No Peaking unless you have an Invite

[Scowling Dragon]

You feel yourself drifting for a while, as if caught in a river.

You eventually see light, as if exiting a tunnel, as the end you see your body. Its not covered in blood, but laying at the entrance of the Tattered and damaged ship, alongside a bunch of other people including your pals.

But as you are about to enter your body you receive this message:

"Sorry but your body is currently Occupied by outside forces, please try again Later"

So your pretty much left there. A floating soul next to your body. Not exactly a ghost.

As you look around you, you sort of see the past battle happening in overlay. Like as if was a mirror version of reality mixed in with reality. Like a layer of transparent garlic. You try to interact with objects.

You CAN manipulate stuff with some effort, and if you effect anything in the future, it effects the overlay in the past.

You can't force yourself through walls, but you CAN hover.

Watcha gonna do?

[Deathkeeper]

Back from English. Really hate that class, messing with my Pathfinder schedule.

Anyway, let's start with something simple, shall we?
First try: Attempt to break or snap the bowstring of the elven archer. If I can, tamper with both of his bows.

[Scowling Dragon]

So you start flying as fast as you can towards the illusionary battle. Once you reach the other side you see that the Illusions are overlaid over REAL enemies.

You see two Skeletons, flesh almost completely melted off, with dark fire burning in the eye sockets fighting your allies.

You also see a wingless mantis laying on the floor dead. Its completely grey, and cracking at areas. Probably also a Skeleton. Just the EXO-Skeleton :smallwink:.

Whats strange is that the Musical helm, seems to be completely solid in both realities.

You fly at the Archer elf, and realize that in the real world he wields an already broken Bow. Just Overlaid with the illusion in the past.

The One dropped however is still in partway decent condition. You attempt to snap it in half, no easy feat for somebody of your strength. It only seems your ghost body can interact with the world. The Ghost sword you carry passes through everything.

After much struggling you manage to tear the string off the primary bow.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, despite the whole 'me getting impaled' thing, the other folks turned out to be pretty handily beaten, it seems. That's nice.

Now, with Spako's limited Strength there isn't too much sabotage he can manage, especially when the skeletons are active. Too bad he's not solid enough to trip the shield guy; that would be pretty funny.
But maybe he can manage something with the helm? He'll go over to it and try to activate it. (Too bad it's not DDR)
EDIT: totally misinterpreted how the timey wimey stuff works, but it still counts as an in-character mistake.

[Scowling Dragon]

I will post a description of you messing with the Helm next game round. K? Sound good?

[Deathkeeper]

Sounds fine to me.

[Deathkeeper]

So, has the end of combat changed the situation at all? And in addition, what does the 'elven' NPC look like to my view?

[Scowling Dragon]

Hes a Diabolic Looking creature. Rows of spines sprouting out of its arms, and a beard with tentacles, cloven feet, and jagged scales.

Strangely the Scales on the creature seem to be only with a TINT of red. They are mostly white.

The Situation is mostly the same.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, that's ominous. Although I shouldn't assume he's evil, I suppose, no matter how high the chances are. What a day to not be an inquisitor.

Going off the assumption that he can't enter the ship to investigate, let's try and see if we can't get a message across using the helm. Can we fiddle with it?

[Scowling Dragon]

Sure. You can.

[Deathkeeper]

You know, I never used this thing before. You know what would be great? An 'anti-mind-control-time-loop' setting. That would be amazing.

Let's try to actually turn it on. Something tells me I'm going to have to loot my own body to do so.

[Scowling Dragon]

Yup. Your ghost coins have no effect.

[Deathkeeper]

You know, I'll be able to laugh about this someday. For now, it's just weird.

Alright, Spako will attempt to go over and wrest a coin from his body's pocket.
While he does so, he'll look around to make sure there isn't something else around him that might be useful (or hasn't been mentioned yet). After all, he realizes he hasn't been paying attention much to anything beyond the party's fight.
Perception: [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Yeah. The strange thing is that your PHYSICAL body is missing. You can still loot the bodies of your pals.

[Deathkeeper]

Blood and bloody ashes!

Spako will take one from the closest person. If they're all equidistant, he'll take it off Lindan, since he thinks one gold is a decent price to pay to have someone impaled protecting you.

[Scowling Dragon]

Well you plug in a coin and press the on-button. The helm seems to have not even suffered a scratch from the huge overlay explosion.

[Scowling Dragon]

The overlay Servalyn, casts a spell that covers the helm is frost. It doesn't stick to you, but it does blind you in the future world.

[Deathkeeper]

This is what happens when I decide to wait and take a math test instead of posting because I assume they'll be as slow as they usually are.
Anyway, with Spako unable to see what he's doing , he can't use the helm (although it did turn on, right?) but there is one thing he hasn't tried. Spako will attempt to cast a spell, in this case the basic cantrip Arcane Mark, to write his name on the helm (presumably below the screen, since you know, he's short). He'd do more, but he's afraid he'll go off his writing surface since he can't see.
Subsequently: new round, new save.
Will Save: [roll0]

[Deathkeeper]

I checked Serv's sheet; I made the save.
Spako face-palms a bit.
"Dammit, guys."
Next action: dismiss AM, cast again: "Im here"
Why does it have to be six characters, anyway? Darn it, magic!

[Deathkeeper]

I swear you people can't read to save your lives.
Cast again to underline what I just wrote.

[Scowling Dragon]

No you don't see the dingy. It was smashed for some reason.

[Deathkeeper]

Dismiss, rewrite "smashd"
And uh, attempt to kick him in the shin, I guess. He asked for it.

[Scowling Dragon]

I assume you ran back to the body that was laying at the entrance. You can't interact with the overlay directly.

[Deathkeeper]

Gonna need a few casts.
"Freaks' Arena" (Anyr may or may not have read my backstory and remember that he calls them that)
"Just you and the devil (elf)"

[Deathkeeper]

I may add to this if they say anything important. It's a bit repetitive and annoying, but that's exactly the point. At least it's not a Ouija board...
Don't
Know
but it's
What I
See

[Deathkeeper]

Lindan dodged awkward subjects, good. Still got a long one.
Don't
Call
Me Sir
I have
A name

Don't
Know
Where u
Should
Go it's
Nt real
To me
But I'll
Try to
Help
Also
Please
Find my
Body

[Deathkeeper]

Can Spako get through the entrance to the ship?

[Scowling Dragon]

Well he WOULD, if the present world wasn't different from the overlay. In the overlay, the passage is still clear. But in the present world, its filled up with rocks and debris.

Maybe you can find an entrance thats open in the present?

[Deathkeeper]

Alright, he'll go look for some way to be useful. But first.
blcked
on my
end Ill
find my
way in
Stay
Safe
Alright, more searches, this time for another hole
Perception: [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Well there are a few large gashes and chunks, but the underbelly is mostly blocked. Maybe there are alternate ways in through different areas of the ship?

[Deathkeeper]

Some of those would have fit on one line, by the way.

Spako will try to walk around to the top of the ship thanks to screwy gravity.

[Scowling Dragon]

He pretty much does. The doors to the main entrance are wide open. Busted off the hinges by The professor. Also the entrance from the head of the ship is smashed into tiny pieces and is easy to enter.

Edit:

Also the doors that lead to the building bay of the ship are somewhat busted. You can squeeze in if you would like.

[Deathkeeper]

Let's try the head of the ship.

[Scowling Dragon]

You pass through the head of the ship. Seeing the bunch of people working there, continuing to load the overlay Ballistas. Also some of the overlaid people continue to be devils of different kind. But all strangely albino-ish in color.

You pass through the overlay door and feel a chill go through your spine as you do so.

After walking through a large, wide corridor to the inside of the head (about 35 FT in diameter), you see the eyes of the ship to both sides. In the overlay, they are still there. In the present, they are smashed. Looks like something rammed directly through one eye, and came out the other.

Front-wise view of the ship:

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/ArmadaFrontwrecked.png

After walking through, you see a LARGE single room. Looks like it takes up most of the belly. The center of it is taken up by a almost completed ship. Its similar to the medium sized ones outside, but smaller and without a curve at the abdomen of the ship. Also wingless. The wings don't seem to be finished. About a 150 feet length and 20 FT wide. So yeah. Looks like a caterpillar.

In the past, it looks much fresher, and it the present it has suffered some scratches.

You see workers running from side to side of the ship, adding on parts and fixing holes that are fixed in the present. In the present, some are overlain over Rotting coupes. Others are just overlain over pure nothing. And a few are overlain almost perfectly over elves wearing almost identical workers uniforms. Some little "Butterfly canoes" line the walls (The smallest ship types), that are missing in the present.

The room seems to have a tunnel with a staircase leading out of it upwards.

Also you see hatches leading downwards.

[Deathkeeper]

Hmm, what's this? There actually are a few live ones here. Maybe they've been here only a little while. I don't have time to check it out, though. I've got to find something soon. I don't like leaving everyone in a pile of magic with a devil, no matter what color.

Spako flits through the building hangar. He looks around, but continues on his way to the tunnel and stairway up.

[Scowling Dragon]

After flying to the end of the room, you enter the tunnel. After you enter the tunnel you see two staircases.

One leads up, the other down, past the gravity flip point so the stairs have this area where you can stand on the underside.

Which way?

[Deathkeeper]

Spako will go down in this case.

[Scowling Dragon]

He flies down, gravity even effecting ghost spirits. The present world has the staircase all bent up and damaged. Its in good condition in the past.

It leads to a closed room with two spring loaded catapults. The catapults are currently not manned by anybody, but still loaded with not big rocks, but lots of small anti-personel debris.

By the shape of this area, you can tell that its in the butt of the ship, in the bee stinger thing.

The ceiling has two reinforced doors, where you can reasonably guess open up to shoot the jettisons from.

The ceiling is cracked and damaged in many places in the present, even dented. But no holes.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, nothing of use here, really.

Spako will head back up and try the other stairs.

[Scowling Dragon]

YES! MMHYEAH! My 1:1 Armada Model Pays off!

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-11_201429.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-11_201429.png.html)

You walk up the staircase, and past a door. You entered a corridor from the side.

The Minecraft version is the overlay version. The present looks allot more damaged, the lights don't work and the doors are busted off the hinges (Also the doors are all metal).

You see a similar case. Some real people walking around looking worried, some 100% non present overlays and some zombie ghosts, some real, some elves, some humans, even a few Scro.

And you see one elf. A very SHORT elf. With a abnormally big nose, a very toothy smile, and with dragon wings sprouting out back.

He seems to be rallying/Informing the crew.

"Looks like one of the turrets is destroyed but the tunnel isn't blocked. We have to prepare for boarding! The Scro Boarding crew has dispatched the elite defense crew! We might need to flee!

[Deathkeeper]

Hmmm What have we here?

"Helllloo. I was wondering who went and took that from me when I wasn't looking. Sorry, buddy, but I can't afford to let you use that 'til it's a rotting corpse. I'm evicting you."

Spako flits around the hallway. Detect Magic? He's thinking about what to do, because he can't just take start trying to take it back with all these people here, even if only half of them exist.

[Scowling Dragon]

Your body suddenly perks up and looks in your direction. It seems to have noticed you.

"Invisible intruder!" He flies at you and swings with your electrified Scimitar at you, missing by inches.

OOC: Lets do this combat loosely for now)

You have no way of effecting any of the worlds with any of your items. Only your body, and possibly spells.

[Deathkeeper]

Oh, please, buddy. You think you'll get me with crappier versions of my own moves? Let's see you try that when you can hardly move.

Cast Ray of Enfeeblement on...self.
Touch: [roll0]
Str damage [roll1]

[Scowling Dragon]

Your blow misses, swishing past....yourself.

Your possessed body decides to play the same game, trying to hit you with the same spell, missing WILDLY.

This starts attracting everybody else's attention. Your body yells:

"Go grab some magic weaponry from the magic room and the invisibility sight goggles!

A mook runs to the end of the corridor and yells

"Its locked!"

"Then go get the captain!"

[Deathkeeper]

Pff. Idiot. Even I almost looked cool missing.

"Hey, thanks for the info. You've been great, so GET OUT OF ME."

He goes for Web this time.

[Scowling Dragon]

The whole room explodes with web, but both you and your body manage to avoid getting tangled, even under such close proximity.

"ENOUGH"

He yells, he once again charges up a ray with his hand, only this time you get tangled in your own webbing, and get zapped with orange lightning directly in the chest (6 STR Loss. Damn).

You would probably collapse to the floor from your own weight.

[Deathkeeper]

(...I'm floating. What weight? Also, the webs would have been clear in front of me, since I presumably wouldn't have made the anchor points around myself)

Even if he's on the ground (I really don't think he would be), he can still aim.
Spell Recall-> RoE
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Scowling Dragon]

You collapsed because of the ghost weight of your armor. Ghost Physics are weird (Again, the Tangles in the web was artistic License. Makes things interesting. Unless I specifically mention a status ailment, assume you don't have it).

Your body grits its teeth and falls to the floor along with you.

"I Have had it with you!"

And grabs you by the head, lightning once again flaring.

It becomes nearly impossible to move. You can't even move your head or fingers.

"Zakurath!"

Your duplicate gestures to one of the female grunts (A Zombie in reality)

"Yes sir!"

"Get me a potion for this hex. I have a Kobold spy to interrogate."

She quickly runs upstairs and throws ....you? a potion. Not real in the present, but real in the past.

Your body regains its original strength.

He grabs you by the collar, and holds your arms together so that you can't zap him and starts dragging you across the room.

[Deathkeeper]

You know, I was trying REALLY hard to get over my dislike of elves, and you guys are NOT. HELPING. Oh, well. It's not like this means anything. I could have totally taken him if it was a real fight where I didn't need my opponent alive. And if I actually had a weapon. Or if I could have used my gloves, which actually- hmm...I wonder...

Spako can't do much, since 1 Str is still probably too weak to form coherent words, especially when his mouth is 35% of his head. He does, however, hum an upbeat tune. Just to mess with them a bit.

[Deathkeeper]

(I'm guessing that we're waiting on everyone else to catch up a little?)

[Scowling Dragon]

You take great irritation at your humming.

I wouldn't be humming if I where you

You get dragged two flights of stairs, and into a new corridor.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-14_111313.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-14_111313.png.html)

Here the floor is illuminated rather then the ceiling. In the present, most of the lights are actually in working order.

You get dragged into a smallish room, with two pairs of manacles attached to the walls. Its pretty much identical in the present world.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-14_111340.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-14_111340.png.html)

At first when chained up, they are too big for you

Don't get too happy about that!

You say with a smirk.

The manacles adjust size magically. You just look pleased as punch.

He takes out the potion, pours about four teaspoons worth into your mouth:

Heal 2 STR Damage. You regain BASIC autonomy, and would probably not have the strength to walk, but yes to crawl. Maybe walk leaning against something if you took off your armor.

Well then

You flex your neck

Time to find out everything I can from you, but considering your only Kobold, Im probably wasting my time

Suddenly something flashes on his belt (Its only visible in the overlay).

You put it up to your ear.

What!..Oh Sorry....Oh...snap!

You put rock rock phone thing away and stare yourself directly in the eyes.

Well, I have to run, but I will be back for you later!

He walks out, locking the door before leaving.

[Deathkeeper]

(custom spell, then? RoF only lasts a few rounds)

Spako's responses are, (In order):
1) Hum louder
2) "Aw, magic chains, all to myself? Thanks."
3) "Aren't Elves are supposed to be above racism?."
4)"Nobody actually says 'oh snap,' you know."
5)"If you have to run, run, don't walk! I'll be waiting for you!"
As if.
Looking around the room, there doesn't seem to be that much to survey. Better get started. And about those manacles. Hmm... could be a problem. Might not be able to do much about those. Can't hurt to try, though.
Take 20 on Escape Artist? (I know it won't work)

[Scowling Dragon]

(Your right about RoF, so instead Il just make one of my own mistakes into something clever. Im oft to do that)

He had about half a minute to drag you and cuff you. Then he fed you a custom weakening poison. One not likely to kill you, but enough to weaken you.

The +2 wasn't from the poison helping you. It was from the enfeeblement wearing off but the poison effect being a bit weaker then it.

Fhew! Dodged a bullet! :smallbiggrin:

Also to the racism allegation:

Its not racist If its never been recorded that a Kobold lead a fleet in any significant way. I assumed you where just a mook of the boarding party.

We take GREAT care to not to be racist in any way.


You say in a cynical sarcastic way.

Also yeah, you can't take 20 like this. Otherwise manacles would be practically useless for even against a commoner.

And even if you can't see anything in minecraft, you can still notice more things if you SAY you want to do a Perception check in a specific (As in "I inspect my boots, or "I inspect the quality of the document". Not just "Perception check") way.

[Deathkeeper]

Spako shakes his head
There IS no boarding party, Pothoc. but by that time he's probably answering his call.
(timeskip)
Gotta do something. Waiting sucks, and if they couldn't see me before they won't now, which means I can't rely on anyone else to spring me.
Perception check on my bindings: [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Well you see that in the present they are VERY well rusted at the ties to the wall.

The manacles themselves seem to have these nice squiggly carvings all over them.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, the carvings are probably how the magic was introduced to the metal. Can't do anything about that.
Rust, huh? Should be able to do something about that.
First, let's test just how bad it is.
Str check. [roll0]
Chances are, that didn't go so well. But there's one inherent flaw about using manacles on a mage.
They don't prevent finger movement.
Attempt to cast Ray of Frost, using one hand for Somatic components, and the other to aim at one of the bindings' connection points. Oxidation and cold do not do well for metal's sturdiness.

[Scowling Dragon]

The manacles are too strong, even with rust to rip.

The walls flare with hidden runes, and shine bright like little torches. The runes are worn out, and don't exist in the present time, but the past time still seems to effect you with magic.

It counteracts your magic (Absorbing your spell into the wall), but just barely.

[Deathkeeper]

Alright, that didn't work. But if these things could barely handle a cantrip? Let's step it up a notch.
Try for Frigid Touch this time. Because Shocking Grasp probably wouldn't work so well since, you know, metal, and they're probably too tight for Grease (although that's my next idea).

[Scowling Dragon]

You cast the spell again, and even though some of the magic is absorbed, you manage to cast frigid touch on both the areas where the manacles attach to the wall.

In hindsight the magic on the walls looks lazy. Like somebody half-assed the casting job.

[Deathkeeper]

Great, I'm being held by lazy elves.
Now that they've been weakened, we can try again. Maybe.
Str: [roll0]
And out of curiosity, what kind of magics are they using, anyway?
Detect Magic and spell craft check [roll1]

[Scowling Dragon]

Even weakened, that pull was paltry.

You detect:

Its a abjuration. Thats all you scrounge up.

[Deathkeeper]

(I may have used up my daily non-sucky dice roll.)
C'mon, suck a little bit less, me!
[roll0]
But yeah, abjuration. That'd make sense. Not that it helps much, considering I can't dispel like this.
One more thing: Perception roll [roll1] on the general area within my reach: has the time split affected anything else that might be of use?

[Scowling Dragon]

CHUNK!

You rip out the manacles out of the sockets.But they are stuck to your hands, wieghing you down.

Take a -2 penalty to attack rolls when using it with conjunction with other weaponry.

Also add their 2 LB to your total weight.

Your pretty much carrying a heavy load.

In terms of the time split, you didn't notice it at first, but the crushed puddle in the corner ISN'T just a mangle of stuff. Its a mangled, rotted corpse with something sticking out of its body.

[Deathkeeper]

Okay, a few things are in order:
A) Try to remove my chain shirt. Being spectral, it's probably not helping me, anyway.
B) Now that I have full range of motion (somewhat), try another EA check [roll0] If that doesn't work, try to cast my cantrip on them again, and see if they still absorb magic.
C) Reach into my bag and pull out that Lesser Restoration potion. No clue if I can use it, but I should try. It's spectral, I'm sort of spectral, who knows?
D) Check out that body.
Obviously this will all take a while.

[Scowling Dragon]

Okay, a few things are in order:
A) Try to remove my chain shirt. Being spectral, it's probably not helping me, anyway.

You can interact with anything thats on yourself, but anything thats on you simply phases through the walls like it doesn't exist.

In a sense, your ALL ghostly, but your body is the only thing that can interact with the world. And ALWAYS interacts with the world.

Thus the armor would do nothing thats interacting with you from the present.


B) Now that I have full range of motion (somewhat), try another EA check [roll0] If that doesn't work, try to cast my cantrip on them again, and see if they still absorb magic.

Well its just spell resistance enchantment in the room. Anything thats cast must pass a spellcheck (I cast it for you) to be cast.


C) Reach into my bag and pull out that Lesser Restoration potion. No clue if I can use it, but I should try. It's spectral, I'm sort of spectral, who knows?

Your own items interact with you fine.

Works for 1 damage =P . But the poison isn't neutralized (and I don't care if thats not how it works officially. Through GM powers, the damage from the poison is cured for now, but it will start hurting again in an hour until its out of your system completely through healing, or spells. GM powers, activate).


The body itself is of an Elf. Impaled through the body with a spear through the neck, then has had its legs crushed by something blunt.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, without the chain shirt I'm back down to under a light load, so I can at least move somewhat. Also, take the gloves off, because Spako fully intends to find a way to use the gloves' flaw against himself, and he doesn't want them messing with him, too.
And Spako will try to find anything (besides the weapon, which he can't use) on the body, after which he'll go over to the door and listen to check if there's anyone outside it.
Perception [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

What luck! There is a french fry stuck in his beard! :smallbiggrin:

Outside of that you find a golden ring on his finger, and a small book (bout half the size of a usual book) bound in leather, with carvings of animals carved into the book cover. A Elk Takes the prominence.

And why can't you use the spear? Its a short-spear and you could use it in two hands (With a -2 attack penalty) that exists in the present.

Also you can't hear anything exact about whats going on outside. Lots of ruckus.

[Deathkeeper]

(Short Spears aren't light weapons, no weapon finesse. Which would mean my attack rolls would be at -1 from the manacle and Str penalties, and have a maximum damage of 2. No, thanks.)

Spako will try to open the book and see if it's personal to the elf. If it was a journal of some sort it could have some indication of what's up with the ship and its crazy time loop.

[Scowling Dragon]

Yes, its indeed a journal of past events. Its a bit in disarray, because of moisture, but the paper is thick, and the ink is good quality so its mostly OK.

It chronicles a time period of a single year. You don't know in proportion to the current time because you don't know the date of the area you landed in.

How far do you want to go?

[Deathkeeper]

Let's start at the end and continue backwards. The first thing to know is who this bastard was and what was going on before he died. Because clearly, something went very wrong, and it wasn't just an attack from Scro.

[Scowling Dragon]

Last Journal Entry:

"Well. I guess this is it. I don't know. I just want to write something in. Heldalel said something about how we can immortalize ourselves in our writing. So I guess this is my pathetic last ditch effort to make myself immortal or something. I know Im breaking protocol by writing like this, because the journal is issued to record everything we see for future study but honestly Im going to die. Go to hell upper management. If you can read this right now I am flipping you the bird SO HARD right now. You pick your captains better next time! You in your comfortable magical lodges. Up yours! Up yours with a barbed arrow.

So. My Favorite color is red

My favorite musical piece is "Cometh is the Blue Spring"

I once stole 10 gold pieces from my mother. I would say thats the worst thing I have ever done.

And I hate the uniform design. The colors just don't look good in my opinion.

Im out of things to say. I had so much to write until I started writing.

Im Scared. Im just so scared. They don't take any Elven Prisoners. 8 Matices with unknown extra support? How are we supposed to take out 8 MANTICES with what? This outdated piece of trash? And 4 Man-O-Wars. Yeah real great. Oh but wait! We have a extra arrival of 2 battle-damaged (Of COURSE we have to repair them as well) Hammerships.

And that BASTARD just a WEEK AGO has the crew to start working on a new Cutter. YEAH! A whole YEAR that MONSTER wastes money. We don't even see him on the bloody ship for MONTHS at a time. He must have been buying hookers by the brothel-load in order to waste enough money for at least 6 cutters. How does ONE MAN. ONE MAN. Waste FOUR-HUNDRED THOUSAND! FOUR, HUNDRED, THOUSAND!

The Scro may be the ones to kill me, but I blame my death on you Seldlon!

I hope your pit in hell burns you for eternity!"

[Deathkeeper]

Heh. Hehe. See, now why can't more elves me down-to-earth like this guy? So much better than the pretentious prick who grabbed my corpse. And I was right, not even the elves like this thing!

Alright, going backwards, now. Skimming for anything involving the commanding officers, management, or anything weird he wrote down. There's got to be something in here; time paradoxes don't just happen on their own.

[Scowling Dragon]

The rest of the writing is much more formal and dry. Much more "Standard Elf" like. Mentions crew morale, notes on lots of boring things like the smell fo the air, the quality of the food, and general notes for each day.


Some noteworthy stuff:

This is a special modified ship thats used to create new medium sized warships called "Cutters". They are built smushed inside a generally cramped area in the belly area of the ship using warp wood to squeeze them in the tight spot.

Then the head of the ship opens up (As in the WHOLE fron't of the head. Not just the standard doors) and launches the smooshed ship. Then the magic is dispelled and blamo, new warship.

In theory of course.

A general harsh note is the level of hate directed at the Captain of the ship. And it seems (If you are to take the notes for truth) that EVERYBODY hates the captain and utterly LOATHES him.

Hes abusive, squanders money that was supposed to be used for the war effort, bribes inspectors, generally hateful, an adulterer (Turns out the Captain has a Wife at home in a different sphere), and pretty much a terrible tactician when it came down to practice.

Everybody utterly, UTTERLY, LOATHES the bastard. You manage to interpret that EVEN through the dry formal text.

Theres also something off about the man. Theres sometimes an aura of offness. Like he wasn't quite there, even when he was standing right in fron't of you.


Some notes on the sphere:

The Crystal Sphere (TetraSpace) has no divine magic of any kind inside (Except on Azula). It seems that there was about only 1 god at a time in the sphere. Each one was a Tyrant monster, before disappearing and having some other bastard take his place. The last God vanished about ten thousand years ago, strangely with no successor.

The name was Nakalaktakus, the Juggler of Worlds. Not much else is known about him, as the list of his crimes was lost to time.

The elf (Named Shelyn) Speculates that its possible that Azule is the next tyrant god.

Some more notes:

Lots of people on the ship are getting access to a new kind of magic item. MUCH cheaper to buy then most usual magic items (Even available on a soldiers salary), its these artificial superpowerful limb replacements. Growing pretty popular amongst the crew. Some even having their limbs severed on purpose to gain the advantage.

Again something off with the captain.

[Deathkeeper]

Huh, that's odd. Elf has the name of a goddess back home. Funny how things carry over. Regardless, at least here's something. There's something fishy about the CO, and that could be a root to something. So, that's something. Almost makes up for me getting in this just because I had to assume no one could hear me. And then assume he couldn't hit what he couldn't see.
Also, looks like Clek's little trick got itself around. He did say he was at the Ring, so I guess plenty ended up needing them 'round here.

But this is no time to be lost in thought. Unfortunately, with only his body solid he doesn't have any way to take the book with him (he's taking that ring, though.) With that taken care of and some clue found, he'll head over to the door. He didn't hear anyone talking, so it's entirely possible that they've diverted all their troops to battle stations and couldn't afford to guard him. Good. He'll take a look at the door's lock.
Perception1d20+9
Assuming it's pickable and not trapped
DD [roll0]

[Deathkeeper]

Gah. Typo.
[roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Though in general you hear more load noises, but nothing near the door.

There is no lock to pick. It locks only from the outside, and the door open to the inside so that there is a cover protecting the area where the door is bolted.

[Deathkeeper]

Hmm. Problematic. Are any parts of the hinges visible?
[roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

The hinges don't exist. The door itself rotates on an axis built INTO one of its sides.

Fortunately for you, the present has a large crack near one of the axles exposing it.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, that's the lead he's got and that's the lead he's going to take.
It's kind of a neat design, truth be told. But it means Spako isn't entirely sure how to approach it. If he can get at it, he'll try to tamper with the axle. If he can't use it to get the door to move, he can try to remove it so the only thing holding the door up is the bar.
DD [roll0]

(Also, I forgot to ask: Are the manacles magically opened and closed or do they have a lock, too?)

[Scowling Dragon]

The manacles are the only things that have a lock. But the difficulty come from the fact that you can only use one hand to pick each one.

Also, roll fails.

[Deathkeeper]

More blood and more ashes!

Alright, this isn't working. Let's handle one thing at a time. Let's get these things off, because they're going to make him totally visible if when! he gets out.
Start on right hand: [roll0].

Oh and also, the gold ring was just gold, right? In his hurry to get out he forgot to check if it did anything.

[Scowling Dragon]

Your attempt fails.

And I donno. See yourself.

On its own, its a very nice detailed ring. Its gold, embedded with about 30 small gemstones of different colors and sizes, spread equally apart in three rows.

Little squiggly lines go kinda at random.

[Deathkeeper]

Ooh, squiggles can be a nice sign. It's craftsmanship if nothing else. Although he's not sure he can get it off in here, he'll try for Detect Magic. And then Spellcraft if he pings something.
[roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Your own hand catches your attention. Wow. Its so....fascinating. Oh wait you where supposed to be looking at the ring. Whoops.

Nat 1 Rolled.

[Deathkeeper]

(Seriously, dice roller? Three nat ones in one day. Just because critical fumbles don't actually apply to skill checks does not make that okay.)
Admittedly, he hasn't really bothered much to check himself out since being spectral, but uugggh distraaactionssss.
Focusing, now! [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

OK, better now. You detect both some evocation AND transmutation lightly.

The Primary ability of the ring is it acts like a phone. You press on one of the rocks, and say "Kumbayah" it calls up a different person to talk with who also has a ring or a item similar to this one.

Essentially its a fancier version of the magic phone you had.

Also if you say "Panic!" you grow snake teeth (Non-Toxic). Thats what the squiggly lines where. Snakes.

[Deathkeeper]

Sweet, I was just thinking how I wanted one of those. I should find a few others; these would be totally useful for everyone. But hmm...
Well, the way he sees it, he COULD try using this bad boy to see if he can't trick anyone into opening that door. On the other hand, if more than a few guys show up, he'd be stuck right where he is now. Although they might be a lot more receptive to truth than Himself. Mindscrew! Nah, too much risk, should be a last resort.
And I still can't get these damn things off! Once he gets out he's going to Ray of Frost the crap out of these things until he can shatter them. But one thing at a time. The stupid manacles can wait. Let's get back to that door. I have to do something. At least before I start using backup plans.
Disable Device again? [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Very good attempt but still fails.

Its simply a very simple, and very well reinforced device, thus making it vERY hard to pick with any delicate movements.

[Deathkeeper]

Spako shouts in frustration. He figures that they would expect prisoners to do so anyway, so it's okay. He's trying awfully hard to listen to past advice, but right now it seems like he can't take this out with anything fancy. Spako goes over, pulls the spear out of the corpse, and then back to the door. If he can't Rogue his way out of here, he's going to go Barbarian on it and try to just use the metal to pry apart (and possibly break) the axle. He'd like to see someone try to stop him. No really, he would, they'd have to open the door.
(Not sure how the rolls for this would work.)

[Scowling Dragon]

STR Roll with a bonus.

And it works. With effort you wedge the door out of the axle, loosening the entire structure in the process. Its still bolted at one area (How fortunate that its not bolted at two areas), so you would need some more wiggling for it too make a opening enough for you to exit, but still.

The door is now angled at such a side that you can pretty much peak through the cracks.

And once you do so, you see nobody. Nobody is apparently even in the corridor.

[Deathkeeper]

Alright, sweet.
First, just to check, how's the spear looking? Completely metal or wood? Might matter, might not.
Second, we're going to wriggle our way through the opening.

[Scowling Dragon]

Metal tip with a wooden handle.

In the process of finally wedging the door axle out of the frame, the handle of the spear snaps off at the tip. Tis the humidity.

You can use the Spears tip as a dagger for no penalties except for the manacles dragging you down.

You squeeze your way through:

To your left
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-15_122927.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-15_122927.png.html)

Also, this is a spiral staircase leading up:
http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-15_122932.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-15_122932.png.html)

To your right

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-15_122940.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-15_122940.png.html)

Just so its not confusing, the doors are all metal. Not wooden.

[Deathkeeper]

Well Himself was probably called down to the fight (which is to say, the "boarding," ) so that's where he should head. Unfortunately, he can't be sure where that is. He'll have to listen
Perception check! [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

You hear commotion coming from up the spiral staircase. Thats the most noise you hear.

[Deathkeeper]

Alright, heading up that way, then! Stealth may or may not get rolled soon since Spako now has visible equipment.

[Scowling Dragon]

OOC:Wow. Fighting you must be INCREDIBLY creepy. Im going to keep the idea of a ghost that died in chains, and only visible through the chains.

Like the Sword Ghost Miniboss in Twilight princess.

Anyway, you climb up the spiral staircase, going higher and higher. You come up, and enter into what you can guess is the dome atop the Citadel.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-15_165816.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-15_165816.png.html)

From inside the citadel, the view isn't that opaque but actually transparent, thus you can see outside pretty clearly.

The battle overhead is going....Whaaa? It seems like the Elven Ships are easily destroying the remaining ships that the Scro sent out.

"Amazing Captain!"

"Truly Fantastic"

"LET ME HAVE YOUR BABY!"

You hear the voice emanating from the left. The left of you is filled with about 6 elves all working on some sort of stations, monitoring levers and pulleys.

They all seem to be celebrating.

In the present, the pulleys seem to be pretty damaged, and the crew is pretty much all dead. Horribly slaughtered with sharp slashing things and blunt weapons. Some are even impaled to their seats.

They are moving, animated zombies, overlain with the images.

"No need to thank me, for it is my Duty"

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-15_165829.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-15_165829.png.html)

Looking up, you see that the captain sits at some sort of podium, overlooking the whole thing.

The Captain is this tall handsome fellow, with a self satisfied smirk in his face.

And is identical in the present. I mean IDENTICAL. He does not have an overlay, similar to the Spelljamming helm, but different. Because the overlay sort of FLOWS into him. Like he was a whirlpool. The visual effect isn't OVERT but not subtle.

That haven't noticed your jangling of chains yet. But any sudden movements will cause noise.

[Deathkeeper]

well, crap. This is a thing. Six dudes and a possible space-time paradox loop embodiment THINGY. And I am not here, so I believe a tactical retreat is in order.

Spako will attempt to stealth his way back out.
1d20+16

[Deathkeeper]

Typo again dammit
[roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Pretty fantastic retreat. Your back to where you started.

[Deathkeeper]

Whew. Fighting bosses on your own is not a nice prospect.
Spako will try the left hallway of the starting point.

[Scowling Dragon]

Well then, there are four doors. Two to the left, and two to the right.

[Deathkeeper]

Are they all identical?

[Scowling Dragon]

From the outside. Yes.

[Deathkeeper]

Okay, one more check:
Are there any sounds coming from inside them?
[roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

You hear no sounds on this floor.

[Deathkeeper]

Doesn't seem like there will be anything of use to our spectral PC here, but he'll check behind the first door on the left just to make sure.

[Scowling Dragon]

Barracks for the people who live here. 10 rows of bunk beds, and a comfortable table to work at. There are little games and such all over the table.

[Deathkeeper]

Thought so. But loot can come later. Closing the door behind him, he goes to the door across from him. More of the same?

[Scowling Dragon]

Yup. But more cramped with more beds. No table area.

[Deathkeeper]

Alright. Last two, just to be safe, then heading back the other side of the hallway.

[Scowling Dragon]

Good thing datcha did cause those are the intersting rooms

To the right is a big fancy room:

Single bed, little thing for cooking meals, a table, a tome on a stand, a little library. Exetera.

To the left is a room filled with papers, graphs and charts with little models of enemy ships, combat maneuvers, tactics and strategy charts and a big table to sit at as a group.

[Deathkeeper]

Oh, tomes! Tomes are good. Detect magic to check for securities, but still checking it out.

[Scowling Dragon]

Im taking a pause for now. Im letting everybody else catch up for a while.

[Scowling Dragon]

You hear commotion from the bottom floor.

[Deathkeeper]

Crap. That's probably them. Looks like you get out safe this time, Suspicious Book On the Stand. If I find out you contained the "Turn off Time Paradox" spell, I'm gonna be annoyed.

Spako turns and runs in the direction of the noise.

[Scowling Dragon]

You run down the stairs, chains jangling behind you.

You see a bunch of Elves, and yourself (Tiny for some reason) taking cover behind the doors they have opened.

From the limited amount of elves you can see, you can see most of them having cocked bows, and one Elf wielding no weapons but with glowing hands.

From the present perspective, they all seem to be real people, though the bows are illusionary. The Mage is actually a female person with no pointy ears, thinner and taller then the rest of the elves and has glowy swirls around her arms.

Your chains immediately attract everybody's attention.

"Good lord! A Ghost!" yells one of the elves.

Spako yells "Don't worry, just a Kobold spy I thought I locked up. Won't make the same mistake again"

You say with a crooked smug grin as you raise your sword, dripping with fresh blood and a sadistic look in your eyes.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/MonarchArmadaWing17.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/MonarchArmadaWing17.png.html)

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/2013-04-18_220930.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/2013-04-18_220930.png.html)


How about I let YOU roll for initiative this time?

[Deathkeeper]

Blood.
Blood.
Even if it's mine I take, he'll be paying for every drop.

Spako swallows his anger and tries to be reasonable. "If you can hear me, I'm just here for what your commander has stolen from me. Stand down and we needn't fight." (In elven of course)

Initiative roll! [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Your body wins initiative (Seriously, I rolled a Natural 20.....WHAAAAAA?)



You are surprised by your rationality.
....Excuse me? What are you here for again? Please don't tell me its one of those things where he has taken a leg, or a brother of some sort, so now your back to kill him."

You still ready yourself, taking a defensive posture, and electricity still cackling on your sword (The previous enhancement hasn't worn off yet).


Your Eyes become glassy for a second
Cause I wouldn't allow that. The captain is this fantastic and wonderful, a true genius of tactics and strategy, handsome, smart, and has total mastery of his powers of blood."

The rest of the groups eyes turn glassy for a moment and mutter in unison similar stuff, but then quickly revert to normal.

[Deathkeeper]

Oh. Great. Blood Magic. Because that never ends horribly.

"Really? Are you sure you think that? Because that's not what I read. According to one of your soldiers he wasted four hundred thousand on nothing and there's not much appreciation for that. And I really just want back the body that was taken, which you're currently anchored to. I kind of need that back.

Spako uses Spell Recall to get Web back and readies an action: Should they attack, he'll cast Web on F-3. The 20-radius should actually affect all of them.

[Scowling Dragon]

You hear something directly POUND into your head

"SHUT UP!" THEY ARE LIES! ALL STUPID LIES! JUST LET ME BE! JUST LET ME BE!

LIES!

The rest of the crew murmer similar stuff

You will die for this outrage!

You charge to kill you.

But there was a reason the Elves took cover behind doors.

The web explodes, capturing SOME of the elves, but part of the web is blocked out by the doors, leaving others intact.

Your tiny body, slips through the webs edges and flies straight at you, slashing at you with your own blade (Tiny blade), hitting you in the chest. OUCH. Your blade is sure keen!

DIE!

20 Damage+3 Elec Damage

The rest of the elves are fraught with indescistion, as they cannot target you without hitting....you.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/MonarchArmadaWing18.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/MonarchArmadaWing18.png.html)

[Deathkeeper]

sventsventsventsvent

MY NAME IS SPAKO HIGHCLAWS AND THAT IS MY SWORD!

Spako casts Intensified Shocking Grasp, no spell combat.
Concentration check (DC 16) [roll0]
Touch attack [roll1]
Damage [roll2]

[Scowling Dragon]

Your body violently shakes and spit froths out of its mouth as its electrocuted.


YOU WANT
YOUR BODY SO BAD!
YOU
CAN HAVE IT!
I DON"T NEED IT
ANYWAY!

I CAN

DO THIS


ON

MY

OWN JUST


LEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVE

The message becomes more disjointed as reality shakes once again, with a pulse in reality. The walls warp and bend as they darken. The lighting in the whole ship cuts out. You see only through dark vision.

You feel yourself sucked into yourself. The burns you inflicted on your body become apparent as you feel the pain of everything that has happened to you.......


You awake. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cXQqWawnl0)

Your back into yourself....You think......

Your at the entrance of the ship....Again. Only you can't see anybody. Literaly. Your the ONLY body on the ship.

You run around. You can't see the second reality.

And you can't see anybody else even MOVING. Even the Devil people that where reloading the catapults are gone. In their place lie long decomposed corpses.


But this dark pulse of pain and suffering still pulses through. Still emanating from the heart of the ship. The evil still lives.

[Deathkeeper]

Well, that was...eventful.

I'm assuming we're only counting the damage spako's body took, because else I'd be dead. Again.

First thing's first. Spako pops the Cure Mod potion he's been carrying.
[roll0]
"All right. This is...creepy."
Spako can't actually leave without the helm, so his only option is to head back into the ship.
Please be the last time.

[Scowling Dragon]

The ship is black such intense darkness. With each step inside you feel the aura of the area beginning to intensify. Corpses litter the ground. Horribly mutilated corpses. The things that have been done with such....vigor.

You realize that the dark pulse is emanating from the upper dome.

Your about ten feet into the ship. What next?

[Deathkeeper]

Oh, dear. Oooh, dear.

If his sword wasn't drawn, it's drawn now. He'll continue to go along the path he remembers back to the prime staircase if he can. He tries to stay quiet, even though everything around him seems to be dead.

[Scowling Dragon]

You see Elves all around you dead. All slightly recognizable to the people you saw psuedo alive.

You even see the mage person who was a woman in an illusion. His head is decapitated. He lies dead, clutching something in his hand.

As you walk up you start to hear sobbing. Painful, choked sobbing.

[Deathkeeper]

(I believe you mean HE is decapitated, unless his head has a head. :smallbiggrin:)
I swear I'm going to have nightmares from this one. But there's no turning back from this. Heh. And they always call kobolds cowards.

His blade clutched firmly in his hands, Spako keeps walking, albeit slowly. His ears and wings still twitch softly, as they do when he's expecting something to jump out at him. But he does not, in fact, ever slow down further.

[Scowling Dragon]

As you continue to the second floor the sound of the sobbing increases. You start to hear a thin BEEEEEEEEEE sound in your ears. The sobbing slowly combines with cursing and you ascend to the third floor.

You start to feel a heavy feeling around you as the darkness congeals into something more and more solid.

[Deathkeeper]

(Crap, I totally missed the fact that the mage had something. Stupid tiny phone screen. Don't suppose I can retcon that I took that?)

...I really hate being alone. So why do I always end up alone?

Spako reaches up and loosens the knot on his scarf. By nature he's not claustrophobic, but this sort of situation is getting to him a bit. It probably would to anyone who isn't a Paladin.
Unless anything changes, he'll continue ascending the stairs, looking about nervously.
(perception check to keep with fluff [roll0])

[Scowling Dragon]

You took a wand of cure moderate wounds (I have SOME mercy) with 38 charges left and 3rd caster level.

It takes two charges to fully restore your health.

The Wand is an Ornate Flower made off fancy looking wood, that replicated the look of a lilly with precision, with a small semi-precious stone inside the petals.

You walk up the spiral staircase, to the final floor. The walls begin to distort as if melting a bit, and you start to hear another sound:

P-pock.....P-pock......P-pock.....P-pock......P-pock.....P-pock......P-pock

You see the darkness pump back and forth, as it congeals into something as thick as blood.

You step into the top floor. Your up to your neck in the shadow substance (It does not hinder movement).

You see him. The captain sits on his command chair. Eyes closed. As the darkness pumps in and out of him.

Hes allot more gaunt and tired looking from where you see him.

I told you to get out.

He opens his eyes to reveal two bright shining pupil-less orbs.

[Deathkeeper]

No kobold is afraid of the dark, but THIS IS FREAKING ME OUT

At some point Spako tucked the wand into his belt.

Spako flicks his tail in the equivalent of raising an eyebrow. Now that there's something to look at, he actually relaxes a bit. He really just needed something to focus on.

"And how exactly do you propose that I do that? I've got no ship, no helm, and no group. So unless I spontaneously regain all of those, you're stuck with me."

[Scowling Dragon]

There is a ship in the hanger below. And your helm is still on my ship. Just attach it to the ship and leave. Im a reasonable man.

As the Captain talks, you realize that the pumping of the shadow synchronizes with the pumping of the captains own blood.

[Deathkeeper]

Yes, because a total group mindscrew and DEATH really qualify as reasonable.

Spako shakes his head a bit.
Sorry, but 'Two out of three ain't bad' doesn't apply here. I'm not leaving alone.

Also, Knowledge: Arcana to remember anything about Haemomancy
[roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

This is not haeomancy.

The Captain looke ypu over for a second. You feel cold as the shadows slither over you for a moment, then release you.

The captain looks positively suprised.

Il give them all back. I just need one thing in return.

That deck of 54 cards in your backpack. And you can have them back.


You realise that there is only ONE deck of cards in your pack.

[Deathkeeper]

Alright, apparently it's beyond normal crazy blood magic. And no, I don't give away items given to me by gods to crazy evil entities. Especially crazy evil Elves. Or...former elf?

Spako's tail slides nervously over the floorboards.
"And why, may I ask, would a powerful being such as yourself spending most of his time screwing with folks on a derelict ship be interested in a deck of painted cards in a kobold's pocket?"

[Scowling Dragon]

Because I enjoy gambling and kobold cards are lucky.

He says with an irratated snap.

[Deathkeeper]

"Well, I can certainly see why you'd want them, then. he says, with a sweeping gesture around them. Your last gamble doesn't seem to have gone so well. Or was it a fold?"

[Scowling Dragon]

You little lizard. You Dare patronize me after I spared you? I could end you right now

You feel his heartbeat intensify. The shadows begin to hiss like angry snakes.

[Deathkeeper]

(for the record Kestrel is still waiting for the description of the room they're in in the other topic)

Spako chuckles, which is more of a hiss.
"Was that supposed to be an insult? Because by most definitions I am in fact a small lizard. And you do a lot of crying and yelling and talking for someone who's saying he could just 'end' me.
His ears droop.
Was it worth it? You've got a whole lot of blood on your hands to just be standing around here."
Because going on a villainous rant instead of killing me while my friends finally get around to doing something would be nice.

[Scowling Dragon]

No. Its not worth it.

The Captain seems infuriated

And I need your deck to set things strait. Its got the power to fix at everything that I failed.

[Deathkeeper]

Please tell me I'm not carrying a Deck of Many Things.

And just what did you fail at? What was the point of all this?

[Scowling Dragon]

I failed at defending TetraSpace from the Scro!

But for some reason he refuses to answer why he is doing this.

JUST GIVE ME THE DECK!

[Deathkeeper]

As if, Shadow Man.

Your men trusted you with their lives, and not one has lived for it. I'm not trusting you with something like this, so Take it if you can. You've gotten me killed once and it's only made me angry.

Spako twirls his blade as he enters his combat stance. Initiative time?

[Scowling Dragon]

Yup. Initiative time. I think this is going to be a decently hard encounter.

You roll yours whilst I prepare the battle map.

[Deathkeeper]

Initiative [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

You win Initiative

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/MonarchArmadaWing19.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/MonarchArmadaWing19.png.html)

[Deathkeeper]

(This calls for action! This calls for theme music! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3HcfmPAxCY) Mostly because the original translation was 'A Man in the Dark,' but also because it's an awesome boss theme).

I then shall go, and I shall end Death. Spako whispers under his breath, a dragon's poem remembered from somewhere a long time ago. He takes a step to the side, his arcane power flowing into his blade as he readies his big guns. Metaphorically, as doing so literally is Cale's job.
Spako really wishes he weren't alone on this one.
5 Foot step to the left
Cast Intensified Shocking Grasp
(If attacked by physical means, Spako will activate Spell Shield. He has 5 Arcane Pool points remaining.)

[Scowling Dragon]

Aw heck yeah boss theme!

The Captain Stares at you enraged. But them calms himself.

So be it. But this is no place appropriate for battle

He conjures a brilliant white staff to his hand, and taps it lightly to the floor.

The world begins to stretch, as if by some kind of optical illusion it stretches that you find yourself at the bottom of a huge throne-room, staring at the captain as he sits 30 feet above the air in a huge throne (The stairs count as difficult terrain).

The then claps his hands together, and then widens them. To that the room widens to a large battle room, with granite Columns and bowls of fire held alloft by statues of dragons.

Its still not too late. Give me the deck.

He raises his staff into the air, as shadows begin to congeal around it.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/MonarchArmadaWing20.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/MonarchArmadaWing20.png.html)

[Deathkeeper]

Apsu, Sir, everyone, lend me your strength.

Spako closes his eyes for a moment and he lowers himself and raises his wings. With another channel of power, his sword bursts into flames. Snapping his eyes open, Spako explodes forward with his wings, rocketing towards his foe and throwing his momentum forward with an upward swing. He doesn't honor the man's offer with a response.
Swift action: Arcane Pool -1, Sword is +1 and Flaming
FRA: Charge (Aerial) 60 feet forward
Attack (Charge) with Scimitar, Deliver Shocking Grasp: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Fire:[roll2]
SG: [roll3]

[Scowling Dragon]

(Anyway I think this music is more appropriate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDFC3XIK0Yw))


The sword embeds itself straight into the Captains chest, delivering the shock

AAAAAAAAAAUGH!

Pieces of shadow peal off the captain, revealing blindingly brilliant white light underneath.

The shadows stop congealing around his staff, and dissipate.

Thats it! I show no mercy!

He grabs some more shadow to the left of him, curls it into a hammer and swings in your direction, smashing it against you, and knocking you back off of the pedestal, and onto the floor (7 Fall damage) and knocking you prone.

He then throws away his hammer (which dissolves back into shadow).

Then then once again pulses with shadow, as a wall of strange goo materializes around him. The goo is opaque, and looks very viscous.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/MonarchArmadaWing21.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/MonarchArmadaWing21.png.html)

[Deathkeeper]

(Like I said, picked it mostly for the coolness and the title. My favorite Mario Last Boss theme is still M&L3's)

Spako picks himself up off the ground with a groan. He casts a spell to accelerate his movement as he takes a step forward.
Move: Stand up
Standard: Cast Haste
Free: 5 foot step to the left.

[Scowling Dragon]

You can't see exactly what the Captain is doing inside his bubble, but he seems to be charging up shadow once more (The Maps almost exactly the same. Not worth making another one yet).

Your turn.

[Deathkeeper]

Spako takes off once more, towards the front of the throne, aiming a blow to cut his way through the wall.
Move to B28
Attack: [roll0]
Damage[roll1]
[roll2]

[Scowling Dragon]

Spako carves some of the goo off of the throne, but its very resistant to the sword blows, and the fire doesn't seem to be doing much either.

The Captain Finally releases the dark energies. They run along the walls until they settle on spots.

As if ripping through goo, three Skeletal figures rip through the walls. Shadow clings to them like marmalade.

They slide and surround Spako, flanking him from both sides.

The first one attempts to hold Spako and grapple him in his hands. As the Skeleton is a clumsy bugger, Spako immediately responds by slicing him with his sword before he even gets close but the damage is barely not enough to completely destroy the Skeleton as the darkness clinging to him keeps him together.

He manages to grab onto Spako with both arms, grasping him tightly with his shadowy arms.

The Second skeleton Combo grabs Spako, grasping him into an even tighter hold.

Then finally, the last Skeleton Slices at his target, aiming for the straps on Spakos Backpack. It digs its his sharp claws into the Spakos shoulders (3 Pathetic damage) Cutting the pack off of its strings. It falls loose to the ground

Then the Captain makes another gesture, and arms of shadow form around the backpack, grasping it, and carrying it to him. A hole opens in the wall that allows the backpack to enter unscathed. The small hole closes back up again.

Fool!

The Captain Bellows. As he holds the Bag triumphantly aloft. He doesn't have time to open it and start rooting through it yet.

http://i786.photobucket.com/albums/yy146/MasterOfThePlanes/MonarchArmadaWing22.png (http://s786.photobucket.com/user/MasterOfThePlanes/media/MonarchArmadaWing22.png.html)

[Deathkeeper]

(It's REALLY too bad Bladed Dash can't pass through obstacles)

GET OFF ME YOU SKELETAL PRICKS


Since he can't cast, all he can do is make a stab at the skeletons holding him, with his -4 Dex and -2 attack penalty. Ouch. Still more likely than actually passing a double Grapple check, though.
Full Attack (Thank You, Haste)
For the wounded skelton: [roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

For the second grappler:
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

Okay, really dice roller? Can I get ONE attack roll over 10 this campaign?

[Scowling Dragon]

The wounded Skeleton himself goes "Huh"..... To make matters worse, its wound begin HEALING.

The second one has the sword embed itself into it, but the fact that it isn't a bludgeoning weapon lessens the impact.

But your in luck. They suck so bad, that you actually slip out of both their claws.

The third one who attacked you before, notices this deficiency and grabs you once more. You attempt to cut him but you end up slicing at shadow. The grip isn't as tight because only one Skeleton is holding you.

"Well, where is it? Oh...Right on the top. Must be a Haversack of Handinessatude. Strange deck. Must be from another sphere."

He reaches inside and draws out....the deck.

"Fifty four"

He draws one card. Even through the Opacity you see the room fill up with Brilliant red light and stuffy heat. You hear the sound of an Anvil clanging.

After the Occurrence, you see that his staff has become a Sword

"HAHA! YES! Thats only the first step!"

[Deathkeeper]

I HATE BEING RIGHT
...
I wonder if he'll draw The Idiot next? That'd be funny.

(PS- the DoMT is a famous enough item that I figured a level 7 mage would have heard of it. Spako doesn't know what each card does or how it works, just that there's always negative and positive effects in a Deck.
Speaking of which, this is what I get for assuming certain things won't come into play [no pun intended] and not specifying that I pictured my character putting it in his back pocket.)

SA: Grapple check to break free [roll0]
If successful, Spako activates Spell Shield (immediate action, 1 full turn duration, +3 AC, total 29) moves to B28, taking any AoO in an effort to get back to stopping a certain jerkwad and NOT his pet skeletons.

[Scowling Dragon]

(PS- the DoMT is a famous enough item that I figured a level 7 mage would have heard of it.

Also: I play Deck of many things....Differently. I actually factor in every major character based possibility into the plot. So don't worry about not knowing the exact effects or not drawing because it will derail the campaign (Unless you Draw the Winged Serpent. But I place a limit on the power of wishes, and usually also factor them into the plot.

And thats pretty much the exact same thing with this guy. A deck of cards that radiates all forms of magic strongly: No matter what kind it is: its a deck of many things.

Decks of Many things are a constant. Each sphere/ Planet has their own variating. Golarions, is the harrow deck. Also they tell you their power telepathically. But only generally.

The Skeletons wing at you pathetically as you escape their collective grasps.

You are able to see more clearly what is going on through the wall. But still only generally.

You see the captain drawing more cards, a bit more hurriedly as you approach.

He draws a card. No effect.

Huh....Maybe Il find what it does later.

He draws another

Well this would be nice If I cared about talking to plants!

He draws the third

Spoilered for size.
HAH....Ha.....HaHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

He throws the deck into the air, with the cards flying all over (But with a carefull, eye you notice that the cards settle back into deck shape on the ground. The Deck will draw 50 more cards whether he likes it or not), then with a flash. He disappears in a flash of light.

As the skeletons rush up the stairs to kill you they melt away.

Your back in the place where you started. The shadows and darkness are all gone.

You see that the deck, and your backpack are still on the floor. The deck hums with energy.

[Deathkeeper]

(You may wish to start using the Enter key. The solid line of text's really messing with the width of the page.)

Spako goes over to pick up the discarded objects. He'll have to make a makeshift knot for his bag's straps for now.
He then scoops up the Deck. I'm sorry. I'm not very good at all this, am I? But I can't think like that. Gotta keep going. That's how this all works.

[Scowling Dragon]

(You may wish to start using the Enter key. The solid line of text's really messing with the width of the page.)

Well that was kinda the point. It was SO POWERFUL! That it was even messing with the page!


Spako goes over to pick up the discarded objects. He'll have to make a makeshift knot for his bag's straps for now.
He then scoops up the Deck. I'm sorry. I'm not very good at all this, am I? But I can't think like that. Gotta keep going. That's how this all works.

You see that once you touch the deck, you receive a mental note.

"Im sorry. I just couldn't resist!....Old habits die hard I guess".

[Deathkeeper]

Spako shakes his head, almost smiling.
Thrice dammit, Sir, you couldn't have told me about sticking an artifact in my bag? It's not the kind of thing I check when I'm surrounded by corpses.
He runs a claw gently over the deck's painted back.
Everything and nothing. Luck could save everyone, or destroy me further. Maybe that's the problem; I don't want anything this could give me. I'd never have used it. I could try now, maybe I'd get the power or insight to do what needs to be done. But is it even worth it?
There is one more thing. He didn't finish his draw. He'll have to finish it sometime. The Idiot's waiting for you, bastard.
Because come on, there's no way that card could be anything but bad. (At least to his thinking. Considering what the version of it does in the CotCT page's HDoMT, he's probably correct)
Anyway, Spako needs to know where he should be going before considering activating a super artifact. Perception [roll0]

[Scowling Dragon]

Well you can go wherever you want. Your in the top floor of the Ship, like before.

[Deathkeeper]

(by the way, I'm assuming that the 4 cards drawn are back in the deck (but not in play for a certain BBEG's draws), as I recall Decks reform after they're drawn)

Spako's tired, fed up with pretty much everything, and really just wants to go home. He'd consider raiding the quarters he saw earlier, if he didn't have the strongest urge to burn this whole place to ash. His scimitar goes to its sheathe, his hastily tied bag to his back, while the deck stays clutched in his claws. He's going to try to head aaalllll the way around to the hangar and then maybe the entrance- all he wants to do now is try to find everyone, grab the stupid-looking elf cutter and get out of here.

[Scowling Dragon]

You can join the regular thread now.

[Scowling Dragon]

And now your back too the NON, regular thread:

On the Day that you are said too go too the Monastery (Lets say you organized it offscreen)

You had the dream again:

Your a Dragon. Yup. Always have been a Dragon. Its so wonderful being a Dragon. You fly with your massive gigantic wings over the countryside, seeing mountains and rivers pass under yourself. So pleasant. THUMP. What the? This feels off. Your feelings suddenly shift too agression, and hatred as if your dream hates you. Suddenly behind you another Dragon pops up. A Dragon that looks sharp, and elegant. He starts breathing his breath in your direction, trying to gun you down. You swerve to avoid his hits and get into a dogfight with him, until he dashes towards your neck and starts choking you with its fleshy hands, but before you crash into the ground you reverse the situation as too make the other enemy crash into the ground instead. As an Instand reaction the enemu opens his wings and changes the velocity. You loose your grip and you both get flung too the ground.

Your both big dragons. Your necks almost above the trees. Bigger has existed of course, but mhey.

The enemy charges at you with is sharp features, and clean smooth scales. The enemy knock away the trees in its path and lunges towards you, but you duck down and scratch him in the underbelly, but it falls on top of you. You both fight until the ground caves from your huge weight and you tumble......

Into being awake. Crap what could your subconscious be telling you?

Anyway you set off on a small traveling dingy ship. It takes you two hours of borin travel (You do get too see more of the ring. Lots of towns dot its sides, as well as different forests).

You see a gigantic mausoleum Graveyard next too a gigantic farm. Oh wait. Thats the monastery.

The Mausoleum is a Huge slab of stone, with a statue of a human devouring a dragon live wrapped around it. Barely a window out of it.

You see allot of hustle and bustle next too the Monastery, lots of other ships, and what looks like people in army formations.

You get dropped off, (You get picked up in half an hour). Lots of people crowded around from all different races and lifestyles. Everybody seems too be exited too get cooks from the monastery. Seems too be the #1 place in all of tetra.

Though the crowd prevents you from getting a good look at the people in the army formation, a hooded figure (With black Bugs crawling from underneath the cloak) gives some paperwork too fill out before you get a selection of Chefs assigned too your command.

In general what kind would you want/ need.

[Deathkeeper]

Spako doesn't mind the crowd, although he wished he had the space at least to get some height and see. Oh, well.
Anyway, Spako is looking for a person who would be comfortable on the confined space of a single ship for reasonably long periods of time with a number of different people, and also can keep their head if things go sideways into a combat situation.

[Scowling Dragon]

Another Cloaked figure silently leads you through the crowd and towards the linup of chefs (Hundreds of them. And this is release is done on a year basis).

And holy crap! The recruits are all things you would see in dusty tome archiving a demonic plane or something! They range from Demonic outsiders, too Gelatinous blobs of acid, too dragons that seep shadow. And the ones that DON'T look like monsters are obviously monsters in disguise.

Every recruit here has some form of draining the life force out of somebody. About 50% of the creatures here are undead, and the other are about as terrible.

All wear monks robes (Think about that for a second).

The group of 6 that has been selected for your selection is placed in front of you.

They open up their hoods for you too inspect them (With your darkvision, you should be seeing through the hoods shadow at least partially....You aren't.)

1: is a Pale Elf with his head shaven off with a tattoo on his forehead (A Man eating a Dragon). He bares his fangs for you too plainly see.

2: Is a attractive female Kobold of your size, wearing a comically oversized robe with Golden Scales (The Kobold. Not the Robe).

3: Is gargoyle-like creature has long spiky legs and a bat-like head. The arms are the prosthetics that you saw before. Like a dark purple light.Its body is composed of the same color stuff. Just more crystaline.

4: A walking corpse with frost coming out of its mouth. Seems to have been Orc at a time.

5: A Skeleton with eyes replaced by crystals, with many crystals such as these embedded in its skull.

6: One of the Dragons you saw. This one is Tiny. About your size, yet its black scales and wicked glare makes it look no less scary.

[Deathkeeper]

Spako is sorely tempted to turn the elf down right now simply for Spako having enough of creepy elves.
But, inventory time. Vampire, some kind of zombie (draugr? Wight? Spako isn't good with undead), a skeleton that reminds his player way too much of Acecerak, a crystalline gargoyle with battle damage, a shadow pseudodragon, and what is almost definitely a succubus. The not-deadliness of her shape just sticks out that much.
"Hello, folks. I'm looking for someone to help give my crew the privilege of a decent meal for an unspecified period of time to unspecified destinations. I, as co-owner of the ship, would be giving you orders, so if either of those things bothers you then you'd best leave now. For everyone else, considering that we'd be stuck in a somewhat small space for a while, it's important that no one wants to strangle, stab, or otherwise harm each other after a week in their presence. Or less. Which requires everyone to be satisfied with their jobs. So, anyone interested? Because I won't pick you if you're not."

[Scowling Dragon]

They all mutter at the same time:

"We are all ready, for it is what we have been prepared for our entire training. We join you under the terms that we will be granted exotic flesh too feast apon through your travels. We will obey you with our bodies. We will listen with our minds. Our souls are yours too control."

All except the Kobold'es that sort of says

"Yes Sir"

[Deathkeeper]

Spako quirks an eye-ridge at her.
"What's the matter? You forget your speech?"

[Scowling Dragon]

"No...Wait I mean Yes! Yes Sir!"

The Skeleton stiffles a giggle.

[Deathkeeper]

"You can speak freely if you want to. All the formal speech is just going to drive me nuts anyway."

[Scowling Dragon]

Everybody relaxes after that a bit.

Gem-Eyes points too the Kobold and says:

"Shes a Succubus."

The Succubus replies

"Grod you ASS!"

And Unfurls her Wings

The Dragon Points too your folded wings:

"Don't be too quick too dispair Henava: He might be too"

Henava looks pleased and a crooked smile creeps across her face

"Oh indeed. A Sister looking to hire my...services?" :smallamused:

[Deathkeeper]

Spako shrugs.
"It would have been better if you hadn't picked something harmless looking. In this crowd it only makes you look more suspicious. And I am actually a kobold. And a guy. So, ahem, no. Anything else I should know? And you can feel free to call me Spako. I'm not one for titles."

[Scowling Dragon]

"Oh"

Henavas smile melts away.

The Crystal Gargoyle person looks at her and teases with a hint of anger

"Told you-slut. Think you can get an easy ride off your looks? Guess Again. I bet Spako needs only the best cooking, and she was garbage at all her classes"

Hevana replies:

"Too bad for you then since Im twice the cook you are!"

The Ice Zombie person thingy interupts

"Woah fellas I think Spako here doesn't need too here our babbling"

The Vampire Mutters

"Suck up"

The Ice guy roars

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

"Just that your the teachers pet."

"Mohan I HATE YOU! HAVE A SAID THAT BEFORE?"

[Deathkeeper]

Spako folds his hands behind his back and clears his throat loudly.
"All right, this is what I'm talking about. I and over ten other people are going to be stuck in a moderately small space with you having a very good position to make everyone uncomfortable. So if you can't go five minutes without going to someone's throat, then it's probably not going to work. Now, how about everyone calms down and gives me an introduction so I can make an educated decision?"

[Scowling Dragon]

The very threat of not being able to join your crew immediately has them back in order and tight once more in terror.

Umbral Dragon: Umakumbriel! Umbral Dragon by Traditional classification! Focus on Baking based dishes!

Gem-Eyes: Grod! Actually alive despite my appearance, called Obitu by my brethren! Focus on broths and soups! And can brew!

Wight: Emden! Ice Wight! Focus on.......:smallsigh:....Chilled and Cold dishes. Yes.

Vampire: Mohan! Vampire! Focus on Meats, Breads, Soups, Low Cost cuisine, Gourmet Cuisine, Drinks of any kind and Vegan foods.

When Heneva looks at you she mouths "Hes a Booping Liar" before saying her role

Succubus: Heneva! Succubus! Focus on Transchkse Chuwal Cuisine!"

The Garboyle Like Creature: Sced! Sceaduinar! Focus on Diet Cuisine! Meat or otherwise!

[Deathkeeper]

Spako does have a few comments and questions in order.
For Umakumbriel: "Can you explain 'traditional?' And I am assuming that's your natural size?" Never can tell with dragons.
For Emden: "Don't feel bad if you're good at it. "
For Mohan: "That's...quite a repertoire. Are you sure you're saying that you're as good at everything you just mentioned as everyone else is at their narrower fields? Exaggerating won't help you if I find out later."
He just shudders a bit at the mention of the word "chuwal"again.

[Scowling Dragon]

Umakumbriel: "Traditional, as in said by the "Traditional Dragon Hunters Handbook". And yes this is slightly smaller then my kinds average natural height at my age. Completely natural."

Emden looks a bit pleased by your comment though its hard too tell from his face.

Mohan looks worried for a second and replies "Yes I am as good as I say I am. My teachers can vouch for me!"

[Deathkeeper]

"At your age. Hmm. There's no chance of you outgrowing your quarters, is there?" Since dragons have a habit of putting on several hundred pounds in a week once they hit a growth age, this is a pretty important question.

and back to Mohan,
"Forgive me if it's improper, but it's rather important that I know, since my knowledge of your kind isn't as large as some of your peers. If we're on a long voyage, would you be fine with the only source of fresh blood for days on end being the few animals we keep on board?" Because if he has a "sentient beings only" rule he's right out.

[Scowling Dragon]

Umakumbriel: "Well yes. Always. Depending on how long the Journey is, and how big is the vessel"

Mohan:"Uh...No...But I know first aid! And I know my limits. And It doesn't have too be from a living Elf."

OOC: In my setting, vampires gain sustenance only from drinking the blood of their own kind. Makes the curse more cruel. :smalltongue:

[Deathkeeper]

"Alright, just to narrow it down, how about the next year or two? Would that be a safe timeframe?"

And I'm sorry Mohan, but not only am I unlikely to be able to get an elf willing to work and be a blood-bag at the same time for what I can afford, my relationship with the elves is risky enough without us hunting them down to slaughter. It's just not going to fly. Err, no ship pun intended."

[Scowling Dragon]

Umakumbriel: Would be a safe bet. Unless the dimensions are Three by Three by Three feet.

Mohan looks terror struck.

"I...I....I understand."

[Deathkeeper]

Spako's ears flatten to the sides of his head.
"You all...really, really don't want to get rejected, do you?It's not...that bad, is it?"
Because I swear, if they say "the losers get eaten," I swear to Apsu...

[Scowling Dragon]

"We have too go back too the monastary....and the survival rate there is infinitely minuscule. We are some of the only graduates from thousands. Undead that fail get devoured for classes that teach about cooking with necrotic flesh"

Umakumbriel: "Took it as a Major"

[Deathkeeper]

APSU'S GIX WHY IS THIS THE ONLY TIME THE CREEPY APPEARANCE IS ACCURATE?!

"And you can't, I don't know, not go back, get a job elsewhere, or hop on with any of the other hundred people here behind me?Because I'd really prefer to not be a part of assisted murder. I take a lot of care in not doing that."

[Scowling Dragon]

"Well yes. Im practically guaranteed too get bounded by one of the other captains. I just don't want too be one of the unlucky ones...."

[Deathkeeper]

Spako gulps. "Well unless there's anything more I can do, you might want to go now. If time is precious, don't let me keep you from getting a ticket out. Heneva, same to you. Nothing against you, but the last time your specialty was brought up I was brain-bleaching myself for hours. I doubt you'll have trouble getting someone's attention. he gives just the hint of a wink.
As for the rest, Emden, cold food doesn't sit well with my dragon stomach. Grod, part of my crew is ant-sized and I'm not sure liquid food would work for them. Sced, I can't say diet foods will be useful at all, although I can't say they won't be. Uma...I actually can't say anything other than that I think you just admitted to specializing in eating your peers which kinda creeps me out. ....
...
Although, this brings me to an important question:
are there actual limits on me hiring you people? Because if it means saving your lives I can easily take you all with me and find you jobs on another sphere.

Spako, your Metallic is showing.

[Scowling Dragon]

The Whole Group looks livened up by your idea

"That would be fantastic"

"You won't regret it"

"Be sure too visit some day"

Are all stuff that you hear.

So. You decided too sign on all of them?

[Deathkeeper]

"Not so fast. I didn't plan on leaving the sphere soon, so if you can't get jobs around here then I'm going to risk seriously screwing up our schedule by trying to get you folks to places. Which, essentially, means I'll be dealing with all of you at once, in an unfinished ship, knowing that you have a tendency towards eating flesh. Which means that at the very least you're going to have to be on good behavior so my crew doesn't freak out and I don't get charged for any crimes. I can lend you money for meat (and elf blood. I'm sure someone offers it) but I will expect to be paid back. Got it?"

This is also assuming in that paperwork Spako looked over he didn't see any contract forcing him to keep them signed on for X amount of time, treat them in any particular way, or make any sort of significant payment.

[Scowling Dragon]

There is no paperwork at all. Its just a personal agreement and a pinky swear apparently this year.

Anyway the Chefs agrees too your demands.

You see what appears too be the owner of the Monastery (Lich) adress the crowds whilst flying. Magic obviously amplifying your voice.

"Its good too see so many of my students receive a third chance in life. I created this academy as a way for my students too control their hungers. Too allow those driven mad to regain their sanity. Those that fail the tests are lost. But I have definitive proof that they where incurable......Anyway I have before received complaints about insubordination. Of how my students "Go Insane" or "Killed my Sister with a bloody knife and ate her soul". Well fear no more. For I have came up with a solution. For those that had agreements bound by the finger shall experience.....THE BINDING!

And with that the master explodes in a ball of lightning and immolates you all. The pain you feel is intense but non-lethal. You hear something inside your head.

"Now....Is....my.....chance!"

Thats definatly not your own voice.

The Master Continues

"This act will forever bind my students very souls too your command! They will never dessert you for as long as they exist! You shall be their guiding lights! AHAHAHAHAHA"

The lightning shards begin too focus around the students and the hirers. Includes you.

"And as for the failures! YOU SHALL BE BOUND TOO THE TEMPLE UNTIL YOU ARE HIRED!"

Different colored lightning streams from the Master, and targets single individuals in the crowd.

Too your surprise (That you can feel through the burning, nerve rending pain), this includes a huge Red Dragon (Probably space issues).

Suddenly you feel something tearing from inside of you. A semi transparent silvery thing. It emerges fully from within you. Its a Tall Elf, wearing a IEN uniform and sprouting DRAGON WINGS!

The Ghost travels down the Electric beam, and through the master (Causing her intense pain), and down one of the other beams of lightning, and into the Red Dragon!

The Master finishes the Ritual and attempts too move too stop the newly possessed Dragon, yet it Flies right at him, smashing the master into bits, and flies into the Distance......

Everybody pretty much is near passed out from the pain, Undeads included. The ritual targeted the soul, or whatever closest the creature had for a soul. Hurt a bunch.

In case your wondering I foreshadowed his existence Altheway back here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15118188&postcount=124).

Look at the title.

[Deathkeeper]

You sneaky bastard, nobody reads the titles! Not that he could have done anything anyway; he wouldn't exactly have thought of hiring an exorcist because his dreams were pointing at elf-dragons attacking him. Which is actually what I was guessing.


And deep, deep in the Azula sphere, one might hear one very, very pained kobold screaming.
"
POTHOC
F****ING
ELVES!"

[Scowling Dragon]

Your newly "Bound by their very souls too yours" crew asks

"What was that?"

[Deathkeeper]

"That, says Spako, getting up with a pained expression and dusting himself off,
was a ghostly motherf***er who stole my body, maimed my best friend with my own sword, and is now a pothoc full-grown darastrix! Because as if I wasn't having enough trouble as it was trying to not hate every last one of the bastards, every mildly important one has to be an ass who abuses every single magic thing about me.
he does his best to compose himself.
Sorry, Mohran. If I look like I really want to hit you sometime it's probably not your fault."

[Scowling Dragon]

"Do you want us too track him down and Kill him Spako?"

Asks Umakumbriel.

"We are willing"

Says Emdem.

[Deathkeeper]

They totally want to eat that dragon he's wearing. Dammit that's creepy.


"If you think you can catch him. He's fast, and he's either still with the organization that I don't need him bolstering further or he's just a rogue extremely dangerous dragon. So yes, letting him go is not on my list of things to do. We should probably find a transport to follow him."

[Scowling Dragon]

Haneva: Well....Do you know how too drive? None of us knows how too drive.

Grod: Policy of the training.

[Deathkeeper]

"I don't have formal training, but I've been watching people do it and I have good coordination. Still might want to find someone."

Unless you want to let me retroactively retrain a skill point there, because come to think of it we never decided who actually drives the ship. Our only folk with experience are the ones powering the helm, which is different, yes?

[Scowling Dragon]

OOC: Yes. But Re-training takes a while. There are official rules for re-training now.

Anyway, you spend quite a bit asking around for people willing too lend their dingies or transport too stop the Dragon, but most people are terrified too do so.

However, you do receive aid from the Master (Currently regenerating in his Phylactery) asks you too subdue his student if possible.

You take the coffin looking Dingy and Fly out in the Dragons direction with the aid of a guy who knows how too pilot (Mummy Dude). Tracking is more easy as the ring extends in onto two directions.

Soon enough you spot him, flying at a fast speed, only slightly slower then your Dingies max speed.

[Deathkeeper]

"Okay, battle plan. We should at least try to take him alive. Or take the dragon alive and rip the spirit apart. One of the two. Anyone have anything to contribute to getting him down without killing 'em? Or eating ghosts?"

[Scowling Dragon]

Sced: "I don't know about that but I think he heard us!"

And indeed, the Dragon rapidly descends rapidly stops midair (You pass over him because of your rapid speed), and ascends behind you, breathing its fiery breath at your ship. Not used too being able too accomplish such a feat, the firey breath is more like a fire cough, a fire burp. Not as much a breath.

The fire impacts your ship, burning the back half, and setting your pilot on fire!

Pilot: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHAAAAAA!

The Pilot begins too swerve and rock side too side.

Sced: I Don't think we though this through master Spako!

[Deathkeeper]

Who offers to kill a dragon without anything to do so with?! And someone help me put him out!

Spako's tools to do so are one thin blanket and a bottle of water. Erm, yeah. He's just barely keeping an eye his surroundings, hopefully able to wrench the wheel when the beast inevitably tries to knock them out of the sky. Which is what he's expecting.

[Scowling Dragon]

Umakumbriel: "I JUST WANTED TOO IMPRESS YOU L....LLLL....LOOOORD......LOOORD.....LORD SPAKO!"

Suddenly your blasted from behind with a blast of air, and your ship swerves again, but smashes into the the Dragon!

Your head hits the cold scales of the creature, but you hold on as the air currents push you too its back. Everybody else seems too hold on at least as well as you but the pilot who is sent plummeting and burning into the grey metal waste of the ring below. Your flight path begins too enter the forest.

Sced: Im pretty sure everybody here can fly! Should we continue too hold on LLLLLLooOOrd Spako?

Sced screams through the whistling air.

[Deathkeeper]

No one here has to die for me. Let go if you want. I'm finishing this, though. AND DON'T CALL ME LORD!

Spako goes for his belt dagger, using an arcane point to make it +1 Frost, and tries to drive it into the scales before him to create a better handhold. It...probably won't work.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Deathkeeper]

...wow. Crit. Confirming:
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Scowling Dragon]

Your crit wouldn't have confirmed was I not using the "Vow of Non-Optimization". Otherwise it HAS.

Your Dagger hits an unarmored area of the Dragon, and freezes itself solid too its innards. But as the Dragon roars with pain, its Hot blood begins rapidly melting the ice. Won't hold for much longer.

Sced: SORRY LORD SPAKO, THE LORD JUST SORT OF SLIPS OUT OF MY MOUTH! ....AH! I CAN'T STOP CALLING YOU LORD, LORD SPAKO! SO UH.....WHATS THE PLAN?

Dragon: I can hear you, you know?

Grumbled the Dragon. You can hear everything its saying even through the vibrations up your dagger.

Dragon: Why won't you just let me be!

[Deathkeeper]

I don't know, you know your powers better than I so. It's weak to cold and possessed. Work with it.

I don't know, maybe it's because you maimed my best friend and just stole some cook's body! I don't care how sucky your death was, I won't let you keep doing this to people!
The fact that said cook was a decently old Almost Always Evil dragon breed doesn't faze him in the slightest, especially with his current company.

[Scowling Dragon]

Emden crawls up too you, and jams his icy claw into the Dragons wound. From that wound, a pulse of energy drains from the dragon and into Emden.

Emden: MMMMMM, Nothar is HOT.....Thats his name....Nothar

Dragon: AAAAAAAAAAAAGHAAAAAR NO IT ISN'T! MY NAME IS LECYTUS! YOU ASKED FOR THIS

The Dragon Intakes his breath, and spits out the fire infront of himself, and at a small stream. Because of wind resistance it starts trailing down his body (Him being immune too the breath).

You.... Actually made your reflex save. Wow. A 19. 32 fire damage.

Your other pals aren't so lucky.

Emdem gets terribly burned, and lets go of the Dragon. The others also get burned more or less, but Umakumbriel lets go and Catches Emdem, but at that speed can't keep up with Lecytus/ Nothar.

The others detach as well after Lecytus starts making easive maneuvers.

You watch as your dagger begins too melt off of the Dragons body.

Lecytus: I WILL NEVER FORGET YOU! I WILL GET MY BODY BACK ONE DAY!

Lecytus growls angrily at you.

[Insert your own quip here]

Lecytus folds his wings and starts spinning with centrifugal force.

Your Blade pulls out and you find yourself falling. But you open your wings so your OK.

Lecytus speeds away.

[Deathkeeper]

Your body is either a pile of ash or a mutilated clump of gore! And I can still help with that if you stopped being such a prick!

Spako drifts down, trying to get a look at everyone. There appeared to have been two that couldn't fly somehow, and one is being carried.

[Scowling Dragon]

Your crew seems to have caught Grod. So don't worry about it.

Umakumbriel: Emdem is at .....double deaths door.. We need the blood of a demon or cursed water STAT! Im not doing much better myself.

Umakumbriel reports too you midair.

[Deathkeeper]

Aren't succubi demons? Because all my water is very normal.
He seems very upset, but composing himself.

[Scowling Dragon]

Umakumbriel: Good point! Heneva!

Heneva is carrying Grod

Heneva: WHAT?

Umakumbriel: We need your blood too Stabilize Emdem!

Heneva: Do....Do I have too?

[Deathkeeper]

Yes, you do. he says deliberately. He unsheathes his scimitar.
Shouldn't need much. Just run a finger over it. It'll sting though, cold iron. Don't slice anything off.

[Scowling Dragon]

Heneva find the idea terrible. But since you told her too do it.....She does as she is told without hesitation.

The couple of drops of blood are good enough too restore the brightness in Emdens eyes, and cause his breath too become freezing again.

Grod: What now?

[Deathkeeper]

Now we get back on the ground and work from their because I don't think we should be trying to go distance while carrying folks.

[Scowling Dragon]

You do pretty much that.

Scud:...Sorry about what happened....We just hoped too impress you...Make you feel valiated for hiring us (That was really nice).

[Deathkeeper]

Spako sighs.
Guys, please, stop. I only agreed to the chase because I thought you wouldn't offer without some idea of what to do. And you almost fried because of it. So please, stop risking yourselves to impress me. You don't have to. And knowing that I kept you from risk of death is validation enough, you really don't need to add to it. he waves his tail a bit as it develops an itch.
But I meant what I said. It's really unlikely that I can find elf blood enough to keep Mohran satisfied, and only marginally better that I can get unholy water for half of you should something else happen. So I'm still going to try and get those of you other jobs. Unless you're willing to get yourselves restored, which is either very expensive or very, very risky, depending on if you're willing to put it all on luck of the draw.
And regardless I'm going to see about getting all of you released from the pothoc ritual, because this is way too close to slavery for me to feel comfortable."

Itchy!

[Scowling Dragon]

Your crew looks quite ashamed and down. But keep quiet.

When you make the Treck back too the Monastery, you ask the headmaster (Whos Phylactery was fitted inside a stone golem for the time being), tell about your failure too save Nothar, and about reversing the ritual.

He asks you this:

"Do you know who my students are? Do you really know who they are?"

[Deathkeeper]

I don't give a damn who they are. I don't enslave people, for any reason. It's pretty much the most hypocritical thing I could do.

[Scowling Dragon]

OOC: Sorry for the Slowdown. Just Saw Pacific Rim. **** yes.

"YOU WILL EN-"

The Golem attempts too grab you by the neck, but you deftly duck and the whole creature tumbles down.

".....Damn. I was hoping I could do the "Grab by the neck and monologue" thing. But this piece of crap is too clumsy too pull this off"

He attempts too get up but the the angle is bad

"Can you help me up....please?......Well you would be an idiot if you did"

"Just let me explain. This isn't as much a monastery as much as I would like people too believe. Just better PR. This is a prison, and a grand experiment. Im no bloody monk! Im a jailer and a mage! This whole thing is a method of rehabilitation!"

[Deathkeeper]

Spako's ears flatten as he helps them up.
"I figured, but that really doesn't change things. I'm not a professional. I really don't have the mindset to hold a leash on people's lives, even if they are people with natural tendencies towards killing. If you can get me some advice on it all I'll consider it, but the whole thing is pretty shaky to me."

[Scowling Dragon]

"It is very shaky, but the alternative is that you got a bunch of sociopaths in a prison together. I got inspiration for this project, from another group I once was part of, but the point is that through focus, and through training, and through (Most importantly) integration into society I hope this can somehow rehabilitate them. The binding is a way too make the focus stronger, and make sure less people are put into danger.

The process is very loose and case by case. But its the best I could do.
Plus I haven't actually made a way too reverse the ritual
But the important thing is that you shouldn't view it as enslavement....Just.....Uh.......Care-Taking. This process is new, and should just instill just some loyalty in them. Just come back too me if you think it starts messing with their mental stability"

[Deathkeeper]

Spako sighs. Again. So much for letting them go out and get real jobs. "Okay, fine. But you're going to have to help me out with the vampire. I really thought I'd be able to get over the blood thing but it doesn't look like that's going to happen. So I'm going to need to know how specifically to handle him. And moreover, all their recent histories, because if it's bad I would have to be giving them restrictions, but it's only going to look like I don't trust them. If I don't have to, I won't use them. And also some of your suppliers because it seems I'm going to be needing quite a lot of undead-healing supplies."

[Scowling Dragon]

"Vampires are always difficult, but thankfully there are ways of dealing with the hunger. First off, il give you as much Elf blood as I can. Second Vampires need too feed only every couple of days, and the list for blood can be temporarily sated with blood of any other kind (Animal included). Third the amount consumed for a minimum is just about as much as a tablespoon. So you should be able to keep him fed for a while. Also you can find saps anywhere willing too shed some blood for some quick cash. I have medical syringes.

Finding undead healers is hard in tetra, but in general you should seek out Death Shamans.

Anyway on their past histories:

Umakumbriel: Is the Daughter (OOC: Ignore any accidental "Hes" I might have mentioned before. I was still in the thought process, and caller her an "It" is rather dispassionate) of Zekurgoth, a Wyrm that ruled an empire of shadow for centuries before being taken down. I have had Umakumbriel raised since her original hatching. I took her in because of natural Umbral Dragon tendency for violence. I managed too turn her appetites towards the undead. I have a cantrip for creating small undead vermin. Feed those too her and she won't get hungry on the rest of them.

Grod: Grod is actually a live. An interesting case. He is a organic organism that lives inside the bones and mainly skull of the skeleton. The Gems are actually eye growths. His blood bears an infection that is infectious only too undead. It slowly turns them into more of his own kind. Rotting away dead flesh and growing new living flesh inside the bone (Erasing their minds in the process. I may have too use his blood as a last resort one day). He should give you the least amount of trouble in terms of feeding, but in terms of his mind he is very dangerous. He has active knowledge of necromancy and magic.

Emden: The Monster of the Blade Mountains. I don't know much about how he died in the icy top of the mountain, but I do know he was a monster that stalked and harassed travelers through the mountains until he created a small army too attack a nearby town. I stopped him at that point. He learned to feed off the meals he creates for himself.

Mohan: I already detailed his feeding patterns before, but know that he is the Butcher of Atoah. He wen't on a mad gorging spree that lasted three nights in a row. I haven't been able too find out who he was before the turning.

Heneva: Has been in allot of places and acted as a temptress too many people. Heneva is her current preferred name. Don't let her get her way. It will only harm her. She is getting better at controlling herself.

Sced: Im...Not too sure what Sced even is. Just don't let him drain the life from people."

[Deathkeeper]

I thought Sced was a sceaduinar with power limbs. I think he'll be alright. At the very least extraplanars like him don't have to eat.
One thing, though. You do realize that all of them except Grod are pretty much guaranteed to outlive me, right? I know it's unnecessary to talk long term now but there is a decent chance getting freed by natural causes before they're safe for people. And two of them vanish if anyone gets the bright idea to cast Banishment.
But still, thank you, I guess.

[Scowling Dragon]

"Its one thing too know that hes a certain creature. Its another too know what his deal is.

If they are Banished, as long as the soul connection persists, they will try too get back too you.

And Im not sure what would happen if you died. Im hoping too find out. Overall I mean. Not your death in specific....yeah..."

[Deathkeeper]

Maybe I should go before this gets any more awkward. I think I've had my share of me dying to last at least a standard adventurer's month. Thanks, I suppose. Ship those supplies to [Ship's Docks].
Crap, we still haven't named it! I did have a nice card pun in the works, but I haven't proposed it yet.
Anyway, unless she has anything more to add Spako will head off to find his new Cook Brigade, who were probably nearby and hopefully not eavesdropping.

[Scowling Dragon]

That is what you do. Anything too tell them before you return too the main thread?

[Deathkeeper]

"Okay, everyone. Bad news is that the master never bothered to make a method of reversing the ritual since it's apparently never come up before. Good news is that he gave me supplies and methods to keep those of you who need physical sustenance fed, although Mohran will have to get used to small meals if you want the supply to last.
And I just need to put a few things out there. One, you now make up half the crew. And that means you're going to have to pull a few duties besides the cooking, since I don't think you can all do that at once. Which brings me to Two, please, talk to me. I don't know you very well, I now have to work with all of you at once, and I'm going to flub things. Tell me if you think you can help with something specific, if there's something you should definitely not be handling, if I'm doing something stupid, or if you really need something. I don't know your minds and I barely know your anatomies, so you're your own advocates if you want some comfort.
Third, I'm going to put a lot of trust in you. I have reins on you and I'm going to pull them as infrequently as kobold-ly possible. So I'm not going to lay ground rules besides the very obvious 'Hurting people is bad, stealing things is bad, drawing attention to the ship by the authorities who may have one or two members who want to kill the co-captain, is bad.'
So, erm, any comments? Concerns? Anything at all?"

[Scowling Dragon]

Nope. Everybody was finding it pretty reasonable. You may return too the main thread and describe the events too everybody.

[Deathkeeper]

'kay. Am I posting first or are you doing descriptions first?
More importantly, is Heneva still disguised as a kobold? I don't remember reading that she shifted to something else.

[Scowling Dragon]

True forms of Succubi (In my game) are scary monsters so she is just a Kobold with demon wings for now.

You post first.