[3.5] Midnight March IC

[MageofMystra]

Midnight March IC

(head to OOC thread) (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11186844)

Welcome, and bienvenue to the Midnight March IC thread.
This IC thread is to be used for all character dialogue, actions, and the like.


Meet the Players!
{table]Cory Buthiel (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=301866)|chrisrawr|The archer.
Harold Darkblade (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=301697)|THEChanger|The swordmage/swordsage.
Jann (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=302997)|dyslexicfaser|The Jade Phoenix Mage.
Lily (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=301659)|SPoD|The Risen Martyr.
Mordayn (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=304091)|BluesEclipse|The Herald of Torusei
Obi Kinech (http://plothook.net/RPG/profiler/view.php?id=8746)|Ecalsneerg|The Psychic Warblade.
[/table]


04:07:24 P.M.

4 726 rounds left!
really, the time depends on who you ask

Timeline
04:00.00 P.M. - Start of campaign.
04:03:24 P.M. - Beginning of the siege of Saint Farza
04:07:18 P.M. - Mordayn arrives at the first battle.
04:07:24 P.M. - The battle is won. (did it really take six seconds? Wow.)
04:09:54 P.M. - Explosions! :smallbiggrin:

In-campaign Records
If there is no vehement opposition, this will house a list of in-campaign records. Most damage, most surprising move, etc.


When making in character posts, please colour any character speech, to improve organization. If you're making any rolls, also put what kind of roll it is and what it is for right after the roll—unless it's painfully obvious from context (for instance, writing “John Smith attacks the goblin.”, then rolling right after.)

[MageofMystra]

3:58 P.M., New Year's Eve

Saint Farza, the capital.
For the last two weeks, the city has been consumed by the New Year's Festival. Though it was not formerly a holiday, there was an unwritten understanding that it was. Celebrations would occur at all times of the day at all parts of the city. Nobody expected anyone to go to work.
No matter where you went in the continent, it would be the same—from the largest cities, to the smallest communities.
It was like this a week ago too, where you were spending your final days.

The hustle and noise on New Year's Eve is unlike the two weeks preceding it; it is more so. The city is ablaze with enthusiasm and cheer to usher in the New Year. The last day is always the most festive, by a wide margin, and the most festive, by a wide margin. Seven hours from now, everyone will look out their windows, or stand in in the town square to watch the stars and moon. By tradition, the New Year is marked by when the moon (a full moon this year) moves itself into the centre of a constellation, six stars of which are said to be the land's greatest heroes. For about one minute, everyone will cheer, cry, and celebrate.
The tradition of waiting for the stars and moons is celebrated by almost everyone in the kingdom. For this generation, it's often nicknamed “New Year's lunacy”, thanks in part to a rather famous bard.

Tonight, however, there will not as much celebration for you.


–----------------

The Inebriated Sovereign, a high end tavern in Saint Farza.
The tavern is oddly congested with customers. A bartender, whom you know reasonably well for one reason or another, is working frantically. About half an hour ago, he sent runners to find his other workers for the unexpected rush; one is entering the tavern now.
This was rather odd. On the last day of the year, stores, restaurants, and bars would all more or less close; everyone was to be with their families, and enjoy a meal (or a bottle of alcohol) at home.

Rumours had spread throughout the city like wildfire; rumours of a dragon and a great army of darkness coming to assail the capital. Some dismissed it; others took it seriously. Many decided that they would spend their last day in merriment and partial inebriation.


In the corner of the tavern stood a small bundle of adventurers, old friends, or at least old colleagues. They had not all seen each other for a while—possibly a few months, but all dutifully assembled together when news of their old nemesises—the gold dragon Zerutu and the sorcerer Qitu—being at large once more reached their ears. Their assembly was quick, but they were still waiting for one or two of their number to arrive.
These adventurers had already been through hell and back. Several months ago, they had slain their enemies—or so they had thought. In fact, a painting of them hung in the very tavern they were sitting in—coincidentally, right behind the table they were at. Most kept them well alone, however.


–----------------

4:00 P.M.
The last member of the party arrives. Everyone is assembled.

You have eight hours.
What do you do?

[chrisrawr]

"The rumors are true. I spotted them over the mountains on my way here," Croy says, as he arrives. "It was unmistakably them." He's in no fine mood as he orders a cider from the waitress.

[BluesEclipse]

Mordayn nods, and says, "The two of them alone would be a significant threat to this kingdom. With that army... if they aren't stopped, this kingdom won't survive." Ordering a glass of dwarven ale, he closes his eyes, and mutters, "If it's my last act, I'll see that bastard sorcerer dead for this."

[THEChanger]

Harold gave a dry chuckle, and took a sip of his whiskey. "Moydarn, I am sure we all feel the same. All six of us spent a long time killing those two. It's a shame to have to do it again, but we've got a lot less. Or at least, I do. I'd like to get this finished before midnight. I think you all know why." Harold had discussed his deal with the Darkblade Soul with his team before. In fact, he was in the city earlier, using his last few weeks to have fun before he joined that which gave him his power, when he got the call to meet at their old haunting grounds. Now, they had eight hours before he passed on. His Master must be avenged. Again. That's rather odd.

[SPoD]

The creature that had once been a woman named Lily arrived at the inn. She opened the door and entered in one fluid movement, as if trying to conserve as much energy as possible with every step. Her skin was as white as chalk and glowed softly with a pale light. The jagged wound that had slain her stretched from her left ear down to her sternum in the shape of a dragon's claw, but it did not bleed. It merely suffused more light, leaving a trail of glowing sparks behind her as she walked. Her hair, full and raven-black in life, hung limply around her shoulders, a silver shadow of its former self. Her eyes, and only her eyes, were pitchest black.

"Hello," she said, her voice a whisper from the grave. None of her former companions had seen her since the day they slew Qitu. She had disappeared without comment, and some had no doubt thought she had merely returned to the tomb from which she had risen. She certainly had not been expected here tonight. "I have been waiting for this day," she says by way of explanation. "That I walked the earth still was reason enough to suspect that our task was not completed. I have waited, and prepared. Now is the time. What do we know? What is our plan?"

[MageofMystra]

A barmaid walks over to your table, and places a large bottle of wine down.
A quick glance reveals that it's a particularly expensive bottle of vintage elven wine. "It's from the gentleman over there, Lord Reslem. He says he never had the chance to properly thank you for what you did a few months ago." As the barmaid is about to uncork the bottle, the door opens suddenly.
The bar becomes quiet.

An armed man from the town guard walks into, and attempts to draw attention to himself. He clears his throat.
"Ahem. My apologies for interrupting the merriment, but this is an important announcement. We believe there is good reason to attempt to seek out shelter or the garrison in some manner within the next half hour; we are receiving news that there is a large raiding party of orcs and assortion due to arrive here within 20 minutes."
Predictably, the patrons panic, as the guard realizes exactly how tactfully he handled the situation.

[BluesEclipse]

Mordayn downs his ale, and looks at the others. "I suppose this is as good a time as any to move, then. We can cut through those orcs, then go after Qitu." Raising his voice, he calls to the patrons, "Don't worry about the orcs... we'll handle them." Walking towards the door, Mordayn silently focuses, twisting the incarnum within him to prepare for battle.

Swift Action: Reallocate Essentia. Warp Space -2 Essentia, Wormtail Belt +1 Essentia, Cobalt Power +1 Essentia. Sheet updated to reflect new essentia enhancements.

[chrisrawr]

"Um..." Cory adds, tactfully, "Right. Orcs. Have we asked them to leave, yet?" It never hurt to be hopeful.

[SPoD]

Lily takes in the news without emotion. Turning to her allies, she says, "If we meet them halfway, we will save ourselves 10 minutes."

She unrolled a cloth pouch, revealing an assortment of dusty elixirs. Looking at it carefully, she selects one, uncorks it, and pours it over her head. When her friends look at her oddly, she explains, "I cannot drink." This only emphasizes the changes that have been wrought upon her, as she used to be quite good at drinking. She could drink a sailor under the table, then beat them at arm wrestling before sweeping them off their feet and off to bed, but that woman was dead. This one had trouble drinking potions.

The "cannot drink" think is just fluff, there's nothing mechanically stopping her from drinking a potion just because she doesn't need to drink to live.

Drinking a Rhino Elixir; it lasts for 12 hours and gives me +3 natural armor and +1 melee damage rolls. My sheet will soon reflect these changes; if it gets dispelled, I'll just subtract them then.

[chrisrawr]

"I agree." Cory says, immediately. "Meeting their demands half-way seems a sensible solu- Oh you meant the other way." A grimace, and a sigh. "I'd really hoped I'd never have to shoot someone again. I haven't stopped shaking since... last time," he holds up his arm to emphasize the point. Everyone, of course, remembers last time.

[Ecalsneerg]

From down the street, there came the clanking of iron boots and armour, steady and unyielding. The insectoid nearly ran into them outside the inn, a formidable figure in ornate plate mail, a huge crystal axe slung over his back.

"Sorry!" came the familiar buzzing voice of Obi Nikech. "My armour does have this tendency to slow me down... I hoped I could find you, my friends, before the abominable orc filth arrive!" It grinned widely, spreading his arms in greeting.

"It saddens me that we would meet again in such circumstances, but it will be my privilege to fight alongside you all again!" As punctuation for this declaration, he brought his axe forth, cradling it in his arms like a child, the jovial grin not fading from its face.

[THEChanger]

Harold smiled as he saw his old companion draw close. "Obi! You old dog, it is good to see you again! But, enough time for catching up later. For now, we have some orcs to take care of." Centering himself, Harold established his connection with the Darkblade Soul, for the first time in a very long time. The familiar flood of voices rushed through his head, Harold forced them into silence by recalling his Master's first teachings. With power readied and talent remembered, Harold began to move towards the gate through which he could meet the oncoming horde. Shadows flitted about him, concealing his position and lending his steps lightness. The orcs would find him a threat to be reckoned with.
Child of Shadow stance. As long as I move at least 10 ft, I get concealment from Melee and Ranged Attacks. OOOOOOHHHHH!!!!! I'M INVISIBLE!!!!!!

[MageofMystra]

The town guard from before chases after you as you leave the tavern.
"Please wait, sirs!
"Captain Ademek told me to fetch you! He specifically told me to find you guys--the guys who killed that dragon before, right? He say he needed you!"

----

Outside on the streets, the roads quickly empty. Many people are headed to the east, towards to the garrisons. Many are just trying to find shelter. In the distance (but close enough that a run would get you there), you see a run node unattended.

----

I've got a little bit of extra information you might find useful. I'll place it in the OOC thread.

[SPoD]

The town guard from before chases after you as you leave the tavern.
"Please wait, sirs!
"Captain Ademek told me to fetch you! He specifically told me to find you guys--the guys who killed that dragon before, right? He say he needed you!"

Lily's tone is flat and without emotion as she answers. "Is this captain in the same direction as the approaching army?," she asks. "If so, lead the way. If not, we have more pressing matters."

[chrisrawr]

"Hold on now, it could be the dragon - the city can hold a while against an Orcish horde or two for a while, but if fire starts raining from the sky, with magic behind it..." Cory really doesn't want to find out what happens then.

[SPoD]

"Hold on now, it could be the dragon - the city can hold a while against an Orcish horde or two for a while, but if fire starts raining from the sky, with magic behind it..." Cory really doesn't want to find out what happens then.

"If the dragon was attacking right now, the messenger would have mentioned it before the orcs," Lily responds. She begins walking out the door, then looks back to the messenger. "Well?" she asks, "Is your captain on the way, or not?"

[Ecalsneerg]

"Fie, fie!" chided Obi, throwing a sympathetic glance the messenger's way. He leaned on his axe, resting the blade on the ground and his arms on the haft. "This man is just doing his job, there is no reason to be so short with him. How can we win a war without camaraderie with our allies?"

"Good sir, I apologise for my friend's shortness."

[MageofMystra]

"Err, no, sorry madam, but the captain is holed up in the garrisons to the east of here, but you have to see the captain! He said that it was uh, more important than the orcs or that you wouldn't need to fight them or that they wouldn't need you or something.", the guard stammers quickly.

"I promise, if it's the travel time that you're worried about, we'll be there in a jiffy!"
The guard presents a small badge. It is easy to recognize as one usually used only by emergency workers; it supposedly gives up to twice to triple the regular benefit of a run node pass. The caveat is, of course, their rarity.
"He gave me this so that we'd--"
The guard begins to chase after Lily and presumably, some chunk of the rest of the party.

[SPoD]

"How can we win a war without camaraderie with our allies?"

"By destroying the evil enemy as quickly and completely as possible," Lily answers, seemingly unaware that the question is entirely rhetorical.


"Good sir, I apologise for my friend's shortness."

"I am the same height as before I passed beyond the veil of suffering," she corrects him. "It does not impede my effectiveness in battle."

[SPoD]

Lily stops, turns, and peers into the messenger's soul with black eyes. The effect was unsettling, to say the least.

Sense Motive on the guard: Is he telling the truth, or did the captain tell him to say whatever he needed to?

Sense Motive: [roll0]

[MageofMystra]

The guard freezes, clearly creeped out.
"Well, uh, you, uh, er"

---

Results of Sense Motive check:
You can ascertain that he was definitely told by the captain to get you there by any means possible, but it's also apparent that he's also not making up crazy lies to get the job done.

In other words, you can tell that:
The captain told him to get you there by whatever means necessary.
The captain told him that it was of great importance and that he needs you people for whatever task he has more than fighting the orcs (or to that effect.)
But he's still flying by the seat of his pants otherwise.

(the first natural 20 oughta be special, after all.)

[SPoD]

She turns back to her allies. "He speaks the truth, at least as far as he knows it. His captain believes we are more needed on whatever mission he requires of us than to engage the orcish horde."

She looks at each of her allies in turn, meeting their eyes with her dark stare. "The question then becomes, do we trust this captain's judgment of priorities? I leave the answer to you; I will follow as the rest of you decide."

For everyone:
Basically, I have to go offline for a while, so if everyone else agrees to go with him, assume that Lily follows.

[BluesEclipse]

Mordayn looks at Lily for a moment, before sighing. So this is what becomes of a soul when it cannot follow the cycle as intended... Nodding at the guard, he says, "Your captain probably has a better grasp on the current situation than we do. And any help that'll get us another shot at Qitu sooner will be appreciated." Turning to his dead-but-not-dead ally, Mordayn says, "And you know, that stare of yours is still pretty creepy, Lily."

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi rolled his eyes as best he could for a being without actual eyeballs, shaking his head at Lily. While he cared for his friend, she still made him want to slap his forehead with his iron gauntlets.

"I will trust this captain. I mean, he is a captain of the city guards, that is not a position one comes into lightly."

[chrisrawr]

"Hey," Cory says, "If it means I don't have to see an Orc up close just yet, I'm all for it." Turning to the guard, "So, just how fast can you go with one of those things?"

[MageofMystra]

A wave of relief breaks over the guard's face. "Thank goodness, thank goodness, Captain Ademek would have my head if I di--
Right, right, order at hand, er, let's get going" He trails off.

He motions for all of you to come to the run node, and flashes the EMS badge either six or seven times. The entire group hustles to the Garrisons (one node east) in roughly four minutes.

Effects applied: EMS Run Node (+30 untyped bonus to speed, for the duration of one node; time was calculated assuming everyone in the party moved at 60 ft.)

-------

04:03:18 P.M.
Outside Garrisons, second ring

While hustling to the garrisons, you run across a small gaggle of other guards, and what looks like a handful of fully armed citizens. At their head is a man in fine armour, wearing the crest of Saint Farza over his breastplate, and again on his heater shield (in case anyone forgot.)

The guard you have been following stops, and points at him for you. "There's Captain Ademek. He must've come to try and get you himself."

(I'm going to run on the assumption that you would choose to speak to him.)

The captain notices you, and hustles over. The guard who retrieved you vanishes.

"There you are!
"My apologies for having you fetched by a messenger like that, but this matter is of a great importance.
"While we are expecting a siege of sorts of orcs, they are not due to arrive, we estimate, for at least an hour. At the head is a division of mobile forces, that we highly doubt will pose any degree of threat to the well-being of the city. They are due to attack from the south--
"--but we have reason to suspect that the bulk of the actual army will not."
He continues to hustle.
"Furthermore, it would be squandering resources to ask you to fight the small fry...
"So, instead, the city--I need you to go after the bigger game. In particular, the brass of the enemy operation, if you will. The larger targets that the smaller ones would notice missing."

"This is dangerous, but I have absolutely no doubts in my mind that this will not deter you in the least bit."

[chrisrawr]

"Err... You mean like war trolls, and such? Perhaps I'd be best used fighting the smaller force..." Cory sputters, clearly afraid of whatever the orcs would find intimidating. "All I wanted to do was get revenge. I got that, and I'll get it again... I'm not the kind of person that goes around fighting wars. You don't want me fighting wars..."

[SPoD]

"So, instead, the city--I need you to go after the bigger game. In particular, the brass of the enemy operation, if you will. The larger targets that the smaller ones would notice missing."

"Be more specific," Lily intones as she effortlessly glides alongside the others. "What specific creatures do you wish for us to vanquish? Where are they going? When will they arrive there? Time is short and dwindling quickly."

By the way, I hope we're not running. As a deathless, Lily can't take the run action. :smalleek:

[MageofMystra]

"It's quite simple really; their army's logistics and heavies. There's a system of couriers, flagbearers, and war drums--but, from all experience we've had fighting them--they save it as an emergency, as all messaging is done through magic.
"So, all that you have to do is attack their casters, or easier yet: their supply and logistics, to cut them off from their reagents. You can get the drums and backups while you're at it."

"Judging by their distance, and their usual patterns, we have at le--

BOOM!
To the west, a sound like a thousand thunder claps echos, accompanied by screams and the sound of a city panicking.

--CRAP! They must've been moving faster than we thought, and"

In the distance to the west (gate outside Craftsman District), smoke begins to rise. The captain begins to panic a bit, while his band begins to go insane.

04:03:24 - Beginning of the siege of Saint Farza.

[THEChanger]

As Harold hears the explosion, his attention is immediately drawn from the captain to the source of the boom. "Yes, yes of course. I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that would be our que. Let's move."

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi reacted to the cannon shot instantly, turning and running towards their objective, axe raised high above his head one-handed, squat body working over time to heft himself and a suit of armour nearly as heavy as he was.

Yet, despite the sheer amount of power the short insect was exerting as he ran, he raised his voice to the heavens, pealing for all to hear.

"To arms! To arms! If we act courageously, and fight like lions, we shall carry this day! Fight! Fight! They can do their worst, but in the name of all that is good and holy, FIGHT!

Swift actioning Obi into Bolstering Voice stance. Every ally in earshot gains morale bonus of +2 Will save, upping to +4 against fear. Hopefully, the soldiers count as allies under D&D's nebulous terms which even count yourself as an ally...

[SPoD]

"There is little sense in running toward the target of an explosion," Lily says calmly, "when one could instead run toward the source." but she strongly suspects that no one can hear the whisper of her voice over the din. She therefore follows her allies as they run headlong toward danger.

[chrisrawr]

@SpoD - Cory probably can, and he agrees. If there's something available to climb, he'll make a Spot Check to see if he can't figure out where the source of the explosion came from. [roll]1d20+29

<post reserved for results>

[MageofMystra]

The captain tosses you a few run node badges; they are good for two or so more uses. "You guys go on; we'll catch up! It'd be to everyone's benefit if you were rather than us!"

04:06:06
Outside the Inebriated Sovereign
People are flocking to the garrison, probably seeking shelter. Many others are seen boarding up their homes. Above all, however, is the din of civilians readying to fight. You can see the citizens run the gamut; from small people barely above the age of majority, to ordinary craftsmen and people, to old, grizzled veterans strapping on whatever armaments they can.
Various people have taken charge, and are yelling rousing calls.

In the distance, another massive blast can be heard.

You are at a run node now. The effects of the EMS badge have worn off. ETA to any other node (assuming you use the guard's badges) is 04:11:42.

[BluesEclipse]

Cursing, Mordayn says, "I'll go on ahead, you use the badges! I'll meet you at the gate by the Craftsman District!" A bluish light flares around his legs briefly as he dashes off at blinding speeds along the node's path, drawing his scythe as he does so.

Swift action: Esper Surge(+90' to all speeds for 1 turn)
Full-Round Action: Run(4x speed, since armor is medium)

I'll let you calculate how long it'll take to actually get to the gate, but I'll repeat this process as often as needed.

[chrisrawr]

Cory, noting the most unique piece on the horizon, sends an arrow after his companions, hoping to gain their attention. As they turn to face him, he fires off another arrow in the direction of what he assumes to be the siege engine. Once that's done, he runs to rejoin his companions. "I think that's the thing that made the boom," he huffs, out of breath, "I can get us up there, who's with me?"

[SPoD]

"I am," Lily replies. However, uncertain as to where they are going, she waits for Cory to lead the way.

I think I missed a piece of description, because I don't know where "up there" is. Is it flying? Outside the city walls? Does Cory see the source of the explosions?

[MageofMystra]

04:07:18 P.M.
West of the Inebriated Sovereign

The party continues to hustle through the streets. Mordayn had departed by his lonesone about a minute ago.

(ETA to Craftsman District: 04:08:36 P.M.) EDIT: Ignore my previous post that said it was around 04:11; my math is getting bad.



At the Craftsman Gates
Mordayn arrived at the gates. Up until very recently, the city had almost seemed untouched, save for some patches--which looked as if they had been under heavy bombardment.
It had been about one minute of sprinting.

It seemed as though his haste had paid off.

At one of the inner walls, a large battle is occurring--while Mordayn arrives in the midst of it. It seems as if the battle has yet to be decided in either side's favour. The area already looks the part--many buildings are heavily damaged, and the trademark of the Craftsman District--the obelisk streetposts have been toppled outside the gates. A fierce battle rages between the guards and militia that happened to be nearby, and what looks like a crack set of orcs, who tear through the defenders.

The streets are beginning to drink deeply of blood. Further ahead, is strewn many corpses, of both defender and attacker (though the attackers were doing, notably, much better.)

Battle Map
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/2624/craftsmanat408.jpg
This battlemap is not the most updated one. To save bandwidth for people,it will not be immediately shown.

Battle Details
You may deploy yourself in any of the orange areas (though not on houses, or that wally thing which is supposed to be a wall.

Breakdown of enemy by type:
Orc 1's archetype: special. Wears shimmering silver scale mail, has a longsword and battleaxe.
Orc 2's archetype: in reasonably heavy armour, and wielding a massive tower shield, attempting to cover their allies. Has a longsword.
Orc 6's archetype: far bigger than an orc should be. Currently using a large guisarme; has other weapons. Seems to be using armour spikes, and trips or stops enemies who move around.
Orc 8's archetype: big greataxe. You can extrapolate.

Militia: Rabble. Fairly poor weaponry, armour, and fighting ability.
Guards: Brave, at the very least.

Turn Order
Mordayn - 23
Obi - 10
Harold - 8
Everyone Else - Mook

As you arrive onto the battlefield, both enemies and allies seem to notice. Within moments, everyone is aware of your presence. Some militia begin to crowd about you, as if for safety. The guards seem heartened by your appearance; the orcs snarl as if to threaten you.

Far in the distance, one distinctive orc roars, bearing his longsword and battleaxe. "So, the lion walks into the snare!
"Come to me, and let us clash arms! I promise that your death shall be at my hands; an honourable one!"

Roll initiative.

---


I think I missed a piece of description, because I don't know where "up there" is. Is it flying? Outside the city walls? Does Cory see the source of the explosions?
I PMed chrisrawr the results of his spot check; I was hoping he'd be the one to spill the beans.


Now, as for Mordayn's math, moving at 60 ft./round, I just realized I completely muffed it up. Otherwise, I calculated 0.375 miles from Inebriated to Garrisons (interrupted by the captain); realized just now that it was a mistake, as I based that off of 60 ft./round rather than 120...
...but otherwise, assuming I was right, 1.125 miles / 480 ft./round.
...oddly, I think he actually got there faster because of that. Oh well!

[BluesEclipse]

Narrowing my eyes, a deep blue glow engulfs me, and I reply, "I may die today... but not by your blade!" With a roar, I charge forward, pulling my scythe from my back and gripping it firmly. Reaching one of the orcs, standing before a larger one, I bring my blade down with a roar.

Swift Action: Reallocate Essentia - Esper Surge(-3), Wormtail Belt(+1), Midnight Dodge(+2)

Full-Round Action: Charge attack at Orc 3(end of charge: 019)
Attack[+15(Attack Bonus) +2(Charge) -5(Power Attack) +3(Insight - Cobalt Power)]: [roll0], Damage: [roll1] + [roll2](Positive Energy - Spirit Blade) + [roll3](Force - Psychokinetic)

Free Action: Designate Opponent for Midnight Dodge - Orc 6

[chrisrawr]

Cory sets off immediately toward the contraption in the distance. Having Lily with him made him feel better; maybe he wouldn't have to fight anyone just yet. There's only two people he ever really wanted to hurt, and they were supposed to be dead.

Apparently not.

"I'm going to see how many arrows that piece of junk can take to its guts before it decides it's had enough. If you can... distract... the engineers, I think I can avoid notice until I've found a way to bring it down. Unless you find something better to do with your time, of course," he says, wryly. If it's anything like a catapult, he'll probably just have to shoot a gear or winch or lever. Maybe break a ballast. If not... He'd figure something out.

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi did not even pant as the group arrived, despite the sheer exertion he'd put himself through. "Nay, orc!" he cried. "For if you have ever set a snare, you will know that the lion has a tendency to tear free and turn upon his failure of a captor. At arms and face me!"

Deploy in W7, and... Initiative! [roll0]

[MageofMystra]

Battle at Craftsman District (Round 1)

As Mordayn charges, Orc 6 (big duder) seems to notice, and turns towards him, doing a sweep with his halberd as if to trip him before he may attack.
The sweep is dodged with the utmost ease.

Orc 3 seems surprised by the ferocity of Mordayn's onslaught!
The charge hits Orc 3 with the utmost ease. While his blade itself was more than enough to incapacitate the orc, the spirit blade's brilliant energy and psychokinetic energy had yet to act--
--and indeed, the orc was slain instantly, his armour and shield ultimately worthless.

---

(it would take about a minute for Obi [and Harold, if he wants]; do you guys want to just hand wave it, or quickly perform ten rounds or so of combat?
If Obi and/or potential buddies are arriving now, then it is Obi's turn. Otherwise, the rest of the battlefield moves.)

---

Rectifications from the last battlemap
Orc 3 (N18) is now dead.
Mordayn is standing on O19.
Obi is standing at W7.




---

04:08:32 (casuality, eat your heart out!)

Fields outside Saint Farza
Cory and Lily had moved through the streets quickly, and left the city, away from the chaos enveloping the gates. Further ahead in the distance, standing in the middle of a major road, was a massive structure. It was as grey as steel, and difficult to comprehend. It looked as if there was a massive metal barrel pointing outwards, supported by a base that looked as if it were the cross of a covered wagon and a house.
At its base, a large fire burned. It seemed as if it moved regularly through a round array of large stone wheels. At the moment, massive ropes tethered it to the ground.

By the machine, was a group of goblins and orcs. Two surly looking trolls stood by, and a smattering of other figures attend it. All of them seem to be very busy.

At the moment, Cory and Lily are standing a few hundred feet away, as of yet unseen (probably going through some tall grass or something?)

[chrisrawr]

Cory whispers to Lily, "If I shoot out the ropes, do you think it will just roll away, or fall over?" Hesitant still to engage battle, despite the ruinous slaughter surely impending, he fiddles nervously with his bow.

[SPoD]

"No," Lily answered, "I think the ropes are there to keep it from moving backwards when it fires. It might delay them from firing again quickly, but it will not stop them."

She thinks for a moment. "Cory, how close do you need to be to inflict maximum damage on one of those trolls? I fear I cannot get any closer than this without them hearing my armor, but are you capable of sneaking further forward?"

As she asks, she withdraws another potion from her pouch. "I had hoped to save this until later," she mutters, "Though if the saints are with us, it will remain effective until then." She pours it over her sword which briefly glows behind the tall grass.

Using Oil of Greater Magic Weapon +5. It will last way longer than 8 hours, if it doesn't get dispelled, but these guys don't look like spellcasters anyway.

[chrisrawr]

"I was really hoping I wouldn't have to do this," he says grimly. "I mean, they look like big, stupid people. Green people, ugly people, but... I wish we could talk to them instead of fighting them. 'We killed your boss once before, and we'll do it again, so why not stop this', I mean it makes sense, right?"

With a final sigh as they get close, he closes his eyes, and readies his bow. When he opens them again, all hints and signs of his former compassion are gone. Only silent silhouettes of his targets reflect from his dark orbs, and he readies an arrow more work of art than weapon.

At a hundred feet to the nearest troll, Cory takes up sniping position, sidling up sideways in the dense brush to provide less of a contrast. He waits a breath, then two. On his third exhalation, the arrow leaps from his fingers, through the air.

Move Silently and Hide Checks taking 10, for 33 and 35 respectively - As well, HiPS if possible. Full round action to study the nearest troll, in order to negate immunity to criticals if he has it for whatever reason. Standard Action to CitA fire, Move action to hide.
Chink in the Armor Spot Check: [roll0] -5 for 100 feet.

Attack Roll: [roll1] -4 to Attack and 6 Archery Tokens for Called Shot: Throat. +2 to Attack for Able Sniper. Sacrificing 4 AC to add Ranged Trip to this shot - I am hoping to topple him via overbalance :D +1 to Attack for Study Counter. As a side note: Is being able to add multiple abilities to a single arrow still overpowered, despite the penalty to AC? I can see it being a bigger issue when the archer is threatened more.

Damage Roll: [roll2], +1 Fire Damage from the bow, +1 study damage. If I am unobserved and the Troll is flat-footed to me, add this damage to the total: [roll3] (+1 from study is multiplied, fire is not).

Opposed Trip Roll: [roll4]

And finally, Snipe check at -6. [roll5]


DC for Throat Shot: 30 (Is 10+1/2dmg too high still? Should it be changed to 5+1/2?)
DC for Trip Roll: 29
Total Time: 12 Seconds.

[SPoD]

"Cory!" Lily hisses, "CORY!" But he is gone into the underbrush, and if she speaks louder they will certainly hear her. For someone who does not wish to fight, he certainly joined the battle quick enough.

If she still breathed, Lily would sigh. By not waiting for her to draw their attention first before firing, the trolls will certainly spot Cory and charge him. Her only hope is to make a greater spectacle of herself. She stands from her hiding place, and as she does, the soft glow of her dead skin takes on a brilliant radius, shedding light around her as strong as any lantern. She would be visible from quite far, now. She begins walking forward, sword drawn and shield ready.

"VILE INTERLOPERS!" she shouts as loudly as her breathless voice allows her, "I have come for you! My arrows of terror were my first warning, now my sword will finish the job!"

Trying to Bluff them into thinking I fired Cory's arrows, so Cory doesn't get charged. Also, double moving forward (I can't run). I guess I need to know exactly how far away they are now.

[roll0]

[MageofMystra]

04:08:44 (you other guys don't come here until this time, alright? No time paradoxes, please.)

Cory's arrow whizzes several hundred feet through the air, straight into the troll's throat. It gurgles and grasps at it frantically, and unbalances itself, topping into a heap, flailing.

At the same time, the group now sees Lily.

The group falls into a massive disorganized panic. Two orcs loading the next shot into the weapon immediately drop it. A few immediately drop their weapons, and fall to their knees.

One orc at the front says:
"Egh, how did you get here so fast?
"We surrender. Just spare us, please."

----

As for distance, Lily is now about 180 feet away. Cory is however far away he claims to be.

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi saw that some of his fellow guardsmen in danger from a huge orc. "Hey!" bellowed the Dromite, hefting his axe high, legs pounding furiously as he inexorably charged, leaping at the last possible moment to bring his crystal axe down in a furious strike.

"We shall have victory! We shall beat them back! Have heart!"

Right, this can be done by charging, and moving diagonally 4 spaces uses up my entire movement to get to Orc 7... well, at least I barely make it?

Full round action: Use Battle Leader's Charge, Power Attacking for 4, for +8 damage, and +10 from the maneuver. AoAs aren't provoked by my charge. [roll0] to hit, and [roll1] damage.

My AC is temporarily 25. Rousing Voice stance is still active.

Maneuvers Left: Action Before Thought, Emerald Razor, Insightful Strike, <Battle Leader's Charge>

[MageofMystra]

04:07:18

At the Craftsman District
Obi's charged out onto the scene from out of nowhere. Orc 1 looked at him, and his retort in surprise.
"Nay, bug, the tiger is held by the snare because the snare was designed to hold the tiger!
...you too will fall, if you can somehow slay my subordin--
And a moment later, Obi charged and leaped at the massive Orc 7. With one mighty swing of his crystal axe, the orc undergoes massive clobberination, and falls down in a pile. Which was, of course, clobbernated.
--ates.
"Curses. I will deal with you myself, then!"

---NPC Turn

The head orc makes a motion to the goblin behind him, and then advances to O12, bearing his weapons.

The battle between the humans and orcs rages on. (for the sake of simplicity, the tokens will not really move until they have to move a substantial distance forward.)
Guards 5, 6, and 7 swarm Orc 5, who gets struck down.
Guard 4 is struck down by Orc 6.
Orc 8 charges Guard 8, and kills him. Orc 8 is now at I13.

----
THEChanger, if you're still here/at the combat, then your turn was before the NPCs. If you do act, then it will be counted then.
Feel free to mess around with the shaky flow of time.

Otherwise, round two! Mordayn is due to move.
And once more:

Turn Order
Mordayn
Obi
Harold (if he is present)
Absolutely everyone else
----

Rectifications from last Battlemap
Obi is standing at S11.
Mordayn is standing on O19.
Orc 8 is standing at I13.

Orc 3 (N18) is now dead.
Orc 7(S12:T13) is now incapacitated.
Guard 4 is dead.
Orc 5 is dead.

[SPoD]

The group falls into a massive disorganized panic. Two orcs loading the next shot into the weapon immediately drop it. A few immediately drop their weapons, and fall to their knees.

One orc at the front says:
"Egh, how did you get here so fast?
"We surrender. Just spare us, please."

"Your lives will be spared, pitiful creature, if you do as I say," she says, her righteous glow shining in the creature's light-sensitive eyes. "If you believe that we arrived quickly, that implies that you were expecting us. Tell me, why are you attacking this city? Where is your master? And what do you know about my allies and I?"

As she speaks, she continues to advance, looking around for the second troll to make sure it has fled.

Moving 40 feet. Using Diplomacy to try to get answers: [roll0]

[SPoD]

Meant to do Spot and Listen as I advance, too:

Spot: [roll0]
Listen: [roll1]

[BluesEclipse]

Seeing the orc fall under his scythe, and his allies joining the fight, Mordayn steps forward, his blade turning towards the larger orc. Slicing towards the foe with his massive blade, Mordayn calls towards the leader, "I offer you one chance, and that only because I have more important matters to attend to. Withdraw, immediately, and you may yet survive to see the sunrise! Remain, and your blood will pave the streets!"

Move Action: 5-foot step to O18.
Standard Action: Attack Orc 6 - [+15, -3(Power Attack), +3(Insight - Cobalt Power)]: [roll0], Damage: [roll1] + [roll2](Positive Energy) + [roll3](Force)
Free Action: If Orc 6 is dead, designate Orc 8 as new Midnight Dodge target.

[MageofMystra]

04:07:18

At the craftsman district
Mordayn stepped forward, making a great slash towards Orc 6. The power of the slash with the psychokinetic force of it is more than enough to topple Orc 6--the brilliant energy of the blade is more than enough to slay the orc outright.
The second massive orc falls down as a corpse. The guards behind him gawk at their adversary, dead in one single hit.

Orc 1 looks over in slight alarm, then appreciatively.
"Ah, so this was indeed worth my time. I had begun to think that I was the mightiest warrior in the land--it might be that I am wrong, and that I have found my equals.
"Yet, I still see nothing but rabble before me.
"If you think for a moment that you have won, then you had best reconsider! A battle is not decided until the last man falls!"
The orc roars.
"Come and fight me, swearers of the oath!"

EDIT: It is also now Obi's move.
-----

Rectifications from last battlemap
Obi is standing at S11.
Mordayn is standing on O18.
Orc 8 is standing at I13.

Orc 3 (N18) is now dead.
Orc 7(S12:T13) is now incapacitated.
Guard 4 is dead.
Orc 5 is dead.
Orc 6 is dead.



04:08:44

Fields outside Saint Farza
A few of the operators had fled into the bush; most had chosen to surrender.
The head orc who had surrendered says:
"Expecting you? Hah.
"You mistake the orcish mind. Do you take us all for fools?"
He pauses.
"OK, I'll admit, a lot of us are idiots, but it is hardly fair to be judged as a race by the norm.
"I believe your kind has said that the family is as good as its most exceptional member."

"Do you honestly think that we would siege your greatest bastion without a plan? A grand strategy?"
The orc laughs.
"For instance, let me reveal the power of the orcish analytical mind."

"You are here with the archer, as the troll was slain by an arrow--that cannot be have been shot by you, since you are carrying no bow. The worst case is that someone else is using a bow, but nobody else in your group is apt enough to make a shot so masterful.
"Judging by signals and communications which we have coordinated well in advance, your other three comrades are either fighting at the Craftsman gates, or on their way here now.
"Now, tell me, if the five strongest people in the city are out here, in the middle of some random field...
...what does that mean for the rest of the city?"
The orc gives a devilish grin.

[SPoD]

As the orc rambles off his plan in detail, Lily advances until she is beside him.


"Now, tell me, if the five strongest people in the city are out here, in the middle of some random field...
...what does that mean for the rest of the city?"
The orc gives a devilish grin.

"It means that you are a talkative fool. Had you kept silent, I would have spent the time interrogating you, or perhaps concluded that you were a mere lackey. As it stands...I suppose it means that I lied about letting you live." She thrusts her sword through the orc's heart.

Lucky for me that she's a Chaotic paladin. I have no idea if I can kill this orc with one round of attacks or not, but here goes:

Attack #1: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Plus if he's evil: [roll2]

Attack #2: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4]
Plus if he's evil: [roll5]

[MageofMystra]

04:08:44

Fields outside Saint Farza
After being stabbed twice, the orc falls over, coughing blood.
"I suppose... that was rather...
...stupid of me."

The other orcs and associates look around, confused at each other. Some murmuring breaks through, with one or two laughing.
A few moments later, one other orc yells at the top of his lungs in orcish, then attempts to make a break for it.

[SPoD]

Lily has a constant tongues effect, so what did the orc say?

[THEChanger]

Harold arrived on the battlefield, finally. He had gotten stuck behind some rather slow citizens. They had panicked, and Harold had needed to calm them down to get passed. Now that he was here, Harold let loose on the orc nearest to him. A gigantic hammer appeared in his hand, which smashed down upon the orc's head. As the hammer faded, a dagger infused with darkness appeared in Harold's hand, and lept into the orc's side. It had been a long time since Harold had used the Blade of Woe. But he was feeling mad.

Sorry about that. Things have gotten a bit hectic around here. Finals and such.
Moving to M22. Smacking Orc 2 upside the head with a Megaton Hammer, then sticking him with a Blade of Woe. Incantations are attack actions, which means I can hit him with two.
Megaton Hammer To Hit - [roll0]
Damage - [roll1]
Blade of Woe To Hit - [roll2]
Damage - [roll3]
Vicious Damage To Orc - [roll4]
Vicious Damage To Me - [roll5]
Megaton Hammer costs me a point of AC until my next round. If Blade of Woe kills the Orc (Unlikely), it comes back as a Skelly/Zombie under my control for... 2 Rounds. Necromancy!

[MageofMystra]

Lily has a constant tongues effect, so what did the orc say?
My bad, sorry. I need to make a post-it note or something on passive abilities for everyone.

If you do not speak orcish, do not click this spoiler!
The orcs were murmuring about the dead orc. Most of them were along the lines of "Saw that one coming", "Knew that would happen", etc.

The yelling orc yelled something along the lines of "THIS POSITION IS DONE FOR" with a mixture of "WE'RE DOOMED".

04:07:18

At the Craftsman District
The battle raged on.
Now, a new combatant had entered the fray--Harold Darkblade. What seemed to be the nearest orc to him would serve to demonstrate exactly how strong Harold had gotten.

First, the orc was smashed by a really big hammer. Losing his balance, the orc seemed quite staggered and already in no shape to fight.
Then he got stabbed to death, and thusly converted into a zombie/skeleton.

The eastern end of the battle had been thoroughly cleansed of enemies.

Orc 1 looked at the new enemy, and roared again. "Another!
I shall also be your opponent! Face me if you dare!"

Rectifications from last battlemap (I swear, I'll do an update of the battlemap after this round finishes. With any luck, enough of the battlefield would be cleared that I could shrink the picture massively; and thusly, make all the labels bigger.)
Obi is standing at S11.
Mordayn is standing on O18.
THEChanger is standing at M22.
Orc 8 is standing at I13.
Orc 1 is at O12.

Orc 3 (N18) is now dead.
Orc 7(S12:T13) is now incapacitated.
Guard 4 is dead.
Orc 5 is dead.
Orc 6 is dead.

[chrisrawr]

As Lily distracts the mob, Cory takes his chance to sidle around to a new position. As an orc attempts to flee, he sets his arrow to flight, hoping to connect with the greenskin's knee as he takes his weight on it.

Swift action to recover my archery pool, two move actions as Lily does hers to get into position 60 feet counter-clockwise from where I was. Fire and hide as the first orc runs, arrows away.

Hide and Move Silently again: . [roll]=1d20+23 respectively.

Attack Roll: -4 from Called Shot: Knee, +2 from Able Sniper if they haven't spotted me yet. [roll1].

Damage Roll: [roll2], 1 of which is fire.
-4 to AC in order to Trip.

Trip Roll [roll3]
DC for Knee Shot: Either 14 or 24, depending on flatfootedness.

[SPoD]

Lily ignores the orcs, letting them flee as she walks towards the great machine. If they carry any word to their leader, it will be that her and her allies cannot be so easily predicted. She examines the contraption, looking to see if there is any way to turn the barrel without having to move the entire cart. Was this weapon fired with smoke powder? Oil? What was its nature? And was any of its ammunition laying about waiting to be loaded?

I'm fine with letting them run or Cory picking them off. If any of them engage me, I'll fight back, and I'll take any AOOs, but otherwise I don't care. I want to look at the machine; specifically, I want to know if it can be re-aimed without having to push the whole thing, and whether there's any gunpowder sitting around by the base of the machine.

[MageofMystra]

A basic inspection turns up as such:

The barrel can be swiveled up to about 45 degrees in either direction (it's pointed straight forward at the moment.) To turn it further, as far as you can tell, you would have to turn the entire cart. This is helped somewhat by the arrangement of its wheels.

The next shot that the orcs were loading lies on the ground. It looks to be a fattish shell. There is a small burlap sack of what looks like blackpowder inside the base of the cart; it is labelled with "EMERGENCIES ONLY", unambiguously in several languages.

At the base, however, there are many, many smaller pouches. Inside are a smattering of items; ground up gems, and bat guano, to name a few.

Down the barrel (because that's definitely a prudent thing to do, look down cannon barrels), a small pouch has already been placed. Heat radiates out of the barrel; the fire at the base of the cannon seems to be designed to heat the cannon for whatever reason. Inside, there are several grooves; the barrel has been rifled.


A more detailed check may reveal the finer details of how to operate and work the artillery. (since not many people take Knowledge (Engineering) and Craft (Siege Weapons), I'll extend this to any tangentially related skill.)

[chrisrawr]

Cory picks off the orcs and orc-kin, beginning with those who flee.

Some rolls/round, use as many as necessary for rounds, as these seem to be far-below-cr-appropriate enemies, which is only fair as if every opponent in an army was cr-appropriate... Anyways, Cory will attack with swift arrows until there's no enemies around, until a larger threat comes by, until he hears the boom of Lily figuring the cannon out, or until someone he trusts says it's time to go. He'll drop his AC by 5 to add 5d4 damage to any enemy he cita's, so as to not dip into his tokens should he need them.

If he kills all the enemies and Lily's off somewhere, he climbs a tree or wall and takes a look around.

Round 1:
CitA Spot Check [roll0] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll1] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll2], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll3]; if CitA, [roll4] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll5], [roll6] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 2
CitA Spot Check [roll7] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll8] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll9], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll10]; if CitA, [roll11] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll12], [roll13] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 3
CitA Spot Check [roll14] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll15] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll16], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll17]; if CitA, [roll18] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll19], [roll20] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 4
CitA Spot Check [roll21] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll22] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll23], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll24]; if CitA, [roll25] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll26], [roll27] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 5
CitA Spot Check [roll28] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll29] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll30], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll31]; if CitA, [roll32] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll33], [roll34] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 6
CitA Spot Check [roll35] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll36] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll37], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll38]; if CitA, [roll39] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll40], [roll41] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 7
CitA Spot Check [roll42] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll43] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll44], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll45]; if CitA, [roll46] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll47], [roll48] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 8
CitA Spot Check [roll49] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll50] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll51], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll52]; if CitA, [roll53] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll54], [roll55] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 9
CitA Spot Check [roll56] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll57] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll58], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll59]; if CitA, [roll60] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll61], [roll62] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

Round 10
CitA Spot Check [roll63] -1/20ft; Attack Roll [roll64] (Add 2 if against flat-footed); Damage Roll [roll65], if Flat-Footed and Unaware [roll66]; if CitA, [roll67] precision damage

Hide (Snipe, due to WA) and Move Silently [roll68], [roll69] as I move 30 feet and re-stealth.

[Ecalsneerg]

Wrenching his axe free of his fallen foe's prone form, Obi advanced towards the orc leader, swishing his axe this way and that, the blood flying off in droplets.

"You think your words mock me, but all they do is let me see you for what you are. A coward willing to stand and watch his subordinates die, because his own martial prowess is to weak to do anything but stand and deliver insults!"

On his last word, he punctuated his declaration with a perfectly timed strike, cleaving his axe in a wide arc directed exactly where he wanted the blade to go.

Move Action: Walk 15' to P10, diagonally 1 square SW of Orc 1
Standard Action: Use Insightful Strike! [roll0] to hit, and Concentration check for damage being: [roll1]

Maneuvers Left: Action Before Thought, Emerald Razor, <Insightful Strike>, <Battle Leader's Charge>

[MageofMystra]

04:07:18

At the Craftsman District
The battle continued. The orcs were in a rather bad situation; for most of their fighters had fallen. Obi was the first to break forward, and, in a singular moment of concentration, made a perfectly directed swing of his axe.
Orc 1 roared, and in the blink of an eye, was also ready to fight. His battleaxe clashes against Obi's greataxe, and avoids his attack thusly.

"Your demeanour is gallant, bug, but your swordplay is anything but!
"Do you believe yourself to be a gallant knight, or a nightly gallant, bug?"

The battle continues to rage on.

Some orcs scatter to engage guards further off. Most of the humans advance slowly, and are cautious.
"Now, let me show you my prowess!"
The orc unleashes a lightning quick fusillade of swings (four with the battleaxe, two with the longsword.) Their accuracy seems to be compromised somewhat by him attempting to adopt as defensive of a stance as possible, and by amazing cosmic coincidence, half of them are horribly aimed.
All but one hit bounce off of Obi's armour. Only one strike by the longsword hits; it deals 12 slashing damage.
"That uh, THAT WAS NOT IT!
"I'll show you afterwards!"


New Battle Map
http://img833.imageshack.us/img833/6789/craftsmanat408r3.jpg

Next, it is Mordayn's turn. After that, it is Obi's, then Harold's.

-----

04:09:44

Fields outside Saint Farza
Cory's arrows pick off almost every orc at the area. (you'll want to roll spot if you're going to take a look around.)

-----

That was the most epic attack routine ever. 3/6 of the rolls were natural 1s.


Some rolls/round, use as many as necessary for rounds, as these seem to be far-below-cr-appropriate enemies, which is only fair as if every opponent in an army was cr-appropriate...
I've been recycling sheets from world's transformation.
Take that as you will.

[BluesEclipse]

Scoffing, Mordayn says, "Now, orc... witness my skill." A blue glow swirls around him, seeming to twist the very air near him. Smirking, he swings his scythe, seemingly at empty air, only for it to vanish into what can best be described as a fold in reality, the blade appearing behind the mithril-armored orc to strike at him once, twice, three times.

Swift Action: Reinvest Essentia: Cobalt Charge -3, Warp Space +3

Full-Round Action: Full Attack, applying Warp Space to each of the three strikes(allows melee attack at targets up to 45' away). I am treated as flanking on all attacks due to having an ally adjacent to the target. Applying Power Attack(5) on all attacks. Net bonus: +0 attack, +13 Damage(10 from Power Attack, 3 from Cobalt Power). And as a reminder, all attacks have Ghost Touch, and ignore 3 points each of armor and shield AC and 6 points of DR, should any of those still apply.

Attack 1: [roll0], Damage: [roll1](Base) + [roll2](Positive Energy) + [roll3](Force)
Attack 2: [roll4], Damage: [roll5](Base) + [roll6](Positive Energy) + [roll7](Force)
Attack 3: [roll8], Damage: [roll9](Base) + [roll10](Positive Energy) + [roll11](Force)

Crit Confirms rolled in OOC thread. Also, OUCH.

[SPoD]

Lily examines the siege engine and quickly determines that it is beyond her ken. She does not have time to experiment, not when there could be other forces attacking the city simultaneously.

First, she aims the gun as far away as she can from the city. She lifts the massive shell and places it not in the barrel, but on the wooden cart. Around it, she stacks the packets of guano and such; they are almost certainly magical accelerants, but she does not know how to use them. Finally, she opens the emergency pouch and pours black powder over the entire wooden cart, especially near the shell.

When this is done, she goes to the fire. She thrusts her hand into the flames and pulls out a lit piece of wood. Her white skin crackles and burns, but she feels no pain. She backs up, throws the flaming log onto the pile of powder, turns, and walks away.

Because cool girls don't look at explosions. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqz5dbs5zmo) :smallwink:

Anyway, the goal here is to simply burn the wooden cart enough so it collapses under the weight of the steel, which will make the cannon more or less useless anyway. If it actually blows up, so much the better. I have no knowledge skills that would be helpful unless it's a religious cannon.

I know I'll take fire damage from the campfire, but I have fire resistance 10 and fast healing 4.

I'll leave it up to you how many rounds this takes.

[MageofMystra]

04:07:24

At the craftsman district.
Further from the Orc, Mordayn unleashed a flurry of strikes, quite literally rending the universe.
Two of them seemed to be perfectly aimed. All three hit--though none in a vital and critical spot.
The orc recoils in pain, but still stands. He is heavily bloodied, however. His mouth opens as to make a retort, but closes again. Instead, his face contorts into a snarl, ready to fight doubly hard now.

04:09:54

Fields outside Saint Farza

KABOOOOOOOM!
The force of the explosion flattens nearby trees. Chunks of wood rain down some hundred or so feet away from ground zero. Large planks fly outwards, and the area is inundated with a fine cloud of splinters for a few seconds.
The massive metal barrel flies for several dozen feet, spinning in midair, then hits the ground loudly. It then begins to roll downhill, towards the town.
Meanwhile, almost everyone in a thirty or forty foot radius is flung back a fair distance. (no damage, though.)

There is now a massive smouldering crater where the siege engine used to be. Additionally, the plains may be slightly on fire (but only slightly.)
You may want to limit interaction with druids and elves in the future.

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi snarled as the blade slashed through its thick carapace, drawing blood with a slight purple tinge to it. its antennae twitched furiously, as it hefted its axe, eyes glowing a pale blue as it did so, watching Mordayn's assault with a satisfied smirk.

"Show me your prowess after what? After my ally leaves you bleeding? Or after my axe takes your ugly head from your shoulders? Have at!" The bug man hefted its crystalline axe, chitinous eyes glowing blue, and struck. The blow was not intended to pierce the orc's thick armour, but rather merely to touch it and psionically project the blow throughout the monster's entire body.

Ouch :smalleek: Now listing current HP on my sheet for easy reference.

Eh, let's keep hitting it.

Swift Action: Change stance to Pearl of Black Doubt. Every attack that misses my AC gives me an extra +2 dodge bonus until the start of my next turn. So if he starts missing me again, he'll keep missing me...

Move Action: DC20 to become psionically focused? I made it. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11240508&postcount=49)

Standard Action: Use the Emerald Razor maneuver in conjunction with expending my psionic focus on Psionic Weapon. So... a touch attack, which if it hits deals an extra 2d6 damage? Sounds fun, so I'll Power Attack for 5, to make final damage... 1d10+19+2d6.

Touch attack to hit: [roll0], then base damage of [roll1] and psionic weapon damage of [roll2]

Maneuvers left: Maneuvers Left: Action Before Thought, <Emerald Razor>, <Insightful Strike>, <Battle Leader's Charge> Hmmm... may need to recover some next round.

[chrisrawr]

The noise and shockwave from the blast startles Cory out of his focus. "LILY!" he yells, rushing toward the smoking ruin and slag. "LILY!"

[MageofMystra]

04:07:24

At the Craftsman District
The orc turned to Obi as he readied his next attack. "Do you take me for a novice, bug? I will not be taken down so easily!", the orc roared, as his top and bottom half parted ways.

The goblin nearby panics, and quickly casts a spell in the air (readied action.) Four brightly glowing balls fly into the air above him.

[chrisrawr]

My grandmother died this morning (Sunday, June 19, 2011). I'm going halfway across the country to her funeral, and will be largely unable to post for the next week. Sorry for the inconvenience. If the need arises, DMPC me as The Hulk, only with ranged sniping instead of super strength.

[SPoD]

The noise and shockwave from the blast startles Cory out of his focus. "LILY!" he yells, rushing toward the smoking ruin and slag. "LILY!"

"I am fine," Lily says, picking herself up off the ground nearby. "The force of the blast was merely more...forceful...than I anticipated. On the positive side, we now know how to destroy one of those siege engines, should the need arise again in the next few hours."

She looks at the smoking crater, then up at the city. "Let us return posthaste. The orc implied that this battle was merely a distraction, and I would like to know from what."

Cory and Lily hustle back to the city...but will they arrive in time to help their friends?

Dun dun DUNNNNNNN!!!

[THEChanger]

Harold takes a step back, as the full extent of what he just did starts to sink in. Confused, he merely points southward, at one of the large orcs being engaged by the city guard. The skeleton of the once living humanoid lumbered off in that general direction. Focusing on the battle at hand, Harold saw the goblin launching his red diamonds into the sky. Acting quickly, Harold created a broadsword, and slashed at the ground beneath him. As he jumped over the blade, his feet never touched back down. Flying towards the goblin mage, Harold conjured a chain of pitch blackness, and swung it at the small form.
Directing my new skelly orc to go and engage the orc next to Orc 9. He'll ignore AoOs, and damage. Just keep on full attacking until he withers and dies. Again.
I didn't think the Blade would actually kill the poor guy...
Anyway, using the Sever Gravity Incantation as a swift action, which makes me Fly as the spell. Using my new 60 ft. speed to get in range, then hit him with one of my +1 Spiked Chain Cants, using it to Initiate a Obscuring Shadow Veil Strike.
Attack Roll: [roll0]
Spiked Chain Damage: [roll1]
Obscuring Shadow Veil Damage: [roll2]
Oh, and if I hit, that goblin best be making a DC 18 Fort save, or it will suffer a 50% Miss chance on all melee and ranged attacks next turn.

[MageofMystra]

04:07:24
The goblin dies in one strike from Harold's charge. At this point, the battle has been won; only mop-up duty remains. A few orcs have been captured, but, unfortunately, it would appear none of them speak common, or any other tongue that anyone in the vicinity can speak.

The battle has been won. What do you do?

My condolences, Chris. Take as long as you need.

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi panted as it looked down on the slain adversary. "This didn't have to end like this." It shook its head. "Why must they turn away from the path of truth and justice?"

The dromite wiped the blood off his axe, and turned to the militia. "Thank you, good soldiers, for you fought like lions! Who is your leader? We must continue to act, rather than bask in the glory of this victory, if we are to triumph!"

[MageofMystra]

04:07:30

At the craftsman district
The red diamond continues to float in the air.
The few remaining orcs are picked off without too much issue. Casualties on the city's side were minimal, given the situation.
"Thank you very much for your help, sirs.", one guard says.

In the distance, you can lightly hear a cracking sound. By the time you look over, a massive red orb seems to be flying over the wall into your general area. It will probably only take a few more seconds to actually hit.

---

04:09:44
Because I forgot, the spot check results for chrisrawr, when he gets back.
If you are not him, then do not look! Shoo!
The areas are for the most part clear. It looks like there might be more troops in the far, far, distance north of the plains, but you are guessing at least a half hour to an hour.

However, towards the west (between fields and road to outside), it appears some sort of army is now marching. Mounted troops are pouring down, and in the far distance, what looks like large buildings that are moving.

[BluesEclipse]

Looking up, Mordayn sees the red orb streaking towards them, and curses. "Damn it... EVERYONE MOVE!" he shouts, as he focuses, an intense blue glow surrounding his feet and legs. Slipping his scythe onto his back, he grabs hold of his two comrades, and begins running, pulling them along.

Reinvesting Essentia: Wormtail Belt(-2), Midnight Dodge(-2), Cobalt Power(-1), Cloak of Soulbound Resistance(+2), Esper Surge(+3)

Using Esper Surge to gain +60' move speed(90' total), grabbing the other two, and running as far as I can drag them.

[THEChanger]

Harold, still floating slightly above the ground, pushed himself as fast as he could behind Mordayn. As the battlefield faded out of sight, Harold reached out to the soul he had entrapped. As the connection began waivering, Harold gave the soul one last order. "I have wronged you, friend. Be free, and go now to the realms of your god."

Crushing my skelly orc. It was an accident.

[chrisrawr]

I've got a spot of time with internet on my hands at the moment. Thanks for the warm wishes and understanding.

Cory quickly reconnoiters with Lily - "I didn't see much around. It looks like there might be more orcs to the North, but judging by their speed, it'll be a while before they get here." Pausing, with slight trepidation, he adds, "More importantly, to the west, there's something coming. It looks like another army, with cavalry. They're bringing something huge - buildings on wheels, more siege engines, boarding ramps, who knows? We need to get this information to the others, and fast. Will you be fine if I run ahead?"

[MageofMystra]

04:07:36

At the craftsman district
The red orb plummets to the ground, and falls with an almighty crash. It appears to be a massive metal cannonball wreathed in fire. Upon impact, the fire explodes into a massive blast. The metal ball explodes into large chunks of iron shrapnel near the epicentre, and sprays a fine mist of iron shrapnel outwards.

Anyone near the blast size was shredded and roasted almost instantly; everyone else nearby was heavily injured. Even those a fair distance away suffered horrid injuries. The surroundings are decimated.

Mordayn and Harold (and by assocation anyone they had grabbed) managed to get far away from the blast; the fine iron shrapnel had traveled far enough that they harmlessly struck their armour. The nova of fire, however, is expanding.

Roll reflex.

[BluesEclipse]

Cursing, Mordayn closes his eyes as the flames rush towards him.

Reflex Save: [roll0]

[SPoD]

Will you be fine if I run ahead?"

"Go," Lily says, "Find the others. I will meet you there." Her limbs do not respond as ably as they did when blood still coursed through them, and she did not wish to slow Cory down.

[THEChanger]

Reflex Save: [roll0]
Harold attempted to push himself just a little farther, to escape the on-coming flames.

[MageofMystra]

Ecalsneerg hasn't rolled reflex, so I'm rolling for him.
[roll0]
Godspeed, Obi.

Also, apologies for the large delay.

04:07:42

At the Craftsman District
A nova of flame erupts from the artillery piece. It quickly expands, and consumes a large radius. (DC 15 Reflex saves, save for half damage; 18 fire damage.)
Many small unattended objects catch fire (if flammable.) If you were to turn around, and survey the former battlefield, you would see a rather large crater, with large chunks of metal scattered about. Almost all survivors of the battle now lay dead, either roasted or maimed by the shell's shrapnel.

It's not a pretty sight.



Time passes...


04:08:06

Still at the Craftsman District
Other guards run onto the scene. One who seems to be in charge recoils from the scene, and notices Mordayn, Obi, and Harold, and salutes.
"Hail, heroes! Sorry we couldn't arrive sooner. Is there anything left to do here? Do you have any orders or ideas on what to d--"
The guard captain quickly turns around, in alarm.
In the corner, by a collapsed building, the rubble shifts, and lifts, giving way to a heavily wounded orc, crawling. There are many large gashes from the shrapnel of the shell earlier, and it looks like he has been seriously burned.
It groans in orcish, and looks up to you and the guards.
It moans in common.
"p... p-please help..."

[MageofMystra]

I am double-posting the exact same post to make sure that it is exsting and the like.
Ecalsneerg hasn't rolled reflex, so I'm rolling for him.
[roll0]
Godspeed, Obi.

Also, apologies for the large delay.

04:07:42

At the Craftsman District
A nova of flame erupts from the artillery piece. It quickly expands, and consumes a large radius. (DC 15 Reflex saves, save for half damage; 18 fire damage.)
Many small unattended objects catch fire (if flammable.) If you were to turn around, and survey the former battlefield, you would see a rather large crater, with large chunks of metal scattered about. Almost all survivors of the battle now lay dead, either roasted or maimed by the shell's shrapnel.

It's not a pretty sight.



Time passes...


04:08:06

Still at the Craftsman District
Other guards run onto the scene. One who seems to be in charge recoils from the scene, and notices Mordayn, Obi, and Harold, and salutes.
"Hail, heroes! Sorry we couldn't arrive sooner. Is there anything left to do here? Do you have any orders or ideas on what to d--"
The guard captain quickly turns around, in alarm.
In the corner, by a collapsed building, the rubble shifts, and lifts, giving way to a heavily wounded orc, crawling. There are many large gashes from the shrapnel of the shell earlier, and it looks like he has been seriously burned.
It groans in orcish, and looks up to you and the guards.
It moans in common.
"p... p-please help..."

[Ecalsneerg]

Obi scowled. It was an orc, and thus, it was an enemy. But it was injured, and asking for help.

With a scowl and curse, the dromite knelt beside the wounded creature. You and your filth are invading this city, yet you would ask us for help. What reason do you have for me to grant you mercy?"

[MageofMystra]

04:08:12
Craftsman District
The orc seems intimidated by Obi, and stammers in a panic (presumably to escape what he thinks would be an axe.)
"I-I can give... you information. A-as much as you need to know. Everything I know you know...
It moans.
"P-please just... let... me live. I h-have a... family too...

04:11:36
Fields outside Saint Farza, at city demarcation
As Cory ran into the city (presumably) to search for his allies to relay the news, the aftermath of the raid could be easily seen. There was rubble strewn about. Oddly, many of the bodies had already been hidden; soldiers and townspeople who had stayed behind had piled them in other areas.

Most of the damage to the city was only noticeable near the edge of the city; as one wanders further in, the destruction is far more tame; aside from large blast zones caused by the siege equipment, the city is mostly unharmed.

...the trouble was, Cory's allies weren't anywhere to be seen.

Much further back, Lily was [probably] walking towards the city. (ETA: about two or three minutes.)

...I can only see the time split becoming more and more insane as time goes on.

[chrisrawr]

Best to meet up soon, then! :P Taking 10 on climb for 26 - should let me climb most things. 10 as well on spot, for 39.

Cory searches for the tallest building or lookout he can find, and begins climbing or ascending it in orderly fashion - he'll see what he can from there. They needed to reunite quickly - there was still a dragon to slay...

[THEChanger]

Obi scowled. It was an orc, and thus, it was an enemy. But it was injured, and asking for help.

With a scowl and curse, the dromite knelt beside the wounded creature. You and your filth are invading this city, yet you would ask us for help. What reason do you have for me to grant you mercy?"

Harold watched in horror as his friend denied the hurt being aid. Brushing Obi aside, Harold went to clearing the rest of the rubble off the fallen warrior. "You shall have the help you need. Even if you do not deserve it, friend."
I'm not sure if anything is needed here. Rubble might be heavy, and the orc too. So, getting him out of the rubble, and helpping him somewhere more comfortable. Strength check, if it's needed. [roll0]

[MageofMystra]

04:08:18
Still at the craftsman district
The orc whimpers in gratitude, then seems to pass out.
Behind you, you can hear the guard captain.
"...so, do we kill it? Do we capture it for questioning?
"Maybe it's being scryed on?"
He seems quite confused.

04:12:18
On a very tall building
After having climbed onto a tall tower, Cory does a quick scan of the environs.

Far in the distance, he can see the orcish army over the hills. Smoke seems to rise from the hills; but they don't seem to have moved since his last observation.

Scanning the city, it seems that his companions are en route to the Grand Market area.

[Ecalsneerg]

"No," proclaimed Obi. "We mustn't kill him, for he surrendered himself, and thus we have an obligation."

The dromite turned to the captain earnestly. "Is there not somewhere we can revive him so we can find out the composition of the forces attacking us? Knowledge is power, after all."