed: 10, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (68 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (68 rounds); Servant Horde (7 hours).
Cassandra nods, seeing that everyone is fighting the golems and her servant horde is digging out the buried knights. She watches over everyone, particularly the royals.

If any noncombatant becomes threatened by a golem, Cassandra will cast a Greater Slide to move them up to 20' out of the way.
Knowledge (religion): [roll0] (the extra +5 is from collector of stories);
Spellcraft: [roll1];
Spot: [roll2] (to keep an eye out);
p.s. If it's not too much work, maps updated every round would help... I understand if it's not possible though.

[Ezeze]

Jord cleaves into the golem facing off with the King. Theoris reaches out and brushes his golved fingers over Jord's skin (lay on hands, heal 15 damage), then steps lightly to the side so that he flanks the bag of flesh with him. The golem turns and belts Jord across the face (take 12 damage).

[roll0]
[roll1]

In the absence of the strange rotting man, Queen Lillian finally seems to recover. She casts and touches Kalinda lightly (ooc: she cast Heroism (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/heroism.htm)).
The golems lug about, massive and slow and stupid without orders. One rumbles his way towards the wagon, and Kalinda within it. The other, towards Dirin.

[Ezeze]

Forgot a roll. [roll0]

[loser0ll]

Dirin curses. He knows that the thing will likely be able to cause some serious harm to the woman standing in front of the wagon, since she's stayed out of combat so far and doesn't seem to be a serious combatant - but another Golem is coming for him. He thinks for a moment before casting a spell to blind the Golem going for the woman. (Casting Glitterdust, DC 16 Will Save to avoid Blindness - No Spell Resistance, etc... as mentioned in OOC Chat. I take a 5-foot step back to get out of range of the Golem going for me, if necessary, to avoid an Attack of Opportunity. I'm pretty sure that since I'm only targeting the one Golem with Glitterdust I can avoid getting anyone else in it.)
"Blasted fools, stop hurling power around if you don't know what you're doing! It's a Golem, can't you see that?! Those things have got impenetrable resistance to spells - hit it with something that doesn't worry about such things! And for the love of the gods, don't use anything involving electricity! The fire will slow them down and keep buying us time to get the people out of here calmly though."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda's eyes widen in shock; one, at the fact that the Queen just cast a spell on her, and two, at the golem lumbering in her direction. "Th-thank you, m'lady!" she stammers, then lashes out to strike at the golem.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

"My electricity and fire aren't hurting them... I think it's time for a new tactic." Jack notices the golem nearing Kalinda and glares angrily. Jack focuses and makes a quick jab with his arm. A small cloud of crystals form and fire in the direction of his jab, razor sharp and ready to rip apart whatever they hit, hopefully the golem.


Jack manifests Crystal Shard, and augments it, spending 8 PP and bringing himself to 70. He maneuvers himself so he hits no allies, using a 5-ft step if necessary to avoid an AoO.
Attack Roll - [roll0] (If Crystal Shard is a ray, it gets an additional +1. I'm not quite sure, myself)
Damage Roll - [roll1] Piercing Damage
Will Save if caught in Glitterdust [roll2]

[Ezeze]

(ooc: Rolling early at loser0ll's request)
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
All three golems are blinded.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 14, HP: 22/31 (6 is nonlethal), Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 12, Flat-footed: 10, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (67 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (67 rounds); Enlarge Person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enlargePerson.htm) (70 rounds); Servant Horde (7 hours).
Cassandra frowns, then jumps (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=7370170&postcount=140) down from the roof. She lands hard, then rises and speaks a spell that grows louder and louder with every repetition, as it is completed she grows to more than eleven feet in height, her humming scythe growing proportionally.

Jump down (move action), then cast Enlarge Person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enlargePerson.htm) on herself (standard action).

[loser0ll]

Dirin laughs loudly as the handiwork of his spell comes through - all three Golems fall victim to temporary Blindness! He shouts across to the woman defending the queen and nobles. "You've got guts for standing up to these things like that, but I thought maybe you'd like a little help - make use of it, and hit hard while they're blinded!" He resumes his focus on the Golem coming after him, but has a surprised, but happy, look on his face.
Well... never imagined I'd be blinding Golems to save a queen and the crazy woman using herself as a shield for nobles. Truly, my Lady Wee Jas provides unique opportunities for her faithful...

[CockroachTeaParty]

Taking advantage of the golem's blindness as they stumble about, Kethend flies up to the nearest one, once again redirecting his personal soul energy into his righteous weapon. He swings with abandon, trying to reduce the creature to a broken, bruised pulp.

You've seen this dance before...
Move action: fly 40 ft. to nearest golem.
Swift action: reallocate essentia: remove 3 from Airstep Sandals and 1 from Adamant Pauldrons, putting 4 into Incarnate Weapon. Fly speed reduced to 10 ft., DR reduced to 2/evil, weapon gains a +4 enhancement bonus to attacks and damage.
Standard action: swing! [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex watches the strung-out woman with the scythe jump off of the roof, and roll heavily on the ground below.

"Yeee-ouch. Think I'll take the easy way down."

Tex draws his aiming stick with a flourish, and points down to an open space next to the horses. There's a flash of smoke, and he disappears, reappearing down by the surviving horses. He lifts his hat in a kind of gallantry to the Queen.

"Ma'am. We're right sorry for the ruckus. Welcome to Vost, though."

Move action: draw rod.
Standard action: Activate boots of big stepping. He'll pop into an empty square that is close but not directly adjacent to the Queen.

[Cespenar]

Jord

Shrugging off the blow, Jord surprises to see the king join the fray beside him, and healing some of his wounds, while he thought that they were all cowards and would rather hide and watch while some nameless henchmen dealt with the threats. Happy to see his theory dispelled, however, Jord grins to the king before launching another duo of strikes at the lumbering golem.

"You didn't have to, uh, your Kingship," Jord calls out between his blows, having no idea how to address a king. "It would take much more than that to bring me down!"


[roll0]
[roll1][roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4][roll5]

AC 16, HP 77/101

[Ezeze]

(ooc: I'm not making any PCs roll will save against blindness, because I haven't been a good DM who updates maps. I'll get picky about areas and such just as soon as I start giving you enough information to make those decisions on - which will probably be next fight.)

With an easy wave of his arm, Dirin fills the area around the golems with blinding dust. All three roar and shake their heads, unable to see through it. In her own surprise, Kalinda misses the golem that approached her and the queen. Jack, on the other hand, does not miss and his supercharged projectile cleaves a hole through the golem's arm. Kethend steps between Dirin and the golem facing him and brings his warhamer down, hard, to the sound of sickening crunch. Jord continues to whittle down the golem trapped between him and the king.

DM Rolls
[roll0] (15)
[roll1]
[roll2](15)
[roll3]

[roll4](18)
[roll5](2)
[roll6]

[roll7](21)
[roll8](2)
[roll9]

[roll10](27)
[roll11](2)
[roll12]

Queen Lillian almost giggles at the sheer ridiculousness of Tex's comment. "I've had warmer welcomes, to be sure..." To Kalinda's further surprise, the slight woman draws an ornate, well-crafted rapier and joins the battle next to her. She doesn't fight nearly as well as the rogue, but it still shows that she's had some measure of training with the weapon. She hits, but seems to do no damage at all.

In contrast with his wife, Theoris barely acknowledges Jord's words. He brings his sword down hard, slashing through the golem's back.

The golems swing around wildly in uncontrolled and, for the most part, impotent rages. One however, in an obscene stroke of luck, manages to whack Kethend hard in the stomach. (ooc: Natural 20, made miss chance but didn't confirm. Take 16 damage.)

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex is impressed indeed that the king and queen take so active a role in their own defense. He takes a moment to focus on one of the golems who hasn't been hit by fire recently, and sets its head on fire.

"Warm, yer majesticness? Warm is not a problem. We'll give you a real warm welcome."

Doffing his hat, he shifts back to behind the wagon. If someone can plan shenanigans once, no point in assuming it won't happen twice.

Using his ignite ability, and then shifting towards the back of the wagon to make sure that no one is sneaking up/stealing the prince/etc. The ignite ability won't do any damage, but will continue the slow effect, just in case it was about to expire.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 14, HP: 22/31 (6 is nonlethal), Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 10, Flat-footed: 9, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (66 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (66 rounds); Enlarge Person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enlargePerson.htm) (69 rounds); Servant Horde (7 hours).
Cassandra takes a short step, speaking a spell who's words seem to fade from hearing even as she enunciates them. The humming blade of her scythe grows translucent as she swings the slashing blade toward one of the golems.

Step (move action), then cast Wraithstrike (SC: 243) (swift action) - renders the blade of the weapon into a touch attack for one round, followed by an attack on the golem (standard action).
Touch Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage Roll: [roll1]

Edit: Well, I think I barely hit with the touch attack, but that's pretty disappointing damage - though I have to say it's a pretty stunning visual, an 11' woman in black swinging a ghostly humming scythe through a frankesteinian creature! ;)

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend
Keth's Adamant Pauldrons absorb some of the golem's lucky blow, though the strike still rattles him. With a roar, the dragonborn brings his hammer down once more, furious that there is no way to shut the golems off and prevent them from harming more people. They would have to do this the hard way, blow by blow, until the mindless creatures were no more.

Did Keth take 16 damage before or after his DR? I'm assuming he took 14 damage (DR 2/evil), if not, let me know OoC. Kethend will continue to attack the golem he hit last round.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[loser0ll]

Dirin takes a quick step to move himself into range of the golem that had come against him and been intercepted by the dragon-thing with a hammer. He adjusts his grip on his Morningstar and swings hard, it's dark metal head gleaming wickedly as it hurls towards the Golem's body.

Attack 1
[roll0]
[roll1]
Attack 2
[roll2]
[roll3]
The Morningstar is Adamantine.

[Cespenar]

Jord

The king stayed silent and efficient. Even better. But though Jord would appreciate such behaviour, he is nothing like that, and emphasizing it, he growls loudly as he accompanies the king's blow with two of his from the opposite side.


[roll0]
[roll1][roll2]

[roll3]
[roll4][roll5]

AC 16, HP 77/101

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda glances back over her shoulder at the wagon. She'd probably have a better chance of hitting it if she were on higher ground, but that'd be bringing the golem's attention far too close to the prince. She straightens up and swings at the golem with all she's got, encouraged by the Queen's presence.


Kalinda's no longer fighting defensively. Her AC is 22 (dodging against the golem).

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Hoping to end the fight quickly, Jack decides to use another powerful blast on the nearest golem. He focuses, and with another jab of his fist, another cloud of crystals materializes and shoots towards the golem he focuses on.

Spending another 8PP on another Fully Augmented Crystal shard, bringing me down to 62.

[roll0] Touch
[roll1] Damage
[roll2] Crit Confirm

[Toliudar]

Blind and slow, the golems seem unable to defend themselves as they are riped into again and again.

They swing wildly and miss, unable to use their eyes or strike fast enough to catch someone off guard. With Jord's last great swing cuts deep into the golem he and Theoris are flanking, and the monstrosity ceases to move all together. The king wastes little time in running to his wife's defense, cutting into the creature at the wagon from behind.

I figured that Chain would want the OOC post here as well. I just thought I'd help out.

[Ezeze]

Blind and slow, the golems seem unable to defend themselves as they are riped into again and again.


[roll0] (18)
[roll1]
[roll2] (21)
[roll3]
[roll4] (27)
[roll5]

[roll6] (15)
[roll7]

[roll8] (15)
[roll9]

They swing wildly and miss, unable to use their eyes or strike fast enough to catch someone off guard. With Jord's last great swing cuts deep into the golem he and Theoris are flanking, and the monstrosity ceases to move all together. The king wastes little time in running to his wife's defense, cutting into the creature at the wagon from behind.

(ooc: I, uh, totally meant to do that :smalleek:)

[Wiz]

Cassandra (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=166018)

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 14, HP: 22/31 (6 is nonlethal), Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 10, Flat-footed: 9, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (65 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (65 rounds); Enlarge Person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enlargePerson.htm) (68 rounds); Servant Horde (7 hours).
Cassandra repeats the fading spell and swings the wraithlike blade of the scythe toward the golem again, however, as unlikely as it might seem, she misses it.

Cast Wraithstrike (SC: 243) (swift action), followed by an attack on the golem (standard action).
Touch Attack Roll: [roll0]
Damage Roll: [roll1]

Edit: I'm having trouble hitting with a touch attack. ;)

[loser0ll]

Dirin allows himself only a small grin as the golems swing wildly - a small grin which spreads just a little further as the first Golem falls. He swings his mace again, bashing it against the blinded creature - while he knows that it won't be destroyed by the weapon, the material it's composed of does allow greater damage than normal against Golems, and soon he should get even more assistance.

Attack1
[roll0]
[roll1]
Attack 2
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Cespenar]

Jord

"Ha!" Jord exclaims with a brief but victorious laugh, and lets his eyes wander and find his next target. Seeing the king rushing off to another golem, Jord frowns, locks on, and again, his powerful legs launch him towards the creature.

Again, full Power Attack with Heedless Charge on the Golem that the king attacks.
[roll0]
[roll1][roll2]

AC 6, HP 77/101

By the way, these extra Fire damages should be affecting the Golem because its immunity is solely to spells and spell-like abilities.

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling took up a guard position at the back of the wagon. He glanced up at the prince to make sure that he was all right.

[Rhiannon87]

The fight seems to be closing in around her now. Kalinda had managed to hit the creature once, but its tough skin resisted her blade. I'm not doin' any good here, she thinks. With a quick glance around, she dove back towards the wagon, and started to climb up it.


I'm not sure how many tumble checks I'd need to get outside the golem's AoO range. The first DC is 15, which I can automatically succeed on. I'll roll two more (assuming DCs of 17 and 19), which if I recall correctly should get me out of range. Then a climb check to get up on the wagon.

Tumble 1: [roll0]
Tumble 2: [roll1]

Climb: [roll2]

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend
Keth continues to pound on the golem he has been fighting, encouraged as one of the blasted constructs falls. His hammer glows like an azure torch as the dragonborn lets loose another roar...


I'll continue to hammer away at Mr. Golem Man.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Move Action: close the gap, if needed.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack notices the others handling the fight remarkably, and so decides to attempt to keep his Psionic energies in reserve, should there be any other need for them today. He again tosses shards of crystals at a golem, but it's obvious to even casual observers that this lacks the strength of the previous strikes.

Jack manifests Crystal Shard again, augmenting it with 1 PP, bringing him to 60 PP. He attacks the golem most threatening to Kalinda, or the weakest looking if both are threatening her equally.

[roll0] Touch Attack (accounting for blindness)
[roll1] Damage
[roll2] Crit confirm if needed, for whatever reason
[roll3] Sense Motive/Wisdom Check if needed to see what golem most fulfills target criteria

[Ezeze]

Dallin returns Tex's glance, then moves out of Kalinda's way as she climbs to the back of the wagon. The boy has been quiet, standing still with the determination of one who's had quite a lot of practice doing just that. Prince or not, he's at the age where he should be asking his daddy to check under his bed for imaginary monsters before he goes to sleep at night - not counting on him (with the help of a small group of heroes) to fend off a very real one.

Jord belts the golem near the wagon hard over the head, catching its attention before Jack's well-aimed spell goes through the things forehead. The thing slumps over, unmoving in front of the wagon. This leaves one last remaining golem, which, against all odds, Cassandra misses. Dirin and Kethend, however, don't. The thing is very plainly near dead, and useless for being blind. Theoris pauses as the second creature falls, climbing onto the wagon to embrace his wife and son before throwing himself back into battle.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Wiz]

Cassandra (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=166018)

Female Neutral Human Wizard/Divine Oracle, Level: 5/2, Init: 14, HP: 22/31 (6 is nonlethal), Speed: 30, AC: 12, Touch: 10, Flat-footed: 9, Fort: +2, Ref: +7, Will: +7, Condition: Master's Touch (Sharrash) (SC:139) (64 rounds); Dolorous Blow (Sharrash) (SC:70) (64 rounds); Enlarge Person (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/enlargePerson.htm) (67 rounds); Servant Horde (7 hours).
Cassandra takes a few large steps to place herself between the golem and the wagon so that if it stumbles her way, or moves that direction deliberately, she will be able to attack it. Otherwise, she lets the more competent fighters finish it off.

[loser0ll]

Seeing the creature near dead, Dirin goes for a finishing strike, hoping to put an end to the madness at hand - the rocks burying the fallen Knights had been moving somewhat, but they could still need serious emergency healing. One very skilled attempt had already been made today - they could hardly afford to let the next one be even easier. With the madness and panic these monster attacks would bring, every trained soldier might be needed to keep order - fully ranked Knights most of all.

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling sees no threats emerging from the rear. Glancing back at the fight still going on, Tex points at the strange stitched-together creature's head and sets it on fire again.

"Ye gods, Jost! What's taking so long up there?"

[Cespenar]

Jord

Pausing and taking a deep, deep breath as the golem before him falls, Jord grimaces before he throws himself into the same situation one more time.

"Don't know, Tex!" he yells back in mid-run. "It's like hitting stone with these fella."

"Not like I can't break stone, though. Hah!"

Another charge.
[roll0]
[roll1][roll2]

AC 6, HP 77/101

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Confident that the others can take care of the remaining golem, Jack simply wait, ready to take care of any problem if it arises.

Readying action to manifest Crystal Shard again on the condition that the golem isn't incapacitated by the end of the round. He attempts to maneuver before readying to make sure he has a clear line of sight and won't hit anybody. PP will lower to 58 if he ends up manifesting.

[roll0] Attack Roll
[roll1] Damage
[roll2] Still Pointless Crit Confirm

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend

The dragonborn continues his furious rampage with his glowing blue hammer. There was a certain freedom in combat: nobody cared what you looked like, as long as you were on the same side. Battle was perhaps the only time he could truly be himself. He began to laugh.
"COME ON!! Is that the best you've got!? TASTE HAMMER, FIENDS!"


Keth will continue to offer them free samples of hammer.
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Move action: close the gap, if needed.

[Ezeze]

Dirin, Jord and Kethend work together to bring down the last golem. The sound of shifting rocks can be heard as unseen arms pull pieces out of the way, and any still-conscious knights work to free themselves.

The Queen calls to several members of her retinue by name - "Jedrek" she is answered by a stout man ill-suited to the gilded doublet he's donned for the occasion. "Recruit as many strong backs as you can to assist in moving these rocks. Promise a gold for a day's hard work - that should interest more than a few. Oneshoe?" This last word elicits a small noise from a timid-looking gnome obviously terrified out of her wits. Never the less, when Lillian asks her to go and fetch as many clerics and healers as are willing to come, she nods and scampers off at a run. She seems on the edge of issuing another order when a white-bearded dwarf draped in medallions to the point where he makes a clink-clink-clink sound when he walks, interrupts her. "I'll handle this, lass. Seen my fair share of mine collapses in my day, and humans 'ave no eye for stone in any case. Go. Get yer family safe." Despite herself, Queen Lillian smiles. "You're a blessing, Father Rurak." "Aye, and if your father'd seen that too, the world'd be a sight better off."

Tasks delegated, the Queen turns to face you. "You have my gratitude, strangers. I would appreciate your company, for a time longer..."

[CockroachTeaParty]

As the last golem falls with a satisfying thud, Kethend lets out a roar, unleashing a brilliant beam of white light from his mouth into the air above him... and then he realizes the combat is over. Almost immediately, his stance drops to a humble, slouch-shouldered posture, and the glowing hammer disappears from his clawed grip. The dragonborn kneels to the royal family, his head bowed in respect.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Cassandra bows to the queen, "If I may be permitted to join you in just moment, your magesty, so as to attend the needs of the buried knights." She looks at the dwarf, "Father Rurak, if you could direct me to make the most of six minutes or so of large stature and leverage I have and how I should direct my servants who can continue to work on your behalf for the next seven hours, I would be grateful, so that we can attain the maximum benefit of the spells."

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex needs no further encouragement than the queen's invitation. Grabbing the back, he prises himself up onto the royal coach and surveys the scene.

"Yee-haw! Celebrating the queen's arrival's one whole heck of a lot more interesting when you're with the queen. Sounds like fun."

Unless it looks like there's any way the situation could be improved by having something on fire, Tex creates celebratory bonfires on the roof of the buildings all around, and settles back in Oneshoe's vacated seat.

Creating smokeless flames (like continual flame, but lasts a day) on the top of the buildings nearby. In addition to this being a deeply satisfying experience for Tex, he hopes it will continue to draw the attention of city authorities to the scene of the crisis.

[loser0ll]

As the Queen is issuing orders, Dirin makes use of what remains of his original spell. In less than a minute, he manages to throw around rocks with nearly super-human stregnth - and despite what the local Dward might think, he seems to have a very impressive knowledge of working with stones and engineering principles. As the queen finishes directing her servants, his spells runs out and he shrugs as he hands over control of the digging operations to the assigned Dwarven Priest.

With his power no longer immediately needed, he steps toward the Queen, bowing deeply. "Highness, I'd be honored to await your attentions. I am Brother Dirin Vencippi, priest of Wee Jas and former servant of the nation Kithinacia."

He also takes a moment to quickly touch the large, wounded man named Jord twice, each time releasing a small but powerful burst of healing magic into him. "I have a good deal more healing power available if you need it."

Finally, he turns towards the dragon-looking man he had spent a fair amount of time fighting beside. His face has a skeptical look as he regards the scaly blue creature, but he offers a hand regardless. "Thank you for the aid. You fight very well... I'm not quite familiar with the powers you use though - so I'm fairly confident they're not traditional Divine or Arcane magicks."

[Cespenar]

Jord

His huge chest bulging in and out from the excessive activity, Jord gazes across the once-town-square battlefield and tries to catch his breath.

Damn I got soft.

Suddenly feeling the warmness of magical energy passing through his body, Jord turns around to notice the follower of Wee Jas using a healing spell on him. Initially thinking of turning the man down harshly, Jord doesn't feel much fight in himself now that his blood has cooled down, so he merely nods.

"Thanks, priest."

[Ezeze]

Father Rurak takes a moment to look over the rubble before he instructs Cassandra to move several large rocks, chosen because they are unlikely to destabilize the two-story rock pile or to cause what remains of the building the creatures burst from to collapse. He takes over the horde of unseen servants with a minimum of grumbling. One of the first things he orders them to do it to use some of the rubble to shore up the side of the building. "It wont last, o'course" he explains "but it's a temporary fix. We don't want that roof falling on us."

The Queen hides her surprise at finding a Kithinacian among her rescuers very well. You really couldn't have seen it, if you weren't watching very intently. Her royal highness has an impressive poker face.

[loser0ll]

The priest of Wee Jas bows once again - his training as a former diplomat prevents him from responding with any sort of anger at the Queen's reaction to a Kithenacia citizen. However, as he rises from this second bow he has a large grin on his face...
"Don't worry your Majesty, I assure you I'm not here for trading."
One can only wonder why he is no longer a professional diplomat.

[Wiz]

Returning from aiding the dwarf in his efforts, and having returned to normal size, the woman in black explorer's garb with the huge scythe bows again to the queen. "I beg your pardon, magesty. I am Cassadra, a mage." Then almost as if it's being dragged out of her unwillingly, she adds, almost in a whisper, "...and divine oracle of Wastri."

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack nods to the Queen, a sort of small bow. "It would be an honor to be in your company." This is sort of a half truth; Jack knows it would be an honor, but he doesn't feel it an honor himself.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda, having immediately scrambled down from the royal wagon as soon as the fight ended, scurries over to Jack to make sure he's safe. "Thanks, your majesty!" Kalinda says, bowing and grinning brightly. She quickly sheathes her sword and latches onto Jack's arm. "Ya ain't hurt, right?" she asks quietly.

As the others make their introductions, she notes each person's name and stated allegiances with interest, her eyes widening at Dirin and Cassandra's divine connections. Eager to represent her church, she returns her attention to the Queen. "I'm Kalinda Gray, your majesty. Servant of the Radiant Pelor." She elects not to go into the details of that service. The Church might not frown upon her work, but the King and Queen would seem to be obligated to be opposed to theft.

[Cespenar]

Jord

Not caring much for royalty, Jord doesn't attend to the Queen's wish, but reachs for the bag on his back to get that wine bottle that he saved from a while ago. Uncorking it with his teeth, he starts to take swigs of respectable amounts as he wanders around, giving jabs to the fallen heaps of golems, and trying not to think in general.

[CockroachTeaParty]

As Dirin approaches the dragonborn, his extended hand and words of greeting are met with silence, as Kethend remains kneeling, his head inclined. After the Jasite priest wanders off, Keth stands, keeping to the back of the group. Not unlike Jord, he was not too comfortable in these sorts of situations. After deciding that the area is secure, he unbuckles his shield and slings it across his back.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex lifts his hat in greeting to the royals.

"Oh, and folks call me Tex. Look. The last cross street to the left back there leads over to Monteith. If we hang another right and go up River Road, we'll get this procession back on track. Sound good?"

[loser0ll]

Dirin waits a moment before awkwardly drawing his hand back. While his face flared to anger at the potentially rude behavoir, he calmed himself quickly - shaking his head slightly he wanders away as he waits for whatever the Queen would say next.
I suppose it would be unfair for me to stay angry at such a thing. It is his Monarch after all, I suppose. It's not unreasonable for him to become... overzealous in his response to her attentions.

[Wiz]

Cassandra looks about at the others. They are all here, as in my dream... of course. She looks at the queen, "Perhaps it would be best, your majesty, if we can escort you and your family to where you are supposed to be staying."

[Ezeze]

Staring in the direction the horses have disappeared the Queen remarks "I, uh, do believe we will be walking." She smiles "we'll issue a bounty for their return later. I have to thank you all for your patience. A room will be set aside for you until we can discuss the issue of your reward." This last part was spoken a little louder, a slightly less than subtle attempt at getting Jord's attention.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda brightens at the mention of a reward. "The church 'n I'll be real grateful to ya, m'lady," she says.

Still beaming, she turns back to Jack, tugging on his arm in excitement. "We're gonna be like an honor guard! Ain't it neat!"

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The wizard smiles faintly at Kalinda's enthusiasm. It's amazing how the simple truths are always so accurate. Ignorance is bliss.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Clunking himself on the forehead, Tex bounds out of the seat and out of the wagon.

"Yo ho, then! Let's mosey."

[Cespenar]

Jord

Reward?

With a smooth revolve, Jord changes his direction and wanders back to the group in a quite natural-looking way.

"How do y'do, m'lady?" he asks with a slight grin.

[Ezeze]

"I have, one can imagine, been better." With Theoris carrying his son, the group makes better progress towards the Queen's temporary lodgings on foot than they were making with the slow, showy progression of wagons. The maids and various household servants are startled by your appearance - clearly they didn't expect the Royal Family to arrive on foot, splattered with blood. But they recover enough sense to start carrying out Lillian's orders, when she begins to give them. "Our things arrived this morning? Good, go and fetch me a clean dress. I'll need to change before I meet with anyone. Find a few toys to keep Dalin occupied, wont you? And a comfortable sitting room for my guests; yes they are my guests, and you'll attend them as such" the last part in response to an incredulous glance from one of the butlers. "Then I'll just need a few moments with my King."

Having given almost everyone a task, the Queen and King are lead upstairs to a private room. The Queen Mother goes with the Prince. After a whispered conversation the two remaining advisors - the heavily cloaked elf and a slim, exotic woman - leave in seperate directions. The former retreats further into the home, while the latter sets out again on some errand. You scarce have time to consider before a comely young woman meekly addresses you. "Lords and ladies? If you'll follow me, please." She leads you to a well appointed sitting room with plush couches and sturdy tables. "Is there anything you need while you wait? Her highness should not be long."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda's been hanging on Jack's arm the entire time, practically skipping with excitement. As they enter the well-furnished room, her eyes widen. "This'd buy meals for half a' Hell's Port for a week!" She detaches from Jack and starts wandering around the room, studying the furnishings.

A vague plan of somehow getting the Queen out to her church, to see the desperate poverty that so many of the people here live in, is starting to form. The Queen and King both seemed like awfully good people, to her. There had to be something they could do to help.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex makes a beeline for a small but comfy-looking couch, and stretches out. The halfling hangs his hat on one of the arms, and soon achieves a look of beatific happiness.

"Aw, yeah, pards. This is indeed the life. Hey, miss? A pitcher a fruit juice and a bit of ham and bread while we're waiting would go over REAL well."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend marches in stoic silence the entire journey. The prospect of a reward troubles him. He would have to refuse, of course. Doing what is good and right required no reward, save the satisfaction of the deed. Or so he had been taught. Bahamut had blessed him with a greater reward than any physical luxury or vice.
As they waited in the sitting room, Kethend remained standing, near the exit, his face inscrutable. He would not be so rude as to turn down the Queen's grateful generosity, but he did not want to linger long. Not when the villain responsible for the attack was still at large.

[loser0ll]

Dirin looks around the room, with the men and women all splattered with blood despite the fine settings. He quickly chants a brief spell, making small gestures as he does so - with no visible results. However, he seems to concentrate, for the next several minutes - during which, you all note that the clothes and weapons of everyone in the room seem to become miraculously cleaner. Even the blood-soaked Jord becomes completely clean - along with the bloody foot prints and stains through the room. In short order, the priest has finished erasing all evidence of dirt and filth, with the room and it's occupants cleaned thoroughly... whether or not all the occupants fit into the splendor of the setting. With his work done, he moves to sit down and rest, assuming a dignified and cordial position...

However, the appearance of dignity is sharply disturbed when a fuzzy critter pops out of the volumous robes of his priestly vestaments, rushing around in an effort to climb the heavily accented Halfling.
DC 15 Spellcraft to Identify Prestidigitation, Trained Only. DC 10 Knowledge to Identify the Weasel familiar, low enough DC that it doesn't require training.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The self-proclaimed oracle watches the young prince being taken away, a haunted look in her eye. When the group arrives in the room where they are staying, she surveys it quickly then looks at the group, a look of determination on her face as if she's facing up to a task she'd rather not perform. "If you could do me the favor of please noting anything I say in the next few minutes, and repeating it back to me, word for word if I can't remember it - I would be most appreciative." Cassandra leans her scythe against the wall and settles cross-legged on the carpet. She then takes out a wooden insense holder carved with tiny frogs and props a stick of incense in it. The woman takes out a tube from a pouch at her belt and shakes a small, dried frog onto her gloved hand. Despite it's dessicated appearance, it still has a rather malevolent yellow coloration. She starts speaking a long chant mixed in with strange croaking noises, and as she does the incense stick lights itself, the smoke wreathing around her and adding a rather swampy scent to the room. The chant goes on for almost ten minutes before she reluctantly licks the back of the dead frog. Cassandra's pupils swell quite large and she looks drugged as she intones, "Is the Queen Lillian and her family safe from deliberate attack for the next week while within the limits of Vost?"

Cast Divination: [roll0], target under 77%, I'll let Chain intone Wastri's answer through Cassandra. :)

Edit: Ought One! Can you get a critical success on a Divination spell?

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack walks over to the nearest chair and sits, wordless. He seems to zone out as he considers the recent events, and attempts to work out why exactly the attack would have happened, aside from the obvious and unlikely reasons.

[Cespenar]

Jord

Clearly out of his element, Jord examines his surroundings with a wary eye, taking in the luxury with a disparaging filter. After a while, he wanders near Tex, with a curious look on his face.

"Hey, Tex. What d'you reckon they'll pay us for this, eh? Not that the fight wasn't entertaining, but a nice bonus would make things doubly better, am I right?"

[Toliudar]

Tex

"I figure that 'As befits a queen's remembrance' oughta be enough for you to get all pasted, a few times over, Jord."

Tex turns to watch the strange lady go through her chanting.

[Rhiannon87]

As the young woman with the scythe-- Cassandra, she thinks-- starts chanting over a dead frog, Kalinda wanders over to Jack. "Any idea what she's up to?" she asks quietly. After taking a closer look at her friend and the vacant expression on his face, she frowns. "Ya all right?" she asks, sitting down near him and reaching out to place a hand on his arm.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack nods slowly, and it takes him a few seconds to register that Kalinda is talking to him. He jumps slightly, surprised, before nodding again, normally. "I'm fine... just thinking." He sits quietly for a moment before remembering that she asked him another question before the one he already answered. He looks at Cassandra briefly before turning back. "I'm no specialist in magic, but I think she's casting some sort of spell."

[Cespenar]

Jord

Getting only the second half of that statement, Jord grins openly and starts leaning on a wall and gaze at his other companions. He stays his eyes on Cassandra for a while, trying to deduce what she is doing, but then shrugs and looks around blankly.

[Ezeze]

Okay, okay, in the future this spell probably wont cause a moment of panic on my part. You guys did give me some really cool suggestions though. I'm glad I have a creative group :smallbiggrin:


The king and queen that you will see
Will safe for seven day still be
No unliving son or half-fiend bride
Shall threaten them or their pride



Air is warm
Open road
Queen is fine
Lick the Toad!



the dead one struck, his blow went wild
a parry foiled his well-laid scheme
the queen, her husband, and her child
are safe, anon, from he who rots

no feint, this power-seeking dream
til plans renewed, the dead are still
though round the royals foes may teem
for now, there are no wicked plots

the dead remains, rebuilds his will
til strength regained, the foe is mild
vengeance still thirsts to drink it's fill
a royal line in tangled knots


The Queen is capable
Her knights are strong
They will be safe
For seven days long.

But do not by safety be deceived
The true peril is yet unperceived
and plots more grand than you suspect
are only beginning to take effect.

[Ezeze]

The young woman, who remained at Cassandra's request, looks shaken. She wrings her hands nervously, then mutters "uh, why don't I go get that fruit juice?" She quickly scurries off, but is polite enough not to break into a run.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Cassandra hovers there, a moment after intoning her prophecy, then her wide-pupiled eyes roll back in her head, seeming to turn white as she rolls forward and to the side, collapsing on the floor.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend immediately lunges to catch her, kneeling and laying her gently down. "Can someone revive her?"

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda blinks in surprise. That sounded like some kinda... prophecy, or something. There weren't any seers or prophets or diviners at her local Temple, but she'd heard about them. "I, uh, have some healin' potions, if she needs 'em," Kalinda offers. "Is she hurt?"

[Toliudar]

Tex sits up to watch as well. He sincerely hoped that crazy strung-out lady would be okay.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The oracle opens her eyes, blinking... the fainting spell apparently being over, her pupils slowly returning to normal. "Sorry... sometimes it hits me hard. It would probably easier if he had a few worshippers to spread his attention on... instead of just me."

[Cespenar]

Jord

Watching Cassandra with a mixture of mild interest and discomfort, Jord gives out a held breath as the woman comes out of unconsciousness. Even though he had seen such prophecy-bearing magic before (praise be to the shamen), he couldn't help but feel uneasy before such mystics ever since he was a child.

Wanting to shed away that feeling as quickly as possible, Jord clears his throat and tries to wear a straight faced expression. He looks at the others.

"So... what was that all about?"

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend helps Cassandra to her feet and sits her down in one of the chairs. He then remains standing, close enough to help her should she faint again. He eyes her warily for a few moments, then returns to his slightly-unnecessary vigil of the room, focusing his attention on the exits.

[Wiz]

Cassandra sits in the chair, still looking a little disoriented. She whispers, "The Sapphire Knight... a grace he bears... in shining naught... the color of tears."

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex's brow furrows.

"Huh? 'A crazy bears and shining knots?' Lady, if whosits is counting on you to get the message out, no wonder he's pissed."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda glares at the fire-wielding halfling. "Be nice!" she hisses. "The gods pick the phrasin' a' their prophecies, and if it's cryptic, then that's their Divine choice! They got a reason for it, and it ain't much up to the people who pass it along." Cassandra's god may not be her god, but she still respects the chosen servant of a deity. Well... most deities. Being in the same room as a cleric of Wee Jas sets her a bit on edge.

With a slight squeeze of Jack's shoulder, she stands and walks to Cassandra, standing opposite Kethend. "Sounded like you were sayin' the Queen's gonna be safe," she says. "The rest was kinda unclear... make any more sense to you?"

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The woman looks up from her chair, "The queen will be safe? What of her family? What did I say?"

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

"You said they'd be safe for seven days, but not to be fooled by this safety, for there are plots grander than we expect only beginning to take effect." Jack says this without changing his expression at all, it still seems as though he's thinking deeply of something. "As I thought. I knew there had to be something bigger going on."

[loser0ll]

Diram

The follower of Wee Jas looks on passively as the insane-looking woman licks a frog and begins channeling her diety. He listens to the response to her question, nodding with content that they would be safe for a while yet.

...Until Jack spoke. Then, his expression changed to one of part shock and part disbelief. "What? You expected more than we knew was going on? A group of rotting golems and a corpse attacked the Queen of this country, declared himself to be her son, and vanished with his Half-Fiend friend after swearing his quest for revenge would continue! How could you have possibly assumed that -more- was going on? What sort of life do you lead where -that- isn't enough to keep you from saying 'No, no, there must be more to this'?"

With his frustrations unleashed, he then turns to Cassandra. "And you... why did you lick a toad to cast that spell?!"

Some of you begin to suspect that Diram was hoping for the the royal parade -not- to descend into chaotic madness... and that the insanity might be wearing on the Priest's nerves.

[Toliudar]

Tex

The halfling chuckles at Diram's last question, and lays back on the couch.

"Can't speak for the lady, of course, but whoooooee. There's some GOOD toad out there."

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The frog-licking oracle stares cooly at Diram, "True to your nature, the Evangelist knows that only his way is right. Only his god is to be worshipped, spells are only cast in the correct fashion, and anything outside his narrow realm makes him angry." She smiles, seeming amused rather than annoyed by his tirade. "To explain to your limited knowledge, it was a frog, not a toad. Wastri is a frog-god, and has made me his oracle, so I do things in his fashion, or at least as best as I can decipher, being a mammal and trying to understand an amphibian perspective."

[Rhiannon87]

Cassandra's a little weird, but Kalinda's starting to think she's going to like her. She redirects her glare from the halfling to the priest of Wee Jas. No one gets to be mean to her friends and get away with it. "You be nice, too! Fightin' ain't gonna do a damn thing for any of us!"


Knowledge religion roll on Wastri to see if she knows anything else about him:

[roll0]

Chain, let me know if Kali knows anything interesting?

[loser0ll]

Knowledge: Religion [roll0]
Dirin returns the gaze of the oracle with less coolness but just as much conviction. "Oh no you don't - I've had enough of that "He thinks his views are better than everyone else's so he must be a narrow minded fool" from the people in this country. There are times when people can judge the Deity of another faith without automatically being wrong just because he's willing to judge. And I'm fairly sure that one of those times is when a frog-woman woman is the -only- follower a god has, and that particular God is fair game for judgment. And I can use Divine and Arcane magic, so you can't say I'm not willing to accept the casting of spells in multiple ways - but I've never once seen -that- particular method. And again, you're the -only- worshiper he has if you are to be believed, so I won't likely see it again! If something looks funny, I'll stare at it and I'll probably comment too - but don't go about assuming you know me any better than I know your frog-licking ways."

Apparently finished with his rant against the madness prevalent outside of his home country, Dirin sighs and seems to almost deflate. He turns to the other woman -Kalinda, maybe?- and addresses her. "Very well. I'm fairly certain I'm not the only person in this room with at least some assumptions towards others - I'd be willing to bet that at least one person I've been around since the attack has thought of my nationality or faith without great love. But I'll agree to keep to myself until the Queen returns with our rewards - then I'll make my tithes and donations and looks for a decent inn, and you all will do whatever it is that your lives draw you to."

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The oracle laughs out loud then, a deep laugh that brings tears to her eyes. "I don't worship him. Goodness, all he's done to me, I don't think even he would assume I worship him. Wastri's followers all died aeons ago." She smiles at Dirin, "Okay... even though I seem to have made the same stereotypical judgement that all the people in this country have made about you, I'll apologize. Then again, you might want to think about your own statement. If everyone you've met in this country looks on you in exactly the same way... is it even likely that they're all wrong and you're right?"

[loser0ll]

Dirin grins a little at the comments on her lack of worship, apparantly well past his hissy-fit stage. "I never said that 'all' the people in the country have made that assumption - just enough that I've had enough of it. After a few months trying to convert the people in this city... ugh. Make the mistake of visiting taverns looking for converts and you'll find out after 2 broken noses, 3 tavern fights, and 50 Gold in damages that it takes very little time for those who dislike my homeland to make themselves known. But my Goddess wished for me to stay here - and so I have. I've even made a small measure of progress... a small chapel, a few followers, even an a couple adepts providing services to the community and trying to help spread the word of Wee Jas."

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The oracle chucles, "I like a man with a strong certainty of himself. Okay, no more comments... save this, are you sure it's your country they dislike? You couldn't have... come on a little too strong about your god?"

[loser0ll]

Dirin clears his throat. "Actually, it might be the fact that there were some... rumors about me when I first came here. I was accused of practicing necromancy within the city - an entirely false charge, to be certain. I was merely... unaware of certain local customs. But the issue has been resolved, and things have improved as newer stories moved tales of myself towards obsolescence."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda's eyes narrow at the mention of necromancy, and she fingers her sun-shaped holy symbol. "They musta had some reason for thinkin' you were messin' with undead," she says.

[Cespenar]

Jord

A distinctive array of snores can be heard from the ponderous mass that is called Jord, who is leaning on the wall cross-armed and somehow convinced himself to have a little shut-eye in that position.

[loser0ll]

"I assure you miss - I have performed no Necromancy inside of this city, nor have I brought any undead within it. I'm aware of your laws enough not to do -that- barring extraordinary circumstances. The confusion was over burial rites for one of those I managed to convert. I assumed that I, or one of the adepts working for the small chapel we've established here, would preside over the funeral and deal with the body according to the same standard as Kithenacia. I asked about a storage location, and this lead to discussions about what we do with corpses there... by the end of it, they had come to the assumptions I intended to animate the corpse or feed it to Ghouls or some such apparently. As I said, completely false rumors. I have never attempted necromancy within this city." Of course, he makes no mention of whether or not a large skeletal bear and orc corpse are waiting for his return...

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda studies the priest, frowning, then slowly nods. "Guess I can see how that'd happen," she says. People misunderstand her work, too, sometimes.

She spares a glance for the snoring barbarian, then looks over at the door. "Wonder how long we're gonna be waitin'," she comments. "I kinda need to check in with the Temple, let 'em know I'm okay."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend stands in silence, listening to the many words of his companions. Why did speech come so easily to everyone but him? He had always been talked to, never actually participating in the conversation. He was relieved to see the oracle was alright, but the squabbling began to grate on his nerves. Kethend wished he had the attitude of Jord; now would be a fine time to sleep, if it were not for his need to keep awake and aware, should danger rear its ugly head once more. Besides, it would be rude to their hosts to nap now. Still, there was an honesty and simplicity in Jord he respected a great deal.

[Ezeze]

A short while later a young woman - a different one from the one who witnessed Cassandra's prophecy - arrives precariously balancing a plate piled high with ham on one arm, and a pitcher of juice and several goblets on the others.

"Her highness sends her apologies" she announces, slightly louder than strictly necessary. "She'll be detained longer than expected."

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex rises to help the serving woman by relieving her of the pitcher and a couple of the goblets, which he sets down on the table. And then pours himself some. Her announcement brings a snicker.

"Whooeee. 'Detained longer than expected.' Sounds like Jord, the time that he was on a bender, and mistook a priestess of Cuthbert for his, um, date."

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack turns to the new woman. "Are you okay? You seem... stressed?" Even when asking her this, he keeps his face the same as it was.


[roll0] Sense Motive, if you decide it's necessary.

[Rhiannon87]

"Thanks!" Kalinda says, hurrying over to help the woman. She pours a goblet of juice and walks to Cassandra, offering it to her. "This might make ya feel a bit better," she says.

[Cespenar]

Jord

With the combined sensory input of hearing his name and smelling a plateful of ham, Jord opens his eyes and springs back to life. Moving rather quickly for a newly awoken person, his hand shoots in the direction of the passing woman, grabbing a slab of ham from the top of the plate and returning back. He folds the slab into two and downs it in one go, licking his fingers as his mind tries to rush him a piece of recollection.

"You saying something, Tex?" he asks uncertainly, his voice lacking the guile which may imply that he caught the whole thing.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Taking the goblet of juice in both hands, Tex ambles over to Jord. "Nothing very int'resting, Jord. Here, maybe a drink of this will help clear your head. Prophet-lady might be saying something innerestin. Least we kin do is listen."

[Cespenar]

Jord

"Mm-hmm?" grunts Jord as he gulps down the juice Tex has thankfully brought. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he nods in Cassandra's direction.

"What was she going on about anyway?

[Wiz]

Cassandra smiles and takes the goblet from Kalinda. "Thank you... I'm starting to feel better. You are kind as well as honorable."

[Ezeze]

Jack
As far as you can tell, the woman is just nervous. It's not entirely difficult to see why - you're an odd group, with the Queen's favor, allowed to enter the house fully armed with no explanation.

The maid excuses herself as soon as etiquette allows, and you find yourselves once again alone in the well furnished room. It soon becomes apparent that anyone not scared of you is too preoccupied to deal with you, which means you might be waiting for some time...

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex returns to pour himself a glass of juice, and smiles at the rest of the group.

Y'know, it occurs ta me that we never really got a chance for all a us to meet before that durn parade happened. I kinda got to meet you two ladies, and you, Jack, but we ain't even been introduced proper."

He ambles over to Dirin, raising a hand in greeting.

"I'm Tex. I, uh, I play with fire. And you get real big and heal people, and by that loverly dipsy-doodle of sayin' you ain't played with dead things inside a the city, I'm a guessing you play with dead things outside a the city."

The end of the sentence isn't quite a question, but also isn't quite a statement.

[Ezeze]

The sun is beginning to set before you are sent for. A stiff and mostly quiet butler, one member of a seemingly endless rotation of nameless staff, ushers you upstairs and into a surprisingly sparse office. On the way you pass the exotic woman from earlier going in the opposite direction. Queen Lillian offers an exhausted smile from the far end of a well used desk. "I'm terribly sorry. There were... more complications than I anticipated."

[Wiz]

Cassandra bows her head, "Your highness, I'm sure we all have some idea of how much had to be done, both in informing others of the attempt on your life, and to ensuring your family's safety here... please give it no concern, we were well looked after and comfortable."

[loser0ll]

Dirin looks around the mostly bare office, and nod approvingly of the efficiency and lack of frills. He walks, very slowly and carefully to the desk and begins a slow chant. He carefully connects the tip of one of his finger to the tip of one of the Queen's, releasing a spell into her - one that gives a surge of stamina and energy to the Queen. "I understand how tiring beaurocracy can become - the church of Wee Jas has much of it. That spell should re-energize you through our talk, and maybe let you refocus yourself while the stamina boost lasts."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda bows, hanging back towards the wall near the door. "Wasn't any trouble waitin'," she says. She's a little surprised by Dirin's... boldness... in casting a spell on the Queen, but then again, he wasn't a native. Maybe people were much more friendly with their leaders where he came from?

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend immediately kneels as the Queen makes her presence known. He says nothing, and keeps his eyes averted from the Queen's gaze.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack says nothing, but simply nods, as if to excuse anything that would need to be excused.

[Cespenar]

Jord

Waking up from his second doze, Jord yawns mightily and scratches his beard. He casts a lazy eye on the Queen, but doesn't move from his spot.

"I'm good at... fixin' up complications, yer Highness," he says, borrowing words from around and expanding his lexicon. "Maybe I can help."

[Ezeze]

The Queen inhales sharply as Dirin reaches out to touch her, then relaxes considerably a few seconds after he explains himself. When Kethend kneels, fatigue finally shows itself; the woman bursts into a fit of giggles.

She speaks to Dirin first "Thank you. That is very considerate." Then to the group she says "oh my, you are all so different. I don't suppose you know each other? I'm afraid I'll have to apologize - in all the excitement I've well forgotten your names."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda relaxes marginally as the Queen speaks. "Kalinda Gray, Your Highness, servant of Pelor," she says, bowing. "Honored to meet ya."

[loser0ll]

I wonder if she was shocked, or if she thought I was another attempt at assassination? Well, either way it makes no difference. I suppose I should keep in mind that temples being directly in service to the ruler is not the way in this nation, so servants of the gods wouldn't automatically be above suspicion...
"I am Dirin of Kithenacia, servant of Wee Jas." He gives a very formal and intricate bow, one showing quite a bit of practice.

[Wiz]

Cassandra

Cassandra bows her head, "Cassandra, a wizard..." This time she completely leaves off the last title.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack bows his head as he did before, a sign of respect that he doesn't possess. "Jack, practitioner of the psionic ways."

[Cespenar]

"Jord."

Crossed arms and no bows, as expected.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend stands uncomfortably. As the rest speak their names, the dragon-man's expression is hard to decipher. It appears to be a mix of embarrassment, panic, and helplessness. He speaks, his voice soft.
"...I'm Kethend. Your Highness." He avoids eye contact with the Queen at all costs.

[Toliudar]

Tex

Doffing his rather outsized hat, Tex executes a sweeping bow.

"Tex Arcana, Ma'am, atcher service."

[Ezeze]

"I'm afraid I'm in no position to offer you the thanks you deserve. Where I should be greeting you with an elaborate banquet and gold enough to provide for your children's children, I find myself only able to offer these." She removes a long, thin black case from a drawer within the desk and opens it to reveal seven ornate rings, embossed with the royal crest "and a request."

Without ceremony, Lillian removes a ring each from the case and presents it to you. "While they do possess their own magic which allows you to create temporary representations of anything you might need, these rings also have political meaning. They will grant you safe passage and guarantee you lodgings within my kingdom. In addition, once I have returned to my throne and am in a position to reward you properly, you may exchange them for any favor I am able to bestow."

"As for the request... My personal guard is disabled, and there are a myriad of reasons I am beginning to doubt how trustworthy those surrounding me are. This ledger" she gently pushes a book towards you "are the records of the inn the creatures who attacked us were using - the one Father Rurak is now attempting to rebuild. The rooms had been rented under false names, but paid for" she pauses, as if the next line were difficult to say "by a member of my household. Baron DuFord, a distant cousin, and one of the many people who could claim rightful inheritance of the throne should I and my son perish. You see, I have no siblings."

"All attempts to contact DuFord by magical means have failed. Unfortunately, under the law, I need a judge's approval to issue an arrest warrant for a landholding nobleman." She shakes her head "none will meet with me out here, and I can not abandon my knights to go to them. So my access to commissioned soldiers is limited."

She smiles "but, it is still within my power to sanction official messengers, and to request his presence at court. And an attack upon a royal messenger is still an offense. So, officially, I am only asking you to go and collect him."

"Do not get me wrong. Nothing would make me happier than if he agreed to come with you peacefully and there was no need for blood shed. But I doubt that will be the case, and if you are forced to subdue him I will issue a warrant upon your return - for the crime of assault upon your persons."

[/Wall of Text]
The rings allow you to use Major Creation as a level 9 wizard at will :smallbiggrin:

[loser0ll]

Dirin actually gasps at the power present in the rings, as he carefully accepts a ring at the end of the speach. "Even had he managed to kill you and your heir, there would have been much contestation over the inheritance of the throne - perhaps even a civil war. If what you say is true, allowing him to go unpunished would be an act against my own nation - if your nation becomes conflicted and unstable, it could spill over into my own homeland. I accept your request."

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex slides the ring onto his left hand, admiring it.

"Wow. Thank'ee, ma'am. And it'd be a pleasure to go an' collect this DuFus. Jord and Kethend have a way of bein' real persuasive when they need to be."

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend opens his mouth, almost rejecting the gift, but recognizing its primarily political and legal implications, and the mission tasked them, he accepts the ring without a word. He holds it carefully in his scaled hands, contemplating the sensation of being rewarded for valor. It was a rare experience; so many of his possessions had been gifts, barely earned for anything more than friendship. Now, it seemed, his training was starting to reap its own reward. He silently thanked Bahamut, knowing that accosting this potential usurper was where his destiny lay.

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda's eyes go wide as she takes her ring. "Th-thank you, your majesty," she breathes. She knows she can't keep it, but a ring this powerful must be worth a small fortune. The money that this is worth, we could have the kitchen open all day, an' finally get that orphanage open, an' make Kody's clinic into somethin' real nice, hire better guards and more healers and clerics...

The Queen's request seems simple enough, and a pretty cunning one, at that. Either way, they're certain to get this Baron DuFord. "Where's this Baron live?" Kalinda asks, toying with the ring. "And what's he like? How much of a fight d'you think he's gonna put up?" As she speaks, she steps forward to look at the ledger, flipping through it and skimming over the names for people she might recognize.



Knowledge (local) check to see if there's anyone Kali knows in the ledger: [roll0]

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The wizard looks at the ring in her hand as though it was a live scorpion. Then she takes a deep breath and nods, placing it on her finger. She whispers to herself, "The avalanche has already begun... it is too late for the pebbles to vote."

[Cespenar]

Jord

Nodding at what Tex said, Jord lets a mischievous grin form on his face, underlining the aforementioned "persuasiveness". He refrains from asking any questions however, as the others seem like doing it pretty well already.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack takes his ring without a word and slips it on a finger of his, wordless.

[Ezeze]

Rhiannon87
Since the inn caters primarily to outsiders, you only recognize one of the names - apparently Andy Meyers rented a room a week ago. No doubt, you suspect, that same night he "got lost in the woods" and no one could find Leanne. They're a cute couple, but Leanne comes from an old fashioned family, and her father doesn't like Andy.

"DuFord's lands are South of here. It would probably take better than a month to get through the forest between us. Fortunately, you don't have to. The Great River cuts along the side of his domain, and a friend who owes me a favor owns a Dhow. He'll take you down there, wait for you, then bring you back. Better yet, he'll do it discretely."

"Duford himself" Lillian shakes her head slowly "is stupid. I don't mean it as an insult, it's a fact. He's spoiled and selfish and rarely leaves his castle in the center of his estate. But while he is stupid, his great-great grandfather was not. Two old ladies with broomsticks could defend the castle he built. Fortunately, considering the way the present Duford spends, that is about all they have. I don't have blueprints, just what I remember from when I visited as a girl."

She pulls a sheath of parchment from another drawer and draws as she speaks. She starts with a square, leaving off a bit of one side to represent a colossal door. "It's built on a small hill, with the forest around it cleared. There are only two ways to pass the outer wall - through the front portcullis, or a small side door about here." She draws a circle around a bit of wall near the back right corner. "But the hallway behind that door is collapsable. There is a second wall that cuts through the interior of the castle this way" she draws a horizontal line that separates the front half from the rear half of the castle. "Most of the bedrooms and storage areas are in the back and slightly inwards from the walls. There are back ways built into the inner walls for the servants to use, but they don't lead outside. That is all I know."

"You'd probably be best off getting as far as you can without using my name. If, in a rare moment of insight, he hears about you and decides to pull all his resources into the building I doubt you'll be able to do anything about it. We'd end up needing to mount a full scale siege."

[loser0ll]

Dirin looks at the map and considers it for a moment. "It might be heavily fortified, but I've had some decent training in military seige history and non-traditional warfare. Between these rings and our various abilities, he could probably garrison a serious force of soldiers and we'd still be able to defeat him -especially since anyone he hired on such short notice would be have to be a Mercenary, so even if they were uncommonly brave and refused to back down under Monarchial Mandate, once we managed to find a less direct route into the castle and grab DuFord, they'd all pack up and go home - after looting the castle, or course. I can think of at least 3 plans I'm sure we could attempt with a chance of success, two of which might work if he had advance warning. I have another couple that would probably work, but we'd need to save them for after we realize that that he knows we're coming. The last resort would be a seige - and I'm fairly sure that between those present we could take the castle by pure force, since he'd have almost no chance of hiring a serious spellcaster to assist him in the couple of days of advanced warning he might get before his hirelings would need to arrive, while we have two spell-casters of considerable power here.

If possible, I'd like to travel on a course similar to the boat's, but separate - if the trip normally takes about a month on foot, I could make the journey in... about 3 days, with absolute haste and no need for discretion or rest. I could match the rate the boat sets - about a week and a half, I'd guess? - easily."

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex glances casually at the plans, assuming that a rough copy might be able to accompany them on their trip. He listens to Dirin's request to travel apart, shrugs and glances back at the queen.

"So...I get what you're saying about this here DuFord guy not being happy to hear about us coming in your name, but if all we're supposed to do is 'escort' him here, don't we have ta at least pretend to ask first? I mean, I got no problem with 'fire first, fire second and then ask permission,' but I don't want to make your job with the other dukes and such any harder than it already is, Ma'am."

[Rhiannon87]

"We go as messengers first," Kalinda says firmly, nodding at the halfling. "An' if he's a problem, then we can get on with the sieges and stuff, if we hafta. Although..." She grins shyly and looks down. "I'm pretty good at gettin' into places I ain't supposed to be. Forts are built to keep out armies, not scrawny girls who're real good at climbin'."

[Wiz]

Cassandra looks thoughtful, "Traveling by river seems reasonable, but I don't think we should split up. We might want to disembark wherever we disembark as though we were separate individuals or groups to throw off observers. If he is a stupid man, it is likely that he is someone's dupe, which means they will be watching to see who comes for him."

[Ezeze]

"Oh ask, of course. But be vague about what you are asking - at least until you are within the outer wall, or can meet with him personally. That would be my approach, in any case" she smiles at Kalinda "but I can't say that I'm any good at climbing."

"The forest is a dangerous place. I wouldn't recommend traveling alone, if it's avoidable. Can I ask why you'd want to travel on your own?"

[Cespenar]

Jord

"Aanyway," yawns Jord, brushing the awkward silence off with a large hand. "When do we leave?"

[Toliudar]

Tex

Tex waits until after his friend's question had been answered, and then raises a new point.

"Ma'am, if a group of misfits like us were to mosey up to my castle and tell me that we're here to escort me somewhere, first thing I might be asking for is some kind of official instructions. Maybe y'all could send a scroll or some such thing with us, requiring the pleasure of his presence at court here, some such flowery hooey. I'm sure your queenship knows how to say those kind of things right. Would that be possible?"

[Wiz]

Cassandra

The wizard smiles, holding up her hand with the ring on it. "I think she's given us the authority right here."

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

"I doubt a scroll would make any difference. If he does not wish to comply, nothing will convince him."

[Toliudar]

Tex

The little halfling smiles up at Jack. He lifts up his palm, and a small flame dances from finger to finger.

"Yup. Yer probably right, Jack. Probably, they're gonna lock down the castle and we're gonna have to beat Dufus unconscious and fight our way out, dragging his body along. But I been on both sides a the law, and I like the view better this a ways. So if a piece of paper authorizing us to accompany Dufus here helps us out, I figure I'll ask for the dam piece of paper."

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda folds her arms, frowning. "Jack's right-- if he don't wanna believe us or cooperate, he ain't gonna," she says. "But we gotta at least try an' do things properly." She glances at the Queen, hoping that the woman won't be offended or upset by the talk of law-breaking. It's her kingdom and her laws, after all.

[CockroachTeaParty]

Kethend was not terribly comfortable with the thought of essentially kidnapping this man, even if they had a warrant. The Queen seemed to be ahead of the game, and Kethend was behind a few moves, but he felt that this was the path he was destined to walk. The dragonborn maintains his silence, frowning as the group discusses their plans. Wherever they decided to go, whatever they decided to do, he would follow, and put his soulmelds to good use.

[Cespenar]

Jord

"Hmm," mumbles Jord, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. "I've never laid siege to an actual castle before."

He shrugs a moment later, and grins. "Ah, but I reckon it'll be nice."

[Ezeze]

"I'd like you to leave as soon as you are able. I can send Jedrek now to arrange transport with Spencer."

"As Cassandra said, the rings give you all the legality you need." She draws two pieces of parchment out and writes on them - first an official summons for DuFord, bearing all of your names as official curriers near the bottom. On the second she writes a quick summary - again with your names, stating that she asked you to bear a letter to DuFord. The first she hands to you, the second disappears into a pile of papers on the right side of the desk. "But I can not fault you for your caution."

Queen Lillian crosses to the door and opens it. She calls to a nearby maid. "Go and send Jedrek up, wont you?"

"He should be expecting it, if he's been talking to Edyn. And of course he's been talking to Edyn. Are there any pressing matters keeping you in Vost?"

[Rhiannon87]

Kalinda bites her lip, looking a bit shy suddenly. "Well, I gotta let Saria know I'm gonna be leavin'," she says. "She's the head a' my Temple, an' she'll send a group a' paladins after me if I don' tell her I'm leavin' Vost." She's never been that far outside the city-- there was never any reason to leave. Her work and her people kept her within the walls. "Other'n that, I can leave whenever."

[Toliudar]

Tex takes up the parchment and tucks it away in his bag. He doffs his hat again in gratitude.

"Thank'ee, ma'am."

He turns to the others, hoisting a massive eyebrow.

"Well, I pretty much got what I need here. If these rings got all the authority you say, we should be able to pick up supplies along the way."

[Wiz]

Cassandra shakes her head in response to the queen's question, but doesn't speak. There's a faraway look in her eye as if she's looking through the wall toward the south.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Jack

Jack shakes his head. "Nothing keeps me but that which also keeps my friend," he motions to Kalinda as he says this.