(PF) maggie's Rise of the Runelords: Skinsaw Murders IC II [Archive]

maggie_mcknife

2015-11-27, 11:17 AM

GM post

New Event: Sense Motive DC 15 - Anyone in the undermill can make this check
Whatever it is Simatzu put on his arrow seems to be having an extremely odd effect on Justice Ironbriar. Even if he was fighting off some soporific or toxic effect, you'd have expected him to be turning sluggish or perhaps even retching his lunch up. Not babbling to himself like a village madman or clutching his head as if it was going to explode at any moment, having lost his veneer of sneering arrogance. Indeed, the Justice seems more confused than anything else... Unless that's supposed to be what happens whenever Simatzu stabs someone with a pointy thing, something is definitely not quite right here.

If rolled Sense Motive check above 20
In fact, if you didn't know any better, you'd say that Ironbriar is behaving more like a man fighting against some sort of compulsion or suggestion spell. The tension of his body, the constant shaking of his head - these are but some of the classic symptoms of someone resisting a will greater than his own. It's impossible to see through Ironbriar's whorled mask and clothes, but you're willing to bet that his eyes would be glazed and his body drenched in sweat.

*****

Naya is holding attack.

Unfortunately for Naya, her words don't seem to have any particular effect on Justice Ironbriar. Nor does the sight of two more of the same lightning projectiles hovering in her cupped hands do anything to persuade him to surrender.

"My heart... is pledged. If it were to die... for her... then so be it-" Ironbriar's thin voice sounds strained, almost strangled, as if his teeth were clenched against the ravages of Simatzu's drug.

*****

Simatzu is presumed to be busy staring at Ironbriar, holding action.

*****

Brin is presumed to be trying to find a way to climb over the balustrade from the shoreline, holding action.

*****

Taladron and Brother Butok

CNE: (2d6)[12], Will DC 10 save to halve damage

Taladron's acid gob doesn't succeed in landing anywhere near Ironbriar. But the momentary pause in action as Taladron clarifies his family tree for Rico does afford Butok just enough wiggle room to use the edge of Rico's battle-table to rake up his sleeve - revealing the fading blue visage of a starry-eyed Norgorbean mask tattooed on his spindly forearm.

With his ribs crushed and most of the air knocked out of him, it is difficult for Butok to breathe, let alone speak. Still, the grunting syllables that the ugly man does manage to choke out of his blood-clogged throat must have been enough for Father Skinsaw to grant his dying cleric the boon of smiting those who would thwart his dark purposes. For even as Butok's eyes bulge in their sockets and begin to roll upwards as Rico continues to thump him mercilessly against the wall, yet another wave of baneful energy floods the environs of the undermill, dealing woe to all who stand too close.

Setsusa, Simatzu, Brin, Rico, Taladron, and Ironbriar all take 12 damage from CNE. Will save DC 10 halves the damage.

*****

Sirus is presumably catching his breath over in the safe corner of the undermill, holding action.

*****

Setsuna dismisses Grease.

*****

Justice Ironbriar

Fort Save: (1d20+6)[19] - passed, Ironbriar does not fall unconscious, is no longer poisoned

Casts Confusion using the Reaper's Mask
15 foot radius burst, hitting everyone within the sawmill except for Simatzu

Will Saves:
Red: (1d20+8)[11] - failed
Sirus: (1d20+9)[11] - failed
Naya: (1d20+5)[14] - failed
Setsuna: (1d20+5)[12], but only applies if SR 14 is overcome: (1d20+7)[11] - SR saves Setsuna

What do the Confused people do?
Red: (1d100)[23] - acts normally
Sirus: (1d100)[8] - acts normally
Naya: (1d100)[17] - acts normally
Wow. They do... absolutely nothing! :smallsigh:

The gash in Ironbriar's hand continues to seep bright red blood that trickles down the elf's arms, soaking into his outlandish robes and dying them a darker shade. Though fair-skinned, the Justice's complexion does seem rather more wan than before as he curls his hands into fists, practically clawing at his mask with one and his sword arm quivering in sudden weakness.

Taking a hesistant step forward, the corrupt Justice traces his sword in a vague circular motion, as if drawing in the air. "Disperse them... yes. To sow..." As he muses aloud, his voice rather more hoarse than before, several of you within the sawmill are suddenly seized by a strange buoyant sensation, your mind shorn clean of coherent thought for a few seconds, before the feeling passes just as quickly as it had come.

Ironbriar is no longer poisoned.

*****

Red
HP: 9/48
AC 21

Holding action!

Sense Motive: (1d20+8)[10] - failed

The stabbing pain in her limbs fades a little and Red closes her eyes for a second of blessed relief, thanking Cayden that Brin must be out there somewhere. That was good then. She and Rico must have managed to get loose. Now for the bad elf himself...

Heaving herself off the male Hellknight's split head, Red staggers back, wincing as the wound in her leg stretches and throbs. The Justice would probably have some kind of magic on him. But if they helped each other, that would be all right then... wouldn't it? And why was Setsuna standing in her way like that?

"Miss Naya... Setsuna. We must... bring him down. Together." It still hurt to speak. Narrowing her eyes grimly, Red wipes a wet smear - was that blood or brains or both? - from her cheek, ignoring the fluttering makeshift bandage that Rico had wound around her throat.

*****

Rico

Butok is pinned to the wall. GM says that makes his AC diddly squat. Both attacks hit.

Already half-crushed against the wall, Brother Butok is helpless against Rico's riposte. The second slash of her trusty wave-blade skewers the aide clean through the eyes, nearly hacking his skull in twain and shuddering as it bites into the wooden walls of the sawmill.

Brother Butok is now dead.

*****

Initiative Order:
22 - Taladron
20 - Sirus
18 - Setsuna
14 - Justice Ironbriar
10 - Red
10 - Rico
> 9 - Naya
9 - Simatzu
6 - Brin

It is technically Naya's turn, but given that you have only one enemy left... the GM declares the initiative order to go to hell. All attacks will be resolved in the order of posting!

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/YfJrUEE.jpg

Miraqariftsky

2015-11-27, 12:48 PM

Rico
Fatigued [suppressed, for now] & Charged
under Brin's MCAE*?
Rage II/III, 5/9
HP 43/49, (12/12)
AC 17/22

"HGGGWAH!" Rico gasps as mystic razors seem to slice through the air between them in a series of hisses. Half a dozen miniscule cuts bleed at the sides of her ox-like neck. Somehow, even as she glares her defiance against their infernal foe, she feels something, someone protecting her and her comrades from yet greater peril.

Remembering that it was such power that was such a bane at Thistletop, Rico resolves to end it quickly. Sparks and chain-links fly and entrails flow at the first blow. The second pins Butok to the wall.

Snorting, and sighting down on Ironbriar, still working his foul magicks, she drops the Fist of Fox and plants both hands upon her sword's still-quivering hilt. With a solid tug, Rico pulls it free in a shower of wood-chips, bone-shards and gore...

"WWAAAAAAUUUUGGGHHH!!"

...then charges at the corrupt justice. The sword is held just over her right shoulder in the vom Tag guard, and just as the stroke is struck, the downward diagonal slash of the Zornhau suddenly tightens, thrusts, and cuts upward in a Schielhau strike, ending with the sword at Rico's left shoulder, its dripping tip pointed at the foe's face.

Intimidate
[roll0]
CHARGE.
[roll1]
[roll2]

bcool999

2015-11-27, 01:04 PM

Taladron
HP 21/35
AC 16

Grimacing as the negative energy rips through him, Taladron nevertheless manages to divert most of it away from himself. Seeing the lackey fall limp to the floor thanks to Rico's much needed help, Taladron turns to fire a shot at Ironbriar only to have that same constable block his shot. Frowning, Taladron decides to hold his dwindling reserves of magic back and see if his allies can kill or incapacitate the Justice.

Taladron will hold his action.

jamieth

2015-11-27, 04:06 PM

Naya, Sylph Sorceress

Holding her shurikens ready to fly at a moment's notice, Naya cautiously approaches the Justice and asks, "Mr... Eh..." what's his name? I can't call him "old man", that's for sure... "excuse me... But what did you do to Lord Justice? Is... Is that some kind of poison that affects the mind? That's... A terrible thing..."

taking is a free action; readying shurikens in case Ironbriar starts casting

Desril

2015-11-27, 04:16 PM

Setsuna
HP 12/40
AC 23

Distracted, by the memory of the hellknight's rather brutal demise and by the dark energy that exploded outward and lashed away at her life force just a moment ago, Setsuna fails to notice anything odd about the murderous Ironbriar whatsoever. Noticing the assault on her mind, however, is enough to spur her to action and she lunges toward the elf.

It's only Naya's concerned voice that causes her to falter in her tracks, electricity still sparking from her fist. "What do you mean?" She sounds more than a little concerned.

Sense Motive nat 1 for 10 in the OOC

Will DC 10 (1d20+5)[9] in the dice thread.

Just can't catch a break here can I?

Anyway, flavorful way of delaying. Mid-fight or no, Setsuna will stop attacking someone who's being mind controlled and try to contain them.....even if Rico is happy to bisect them :smalltongue:

jamieth

2015-11-28, 05:55 PM

Naya, Sylph Sorceress

"Can't... can't you see? He... he speaks like a madman! whatever that arrow was, it... it seems to have messed with his mind!" sylph explains, "you... you need him to confess, right? But in current state..." she shakes her head, "I don't know... I'm... not used to fighting... people... to... killing... people..." adrenaline of the fight slowly disappearing, Naya feels her legs shaking and sits on the floor, hugging her knees, and releasing the energies of the spells she held until now.

Desril

2015-11-28, 06:08 PM

Setsuna
HP 12/40
AC 23

The tiefling looks conflicted and concerned as she glances back toward Naya. She knows that it's wrong to fight the man if he's being controlled somehow, even if it was the newcomer's arrow that is messing with his mind...but her friends are in danger, and she can't stop until they're safe.

"I know it is hard, but unless he is willing to lay down arms, we can not stop until he is unconscious. Just aim to knock him out, with out killing him!"

Lunging in to strike with an electrified fist, she thinks to herself, I just wish I knew how to do so without Mae!

Resuming attack

Touch [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

1/6 thundershocks remaining

maggie_mcknife

2015-11-30, 01:02 PM

GM post

Rico

Rico's exhaustation from nearly two days of solid riding and battles seems to be finally taking its toll. Despite having dispatched Brother Butok with extreme prejudice (and with a grim mercilessness that would have impressed even a Kuthite), Rico's aim falters when it comes to striking at the aide's master. Her sword merely pierces the flowing cloth of his robes, ripping the garish material to shreds but leaving the elf's flesh itself untouched.

It would have taken a much braver being than Ironbriar to remain unmoved when confronted by a glowering, sweat-stinking, mad-eyed half-orc that was tromping down a staircase with the sole aim of skewering him like a cheap meat kebab. Though he remains upright, the Justice seems to falter in his movements, moving slowly like a man in a dream as he angles his mask downward, apparently staring dumbly at the tears in his robes as if unable to comprehend what they meant.

Justice Ironbriar is shaken for 1 round.

*****

Taladron is holding action.

*****

Naya is having a crisis of conscience.

*****

Setsuna

Despite her misgivings, it turns out that Setsuna is just as proficient with a shorter weapon woven of magical energy as with her beloved black blade. Boldly leaping at Ironbriar with every intention of shielding alike her wounded and wavering comrades, the tiefling jabs at what she hopes is the soft part of Ironbriar's belly, intending to wind him just a little.

With her fist crackling with brilliant blue lightning, however, even a light blow from the slender tiefling proves deadly. Ironbriar sheds no blood as the blade chops into his abdomen, instead abruptly spasming and twitching as his sinews dance to a different current, tiny currents of forked electricity coursing over his robes and limbs, searching for ground. Ironbriar's face remains obscured beneath his whorled mask, but for those who are watching, you can only imagine what hideous contortions must be taking place, as the Justice's sleek hair frizzles, faint plumes of dove-grey smoke rising from his clothing.

*****

Sirus (GM-bot) and Red

Sirus
Move to square in front of Ironbriar
Stunning Fist - Attack: (1d20+14)[19], Damage: (1d8+5)[6] - misses, sigh :smallsigh:

Red
Attack: (1d20+12)[32], Damage: (1d4+4)[8] plus sneak attack damage (2d6)[4]
Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+12)[17], Damage: (1d4+4)[7] - misses

Upon seeing that the others are pressing the attack, Sirus is loathe to let them take the brunt. Braving the still raw cuts and bruises in his flesh with iron discipline, he rises from his defensive crouch in the far corner of the sawmill and immediately sallies forth the instant that Setsuna strikes the corrupt Justice.

Unfortunately, sheer strength of will does not avail Sirus this time. Just as he is about to clout Ironbriar on the head, Sirus's right leg abruptly gives way, buckling under this one punishing martial exertion which proves to be one too many. Although the stolid half-orc keeps his balance and does not fall to his knees - in itself a sign of the tight control that he wields over his body - the fist that should have delivered a reeling sock to Ironbriar's jaw wavers ever so slightly, causing Sirus to miss his mark and instead swipe at the Justice's tattered robes.

On her part, Red is much more careless with the need to preserve Ironbriar's life than Naya and Setsuna, and even a failed assault on Ironbriar is all that she needs. Having limped determinedly to support Sirus on his right flank, the instant that he falls back, Red takes advantage of the opening and lunges, slashing upwards and out with her kukri. As luck would have it, she catches Ironbriar right on the throat, slicing open the jugular and spraying those of you closest to Ironbriar in a shower of hot, sticky blood.

It's not how you might have perhaps preferred this fight to end. But end it does, as Ironbriar gurgles, one hand clamped ineffectually around his throat, gesturing feebly towards Setsuna before keeling over, most of his bulk falling onto Sirus, who happens to be right in front of him.

Justice Ironbriar is now dead.

Combat is over, initiative ends.

bcool999

2015-11-30, 01:32 PM

Taladron

Sighing in slight annoyance that the Justice had died, Taladron walks down the stairs and returns Maethiler to Setsuna. He then casts a cantrip and examines the Justice for magical items as sell as making a normal search of his person.

Hopefully he had something damning on him, else we may be in for more headaches. Taladron thinks to himself as he take his time searching.

Casting Detect magic and will take 20 on perception for 25 if I can otherwise: [roll0]

Desril

2015-11-30, 09:10 PM

Setsuna

Finding herself splattered in more blood that isn't her own, Setsuna's hand starts to tremble as the electricity fizzles out and Ironbriar drops to the ground. No...no, no, no, I wasn't trying to kill him! If I'd held back more...this is my fault!

Though upset, she still tries to do what she can to stop the flow of blood, looking shocked and trying to apply pressure to the wound on the Justice's neck, "Brin-san! Heal him, hurry!" Not that it would do any good, anyone with more sense could see it would be too little too late, but good sense has never been something the tiefling possessed. Still, even she could see that it was too late by the time she asked as she moved away her blood covered hands, belatedly realizing that even if she had managed to stop the bleeding she probably would have suffocated the elf in the process.

Between the death of the Justice at a combination of her own lightning and Red's blow and the two hellknight's at Red's and Naya's hands, Setsuna does her best to not look like she's going to be sick. She could accept death when it was necessary, not everyone could be stopped with words after all, but it was always easier when it was a monster than a person, especially if it happens mere inches away from you several times in quick succession. And when you're not blaming yourself for it. This is all my fault, she silently tells herself as she accepts Maethilur from Taladron wordlessly, cradling the sheathed blade in her arms, if I'd had Mae I could've knocked them out without killing them, there was no need for it to end this way...

Setsuna is a bit...shaken from this whole thing. I'm pretty sure these are the first people she's seen die since Nualia (the assassin from earlier having been on the other side of the room when he died. Both hellknights and Ironbriar kicked the bucket while adjacent to her)

Anyway, working on custom feat details with maggie, I'll level up once that's finalized/veto'd

ProudGrognard

2015-12-01, 05:10 AM

Sirus

Seeing Ironbriar fall, Sirus slamps himself. His fighting has been barely adequate, with all the blood seeping through his wounds. But now the fight is ended. He looks at Brin, as he tries to bandage his wounds.

"Is the Goddess. Still. With you?"

After he takes care of his wounds, he says.

"We must. Be quick. Investigate. The room upstairs. And then. The Justice 's. Manor. By tomorrow. Everyone. Will know. What happened."

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-01, 09:14 AM

GM post

Taladron's Detect Magic / Anyone else who uses Detect Magic
There is nothing obviously magical about any of the Justice's belongings, save for a wand of healing spells that is mostly spent. What is far more interesting to your magically-enhanced sight, however, is the dimming haze of pink that lingers over Ironbriar's cooling body...

Spellcraft DC 21
Thank the gods that you had thought to cast this spell before its aura had dissipated with the Justice's death. For it would appear that Ironbriar had been under the effects of a powerful enchament - Charm Monster - a much more potent variation of the usual mind-affecting spell that was capable of lasting for days at a time without its target ever noticing.

It's almost enough to make you feel sorry for Ironbriar, who himself turns out to have been someone else's patsy. Then again, Charm spells ordinarily don't force their target to do anything it wasn't already predisposed to doing. Perhaps at some level, Ironbriar must have wanted to carry out all these murders and to have his weird cult going on...

As you all gather in the undermill to lick your wounds and examine the dead bodies, the voice of the remaining female Hellknight calls out from the roadside, taut with suspicion. "Hallo? I say, what's happened in there? Speak up!"

*****

Setsuna

You are upset, remarks the black blade quietly in Setsuna's mind. I was going to say that you had done very well in bringing down an elf with rotted soul, on top of showing your improved mastery of the arcane arts and your martial prowess without a sword. But I sense that now is not the best time... We shall speak of this later. When you are more settled in your heart.

*****

Those who search Ironbriar's body, as well as that of the Hellknights, find the following items:

2 +1 longswords
2 masterwork composite longbows (+3)
2 full plate mail
23 arrows
1 wand of CMW (12 charges)
1 mithral chain shirt
+1 short sword
1 masterwork hand crossbow
10 crossbow bolts (see below)
1 ugly leather mask, slightly bloodstained
1 slightly rusted iron key, wound around the shank with dirty white string
1 hide-bound book (see below)
43 gp 11 sp

For those who examine the crossbow bolts - Perception DC 14
Weighing Ironbriar's slim roll of crossbow bolts in your palm, you note that the pouch is a little heavier than normal at one end. You flick open the leather catch with your thumb and peer within the pouch to find that the pouch also contains a small glass vial filled with a viscous grey goo.

Craft (alchemy) DC 15 or Knowledge (local) DC 23
The vial, you would say based on the colouration and thickness of the substance within, likely contains a variant of drow poison. It is probably best not to open that vial unless you wish to render someone unconscious.

For those who examine the hide-bound book
The book is nondescript enough - a pocket-sized journal with a cheap cow-hide binding that is pock-mocked and greased with age. Flipping through the book, you find to your disappointment that it is filled with row upon row of what appears to be utter gibberish - odd runes and square symbols, written in the same firm, flowing hand as the warrant you'd found on the Faceless Stalker back in the Vadoma Forest.

For those who know Elven, Draconic, or Infernal
Flipping through the book again, more slowly this time, your sharp eyes begin to discern familiar alphabets and pictograms amidst the mess. This gibberish contains fragments from a language that you know - from more than one language, in fact. With some measure of growing excitement, you realise that it is more than likely that if one were to properly study the book, you would no doubt glean something valuable that Ironbriar found important enough to obfuscate in code and hide on his very person.

Such study would likely takes days, however. Perhaps even weeks. Given how there are at least three different languages mixed up in here, the book is likely in some sort of cipher and will need to be decoded if it is to be of any use to you.

*****

Red

She'd done it! Despite most of her face and upper body being drenched in a fetid mixture of brains, blood and dirt, Red can't help cracking a faint grin of satisfaction and relief through her mask of caked blood, panting as she wobbles on her good leg. She'd helped. She'd been useful. She'd killed some nasty people who'd deserved it. And she hadn't fainted this time either. Take that, jie!

Red tries to wipe some of the sticky mess off her face with the back of her wrist and merely ends up smearing more of it about. This was disgusting. Perhaps she could rinse off outside, in the river... if people still weren't trying to arrest them, that is... Or if someone had that magic spell thing for making things clean again... Still breathing heavily, she makes another ineffectual attempt to scrub her eyes before catching sight of a despondent Setsuna, who looked as if she was about to cry at any moment, and immediately, the triumphant smile fades from Red's face.

Oh.

Glancing over at the others, who seem to be preoccupied with searching the bodies or tending to their own wounds, Red gathers herself and hobbles awkardly over to the tiefling, half-dragging her injured leg and biting her lip against the pain. There was something unsettling about seeing Setsuna's pale skin splattered with so much red colour. It made things seem... more violent. Like screaming without sound. Something warm broken on ice. What was that?

Reaching the tiefling's shoulder, Red opens her mouth to say something but finds that she has no words to give. Setsuna seemed far way. As if her mind had gone wandering. (Rathi had always said at times like this, that it was best not to say anything.) Instead, she reaches for the tiefling's wrist, gently patting it with her fingers, waiting to see if Setsuna was all right.

bcool999

2015-12-01, 12:01 PM

Taladron

Keeping Ironbriar's mind control to himself for now considering some of his party member's distress, Taladron busies himself with examining the possessions of Ironbriar and his cohorts. Most are the typical items, magic arms, a wand of healing, and the like. He discovers that the crossbow bolts have a vial of Drow Poison, or a recreation thereof with them and warns the curious away. He also finds the Hide-bound book interesting. It contains fragments of Elven Draconic and Infernal by his reckoning, but the grammatical inconsistencies of merely blending those three languages together makes it incomprehensible. He would need to sit down with this later to see what the Justice was hiding. He slips the book into his satchel. With the book safely hidden, Taladron looks to the others to see if they are ready for company, and decides that ready or not, if they wish to keep the Hellknight as a potential ally they needed to avoid upsetting her by making her wait.

Taladron quickly casts a cantrip and includes everyone but Setsuna in the casting as she needed some time to recover.

"It would seem that Ironbriar was under the effects of an Enchantment and a powerful one at that. He could have been influenced for days at a time with no one being the wiser. It would be a simple matter for the enchanter, or enchantress as I believe the case may be here, to keep him ensorcelled indefinitely. Especially if he was enamored with her. This may mean that Xanesha is a powerful spellcaster, so be wary. I am going to call the Hellknight down now, so be ready if she becomes violent."

"The fighting is over now." Taladron says to the Hellknight outside, "Come down if you wish."

jamieth

2015-12-01, 12:30 PM

Naya

More violence? certainly it was the last thing they needed now... and the rest of the wizard's message was worse, if that was possible. Hardly noticing the assortment of, almost certainly valuable and likely enchanted, trophies, Naya slowly forces herself to her feet and approaches the Tien woman.
"I... didn't want it either..." she says quietly, "I... never killed... a person... before..."

Miraqariftsky

2015-12-01, 01:13 PM

Rico, utterly exhausted

"BLEGH! Pweh-pweh!" As Red's mighty blow carves into Ironbriar's neck and arterial blood fountains, Rico twitches her arms to shield her face, but still some get through. Forced to spit and wipe at her mouth, then claw for her long-untouched hip flask and take a quick swig, she then thrusts it at Red with a grim nod and a triumphant squeeze of her shoulder. "HAAH-HAAAARRRR! GOODJOB, Red, well-done."

When the corrupt Justice falls, the halforc constable kicks him and growls, "You dead yet, ya bugger? HRMPH. Betta make sure." Out of habit, out of pragmatism, with two swift strokes, she skewers his heart, then hacks off his head.

How many had it been, now? Nualia, the undead, the demons, the sinspawn, those shapeshifting whatchamacallits... Just making sure.

While flicking the gore from her trusty sword, then using a clump of grass to clean off the rest, Rico suddenly hears Setsuna's panicked raving. Slowly sheathing her weapon, she raises a fist, then extends her index finger...

...and then wavers. And staggers. Blinking furiously as, through a haze of pain and anger and frustration and exhaustion, sees that something's not entirely right with Setsuna. "MAAMBRIN. Please. Healfirst. Themwot. Mostneedst. ...And. Don'tworry. GWAHW. Boutme. I'mjust. Tired. Frakkin' tired."

Her pointing hand now groggily jotting at a point above the two warrior women's heads, Rico garbles out, "Yahhh. Teeeehhhhhk. Keeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhrrrrrr."

"Grah. Nrr. Gfffhhh." Still fighting the sudden wave of nausea and numbness, her vision swimming, one hand gropes groping for her waterskin, the other clawing, massaging at her temples in vain. Rico waves the younger Hellknight over, sways on her feet, regains her balance, and flashes her a thumbs-up.

Suddenly, Rico keels over, blacked out. Drooling. Snoring.

Desril

2015-12-01, 02:34 PM

Setsuna

Red wasn't wrong in thinking Setsuna was far away from here. Lost in her own thoughts and unwelcome memories of the reason she was here, she didn't notice the others begin looting, or Taladron's simple spellcast. A burning home, a face that couldn't smile at her anymore, all because of her. Now the blood of three more who didn't deserve to die was on her hands as well.

It's Red's touch coupled with Rico's practical, if short-sighted and savage, butchering of the Justice's body that snaps her back to the present with a start. Not trusting herself to speak, she looks up anxiously at Naya's approach and wants to say something, but Red wasn't wrong when she thought Setsuna looked close to tears. Ultimately, all she can do is pull the red-head into a sudden, and tight, embrace, needing something comforting to keep her mind from latching on to all of the negative emotions. No matter how bad things looked, Red was alive. Hurting, maybe, but alive, and that was what she needed to focus on.

jamieth

2015-12-01, 03:07 PM

Naya

Naya stepped back, acknowledging Setsuna's apparent wish to be left alone - or, well, alone with the red-headed woman who, apparently, went simply as "Red". There will be time for talking later... for now, though, there was one more Hellknight to deal with, wasn't there? And this time, without anyone dying.

Not that she could do much about it, not knowing much about the situation... well, the best she could do was probably to make the group make at least a slightly better - or, rather, less horrendous - sight when it comes to talks.

Sighing, she whispered a short spell, one that took almost no effort at all, and started metodically waving her hand, willing all the grime, mud and, most importantly, blood to be swept away from her new companions' clothing and skin.

While we have some prep time, casting Prestidigitation to clean up a bit

Bhaakon

2015-12-02, 04:48 AM

Brin

"That was not one of my better plans." Brin mutters to no one in particular. "'Trust the Hellknights. They're mental about purging the corrupt. No way they've been bouth. Blah, blah, blah.'" She mocks her own arguments as she walks over to retrieve her bow and quiver. "Next time I want to give advice, I either read my card first, or read the lees at the bottom of a tankard."

By this time she's produced the wand and begun parceling out its charges to those in need. At least until she catches sight of Rico butchering Ironbriar's corpse. "Hey. HEY!" She shouts. "What are you doing? And in front of a Pharasmin!" She pounds down the stairs and sticks a wagging finger right in the burly constable's face. "I know that turd was murdering cultist, but you don't chop up a body just because you don't like him. All the dead get some dignity, you hear? Human, elf, good, bad...it don't matter."

"Besides, we might have wanted to question that corpse later. You know, if it were whole. How do you expect a it to talk if the lungs don't attach to the mouth? Ugh. Maybe if we stitch the head back on real careful."

Who needs heals? Claim as many charges as you need, and I'll cross them off here and in my inventory:

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]
[roll13]

Miraqariftsky

2015-12-02, 05:42 AM

uuunnngghh...

gaaaarrrrr...

hhaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrr...

Groaning like one of the walking dead she'd been trying to prevent, Rico stirs from her unexpected slumber. Blinking furiously, she cradles her head in both hands.

Sitting up, still groggy, but ears already twitching, listening to Brin's sermon even while the rest of her battered body still labours to catch up, she stews in the aches of the midnight ride and the suddenly absent sweat.

Not Brin good plan ... Hellknights... Purging corrupt... Advice... Doing... Pharasmin... Murderer... Chopper... Like... Dignity... Question the corpse...

grarrrrrgggghhhh...

QUESTION THE CORPSE?! THAT"S POSSIBLE?! Rico's ears sudden stand straight as can be, her eyes jolting open. And then she recalls the aftermath of the faceless stalkers' ambush and the subsequent corpse-questioning. Her face flushing at the forgetfulness and the probably-crucial mistake, Rico groans again. And then she gives herself a good slap across the face, both as waker-upper and castigation.

Groaning, standing, she ticks off fingers at Brin, saying slowly, "One: Migh' not've been good as good, but it DID enable us ta owdflakk a powerful foe, as well as actually NOT-kill one of 'em. An' tha's good. Two: SORRY. Wazznt a matter o' likin', just makin' sure he ain't comin' back as a dedder. Again: sorreh. Three: I... er... yeah, sorreh. My fault. I =forgot= y'could actually DO that corpse-questionin' thing. Four: Borrow some bellows from a smithy hereabouts, as a lung-substitute or whatnot. Five: Where th' HELL are we holin' up at? I needs me a kip."

Bhaakon

2015-12-02, 07:32 AM

Brin

"B...Bellows?" Brin blinks and gapes incredulously. In a perverse corner of her mind she wanted to see if that would work. Not enough to further desecrate the corpse, but...Damnit. Knock off the blasphemous thoughts. There are important things to do right now. Stupid responsibilities.

She shakes her head, clearing it. "I mean, apology accepted. Hate calling them back like that anyway. Saved me a headache, maybe. We were sleeping in Taladron's Aunt's place, but I think we'll be getting a private room after this. Not sure yet whether it'll be an suite at an inn or a cell in the gaol, though."

Brin cranes her neck to shout back up at the remaining Hellknight. "You're paying attention to make sure all this evidence is genuine, right?" She calls up. "Just your bad luck that you were working for some kinda evil priest. No goodly, law-abiding folk in Magnimar would be seen throwing off that undead-feeding black energy like it was nothing. Maybe in Cheliax, but these parts? Even those who can do it are usually smart enough not to."

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-02, 09:31 AM

Red

Really low on HP here, so going to claim all but the last 6 of those rolls. I think you need to make more rolls, Bhaakon. Sorry!

Red didn't generally like people being so close to her like this, especially if she hadn't mentally prepared herself for it before it happened. People could hurt you, being close to you. She was hurting right now, in fact, with Setsuna clasping her cracked ribs and bruises like that.

It is difficult to take a deep breath, given how tightly Setsuna is holding on to her. Still, Red manages to ease an arm free, gently ruffling the tiefling's hair and stroking it with the edge of her palm. It was like how Kitten had used to bite and scratch her when it was small, because it was scared. That was all right. Was Setsuna scared too, then? But of what?

Taladron's message answers that for her. Red closes her eyes for a moment, feeling Setsuna trembling ever so slightly against her chest. Maybe Setsuna was sad again, like with Nualia. But how to tell her that some people didn't deserve to be sad over? Red sighs, then winces as a fresh pang shoots through her jaw. "Setsuna... We... should... see. Miss Brin. Can you help... me?"

*****

GM post

For anyone who bothers to crane their neck outside of the sawmill to check on what's happening with the last Hellknight, it is to see Irini hovering at the top of the staircase with her sword drawn, a frantic yet frustrated scowl on her face. "Say what you like, I'm not going in there. I'm not stupid, you know! You all come out! I've sent a message to the City Watch and a patrol is on their way, so you'd better not try anything funny! What have you done to His Grace? Hisam, are you there?"

Desril

2015-12-03, 01:41 AM

Setsuna

It takes her a second to register what Red said, but when she does she slowly breaks off the embrace and nods to her. Right...she was injured pretty badly, I need to make sure she's going to be okay, she tells herself, confirming the plan helping to keep her mind focused.

My legs feel stiff, but she ignores it as best she can while she stands and helps Red to her feet as well, doing her best to support her in silence as they limp over toward the cleric to tend their wounds.

Bhaakon

2015-12-03, 02:55 AM

"Try anything funny? When I want to be funny, I'm funny. There is no 'try.'" Brin mutters to herself after the reluctant Hellknight's response.

"Whatever. Who else needs help? I think there are still some uses left in this wand...plus there's the ones we found on the cultists. If you'd just..." Brin finally has a look inside the sawmill basement and begins gaping. Their little band--despite being reinforced by the spritely waif and that dirty old man--had nearly been ground to mincemeat. "Nevermind. I'll come to you. Er...you should probably hold that coiling, sausage-looking bit off the floor until I get over there. Just let me see to this sucking chest wound first..." She moves between the injured as quickly as she can, plying the wands liberally.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-03, 11:35 AM

GM post

With all of you ignoring Irini and simply going about your business of patching each other up and searching for evidence on Ironbriar's person, it is no wonder that the young Hellknight's expression grows distinctly sourer and more worried by the minute. As Brin and Rico had discovered only a little while ago, the young half-elf is a stickler for protocol. It is likely that nothing in her beloved law-tome has quite prepared her for having possibly sent her commanding officer and comrades, guilty of other crimes though they might be, off to their deaths. Unwilling to enter a situation of obvious tactical disadvantage, she moves from foot to foot at the top of the stairs, every now and then shooting a glance over her shoulder or screeching furiously at an unseen audience of curious halflings, who seem to have reemerged, to get lost for their own safety.

Eventually, for those of you keeping a watchful eye on what's going on outside, there seems to be some sort of commotion outside as you catch flashes of bright armour through the thicket of bushes lining the river bank, with hoarse voices bellowing instructions and the nervous equine whinnying. It would seem that the promised reinforcements from the City Watch have arrived in quick time. Certainly, if you had had it in mind to escape the sawmill or slip away unnoticed, the time for that is now past.

A few moments later comes the creaking of wooden planks and the heavy tramp of feet as the Watch make their way down into the undermill without hesitation. The first person through the doors of the undermill is a stout Varisian woman with a weather-beaten face and a crooked nose, silver beads plaited into her dark hair and a glaive of prodigious size clenched in one fist. Apparently unfazed by the carnage of mangled cultist bodies nor your scruffy bloodstained visages, she motions casually to those behind her with two crooked fingers. At the gesture, half a dozen younger men and women with drawn swords immediately hurry through the door, each one dressed in the same blue dyed studded leathers and with the city's coat of arms - the Arvensoar angel and slain serpent of Magnimar - embossed over their hearts. This coterie is followed by Hellknight Irini herself, whom understandably seems the most distressed at the sight of Justice Ironbriar's decapitated body and the fallen forms of her recent comrades.

"Greta! Hisam! Oh gods... By the Measure..." Tugging on one of her braids and winding it about her fist, Irini hurries over straight to where Hisam's dead body lies still half submerged. A stricken expression on her face, she grabs hold of his stiffening arm and attempts to haul his bulk out of the water - a futile endeavour at best, given how slippery the floor is with water and blood.

As for the stout Varisian woman, she surveys the room with a calm air of authority, those of you closest to her noticing the captain's armband wound around her brawny arm and the faded scars on her brow. Then, catching sight of Rico, she grins and offers a brief nod of acknowledgement. "Hah. Constable Rico. I hadda inkling that it might've been you raising nine kinds of hell in my fine city when the pigeon came in with news of a big orc-blood claiming authorisation from Sandpoint. Care to explain what's going on around here before I needa start cracking heads and busting 'caps for some answers about why I've gotta room fulla deadders?" The captain's voice is cheerful, yet restrained with wariness as she eyes the lot of you up and down. "You. And you." She jerks her chin in Red and Sirus's direction, quirking faded eyebrows. "You were with Sheriff Hemlock helping out during that goblin incursion at the Swallowtail Fest last month, weren't you?"

Knowledge (local) DC 15 - no need to roll if you're Taladron
This hardbitten Watch woman can only be Captain Acacia "Big Bear" Uriana, head of the City Watch herself. Known for her no-nonsense bludgeon-to-the-noggin approach, as much as her skill with the glaive, the Big Bear is much admired among law-abiding Magnimarians and the Watch for her bravery in battle, fairness in commanding, and ferocity in defending the City. She was recently in Sandpoint to assist in beefing up security when the goblins, under the crazed Nualia, had attempted to invade and raze the town.

bcool999

2015-12-04, 12:45 PM

Taladron

"Captain Uriana," Taladron says with a short bow of respect, "As you say, most of our group (with the exceptions of two rather recent additions) worked with Sheriff Hemlock. Recently, the Sheriff asked us to find the culprit behind a spree of ritualistic murders that have occured in Sandpoint, we found the perpetrator Aldern Foxglove and put an end to the killings, though evidence of a cult movement in Magnimar being responsible for the killings was found. A short time later, an attempt was made to steal the evidence in that case, and the man who had committed the murders was seen walking about very much alive despite the state we had left him in, so a plan was made to lure this fake out and the evidence was taken out of storage to be transported to Magnimar for 'safekeeping'. The plan worked and we were ambushed by Night Scale assassins accompanied by a Faceless Stalker who could have easily impersonated Aldern. A writ on the corpse of the Stalker gave Aldern the ability to act with Justice Ironbriar's authority which linked the Justice to the cult, the fact that we were wanted criminals before even entering Magnimar also led credence to the Justice's corruption. After investigating Aldern's townhouse, which was mostly emptied already save for a few more assassins (gnolls this time), we discovered that this very sawmill we stand in now was owned and ran by the very cultists we believe responsible for the killings in both Sandpoint and here in Magnimar. So we came here searching for more evidence to clear our names. What we found was a rather large group of cultists and a battle ensued, we kept one alive for questioning, but during the battle, Ironbriar was called and came with his Hellknight entourage to stop us. The result you see before you."

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-05, 05:46 AM

GM post

As Taladron patiently relates the tale that had brought you all to Magnimar in detail, a watch officer with a nodding cerulean plume on his peaked helmet comes hurrying up to Captain Uriana's side, whispering a quick aside into her ear before thrusting into her hands the hollow dagger and the incriminating warrant within that Rico had previously given to Irini. Giving her subordinate a curt nod of thanks, the Captain scans the note and frowns to herself as she reads. Once Taladron is done, the Captain purses her lips, giving the "results" scattered around the undermill floor a sour glance.

"Yeah. I can certainly see that you lot haven't held back. Us Watch folks had picked up a lil' about the Foxglove case - your Sheriff's policy to keep the big city fellas appraised, see - but word hadn't made it to the street jes' yet. An impersonator or a dozen going around wearing the man's face and name would have been most definitely troubling," she remarks dryly, vaguely waving the faux dagger about to indicate the various dead bodies lying broken and crumpled about the room. "Stalkers rising outta the sewers, wouldn't be the first time neither. But after what you've said about his Grace..."

Looking down at Ironbriar's headless corpse, the Captain makes a face, screwing up her eyes and sticking out her tongue as she nudges the elf's shoulder with an iron-capped toe. "I've no lost love for this black-hearted bastard here. Gods know, he ain't hadda compassionate bone in his body. Would've sentenced kiddos to hang for petty thievery if he coulda. But having his Grace alive to answer for this woulda made your tale a whole lotta easier to swallow, know what I'm saying? How's he gonna confess to all this without his damn noggin?!"

ProudGrognard

2015-12-05, 09:10 AM

Sirus

Sirus is content to tend his wounds and let others do the talking. His mind is preoccupied on how he can get to the upstairs door. This was the whole plan after all.

bcool999

2015-12-05, 01:45 PM

Taladron

Reaching into his Satchel, Taladron pulls out the Hide-bound book and presents it to the Captain. "This may provide some answers, it is a journal I found on Ironbriar's person, it appears to be written in a combination of Draconic, Elven and Infernal, and ciphered besides. I was planning on breaking the cipher in a day or two when I found the time, but if it means clearing our names, I do not mind handing it over."

Desril

2015-12-05, 02:51 PM

Setsuna

Though still far from okay, between being healed up, and more importantly watching Red be restored to health, along with Taladron's reminder of why they were here and that, even if it wasn't what she wanted, stopping them was the right thing to do. It was enough of a reminder, at least, to get her to break her silence and, noticing Sirus glancing toward the stairs, to tell him in a hushed, cracking voice, "We found a key, did we not? Maybe there is something upstairs that it opens."

Then, turning to Red, she whispers quietly, asking "Are you going to be okay?" I should talk to...Naya? She looked upset too...and I was... she frowns, realizing that she turned away the girl when she needed help.

jamieth

2015-12-05, 03:30 PM

Naya listens to the wizard's explanations with all her attention; after all, for her, pretty much all of it is as much a news as to the Watch Captain. And at least Captain's last words somewhat reassure her; Ironbriar, at least, sounds like someone who... deserved it? His knights, however... was their only fault being loyal?

"Excuse me..." she approaches the Watch Captain, "could you tell me... those other two... do you know know what kind of people they were?"

Miraqariftsky

2015-12-06, 12:40 AM

HRR-nrr-HRR-gzz-NGSzzSzzz-NGRR-gzzzz...

Despite the incoming cavalcade and the renewed commotion, by some dint of exhaustion, Rico stands there, half-hunched, hand-on-hilt but gormless and drooling. And snoring while standing.

...NOGGIN?!

"WHOWHICHWHAT?! WAAAaauuug... ...gwaugh... waitasec. Uggghhhh..." At Uriana's exclamation Rico suddenly startles awake once again, stumbling, tottering, blinking furiously and almost laying into whoever is the closest poor damn bugger to her position.

bgwaaugh... She yawns again, sags... then slaps herself awake once again with a ham-like hand.

PITIFUL. After all that training. Day in, day out, how long did you run and ride and swim? How many swords and spears and hammers and shields did you break in training? And a simple day-long ride does you in? Pathetic. GET. UP. LITTLE. GIRL. GEHHDDUPP!

Inwardly growling at her old master's voice wracking her once again, Rico's ears perk up, nostrils flaring as she sees Captain Uriana and her cohort. With a clank and a groan and a squart of sweat, she hauls out a salute despite her leaden limbs and says, "Ma'am. Uh... yeah. Wot he sedd, dassright.

...erm, and sorry 'bout that. Mebbe we can stick a bellows in his throat?"

Thanking Brin as the orcblood's slight neck wound is seen to, she asks, "Everybody else healed up? Red an' Hellgirl, they good?"

The passing of a comrade. In violent circumstances. And you being unable to help. Dammit. Am I gettin' soft here? TCH!

Cultist scum, aye. But that don't mean ye weren't people. And you, duped by yer scum-ass superiors, Irini. Tsk. Spotting Irini struggling with Hisam's body, Rico's gaze narrows, her ears twitching. "KOFF. Scuse me, ma'am." She sighs and tromps over, her hooked lance shouldered, squats opposite the young Hellknight and says, with open hands, "Hey. Fer wot it's worth, I'm sorry fer yer comrade's loss."

"If you want my help fishing him out, I can..." Rico grates uncertainly, but forges on. "...but iffen ye don't, here, at least take this ta make the job easier."

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-06, 08:45 AM

GM post

Captain Uriana squints dubiously at the journal, but waves her hand in dismissal when Taladron offers to turn it over. "You the one Sheriff Hemlock's gang hadda fish out of that goblin nest, huh? You hold onna that first. Not as though I could crack that nut. I'll come back to you when I want a translation. And I'll remember you said you had it, front of all these witnesses, so I've got my eye on you."

When it is Naya's turn to raise a question, the Captain gives her a quizzical look, clearly unimpressed with its naivete. "Um, they're Hellknights, ain't they? Not under my juris-diction. Can't help you there, missy. And ye gods and goddesses, no! You aren't sticking no bellows into a corpse neck, woman! Have some respect for that deadders, yeah? 'sides, that's evidence there. You're not tampering with that." The Captain's gruff reply to Naya trails off into a half-shout of horrified amusement, causing some of the surrounding deputies to snigger though not unkindly. "All the same, Constable. If you be rolling that noggin this way, I'll get someone to send a pigeon for one of the nearest Goldie priest to cast the needful spell. Mouth's still intact, so he shoulda be able to chat, methinks."

As for Hellknight Irini, she gives Rico a sharp, withering glance, but nods her acceptance of the offer. Together, they manage to wrangle Hisam's corpse back out of the water, where it flops over, exposing Hisam's face, frozen in a ghastly snarl with his teeth showing. "Ugh. It- it's fine. Wasn't close to him... nor Greta. She was always a snot about armour inspection and all." Irini sniffs and scowls, thumbing an invisible speck of dust from the end of her nose. "Just... just damn it, you know? I worked my keister off for this assignment. This was supposed to be my big break. Being attached to a Justice... only the best recruits get selected for this apprenticeship. Less than a day and I let his Grace die on my watch? Guess there's worse ways to get sent back to Korvosa without earning my lance," she mutters sourly, sitting back on the wet floor with a resigned but bitter expression on her face.

Meanwhile, another of Captain Uriana's deputies has come in to make a report, causing the Captain to raise an eyebrow and peer over in your direction.

"My girl here says there's a locked room upstairs on the third floor. I could call for a smith to bust it open, but you say you've gotta key?"

*****

Red

"I am all right. I will be fine... See?" Red gingerly massages the newly healed spot on her throat, still not daring to raise her voice back to normal volume. All the same, she gives Setsuna's hand a friendly squeeze of reassurance. "Help the others too."

jamieth

2015-12-07, 04:29 PM

Naya

"B-but, Ironbriar was a madman, and a high-ranked member of some kind of evil cult... surely this should be a reason to reconsider your actions?" Naya asks Irini hopefully, "That... that is if we manage to gather enoug evidence... the locked room, right... I'll go with you; I'm mostly out of zap, to tell the truth, but I just won't be able to sleep if I don't see it all to the end..."

ProudGrognard

2015-12-08, 03:23 AM

Sirus

Getting up, still severely wounded, Sirus points at the key.

"The door. Upstairs. Must be. Opened. There. Is. Something hidden. There."

Bhaakon

2015-12-08, 05:05 AM

Brin

"Oh, right." Brin responds to Sirus's reminder of the locked upper reaches of the mill. "Let me just get you back on your feet first, in case there are more surprises up there." She uses up the last of the group's old wand and fishes out one of the one recently salvaged from the dead cultists, plying it until Sirus is fully healed.

Once everyone is healthy to Brin's satisfaction, she follows them up to check the locked door--assuming the guard captain allows it.

So Setsuna, Taladron, Rico, Red, and Sirus have been helped. Anyone else need healing? These are still a few charges left in that OOC post.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-08, 09:20 AM

GM post

Irini shoots Naya a withering glare, something of the iron-clad arrogance that Brin and Rico had witnessed outside once more descending on the Hellknight as she draws up her shoulders and stares coldly at Naya. "With all due respect, missy, I'd advise you to shut it. What do you know about the Hellknights just exactly?" Thrusting out her chin, Irini bangs a clenched fist over her heart, right above the prowed horns of the demon skull etched on her breastplate, practically hissing through her teeth. "We stand for justice! We stand for law! And if we have to battle with devils to bring an end to chaos and corruption, then so be it! You would do well to hold your tongue, missy. Cultist or not, 'tis known by all that his Grace Ironbriar sent countless lawbreakers to their rightful place on the gallows and the gaol. If he turns out to be criminal himself, then so be it, you have given him his due as representatives of Sandpoint Watch. But you will not denigrate the Order that saved my city!"

Over in her corner of the room, Captain Uriana pricks up her ears at the sounds of an argument brewing but wisely elects to remain out of it. The politics involved in further riling a Hellknight potentially in trouble with the law was beyond her pay roll. "Come then. To this locked room. And don't forget that key," she remarks blandly, waving those of you willing to head upstairs towards the door as if nothing was going on at all.

*****

Only PCs who have recently posted will be assumed to have intentions of going up to the locked room.

The workshop on the third floor (D6) is nearly as Sirus had seen it while on his scouting mission, with a thick layer of sawdust strewn about the floor and multiple workbenches cluttered with woodworking tools. Given the mess, it is difficult to tell whether the sawdust has become more flurried in the wake of the cultists' preparation for your arrival.

But been here they must have been, for a grisly sight awaits your group in the middle of the floor - the lame cat that you'd abandoned in a bid to catch the Night Scale snipers in the other sawmill. The half-elf cultist that Red had crossed blades with hadn't been lying. The cat - if the flayed, beheaded mess of blood and bone can still be called a cat - has been butchered, with most of its hide ripped off its face like wet onion-paper. The half-orc deputy who'd remained up here to await your arrival, whom it seems has been attempting to bury what's left of the cat under some sawdust, looks up solemnly as you step out the stairwell, unable to quite disguise the grimace on his face.

"Wighto." The deputy salutes as Captain Uriana emerges, his long tusk-like incisors forcing him to lisp. "Was jus tryin' ter mek de lil' wun decent-like, ti din seem wight, lyin dere liddat..."

The Captain nods almost wearily, barely gracing the tiny body with more than a dismissive glance. "At ease, Constable Magotar. You're free to do as you please when the case is closed, just don't be burying the evidence 'fore we've had a chance to document it, hm? Now why don't you show these ladies and gentlemen here to that locked door that Constable Radinia was just tellin' me about?"

As the Captain gestures with the bladed end of her halberd, Constable Magotar immediately lumbers into action, beckoning all of you forward to the locked room in the southeast corner of the workshop (D7). For the one holding the key, you find to your surprise that despite Sirus's report of the door being magically warded, the key turns easily enough in the lock. It would seem that the room was designed to be accessible only by Ironbriar himself and once you have pushed the doors open, it is easy to see why.

A musty odour hits you with the force of a slap in the face as you take your first tentative look into the gloom behind the locked doors. This cramped room had once been an office of sorts - the high-backed chair, locker, and desk shoved against one wall make that much clear. The array of human faces hanging on the wall, however, are most certainly not your typical office furniture. All three walls of the room are filled from floor to ceiling with these macabre decorations - each face stretched flat over wooden frames by strips of leather or black twine. There isn't much light to see by in here and that somehow makes things worse, each eyeless face seeming to grimace in its own unique paroxysm of pain, looking sightlessly down on you with their lips sewn shut.

Perhaps you'd wondered before. Perhaps you hadn't. Regardless, you now know the true reason why those who style themselves as children of Norgorber hail their patron as Father Skinsaw - they literally saw the skin off their victim's faces.

Perception DC 13
Holding in your nausea, you manage to spot the faint outline of a trapdoor in the ceiling, cleverly disguised by the natural cracks and ridges in the wooden planks. If you had a ladder or sat on Rico's shoulders, you could probably reach it without any problem.

The locker in this room is sealed. Roll Disable Device DC 15 or Strength DC 17 to break open.

*****

Map
http://i.imgur.com/JY6X4Yt.jpg

bcool999

2015-12-08, 11:51 PM

Taladorn

Taking in the Justice's rather macabre office, Taladron rolls his eyes and has two thoughts. The first thought being, Well they certainly didn't even bother to be subtle about their misdeeds. I think we are safely off the hook now and we can stop this sneaking around nonsense. The second thought was that there seemed to be an odd shape on the ceiling during that eye-roll.

"Looks like we have yet to arrive at the top floor." Taladron says as he points to the trapdoor located in the ceiling. "Whatever lies beyond that door, we should be cautious. They have obviously cast aside any pretext of innocence beyond this room. As grisly as this room may be, even worse may lie ahead."

Perception (rolled OOC): [15]

Bhaakon

2015-12-09, 12:15 AM

Brin

"By the spiral." Brin mutters as she enters to room full of flayed faces. Ignoring the Catpain's prohibition against disturbing the evidence, she draws her dagger and begins cutting the faces off their stretchers. There wasn't a dignified way to do this really, so she just starts stacking them. Matching them with bodies their would probably be impossible now, just like those fouls masks they'd pulled off the cultists. Brin hates to admit it, but she might have to deal with some of those stuffy 'orthodox' Pharasmin to deal with this.

"Any doubt that we're in the right now?" She asks, bitterly.

jamieth

2015-12-09, 01:06 AM

Naya

"I'm sorry, Lady... I... I didn't mean to..." the sylph squeaked after having been lectured byb the remaining Hellknight and followed the others to the upper floors.

And regretted that immediately as the locked room was opened, stepping back struggling to contain herbreakfast. Come on, girl... you saw worse in the tomb of... Yes, but that stuff was ancient. This here...

Can't run away, still. Need to see it to the end...

"We... need to open that door anyway. If someone would lift me up there..."

Desril

2015-12-09, 09:17 PM

Setsuna

The tiefling wasn't one to shy away from danger, but she hadn't fully recovered and there was nothing dangerous about the skin-masks, save for the danger of losing one's lunch, so when Setsuna entered the room, it was obvious that she wasn't happy about being there and clearly wanted nothing more than to leave. She didn't even have the presence of mind to offer to help Brin gather up the grisly evidence and could only wait quietly while someone with more lifting strength than she helped Naya reach the hidden trap door in the ceiling.

"Why...why would anyone do this? It just...makes no sense..."

Bhaakon

2015-12-10, 12:45 AM

Brin

"Some people are just...wrong." Brin answers Setsuna's question a little more acerbically than she would if she wasn't busy scraping people's faces off stretchers. "They need to be put down, not given a bump on the head and a stern talking-to."

ProudGrognard

2015-12-10, 12:48 AM

Sirus

Sirus' eyes widen for a split second before his inexpressivenes reasserts itself. He knew what Norborger was about, but knowinga nd seeing are not the same thing. He pauses for a moment and then turns to the constable. He does not say anything but his stare, somewhat tiredly, seems to ask.

Do you see now?

Tired or not, his eyes pick a small gap where there shouldn't be any. He points to the trapdoor.

"There"

Desril

2015-12-10, 12:56 AM

Setsuna

Frowning, the tiefling can't help but wonder deep down if maybe the Pharasmin was right. But still she shakes her head. "It still is not right. Maybe just talking to them would not have been enough, but they still did not need to die."

bcool999

2015-12-10, 01:07 AM

Taladron

"Let's see if they even bothered to lock the door." Taladron says as he pulls a small brass key out of his component pouch and points it at the door before twisting it and whispering "Open" in elven.

Casting Open/Close on the trapdoor to open it. Should work assuming it is not locked and weighs less than 30lbs.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-10, 12:25 PM

GM post

Captain Uriana and the small gaggle of deputies that remain upstairs had followed your group over to the locked room. While most of the deputies look shocked and nauseated, with one willowy recruit actually backing away with a distinctly green tint to his pale complexion, the Captain herself seems collected enough, despite the odd twitching in the corners of her mouth.

"Wouldn't ha' figured his Grace to have his own private house of horrors," she observes with almost maddening calmness, tapping her chin. "Still, one never knows and it just goes to show. Constable Magotar, start keeping record. Recruit Yevin, if you're gonna hurl, take it outside. And once you're done clearing your tum-tum, get a pigeon off to the Tower to tell the folks down in Alchemy and Homicide that we're gonna need a team down here to do some body-matching and case-matching and- hey. HEY! You there!"

Having realised that Brin was taking down the face-skins, the Captain flares her nostrils and bangs the end of her halberd on the floor, jabbing a meaty finger in the elf's direction. "Mitts off the evidence! You just siddown and let my boy Magotar do his damn job, THEN you do your priesting. Or I'll chain and toss you in the clink 'long with that live perp you got tied up below, and I don't care if you're Pharasma herself incarnated into the body of some weed-elf."

In the confines of the small room, the Captain's voice is near deafening and there is little doubt that she has the means to carry out her threat if she so chooses. Over her shoulder, the half-orc deputy who had been tasked to do the recording holds up a well-gnawed stubby pencil and a massive dog-eared ledger, waving hopefully at Brin to catch her attention. "Miz Preest? Iffer cud hav jesta few mooments? Ter tek doon wut's ere... Den we ken mek all dese poor deadders decent. Say de wight wordsa peece?"

Those of you who aren't distracted by the grisly wall decorations or the potential squabble over the proper method for handling the remains of the dead involved in a criminal investigation, however, are just in time to see the trapdoor above swing up and back, thudding dully as it reaches the extent of its hinge. It is difficult to make out what exactly is up there, though from where you are, you can see that it appears to be a sort of small alcove, lit by beams of sunlight that stream in from narrow windows.

Perception DC 17
In between all the shouting going on in the room, you can just about make out the faint sound of wings flapping and whirring in the alcove above - almost like bats or pigeons in a chapel belfry. You can't see anything moving about, but you're willing to bet that there's definitely something small and avian up there.

The locker in this room is still sealed. Roll Disable Device DC 15 or Strength DC 17 to break open.

*****

Red

That elf - that cultist - he'd spoken the truth. He'd really-

Red kneels quietly in the sawdust in the workshop, her head spinning a little as she clamps her head between her hands and tries to think.

The faces inside the room were awful. They were terrible. She knew they were. She also knew she ought to be sick and angry about all those people killed by Ironbriar and his mad cultists, but for some reason, she wasn't. And she could only think about that damned cat. Yeah, it'd been a sorry excuse for a cat, starved and wounded as it'd been. But it'd been alive just a while ago. Warm in her hands. It had a chance, even a small one-

Don't like it? But that's what we did. Cut it from ear t'ear, tore its face off...

Feelin' dizzy yet, tiny?

'n that's how we do...

Raking her fingers through her short hair, Red squeezes her eyes shut and clenches her fists, bile rising in her constricting throat. He'd almost done it to her, too. Killed her. Tore her face off. Was that how all the others in that room had died too? With this bad elf making fun of them? Like how her father had sometimes-

She can't stop herself. Her eyes find the pile of crushed meat and fur, all the sawdust that the half-orc constable had tried to pile on all caked to the blood. Poor baby. It must have been so frightened. And all those poor people whose faces were stretched up there on the walls...

The tears burn as they roll down her cheeks and drip off the end of her nose.

*****

Map
http://i.imgur.com/AvGPc8v.jpg

golentan

2015-12-11, 12:03 AM

Simatzu

The old man, having been left largely alone and apparently essentially overlooked, begins humming to himself off key as he begins shucking his clothes after he has had some friendly magic applied and taken several minutes to recover his breath. "Sorry, just a moment," he says, using some water from the wheel to scrub himself of blood, then redonning his clothing and assembling his weaponry from where Brin left it, cleaning and sharpening each blade that was so much as drawn before placing it back in its appropriate hiding place, apparently a little ritual of his. In his native tongue he recites a little nursery rhyme.

"The farmers tend the fields and reap the heads of wheat..." as he works on the Kamas... all the way to, "And the hangman's noose if he's not quick will slip his own neck!" as he ties the kusarigama as a belt and dons his sleeves once more to make his clothes appear like a simple farmer's outfit.

"Gods save me, I'm getting too old for this nonsense... Oh hell, if I want to catch up with them there'll be stairs. Raggum-fraggum..." he says as he starts climbing. "Where the hell did I drop my walking stick?"

Desril

2015-12-11, 11:39 PM

Setsuna

Having been too lost in fighting her own guilt at what happened downstairs, Setsuna was even less observant than her usual oblivious self and at first glance failed to even notice the flayed mass that used to be a gangrenous feline, but as Red falls to her knees the tiefling snaps back to reality. I can deal with what happened later...it can't be changed, but I need to be strong for the others.

Telling herself that, she tries to put the bloody mess out of her mind as she takes a knee beside Red and gently turns her away from the cat when the rogue begins to cry. "Look at me...there was nothing we could do. It is sad...it deserved better than this...but if we had done nothing those halflings would have been killed. And the people who did this..." she tries to not look upset, but does need to take a breath, "the people who did this can never hurt anyone, or any thing, else, ever again. So do not cry. We can not change the past, but you helped make the future better."

Bhaakon

2015-12-12, 12:18 AM

Brin

It takes some effort to bite her tongue after being dressed down by the idiot captain, who seriosuly needs to get her priorities in order, but Brin manages to fume in silence for a few moments until the clearly more intelligent Mr. Magotar asks for her aid.

"Of course, officer, it would be my duty and my pleasure to see to the dead at your request." She ignores the captain as she digs her battered copy of The Bones Land in A Spiral from her pack and leafs through to the heavily dogeared section on burial rites at the back of the book. "Yes, I think this third liturgy would be most appropriate. The portion on the thoroughness and finality of The Lady's judgement..."

Miraqariftsky

2015-12-13, 03:33 AM

Psshht. BELLOWS. Hah-ha-ha-ha-hahaha! The damned tiredness must really be messing with Rico's noggin already. Even as she respectfully nods to the chastisement, she lowers her gaze deeply, letting her hat's shadow obscure the wicked smirk cutting across her scarred face. She shakes her head then, reinstating her standard issue scowl.

Touching her brim and awkwardly thumping Irina's shoulder she says, "Can't say ye don't have yer honour. An' ye can't say ye didn't do yer best given the circ'mstances, eh?"

~~~

Coming upon the abominable abbatoir within, Rico's breath catches, disgust and wrath making her head throb. While her hands automatically document the crime scene and the evidence within, to nobody in particular, she grumbles, "Frakken madmen. Where the hell did all the NORMAL murderers and thieves go?"

Massaging her temple, spotting the distress shared by Red and Setsuna, Rico tromps over, squeezes both their shoulders and says, "Red. Hellgirl. I knows izz hard now. Dis all be SHET, but we needta focus. We unwind come dinner. TCH. We keep SHARP, ya ken?

...miles ta go afore we sleep. Th'day ain't done yet.

Y'all did good. Ya hear? Dunwurreh."

Desril

2015-12-13, 01:02 PM

Red

Taking 10 for Disable Device, giving 29.

Red buries her forehead in her arms, muffling the sounds of those around her. They were right. Setsuna was right. So was Rico. But that wouldn't bring the cat or any of those other people back to life, would it? It wasn't fair.

She squeezes her trembling hands, curling her hair into fists. They'd just have to kill this other one then. Xanesha. Make sure that nobody else had to die like this.

Sniffing hard, she knuckles at her cheeks, though the tears don't stop flowing. Looking over at her friends with red-rimmed brimming eyes, she nods briefly, her mouth drawn into a wavering line. She'd have to do better. No more people dying like this. Whatever this cult was up to, it must never happen again.

Pressing her forehead against Rico's shoulder and giving Setsuna's hand what she hopes is a reassuring squeeze, Red clambers back to her feet. There was work to be done yet...

*****

IC post

"Dah'll do gweat," Constable Magotar beams across his ritually scarred face as he sees Brin pull out her holy book. "Naoh iffa jes gimme a mooment, copy all dis down..."

Constable Magotar proceeds to bustle about the room, painstakingly scrawling down a rough layout and inventory into his notebook, two of the other deputies have busied themselves with the locked cabinet in the corner. When Red approaches with a lock pick held up wordlessly, they willingly give way and watch over her shoulder with interest. Meanwhile, Captain Uriana squints up at the trapdoor in the ceiling.

"Damn. They got some mighty huge rats up there or summat, from the sound of it. Constable Haz, a ladder, if you pleases."

For those who investigate the contents of the locker once Red has wrangled it open:
Despite its nondescript exterior, the locker appears to contain a small fortune in pilfered oddments, stacked neatly in shelves. A fair number are of a historical nature - books, sea charts, and maps - though a rather fine looking oil painting depicting a city carved from a vast frozen waterfall with towering ice cathedrals and domes hangs from the inside of the door. Near the bottom are a few leather-bound spellbooks.

Perception DC15
Your sharp eyes spot a slim brown envelope wedged between the pages of one of the thicker spellbooks. The envelope is of good quality paper, stamped with an elaborate crimson wax seal that appears to be in the shape of a praying mantis's head and outstretched claws folded as if in prayer. Flipping it open, you find a gilt edged sheet of paper with the following printed neatly on it:

The Red Mantis Guild confirms the receipt of three diseased rat corpses and one vial of Vorel's Legacy, in exchange for the sum of two hundred plantinum sails.

Blood Mistress Artanis Rimefleet

Knowledge (local) DC 16
The Red Mantis are another of Golorian's cults, albeit of much more fearsome reputation than the Children of Skinsaw. They are an army of all female assassins based in Mediogalti Island that have adopted the loathsome Achaechek, mantis god of assassins, as their patron deity. They are known as the most effective and tenacious killers that can be bought. No wall is thick enough, no bodyguards tough enough, or safehouse hidden well enough to keep the Red Mantis from their prey. They take little notice of social or political status, seeing all marks as equal if their client pays the price.

bcool999

2015-12-13, 11:13 PM

Taladron

Seeing the spellbooks, Taladron reaches out possessively and scoops them up. He doesn't dare read them now as they may in fact be trapped magically, but seeing the slim brown envelope, Taladron's curiosity gets the better of his judgement and he carefully pulls out and examines the document. After reading it's contents, Taladron uses a cantrip to hand the document over to the Captain saying, "Looks like the Justice also had dealings with the Red Mantis Assassins. Looks like he sold them diseased rats and a vial of Vorel's Legacy... if that refers to Vorel Foxglove then there are going to be a few very slow and painful deaths in the future."

After handing over the document, Taladron moves to store the spellbooks in his satchel, but looks silently to the Captain for permission before he does so.

jamieth

2015-12-14, 01:17 AM

The locker opened, Naya instinctively reaches for the painting... reminding herself at the last moment that it isn't a tomb, and whatever they'll find here is evidence... not a trophy. Would sure look nice on the bedroom wall, though... now... "Officer... would you think any of these can serve as the evidence?" she points at the gathering of books and scrolls, "If not, I would guess they are best to be handed to the... eh...university, or something?* And... let's open that trapdoor, after all? I... would hate to leave without checking everything... even if I'll regret it later."

My ooc guess would be Solemn Order of Sages, Librarians, and Teachers

ProudGrognard

2015-12-15, 04:29 PM

Sirus

Sirus looks also in the closer, more out of curiosity. His quick eyes catch the slim brown envelope. A quick read makes his eyes tighten. He turns to the others, the constable included

"Red Mantis. A disease. Has been spread. And Vorel. Is mentioned"

He didn't have to say which Vorel. They all remembered.

Desril

2015-12-16, 01:51 AM

Setsuna

Returning the squeeze on Red's hand, Setsuna steels herself as well and gets up to look around. These people were...wrong, but I can not just sit around...not while we still need to find out what exactly they were doing and who this Xanesha person is...

Unfortunately, she wasn't much help while searching around, able to do little more than admire the skill put into the oil painting. She was completely useless when it came time to read letter that'd been located. "Red Mantis? Who are they, I have not heard of them before..." She represses a shiver at the thought of what diseases might've been shipped off when Brin mentions slow deaths, and goes back to looking.

"This might be evidence...but..." she frowns, "There are no leads unless someone knows how to find this Blood Mistress. We still do not know how to find Xanesha, do we?"

jamieth

2015-12-16, 02:15 AM

"Oh, a ladder, finally" Naya steps onto the stairs and reaches for the trapdoor, "I'll just take a quick look..."
That was familiar; bring able to both see in the dark and instantly disappear in case of danger made peeking into closed vaults and such her job in the Scarabs. Of course, generally she would only do so after Kaylee confirmed lack of traps, but it wasn't an ancient tomb, after all...

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-16, 12:40 PM

IC post

The Captain looks solemn at the discovery of the letter, grunting softly as she rubs her cheek. "Damning evidence indeed. Selling stuff to the Red Mantis - that's treason, that is. Mediogalti's pract'ly a nation, by most counts. Even without this cult thing and the murders, this would've shut him up good and proper for a long time." She huffs and shakes her head. "Them Hellknights won't like this. Doesn't do them much good to have been associated with a Justice onna wrong side of the law. If you want those spellbooks, mister, you can have them once Magotar's recorded down what's in them for the records. Saves me from the paperwork for citizen deputies when none of you're citizens, if we treat you all in the report as hired swords sent by Sandpoint..." Captain Uriana's voice trails off as she spots Naya eagerly clambering up the ladder that has just been brought in.

"Recruit Yevin. Constable Naystone. Get in position. Back the lady up. If she falls, catch her. If there's something nasty in there, geddat door shut and contain any menace." Without taking her eyes off Naya, Captain Uriana gestures at her deputies to flank the ladder, holding her own halberd in readiness.

The first thing that Naya notices in the little alcove behind the trapdoor is the table. A crude wooden affair, it holds a tall narrow bucket of what smells a lot like decaying offal, as well an ink pen and several sheets of thin blank parchment weighed down by a rock.

The second thing that she notices are the three pairs of beady eyes staring curiously back at her from behind the mesh door of a timber cabinet. For those who squint and take a closer look, these eyes belong to three large black birds perched within the cabinet, each the size of a cat. Their claws scrabble against their wooden perches as they hop about, trying to get a closer look at the blue-haired sylph through the gaps in the mesh.

Knowledge (Nature) DC 10 - can make untrained
These birds are ravens - larger and more intelligent than the average crow. Their presence would certainly explain the stinky bucket of rotting meat, for while the birds are omnivorous, they are not adverse to tender scraps of meat when they can get it. While tame ravens are almost always wizard familiars, it is not unheard of for ravens to be domesticated as messenger pets, with their superior intelligence making them superior (though much more expensive to feed) than pigeons or other small birds.

jamieth

2015-12-16, 02:25 PM

"Fall? Oh please..." Naya sounds almost insulted as the officer orders his men, but doesn't press the topic as she looks around. Seconds later she looks down and says to those waiting downstairs, "A writing desk, and some ravens. For writing and carrying letters, I would think... maybe we'll find some drafts... I think it's safe here, you can get up and look yourselves." With that, she pulls herself up and steps into the attic proper, taking a closer - enchanted - look on the surroundings.
Not sure if there's any windows; if not, Dancing Lights. Otherwise, Detect Magic just in case.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-17, 09:20 AM

GM post

Naya's Detect Magic
There is nothing in the room that bears a magical signature.

One of the deputies is next into the alcove right behind Naya - Recruit Yevin of the churning stomach, perhaps eager to prove that he is no slouch despite his earlier nausea. Peering through the mesh at the ravens, he shouts back down at the other watchmen: "All clear, ma'am! 'Tis a bird cubby. Looks like the perps were using ravens to pass notes along. Should we confiscate them as evidence?"

Meanwhile, down below, another deputy arrives and pulls off a smart salute for the Captain. "Ma'am. The goldie priest's here. She says that his Gr- I mean, the head perp's head- um, she says just the head will do if you want it to speak, 'cause the mouth's the important bit. Just that we might not get very good answers if his Gra- I mean, it wouldn't want to answer them when alive. Chitty to pay for the spell to be sent to the Tower if we're agreeable...?"

Desril

2015-12-18, 09:44 PM

Setsuna

Looking around the room, Setsuna is relieved to hear that the head of Ironbriar will be enough to question him, though she still wishes it hadn't come to this. When the question on what to do about the birds is brought up, however. "If they are messenger ravens, why do we not send a message? They must not have too many places they go to. If we follow the one that delivered letters to or from Xanesha back to her."

K: Nature (1d20+5)[16] in dice thread

Bhaakon

2015-12-19, 12:34 AM

Brin

"The short version is good enough for you bastards." Brin mutters as she returns from the lower reaches of the mill, where the dead cultists were being processed. The real ritual wouldn't begin until they were interred, but a quick prayer as the guards figured out which bits when with which body was a good idea. A hand or something ended up falling in the river, and who knew what kind of trouble it could get into there? Probably get swallowed by a grouper, only to claw its way out as an undead hand-thing.

Brin dismisses the thought as she rejoins the others and looks over what they've uncovered. "You know..." She says, looking at the ravens. "If we had something that could follow those birds, I'd like see see where one goes if we let it loose." She turns to Taladron. "I don't suppose you have a spell for that. I might know one, but I didn't ask for it this morning. Do you think your aunt would be willing to lend out her familiar for a little errand?"

jamieth

2015-12-19, 04:11 AM

"Eh..." Naya bites her lip, unsire, "You know... my magic's based on controlling the wind in the first place, and I used it to soften falls since as long as I can remember... it's almost instinctive things... never could gather enough wind to actually lift me, true, but then again - in the last 6 months I used more magic than in the previous sixty years put together, and it should count for something, right? I feel it getting stronger... maybe it will work this time?"

golentan

2015-12-20, 01:36 AM

Wandering in muttering curses about the very idea of aging, Simatzu blinks around as he takes in the scene before him. "'Allo? Talk of heads and ravens... Do I wanna ask?" he wonders out loud. "No. No I do not," he answers himself firmly with his next breath, smiles around, and begins poking through anything not smelling too foul that he's not shooed away from, looking for anything locked that has not already been made less so.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-20, 09:16 AM

GM post

Simatzu or anyone else still examining the locker
Unfortunately, with the Watch deputies swarming all over the room, there isn't much for you to weasel out for personal inspection. Some of the oddments in the locker do look rather valuable though. No doubt, they're all stolen booty, but it's probably finders keepers if you can somehow assist some of the smaller books or tomes in finding their way to the black market...

*****

Everyone Else

With Naya willing to take flight to follow the ravens, there seems to be little need to call for Aunt Vera's little pseudodragon to render some aid. Nor does the Captain seem entirely adverse to the idea. She holds up one stern forefinger and waggles it in Naya's direction. "One. One raven, little miss. The other two stay here as evidence. And I wager there's a ranger somewhere I coulda ask what for speaking to them. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta money-grubbin' goldie priest to negotiate a price with-"

Those who wish to follow Captain Uriana back downstairs to Ironbriar's head, please state so in your post.

As the Captain clumps off, swinging her halberd moodily, those of you closest to the burly Constable Magotar can see him moping the sweat from his brow with a spotted hankerchief with one hand, the one hand painstakingly scrawling in his ledger as he sticks his tongue out, nearly cross-eyed with effort. "Tree wavens, wun wealeased fer trekkin'..." Meanwhile, up in the alcove, the young recruit Yevin nods at Setsuna and Naya, then nudges open the cabinet and gingerly offers the nearest raven his wrist.

If the more morbid among you were hoping that the raven might burst out and try savaging Yevin in the face, those hopes are dashed as the raven merely eyes Yevin curiously, canting its bullet head from side to side before hopping obediently onto the back of his gauntlet with all the aplomb of a trained falcon. Yevin, at any rate, none too happy about having such a massive bird in close proximity. Grimacing, he leans as far back as he can as he shifts the bird out and elbows the cabinet shut, shuffling slowly backwards and trying not to trip over his own feet.

"Scuse me... miss. Ma'am. If you could... just move your tail... thank you." Whispering through clenched teeth, Yevin scoots over to the nearest window and peers out. For those of you upstairs, you can just about glimpse the waters of the Yondabakari sparkle gold in the light of the setting sun and the rest of the city beyond - Keystone in orderly blocks of ivory and white, the gleaming dome of the Abadarian vault mushrooming above the other temples. With evening drawing near, you can spot pinpricks of fiery light blossoming near the waterline the dock sailors light their lamps. A chance breeze whistles through the narrow alcove, bringing with it the scent of salt and frying oil - somewhere, the street vendors must have started up their evening rounds.

The window is narrow, but devoid of glass or other deterrents to thieves. Someone as slim as Naya could definitely squeeze through with some effort. Recruit Yevin turns to those of you upstairs, sucking in his breath. "Well, er- you ready, miss?" On his wrist, the raven bobs its head and gives a hoarse croak, watching you with a knowing gaze.

Desril

2015-12-20, 09:44 AM

Setsuna

Obediently moving her tail to clear the way, Setsuna looks out the window, waiting for the bird to be released before turning toward Naya. "I do not know you, we just met, but...are you sure you can do this? I do not want to put you in danger, especially since that is all we have done since you found us. You could cast the spell on someone else if you do not want to risk this."

Belatedly, she realizes that Naya also doesn't exactly know where to meet them at either and looks toward Taladron. "Can you tell her how to find your aunt's home?"

jamieth

2015-12-20, 10:28 AM

"As ready as I'm going to be, I suppose", Naya nods to Yevin, then turns to Setsuna, "Please, I appreciate the offer, but... I told you, I never did it before - should anything go wrong... I'd rather not risk someone who could be hurt by falling. And... should it look dangerous, I'll just back down, so... instead, could you please take care of my stuff?" she hands Setsuna her bag, "I'd rather not carry any extra weight..." in fact, I'd rather did away with several more pounds, but... I'd also rather not get arrested for indecency.
"Now..." Naya squeezes through the window and stands outside, holding the window frame with one hand, the winds starting to gather around her as she chants, "Up I go!" she pushes herself off the window and spreads her arms, half-expecting to find the earth approaching fast, but... "It works! It really works!"

bcool999

2015-12-20, 06:40 PM

Taladron

Taladron hands over the spellbooks to Magotar with a few brief instructions to read them at least thirty paces away from others in case they are trapped magically. Taladron also offers his assistance should the guard have any questions. Next, he joins the others up in the bird cubby.

Taladrons eyes narrow at the use of ravens as messenger birds. It was quite unusual, true, but more than anything it reminded him of Lightfeather, especially as they needed flight to follow the birds now. Thus Taladron is grateful that the new sorceress speaks up and volunteers to fly after a bird. "I am afraid I have all but exhausted my repatuaire of spells today, unless Naya wishes to fly invisibly I have no help to offer." Taladron says and waits to recieve a response before turning away and saying, "I shall go and assist Captain Urianna with the negotiations now if I am no longer needed."

With that, Taladron makes his way back down to the ground floor with the Captain (or even the undercroft if the Justices corpse hasn't been moved yet).

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-21, 07:40 AM

GM post

Those up in the alcove, roosting with the ravens

Recruit Yevin's eyes glaze over a little as Naya's spell takes hold, especially since the swish and billow of the sylph's clothing reveals a little more leg and bosom than the young man is used to seeing. All the same, he takes a deep breath and eases his hand out the window before flapping his wrist about frantically like a country rube trying to hitch a lift on the last wagon into town.

It's not what the messenger raven is used to, but the bird gets the idea and gracefully swoops forth from Yevin's wrist, gliding low over the gathered deputies and their horses outside before soaring up and over the waters of the Yondabakari. Dipping its jet wings once more, the raven gives a low joyful squawk, perhaps glad to be outside. It then immediately banks past an approaching flock of seagulls, skimming over the masthead of a moored ship before rising once more, this time heading unerringly northwards.

Such is the power of Naya's new spell that despite her lack of experience, she has no trouble in staying aloft and keeping up with the raven's swift wingbeats. (Shaking off the attention of the seagulls, however, proves less easy. They seem to have made up their mind that the shinier dangling portions of Naya's outfit are some kind of exotic food that they need to investigate the edibility of forthwith.) Still, the pace that the raven sets is a fast one and within minutes, both it and Naya are two mere specks in the distance.

Perception DC 20
It is difficult to differentiate the two specks that you're interested in from the miscellaneous other creatures hovering in the sky above Magnimar, not to mention that the orange rays of the setting sun dazzling off the waves does you no favours. All the same, you manage to track Naya and the raven as they head towards the looming hulk of the Irespan - the ruins of an ancient stone bridge that squats on Magnimar's north border like a coarse grainy giant's thumb thrust out of the earth. There, barely visible against the back-lit stone, you see the raven swoop and alight atop one of the tallest towers in the shadow of the bridge.

Knowledge (local) DC 13, no need to make check if you're a resident of Magnimar
That tower is the Shadow Clock. Located in the Underbridge - Magnimar's meanest and most disreputable quarter - where the sun literally never shines due to the positioning of the Irespan above, the Shadow Clock has stood sentinel over drug-ridden slums and seedy alehouses alike for as long as anyone can remember. Once intended as a monument to Empyreal Lord Soralyon, the clocktower was never completed, abandoned by its devotee builders for reasons unknown.

It's anyone's guess as to when this rickety edifice will collapse (and there are several taverns with long-standing betting pools on the subject). Still, that hadn't stopped daredevils and thrillseekers from ascending the "Terrible Stairs" for sport, leading to multiple falls, many of them ending in fatalities. Three years ago, Lord Mayor Gorboras had declared the tower closed to the public after the tenth death, which rumour holds was that of a young noble lass of House Vlademar out on a lark. It's supposed to be utterly abandoned these days, though the raven's presence there might put this belief to the test...

*****

Those who followed Captain Uriana downstairs

"No, no, NO!" For those of you who arrive back in the undermill, you are just in time to behold the indomitable Captain bellowing full in the face of a dour matron clad in gleaming gold chainmail, who merely folds her arms and gazes up at the Captain's nostrils with the seasoned air of one who has been through this routine all too many times.

"I most certainly will not accept a price of 500 gold for a spell to make a deadder talk! That's daylight robbery, that is! That head has valuable information about murders and cultists and- other deadders! And I need it to talk now! We're talking lives here! Time is a-wasting!" The good Captain's face has turned a blustery ruddy red, the colour of beetroot porridge, as she thrusts her chin dangerously close to the matron's.

The matron simply sighs theatrically and shakes her head. "No can do, Captain Uriana. A service, that is what I provide. One must be paid a fair wage for the work one does, even a work for the greater good. That is the way of the Master of the First Vault. I've done work for the Watch before, and we appreciate your patronage very much. But a spell of this level does not come cheap in the scribing, let alone the casting."

jamieth

2015-12-22, 06:31 AM

After the first few moments spent reajusting to the new experience, Naya fully embraces the feeling of gliding in the wind, only paying as much attention to her surroundings as needed to not lose the track of the messenger bird guiding her towards its master.

As the contrasting roofs of the Beacon's Point give way to the piers of Dockway, though, two obstacles stand in the way of this newfound bliss. First, Naya feels the power of her spell starts waning; that in itself is no big issue, as she still has enough magic in her to renew the spell - not much more, though. But spellwork requires concentration, and that leads to a second obstacle -

Stupid birds... is the sky not wide enough for both of us? Should have accepted the wizard's offer... but no, the last bit of magic is special; the difference between having the last spell left and having none can mean the difference between life and death, and spending it for simple convenience would be simply wrong. But still, need to deal with the birds somehow... ah, why not; I'm high above the harbor, there's no one around to see anyway, right?

Hesitating no more, the sylph quickly pulls her dress off and rolls it in a lump, trying to make sure all the shiny bits are on the inside and out of birds' eyes. Hopefully it would make them lose interest...

As the raven descends to the labyirinths of Underbridge, though, Naya does hesitate for a bit, howering at the edge of the bridge; this is not the district of Magnimar she explored previusly, and not the one she would like to explore alone and almost out of magical juice. Luckily, the tower a raven headed to is distinct enough that it won't be easy to confuse it any other... considering her job here more or less done, Naya looks around looking for a place to land, for there is little chance that the remains of her magic will last all the way back to the meeing place Taladron described to her. Well, the coast of the Dockway seems as good a place as any...

bcool999

2015-12-22, 11:47 AM

Taladron

Listening to the reasoning to the priest's price, Taladron rolls his eyes and pulls out a heavy purse from his satchel. "As much as I would like to have Brin cast this spell for free tomorrow, I believe the spell in question is more effective if cast by a neutral party." Taladron says as he hands the gold over to the matron, "If you could wait just a moment for my party to join us before casting, it will save me having to retell the questions and answers at a later time."

500gp subtracted from sheet.

Bhaakon

2015-12-22, 05:56 PM

Brin

"It's not my favorite spell to cast, anyway." Brin adds to Taladron's point about having a neutral party do it. "Even if Ironbriar deserves having his chain yanked around on his way to whatever grim fate Pharasma chooses for him."

Still, they're have to figure out a way to get reimbursed for that. 500 gold...if she wasn't hanging over a barrel here, Brin might accuse the Abdaran Matron of being a Nogrober cultist herself. Highway robbery, no two ways about it.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-23, 08:40 AM

GM post

Naya

Stealth check rolled in OOC - passed

Taking off her clothing and turning it inside out seems to do the trick for most of the seagulls, though half a dozen of the more persistent ones continue to accompany Naya as she flies, causing her to endure quite a few painful nips from their questing beaks.

Having memorised the appearance and location of the tower where the raven had landed, Naya then does her best to discreetly land without being spotted. Unfortunately, at this hour, the Dockway district teems with life as the Bazaar of Sails is packed with eager merchants, curious travellers, and hungry citizens alike. With raucous shouts and the rich smell of coffee and spices filling the air, not to mention various coloured lanterns and several hundred roaming eyes, the sight of a nubile young sylph cavorting without her clothing would have probably caused much more commotion than it was worth.

The next best location to land is not by the shore of Dockway but on the edge of the neighbourhood itself, where the shadow cast by one of the ancient pillars of the Irespan affords Naya some cover. This piling, oddly free of roosting bird life, is covered with carvings of nearly a thousand different depictions of leering, clinging geckoes. Its not a pleasant-looking place, but it does lead into an empty alleyway littered with trash just behind the Bazaar of Sails. Naya should have no trouble slipping back into the crowd from here.

*****

Red

Taking 10 for Perception, making 22.

Red has lived in Magnimar for a few months, so incomplete knowledge.

Having moodily stumped up the ladder to have a look at the birds, Red squints and shields her eyes with her hand as she watches the raven and Naya fly further and further away. It sure looked like Naya was having trouble with some seagulls that wouldn't leave her alone. And it also sure looked like she was taking off her... no, that was probably a trick of the light, damn her eyes.

"... The raven. That tower... it is in the Underbridge. It is... not a good place." Red massages her throat as she tries raising her voice beyond a husky whisper. "It is... dangerous. More dangerous at night. A bad place." She'd never been there herself. Not even when she'd been released from the Hells. Chanda had warned her about that place, many years ago. And if even Chanda said it was dangerous... If this Xanesha was really hiding in there, then this was going to be very, very difficult. But they had to try, didn't they?

Biting her lip, Red turns from the window to Sirus and Setsuna. "We should go. Miss Naya... she is to go to Miss Vera's? We should meet her there."

*****

Those who went with Captain Uriana

The Captain seems stunned by Taladron's readiness to fork out that much money to pay for the spell. Indeed, it takes her a few seconds to recover and waves her hand hastily in the elf's direction. "No, sir. No. I insist. Please don't do that. 'specially if it's your name that's being cleared up 'pending on the answers of this head." Snorting ruefully, she pinches the bridge of her nose and mutters under her breath, her words clipped with frustration. She is clearly none too pleased at having Taladron and Brin interfere in her affairs. "...Guess we gotta find that money some elsehow. Constable Haz! Pop upstairs to Magotar and have him make a tally for all that loot in the room with all them faces. If Mister Variel Ironbriar, seein' how he ain't a Justice no more, turns outta be the biggest crook of them all, he can pay for this own damn spell. Chitty of amount owed do for you, Madam Money-Grubbing Mitts?"

The grim smile on the Abadar matron's face is uncomfortably close to a smirk as she nods in affirmation, her cold blue eyes meeting Brin's. "It is just as well then, sister, that I have no such compunctions when it comes to the dead. Well then, if you do not intend to assist me, then you must make some space for me to work... What questions shall I ask of the dead, good sirs and madam?"

jamieth

2015-12-23, 11:32 AM

Naya

Why do all the things that feel that nice have to end that quick... the sorceress thinks as she lands in the deserted alleyway just before her magic goes away for good and reluctantly slips into her dress - by now bearing some tears from the birds' beaks, and with with two buttons gone for good. Or maybe they don't have to end, after all...

Stop!she reprimans herself, I'm not here for fun, I'm here to help the Watch! And I need the Watch on our side, because Hellknights kinda already aren't... OK, so where is that house we should meet...

Absent-mindedly tugging on the remaining buttons of her shirt as she walks, the sylph heads to Aunt Vera's house.

Desril

2015-12-23, 11:55 AM

Setsuna

Perception (1d20+5)[24] (rolled in dice thread), huh, I actually passed? 0.o. Though it doesn't take distance penalties into account, but who uses those? Anyway, totally zoned out on posting, so I guess Setsuna was just staring after Naya...for good reason!

Eyes proving to be surprisingly sharp, perhaps a result of all the near-death experiences caused by her lack of attention to her surroundings, or maybe just because keeping an eye on someone flying across the city skyline was easier than noticing someone hiding behind a bookshelf, Setsuna watches Naya with Red. When the seagulls attack and the sylph tries her effort at a solution though, Setsuna gasps and blushes lightly, "No...she did not...did she?" She looks something akin to shocked as she turns toward the human next to her, wondering if she'd maybe seen wrong.

When she reaches the Shadow Clock, though Setsuna herself doesn't know what it is, Red's warning is enough to get her to nod resolutely. "Then we will go make it safer for everyone tonight. But you are right, we should be there to wait for her...especially if she..." the tiefling looks embarrassed again as she trails off, gently tugging at her own clothing, imagining the situation the sylph must be in.

Bhaakon

2015-12-23, 11:13 PM

Brin

"Who Xanesha is and where we can find her. And his motivation would be nice." Brin suggests. "I guess it could be as simple as 'Father Skinsaw told me to,' but they sure went to a lot of effort to kill a lot of people in weird ways. Must be a special reason for that."

Recalling the results of her last interrogation of a dead body, Brin adds, "Then there the matter of that faceless stalker conspiracy. Maybe Ironbriar knows something about that, since he was obviously hiring them."

Desril

2015-12-24, 02:11 PM

Setsuna

After losing sight of Naya on the docks, Setsuna quickly turns away from the window pretending she didn't just see the sylph strip out of her dress while flying over the city and does her best to not think about it with limited success, if the color of her cheeks are anything to go by as she makes her way downstairs just in time to hear Brin's list of questions. Realizing what must be happening, the tiefling chimes in as well. "We should also try to learn what other defenses Xanesha might have too since I do not think she will surrender with out a fight...and I do not know if the spell will work for it, but we should find out if the Justice was being controlled by magic." Trying not to let her thoughts move too far in that direction, "But if that one is impossible, maybe we could figure out if she is some sort of magic user?"

Suddenly having a bright idea, "No! If he was corrupt, he might have imprisoned many innocent people! We should ask him for their names so we can free them!"

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-28, 01:42 AM

IC post

Those who went with Captain Uriana

Justice Ironbriar fails all but the last of his will saves.

"I only get three questions," mutters the Abadar matron somewhat irritably, scribbling furiously with an ink pen on the back of a parchment sheet that one of the Watch deputies appears to have lent to her. "This spell can only be cast once a week on the same corpse. To ask for a list of names would be impossible and a waste of my abiliti-"

Captain Uriana watches with some amusement as the matron stabs a hole in the parchment with the sheer force of her writing, shaking her head slightly. "Aye, it would be," she remarks in a much more neutral tone, glancing over at Setsuna and signalling with a brief quirk of her lips to remain silent for now. "Kip up a bit, wouldya, and I'll help you with the phrasing. Gotta load of experience in interrogation, I do. Perhaps save the names for another time and focus on solving our current predeck-ca-mint...? Like what in tarnation's going on in here with all the deadders?"

After a quick huddled conference that involves much crossing out and more parchment pen-stabbing, the matron eventually settles on three questions that satisfy as many of the suggestions as possible. With an affronted sniff in Setsuna's direction, the matron proceeds to seat herself cross-legged on the filthy sawmill floor. Pulling out a hefty gleaming key of solid gold and displaying it openly on her breast, the matron claps her hands thrice together - a ceremonial gesture to invoke the presence of her god - before bowing her head and steepling her hands together to pray.

You were informed that the process would take ten minutes or more, but for those of you who are there, time seems to pass in a blur. Perhaps you are simply exhausted from the battle (and blood-loss), or perhaps the smooth monotony of the matron's chanting lulls you into a dull stupor. Someone had replaced Ironbriar's head in its proper place above his shoulders while you all were upstairs, giving the uncanny illusion that the Justice might be simply fast asleep if it were not for the rigor mortis pinching his lips and the marble paleness of his blood-drained face. As such, when his cheeks finally shudder and twitch, his eyelids abruptly fluttering open to beam forth gold light, the more wary among you find your grip on your weapons reflexively tightening - lest this unnatural life prove all too strong in its temporary animation.

The matron is unfazed by the display, merely gesturing with her stiff-fingered hand at the corpse and intoning calmly, a faint gold glow suffusing her every gesture. "Variel Ironbriar, lately the 9th Justice of Magnimar's Courts and recently proven cultist and liar. I have reanimated you for a short time, foul sinner that you are. You are bound by the holy magics to answer three questions for me. You have just tried to frame and murder a party of men and women from Sandpoint in this very building, the sawmill of House Kyver. Tell me all your reasons why, down to the smallest of them."

As it turns out, Captain Uriana was correct about not needing to stick a set of bellows into Ironbriar's throat. The thin voice that issues forth from Ironbriar's chapped lips is wheezing and rather more higher-pitched than what you had heard of him when alive, but remains discernible. "My love. My light. My sweet Xanesha. She asked it of me. For her, I would do anything..." The dead are not supposed to be able to smile, but those of you watching might swear that Ironbriar's mouth actually shivers and twists into a grostesque parody of one, baring all this teeth. "They were coming. With evidence to the Watch. Of her doings. Our doings. With the Foxglove boy. All the ones he had harvested for us in the countryside. She was angry with me. For failing to keep the boy safe. I had to stop them. For our sake. For my brothers of Father Skinsaw, grown restless. They did not see my love as I did. But for us to prosper..."

From behind you, you can hear Hellknight Irini give a choked back gasp of mingled horror and shock as she claps her hands over her mouth. Meanwhile, a grim-faced Captain Uriana whispers into the matron's ear, pointing to a particular line on the sheet of parchment. The matron nods and continues.

"Who is this Xanesha, that we may find her and do her the proper homage that she deserves?."

Irony, it seems, is lost on the corpse of Ironbriar. "She is the most beautiful woman alive. The only one who knows my soul and its ways. She came to me at night. Only at night. She said her hovel was too mean. For one as great as me. She taught me much of magic. Greater magic. Magic old beyond mere books. Her body is lovely beyond compare. She taught me too, of love. In my sheets. Her neck. Her breasts. Her thighs. More joy than I would have dared to dream of..."

Grimacing a little as Ironbriar's head continues to give semi-lurid descriptions of his exploits with Xanesha, the matron's eyes meet Brin's for a moment. Pausing only long enough to mouth the word "sorcery", the matron returns to her third and final question. For those of you hoping that your question would have been selected, it would seem that Captain Uriana has unfortunately gone for a more pragmatic approach.

"Why did Xanesha want all these people dead with runic carvings on their chest?"

"I do not know. She did not speak much of it. Only that the carvings were vital. Marking the dead as tributes to her lord. To make him powerful... Each one. To bring him to glory..." Even in death, Xanesha's thrall over Ironbriar is apparent, his voice taking on a blissful, almost dream-like languor as he drifts away into silence. With a swift glance at the Captain for confirmation, the matron ruefully purses her lips and makes a flicking motion of dismissal at the corpse.

"Return to death, sinner."

Even as Ironbriar's eyelids once more fall shut, extinguishing the gold light that shines forth from them, the matron gives a muted groan, massaging her temples as if stricken by a splitting headache. "His presence weighed heavy. Like drinking too much honey. I cannot confirm this in a court of law, but I would say judging from his answers that he was almost definitely enspelled by this Xanesha. I have never heard of such revolting bawdry save from youngsters out to boast of their exploits in bed. He does not talk like one who knows true devotion."

Captain Uriana grunts, thumping her halberd on the floor. "Well then. Guess we sayin' at any rate that we're definitely convicting his Grace post-deaddification of Conspiracy to Murder and Abetting of Unlawful Elements. Skinsaw cult's banned all over the continent, so he'll hafta answer that as well." She turns to those of you who have assembled in the undermill. "Heard it from his own mouth. You're one hundred 'cent clean. Free to go. I'll be in touch with Sheriff Hemlock to let him know offa your difficulties. Though a spotta help in translating that journal wouldn't go amiss. And this Xanesha. What do you plan to do next?"

Bhaakon

2015-12-28, 02:25 AM

Brin

Brin simmers with displeasure at being lectured on the workings of such basic magic, but bites her tongue. 'Name your murderous accomplices' is only one question! She wants to shout, but clearly this was the captain's show, and Brin didn't want to get tossed out on her ear before hearing what the late, not-so-lamented Justice had to say.

Or, more honestly, she wasn't going to be tossed out on her ear without the chance to flash her most superior I-told-you-so grin as the talking head confirms the group's innocence--nay--heroism. "I wonder if there's a reward for nabbing corrupt officials? Guess it's worth looking in to." She comments before addressing the captain's question.

"Figure we should track Xanesha down as quick as we can. Maybe I can cast an augury, or the journal might have something. I might know of some magic that would help a bit with that. For all I know, that air-headed girl might already have eyes on our murdering enchantress." Brin yawns loudly. "Not much I can do about it without some rest, though. Been a lo-o-ong day, and thirsty, too."

bcool999

2015-12-28, 03:36 AM

Taladron

Taladron kept mostly silent throughout the questioning of the corpse. It told them very little they didn't already know, but it was useful in finally proving once and for all that they were innocent and cleared of all wrong-doing. Though he does feel rather uncomfortable withholding information now that he is a trusted source so he shares a few tidbits with the Captain, "Yes, I have had quite enough of sneaking around town, like a thief, during my homecoming. By the by, I can also confirm that the Justice was Ensorcelled by Xanesha. The magical aura on his body at the time of his death confirms that he was likely visited periodically every few days by this Xanesha to renew her spell and keep him in her pocket. That said, the enchantment wasn't strong enough to force the Justice to do what he did, merely made her requests... persuasive, as you could see from his adulation. As for the purpose of the markings, we have a letter from Xanesha to Aldern that seems to hint that they are meant to capture the souls of the victims or otherwise siphon off energy from their death to power some magic or being, likely this 'lord' Ironbriar mentioned. I was dismissive of this claim at first as such magic is beyond even my ken... but I am no longer so sure this is not the case."

When the Captain asks for help in decoding the Journal Taladron tilts his head in a respectful bow and says, "I shall get started on a translation as soon as we have dealt with this Xanesha. Though I do say that with the utmost confidence in our success, the spell she used on the Justice was no mere cantrip. I doubt we will find her an easy foe to face as she has shown considerable magical power already."

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-28, 11:04 PM

Red

It was a distinct relief to hear that they were free to go. Nobody would dig into any records then, to find out about things in the past. But Red jams her left hand as deep as it can go into her jacket anyway, just in case. She didn't usually worry about her scars, but that branding from the Hells...

From what the elf's head was saying, this Xanesha was probably some knock-out hottie with luscious breasts you could trap a beer stein between or something. Jailbait, obviously. Like those expensive madams that got painted onto posters for The Shucked Oyster. Didn't he know any better? Not that he could know better anyway, now that he was dead.

All the same, what Taladron said was disturbing. That business in the Catacombs below Sandpoint had been creepy enough, with those monsters popping out of the pit... the runewell. Was there a bigger pit somewhere with more monsters? And what if this Xanesha had a runewell too?

Shivering slightly, Red rubs her arms and huddles down into her cloak. Brin was right. A drink would be good. This sawmill was not a good place and they should go quickly to find Naya.

*****

GM post

"Well, that raven went winging off to the Underbridge district, so I'd bet me booties that's where we'll find this lady of his... Whoever she is. My girls and boys here are gonna be mighty busy the next couple of days settling the perp's business and this whole cult thing... Fat Gorby's gonna hafta be informed, ye gods."

Captain Uriana scrunches up her face, exhaling loudly through her nostrils. "He's certainly not gonna be happy about a Justice being shown up rotten. Not to mention all those faces upstairs... I doubt this building's the only hidey hole that rotten bunch had either. Or that these deadders here are the whole mangy lot. The Watch doesn't have time to go chasing this Xanesha wild goose. Not with this fish to fry. It's going to have to be up to you lot then. Keep us informed. We may be able to provide some back-up - pool our resources, y'know?" As the list of her duties mounts, the Captain's face grows surly, but she tries on what is meant to be a friendly smile for Taladron and Brin. "Standard fees for assisting the Watch with that journal... That's only fair. Can't speak for Gorby, but once he's stopped screaming and stomping, he'll likely wanna see you lot to give his thanks and find out all he can. He's a fat bastard, but he wouldn't be lord mayor 'lest he had the smarts to keep himself afloat. We'll be in touch, yes?"

*****

At Aunt Vera's house

The walk back to Aunt Vera's house isn't all that far, but exhaustion weighs down your limbs with lead, slowing your pace to a plod. The less charitable among you might wonder whether Naya's spell could have been put to better use in spiriting you all back with minimal effort - especially since the setting sun has drawn out Magnimar's famous nightlife, forcing all of you to contend with the dusty, sweaty hordes streaming towards Lowcleft and Ordellia. Though Rico does have her horse, the beast itself is trembling with fatigue from the day's riding and does little more than to help clear the way up front as the crowd eddies around its flanks.

Still, if nothing else, despite the uncomfortable warmth of the crowd, there is something refreshing about being able to walk without worrying about getting arrested. The hour has likewise drawn out the itinerant hawkers and purveyors of suspicious meats and sweets. For anyone with spare change and an empty belly, it's not too difficult to elbow your way up to the nearest vendor to purchase a stick of something that you're sure probably isn't just undercooked rat covered in brown sauce. But for the rest of you, it's down to trudging through the crowd and keeping your eyes on the road, trying to make sure that you don't tread in buffalo dung or get your feet trodden on as you make your way to Keystone.

After picking up Naya (whom you find wandering outside the Stone of the Seers), it is only a matter of minutes before you find yourself back on Aunt Vera's doorstep. From the sound of the animated voices within her sitting room as you push open the front door though, it would seem that she has company...

"Is that so? So the Wreckwash Blades and the Tower Girls were until recently part of the same encampment? I had wondered why it was that the merchant who supplied my herbs had increased his prices, citing the need for increased security."

"That's 'xactly what happened. So the Towers've lost their base, see. So they've been roamin' the docks and skimming whatall they can get their grubbers on. Gotta make back some cred and coin..."

The sight of a slightly dishevelled Aunt Vera, enthroned in a rocking-chair with a poultice bound around her forehead and balancing a tea cup on her knee, is unexpected enough. The additional sight of none other than Chanda Allin, warming herself as she lies sprawled out in front of the fire with Qistala curled up on her stomach, is even more unexpected.

From where she is, Chanda doesn't bother getting up to greet you all, merely raising her head sufficiently to see who it is that has entered before flopping back down again, the shadow of a smirk upon her face. Aunt Vera, being much more hospitable, immediately lays aside her cup of tea and hurries forward to meet Taladron, clasping his hands.

"Nephew, you are safe! That is indeed a blessed relief. I had been so worried - on my way home from the store, another pair of those accursed Hellknights had tried to take me into custody. If not for the efforts of this gallant young lady here, I would perhaps be speaking to you from a dungeon cell right now. Tell me of your investigation at the sawmill. Did it go well? And who are these new faces with you?"

Desril

2015-12-29, 12:50 AM

Setsuna

Like Red, Setsuna really didn't like thinking about the catacombs beneath Sandpoint. Maethilur may've awakened for her down there, but she still felt sick when she remembered how she'd been manipulated into abandoning the others and even attacking them.

When the conversation turns toward the mayor though, she chimes in. "I think when this is over we need to overturn the Justice's convictions. He was clearly not impartial, there is no telling how many innocent people he might have imprisoned." It wasn't much, but if they couldn't save Ironbriar, at least they could limit the damage he was able to do. Though, for now, Xanesha had to be stopped.

Finding Naya, the tiefling is glad to see their new comrade still safe, but after seeing what she did to avoid the birds, she can't help but blush at the sight of her and tries not to look at her too often, less her mind ignore the redonned dress. So distracted, she can't help but be shocked to see Chanda waiting for them inside with Aunt Vera. Relaxing into a smile that they're safe, she nonetheless stays quiet and lets Taladron be the one to explain.

jamieth

2015-12-29, 02:11 AM

Naya keeps to the back of the group as they enter Aunt Vera's, unsure of what to expect, though the sight of a young woman nonchalantly resting on the floor in front of fireplace suggests it's not a particularly strict household - hot when it comes to it's guests, at least. Still, she waits for Taladron to introduce her before speaking herself, using the opportuninty to approach Setsuna and whisper, "Is anything wrong? You look... unwell? Like you have a fever, or something like that?"

Desril

2015-12-29, 02:16 AM

Setsuna

Blushing again, as much as her marbled skin allows anyway, the tiefling whispers back. "N-no, it is just...I saw you, when you...you know..."

Bhaakon

2015-12-29, 02:50 AM

Brin

"You said the journal was written in all kind of different tongues, right?" Brin asks before they leave. "I have a spell that lets me read anything that's a proper language. As long as it's just a jumble of vocabularies, it might work. If he encoded it further, then maybe not." Brin shrugs, and extends her hands for the book. "Worth a try, though."

Well, I did prepare Comprehend Languages as a domain spell (for some reason). Might as well try it!

------------------------------------------

They might have been exhausted on the march back to Vera's, but not so tired that Brin couldn't surreptitiously purchase vital supplies from street vendors along the way. Like a bottle of passable wine, something a little stronger to top off her various flasks, and a skewer of some kind of greasy, spiced meat (best not to think too hard on the source). Just the necessities.

Brin tosses away the spent skewer as the group approaches Vera's door and get ready to plop down for a much needed sleep. She can see it in her mind, curling up in front of the coals with a bottle to suckle as required. It's so clear, so perfect. So...right.

She lets out a disappointed gasp when she opens the door and immediately spots Chanda squatting the prime sleeping spot in front of the fire place. But...nap... She whispers plaintively to no one since she had no legitimate claim to the spot. But that doesn't stop her from fixing on Chanda with her most pouty puppy-dog eyes as Taladron relates the group's exploits.

jamieth

2015-12-29, 02:52 AM

"When I...What?" Naya went over the past half hour in her head, since they parted with Setsuna at the sawmill - the tiefling certainly didn't look that flustered back then. But the only thing Naya did since then was follow the message raven... Oh...
"Oh... You mean, when I had to keep those birds away? Well... I had to keep the birds away, and... I was at the limit of my magic, so wanted to get all the wind I can... Sorry if it offended you or something, I really didn't want to..." she blushed a bit in turn, out of guilt for, apparently, causing trouble again.

Desril

2015-12-29, 03:59 AM

Setsuna

Oblivious to Brin's yearning for Chanda's spot, Setsuna hastily holds up her hands, "N-no no, I did not mean...I was not offended, it...was it not embarrassing? Any one could have looked up and seen you!"

jamieth

2015-12-29, 05:28 AM

"It's only embarrassing if you think it is", Naya says, calming down immediately, "though I used to think like that too, before meeting Lady Kaylee... I was just a barmaid back then - oh, but it's a long story, and I don't think you really want to hear it, do you? It's nothing social, really... Mostly old tombs..." Not to mention, it started to get inconvenient, whispering like that.

Desril

2015-12-29, 06:36 AM

Setsuna

Looking somewhat surprised, given she'd only been in similar situations as a result of a curse and often only in the midst of a life or death struggle rather than a simple reconnissance mission, Setsuna tries to hide it. "Well...if it does not bother you, then it is no issue, I suppose. I was just...worried. I would like to hear your story though, when there is time. You should come with us back to Sandpoint when we have finished our business here. I am sure you would like it."

jamieth

2015-12-29, 08:45 AM

"Well, if you really want, sure, I'll tell you - tonight, perhaps? I'm not sure we'll have much time after that - that with having to deal with Xanesha tomorrow, and after that, well, I hope it'll all clear up, and I'll finally be able to find a ship? I spent too much time here already, need to head north soon... Lady Kaylee must be worrying already... we should've meet in Brevoy yesterday" Naya shakes her head, "that is, if it all clears up."

bcool999

2015-12-29, 12:37 PM

Taladron

When Brin offers to try to magically decipher the journal, Taladron hands over the book and lets her try, but says, "The problem isn't so much the three languages, as I am fluent in all three, the problem is that the journal was written in such a way that it ignores the grammatical differences in the languages and has many passages that are incomprehensible rubbish since it changes languages mid-sentence. Likely it is simply a matter of the correct order of reading such that you read Elven first than Draconic then Infernal or some similar order and ignore the language changes in between. Or perhaps the language changes form a numerical sequence that when applied to a page gives an ordering of what to read in order to make sense of it. In any case, I doubt I will solve it overnight especially with a fight to prepare for tomorrow."

After collecting his new spellbooks (assuming the guard finished his inventory), Taladron joins the others in the walk to his Aunt's abode.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Taladron enters his Aunt's abode, his first reaction is concern over his Aunt's injury, then annoyance that Chandra is there, and finally relief that his Aunt seems to be alright as she rises to greet them. "And I am relieved to see you well. I am fine, just a few scratches already magically healed." Taladron responds before sharing the details of the sawmill... downplaying the violence as much as possible so as not to worry his Aunt, "So, in the end, the city watch arrived and given our testimony, the evidence found in Ironbriar's secret office, and the confession from Ironbriar's head, we were able to clear our names. Now we only need to deal with this Xanesha and we can put this dreadful business behind us."

Desril

2015-12-29, 03:11 PM

Setsuna

Smiling, "I would like that...but not tonight, I think. I...I need time to think...about the Justice, I mean. There will be plenty of time once we have stopped this Xanesha person though."

Bhaakon

2015-12-29, 06:59 PM

Brin

At Taladron's mention of magical healing, Brin drops her pouty stare and looks closer at the poultice on Aunt Veras's head. "Um...were you hit there, or is it a migraine from all the aggravation?" She asks, a bit ashamed that, in her eagerness to sprawl out in front of the fire, the potential injury had flown past her. "I can deal with the former easily enough...but the Lady hasn't seen fit to grace me with the ability to end a hango...headache."

Or I'd have saved enough on alchemist's kindness to buy my own winery.

I have a couple spells left that I can use to fuel a cure spell, if needed.

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-30, 03:43 AM

GM post

Brin's Comprehend Languages
Unfortunately, your spell is of limited help here. While it does help you to see than there are indeed alphabets and runes in all three of the languages present on the page, it doesn't help you unscramble them from whatever odd cipher they are in. Figuring out what's in Ironbriar's journal is going to take at least a few days hard work.

Taladron gets Ironbriar's spellbooks.

*****

Red

Red had taken the opportunity to wolf down a large meat pastry on the way back - she'd been ever so hungry, she'd have eaten the greased paper it came wrapped in as well if she could - but now she almost wished she hadn't, her throat constricting as she inwardly shrinks at the sight of her elder sister's smug grin.

Two hellknights? I could barely handle one... with everyone's help... That wouldn't make her think I'm...

She looks down at the floor with narrowed eyes, shifting her weight. Blinking hard, she does her best to hide behind Rico's bulk and to ignore the burning sensation in her ears. She'd tried. She really had. Why wasn't it still good enough?

*****

At Aunt Vera's house

As Taladron reassures his aunt, her regal face grows visibly calmer as she nods in slow acknowledgement, though her grip on his hands remains tight. "To have a name free of blasphemy and false charge, this is good. I would only hope the Watch clears things up with the Hellknights sooner rather than later. It would be very onerous to keep on being accosted and interrogated by those brutes."

"Those brutes weren't just accostin' yer, if yer don't mind me pointing out." From where she lies prone, Chanda yawns, scratching the side of her neck. "Threatening a lady with drawn sword and knocking her 'bout 'sif she was a fist-bag ain't accostin'. That's assault, that is. Hey. Hey, beanpole. You oughta complain to that Watch captain. Get her to wrangle some compense."

Aunt Vera inclines her head and pats the poultice bound upon it, her voice as serene as ever. "A few bumps. These are nothing serious and not worth wasting magic on. Not when the earth provides for us, in its rich bounty. Some comfrey and sage, that is all I need. Do any of you require some herbs for yourselves? I am sure, with so many enemies, your wounds must have been grievous indeed. The Justice Ironbriar is known to be a powerful mage in his own right - especially after that public display last year when he saved Mayor Gorboras from that assassin at the Spring Solistice feast."

"Yeah. Oy, speaking of which-" Picking Qistala off her stomach and scrambling up from the floor, Chanda deposits the little pseudodragon on the mantle before turning to the rest of you, jabbing an accusing finger in Rico and Simatzu's direction. "If it weren't for getting you two jokers to Kyver's sawmill, I wouldn'tve lost eyes on Vee-Ai. Just as lucky for y'all that I did though, 'cause I wouldn't have run into ma'am Verala here if I'd been campin' out at the Pediment."

Aunt Vera bows her head once more. "And I remain eternally grateful for your rescue, Chanda. Nevertheless, his Grace is dead. Let us dwell not on the past but the morrow." She turns to the rest of you. "Will you go hunting for this Xanesha then? The Underbridge is not a safe place. The Shadow Clock itself is no safe structure either. Your raven might have landed amiss."

jamieth

2015-12-30, 08:02 AM

"Take all the time you want", Naya nods and switches her attention to Taladron retelling their adventure. After being introduced, and politely greeting the elder woman, she shakes her head, "Unlikely... Ravens are smart birds, unlike, say, seagulls, and this one looked rather determined in its target... and this tower looked very distinctive - I don't think there's another building ni the whole Underbridge it can be confused with... besides, it's the only lead we have, unless Irobriar's writings produce any more, of course?"

Desril

2015-12-30, 08:22 AM

Setsuna

Nodding at Naya and oblivious to Red's shame, Setsuna can't help but be impressed that Chanda apparently managed to take on a pair of hellknights on her own. Before she can give her a word of praise, however, the conversation turns toward the raven and the possibility that the Shadow Clock isn't where Xanesha is, and Setsuna instead just moves to stand a little closer to the elder Allin. Emphatically nodding in agreement with the sylph, perhaps because she's simply read too many books on the subject, nonetheless, she speaks up. "She is right, and how could this Xanesha person be anywhere else? A ruined tower with an ominous name is exactly where a villain who manipulates people would make their lair! Where else could she be?"

maggie_mcknife

2015-12-31, 01:10 AM

GM post

"Don't be daft, snow-white. If yer really wanted to go 'bout tuggin' strings of folk 'sif they was puppets, you'd do it same as our buddy Vee-Ai - in a nobby post, as Big Justice himself, so nobody'd question him at all. Just lookit how easy he sic'd all them Hellknights and Night Scales and Stalkers onna yer." Chanda sniffs aloud and folds her arms, leaning against the mantlepiece and pretending to ignore Qistala's attempts to play with her braids. "'Sides, that clock tower's a mess. Could fall apart any moment. Sure, raven can land on top, no problem. But only way up's the stairs inside - same one all those folk fall from. We in the Black World call them the Terrible Stairs for a reason, eh?"

"Ah yes. That is true. But accessing such a tower would not be an issue for a powerful mage. There are spells that allow one to fly or become weightless, after all." Aunt Vera moves to a low table, pouring herself a fresh cup of tea from the pot there and offering a cup to anyone else who wants one.

<Flying is best. Walking too slow.> For those of you who have yet to meet Qistala, the pseudodragon's chirruping voice as it echoes in your head comes as a mild shock. Giving Chanda's braid a final batting with his paw, he makes a flying leap over to Taladron's arm and clawing his way up to the shoulder, settles down with a distinct air of satisfaction.

Scowling to disguise the hint of a smile, Chanda tucks her braid behind her ear and crisps her fingers against her palm. "Climbing's not so bad either. Don't suppose y'all need a thief for this 'ere jaunt?"

Bhaakon

2016-01-01, 08:03 PM

Brin

Following Chanda's cant was, oddly, harder to do sober than drunk, but Brin's pretty sure that she catches the gist of it. "Uh...well...there is one thing I could do to get something like flying, but it's taxing, and it's only good for one of us. Seems like that's more Naya's wheelhouse."

"Climbing isn't really my bag..." She trails off, remembering many a foolish drunken tumble.

Desril

2016-01-01, 08:15 PM

Setsuna

Pursing her lips at being called daft by Chanda, Setsuna shakes her head. "Maybe, but not everyone wants that sort of attention. It would be easier to stay hidden in a place that no one goes, and...maybe she is not even human! She could be a...a harpy! Or a succubus!"

At Brin's comment, "I am not very good at climbing either, but if I could probably climb the stairs easily enough. It would be fun to fly though..."

Turning back to Chanda, "I would like to have you with us, but...having too many people would draw too much attention, would it not?"

bcool999

2016-01-01, 08:40 PM

Taladron

"I should also be able to assist in flying up the tower, assuming my Aunt has a scroll of the spell to sell me..." Taladron says as the Qistala claws his way up to his shoulders, "I believe the spellbooks I procured today sadly lack that specific spell, but there appear to be a couple of spells of note. I could, for instance, grant the ability to climb surfaces with the agility of a spider."

When Chandra speaks of joining them on their venture, Taladron shrugs and says, "I would not be opposed to such aid, though I am rather curious as to what your price shall be this time."

Bhaakon

2016-01-01, 08:58 PM

Brin

Yawning, Brin answers. "Well, we wouldn't all have to fly. The tower is...uh..tower-shaped, right? I mean, it's pretty straight up and down? Just being able to float should do it. Maybe one or two fliers to herd the rest of us."

Or, in metagame speak, Levitation.

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-02, 12:33 AM

GM post

"My fee? Oh, not much," says Chanda airily, making a show of examining her fingernails and rubbing an imaginary scruff. "Yer lot been kind 'nough to fork over sufficient coin to shut the Night Scales up for contract-breakin'. So for lettin' me take a shot at this bitch what messed me rep in this town? Whatever goodies she might've squirreled away up in her hidey hole, I get first pick - just one thing. Everything else, goes back to yer kind folks. And I mighta point out, I ain't got use for no spells and sparkles. In 'turn, I climb, I kill, I does me best to get all yer asses inna out that tower. Yer interested?"

"... You don't... need to help us. Don't need... you." Looking down at the floor and mumbling, Red's voice and her clenched fists are quite lost amid the chatter in the room.

As for Aunt Vera, a faint indent appears between her brows when Taladron asks if she has scrolls to spare. "Of such spells, I am afraid not. I would be able to scribe it, but that would take some time. And time is of the essence if you are to strike at this villainess's heart before she does you harm."

Bhaakon

2016-01-02, 12:49 AM

Brin

"Hmm? What was that, Red?" Brin asks, knowing perfectly well what she had said. But it was pretty clear the room was heading towards asking for Chanda's help, and if there was going to be an issue, well, now in Aunt Vera's sitting room was a better time and place than mid-melee in Xanesha's parlor. "Please speak up."

Why do I feel like I'm going to hell for this?

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-02, 01:02 AM

Red

Nothing. Red shakes her head stubbornly and turns away from Brin without saying a word, a muscle twitching in her stiffened jaw. Stupid jie. Always sticking her nose where she wasn't wanted. Always making herself so damned useful.

Always making Red feel... smaller.

Bhaakon

2016-01-02, 01:08 AM

"Oh, I must have misheard." Brin shrugs. Then she yanks the cork of her wine bottle and takes a pull before giving her opinion.

"Well, I've no doubt of Chanda's skills, but if we're planning to magically assault the upper reaches of the tower, then I think FEWER might be better. We'll need to conserve all of our magical resources, and the space at the top is likely to be tight. No offense to you, Chanda, but we haven't really worked together in a fight. Accidents can happen in close quarters when the arrows start flying."

jamieth

2016-01-02, 04:01 AM

"Flying does take quite a lot of power..." Naya nods, "I think I could get us all to the top of the tower, but that would likely exhaust me to the point of not being able to really help in the fight - but one or two people, I can probably handle without much trouble... Anyway, you all have much more experience fighting together, so it's your call."

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-02, 06:33 AM

GM post

Brin wasn't the only one who had heard Red speak, though the only sign Chanda gives of this is a faint flaring of the nostrils as she raises an eyebrow. "Naw, and I wouldn't expect yer to fight well 'side me neither. If you lot intend to soar in the top like birdies, I'll be taking the normal way up, if yer please. By foot. I reckons I'm steadier on me feet when climbing than most of yer, so them stairs won't get me. That way, you got both ends covered 'least this Xanesha try to hare her way outta there. Got more than an arrow to stick up her craw if she do, too." Giving the hilt of her rapier a meaningful tilt, Chanda gives a mocking bow. "I wouldn't dream of gettin' in yer ways."

Desril

2016-01-02, 10:26 AM

Setsuna

The tiefling looks more than a little concerned at the idea of Chanda climbing the so-called 'Terrible Stairs' alone, "If any of us are going to take the normal route up, I will too. I can move quickly and avoid getting hit by anything that might try to attack us. If we are going to split up, I need to be with the group that is more likely to be attacked with swords."

What she doesn't say or express is her disappointment at not being able to fly in this situation, but keeping everyone safe is more important than soaring through the air.

"Maybe...if our mages are flying, the rest of us can climb the stairs, and if some thing goes wrong, they can catch any one who falls?"

Bhaakon

2016-01-04, 11:37 PM

"Maybe that cloak-thing can help" Bring speculates through a yawn. "I saw it move one of those Skinsaw idiots across a room, maybe it can do the same for us?"

She shrugs, exhaustion pushing her beyond caring for the moment. "Whatever. I'm too tried for planning things. I've had a lo-*Yawn*-ng couple of days...I need to sleep." With that, Brin finds a comfortable seeming place to lie down and she's snoring in a matter of moments.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning comes early for Brin, well before dawn. The sad price of going to sleep while it was still light out. Oh, well. Better that there were no distractions for this part anyway. She take a bracing swig from her still-half-full wine bottle and wanders off to find a corner far away from the others, so she won't be disturbed, and gets to work with her Harrow deck. The shuffle and bridge came as smooth as ever, despite the morning stiffness. Brin couldn't even remember the last time she'd tried a reading--weeks? A month? Before she'd glommed on to this lot, anyway--but her adopted mother had made good and certain that she'd never forget the ritual of it. The pleasant ruffling the harrow deck, the sickly-sweet tang of the incense, the offering...

"Crap." Brin hisses, and thinks. Coin might fly, maybe, but it was supposed to be something less...impersonal. Nothing would be open this early...but, maybe...yes. She slips into Vera's kitchen and grabs a certain jar of expensive chocolates, depositing a handful of coins as recompense. She returns to her divination and sets out the exotic sweets out as payment for the information to come.

"Your most...well, not most. Er...one of your most devout servants wishes to ask just one small, tiny, barely significant question, my Lady." This wasn't going well. She clears her throat, takes another confidence-building sip of wine, and tries again. "My Lady of Graves, keeper of the spiral, I beseech you to impart a small modicum of your transcendental knowledge. One called 'Xanesha' has been involved in crimes most foul. Murder, conspiracy, perhaps the harvesting of souls. I would know her greatest weakness, that we might put an end to her."

Brin begins flipping the cards over into the normal array for augury, noting each one and their position in the hopes of finding an answer. She wasn't exactly sure what to expect...she'd seen Lady Zafira attempt this level of divination before--many, many years ago--but Brin had never dared herself.

No idea if the chocolates are actually worth 25 gp, but that's how much I leave on the shelf for them. Let's hope Aunt Vera has expensive taste :smalltongue:

Success chance is 77% (70 base +1 per CL). I'm supposed to know if it fails, but there are some other conditions, so I assume you'll wan to roll it behind the DM's screen.

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-05, 12:33 PM

GM post

It is difficult to disguise the sudden scheming spark in Chanda's eyes at the mention of the magic cloak that you had confiscated off the cultists at the sawmill, though for now, she simply taps her chin and nods to herself, looking thoughtful. Aunt Vera is much more sanguine, however, as she gives a little clap of the hands and smiles. "A dimensional space cape, in the manner of street mountebanks? That would be most useful indeed. Such capes are not without risk, however. It is best to be able to visualise or to know where it is you wish to arrive at, lest you reappear in a dangerous spot. I have heard of accidents happening to the students next door at the Stone... a midnight raid on the kitchen went terribly wrong a few years ago. One of the pranksters had such a cape. It seems he transferred himself straight into a hot stove..."

Though she winces visibly in the telling, Aunt Vera is nevertheless quick to notice Brin nodding off to sleep. "My manners, I do forget myself. You must all be exhausted. Come then. I shall heat up water in the kitchen for those who need to conduct their ablutions. Qistala - take Taladron upstairs to where we keep the winter blankets. I am sure we can make up some spare beds in the attic. Chanda, I am terribly sorry, but it seems we must delay our discussion of the Black World for another day."

"No needs for sorry, wiselady." Chanda warily eyes Rico, who has already drifted off to sleep standing up in the corner of the sitting room, a sizable thread of spittle already swaying from one corner of her mouth and a damp patch on her riding skirt. "Seems like these lot had one hell-cracker of a day. I'll just mosey off on my way. Be back in the morn to finish up this Xanesha business. Y'all keep safe now. Don't go nicking yerself for bein' too sharp."

The thief waves cheerily at Aunt Vera, who bows before bustling off in the direction of the kitchen. For those of you who are still awake, the prospect of a warm drink and place to rest your head is a welcome one. It's been a hard and dirty day's work, after all, and it's very satisfying to know that you've helped to put away the corrupt elf Justice who had caused so much death and desolation around Sandpoint and Magnimar. All the same, Xanesha is still out there and it would not do to go to bed without setting up guard.

Sirus, despite the weariness bowing his shoulders, volunteers to take first watch, and it seems that Simatzu is not to be outdone by one less than half his age as he pipes up to keep the half-orc company. As Setsuna dithers between joining them and taking first stab at the cauldron of hot water that Aunt Vera has promised, few of you notice Chanda slipping over to where Red crouches at Rico's feet, staring blindly into space.

"Sera. Gen wo lai." The tone of command in Chanda's voice is clear, rigid as an iron bar. For a moment, those of you who bother to look see Red tense, her fists clenching as her eyes narrow into resentful slits. Still, she rises after a few seconds of hesitation and both sisters pad silently out the front door of the house, closing the door behind them.

*Tien: Come with me.

It is almost an hour before Red slips back into the house with her hair rather more tousled than before and a bruise forming on her cheek, limping slightly and hugging her ribs. Still, the frown lines above her brow have vanished and she seems much calmer than before, sneaking over to where someone has kindly helped Rico lie down and curling up beside her friend. Within seconds, she is fast asleep, one hand unclenched next to her cheek.

*****

GM note - what just happened with Red and Chanda?
I don't want to derail the story for GMPC backstory spotlight, but I realise this bit might be confusing. So...

In short - the sisters argue. About things like respect and names and what the frak is your problem. Red loses her temper and pulls her kukris on her sister in an attempt to make her take her more seriously. Chanda calls Red's bluff and draws her rapier, thus resulting in angry angst-filled COMBAT.

I did the rolls below and Desril verified them for me. I was actually thinking that Chanda was going to have an easy win with her Feint and SA ability, but Red's new iterative attacks and the increased critical range for her kukris made it a lot tougher. In the end, Chanda squeaks out a win. She's super pissed at being shown up by her stupid little sister and storms off. Red's barely standing and got her ass kicked good, but that's good enough for her because in her books, she got her sister to take her more seriously and admit she's not weak. As for why she took so long to get back, I have it in my head that she ran off to buy six CLW potions because explaining why she's almost dead for the 3rd time today to Brin would be too difficult. :smalltongue:

Rolls here, if you're interested in things like that.
Initiative
C: (1d20+6)[22]
R: (1d20+5)[23]

*Round 1

R-5 foot stepping
Attack: (1d20+9)[22], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
Attack: (1d20+9)[25], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+4)[22], Damage: (1d4+4)[7], Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+4)[18], Damage: (1d4+4)[7] - hit
Attack: (1d20+4)[5], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
C
Move: Feint vs Sense Motive DC19: (1d20+10)[11]
Attack: (1d20+11)[19], Damage: (1d6+4)[8] and Frost damage (1d6)[4]

*Round 2

R
Attack: (1d20+9)[15], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+9)[27], Damage: (1d4+4)[6], Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+9)[21], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20+4)[11], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+4)[19], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
C
Move: Feint vs Sense Motive DC19: (1d20+10)[13]
Attack: (1d20+11)[25], Damage: (1d6+2)[3] + Frost (1d6)[2]

*Round 3

R
Attack: (1d20+9)[10], Damage: (1d4+4)[6]
Attack: (1d20+9)[25], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+4)[11], Damage: (1d4+4)[6]
Attack: (1d20+4)[22], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
C
Move: Feint vs Sense Motive DC19: (1d20+10)[16]
Attack: (1d20+11)[23], Damage: (1d6+4)[10] + Frost (1d6)[4]

*Round 4

R
Attack: (1d20+5)[10], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
Attack: (1d20+5)[19], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20)[18], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20)[7], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
C
Move: Feint vs Sense Motive DC19: (1d20+10)[19]
Attack: (1d20+11)[25], Damage: (1d6+4)[6] + Frost (1d6)[2]
Additional: (4d6)[13] Sneak Attack

*Round 5

R
Attack: (1d20+4)[10], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
Attack: (1d20+4)[19], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20)[18], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20)[7], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
C
Move: Feint vs Sense Motive DC19: (1d20+10)[19]
Attack: (1d20+11)[25], Damage: (1d6+4)[6] + Frost (1d6)[2]
Additional: (4d6)[11]

*Round 6

R
Attack: (1d20+9)[19], Damage: (1d4+4)[6]
Attack: (1d20+9)[21], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+4)[10], Damage: (1d4+4)[6]
Attack: (1d20+4)[20], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
C
Move: Feint vs Sense Motive DC19: (1d20+10)[29]
Attack: (1d20+11)[21], Damage: (1d6+4)[6] + Frost (1d6)[5]

*****

Day 37: Lamashan 28, 4707

It is now 0300hrs.

Brin

Divination success / failure: (1d100)[80] - failed

You stare down at the first card in your hand, your wine-stained thumb tracing the image of an ettin with both its idiotic faces contorted in mirth, doubled over in uproarious laughter and slapping the ground while a traveler stood cautiously by. The Choosing card was always one of significance. It was supposed to set the tone for the rest of the reading. Mean something personal to the one who sought knowledge and wisdom from the Harrow. And yet...

The Joke. Overcoming danger through artifice. Using humour to get your way. Or that you'd been played for a fool.

Perhaps it is the fact that you hadn't actually asked Aunt Vera if you could pilfer her chocolates as an offering. Or the bald-faced lie about your piety. Or maybe it was just bloody old Aroden who'd upped and died and started off the bloody prophecies going awry. No matter the reason, the knowledge that your spell has failed settles at the back of your skull, a cold ache that will not go away.

The Joke. You'd certainly funned and punned and bluffed your way through your wine-soused life, no doubt, but if this was Pharasma's way of rebuking you - holding up an inexorable mirror to the brokenness inside you at the same time that she refused your question...

Taking a deep breath, you push away the thoughts and lay out the rest of the cards in a spread and flip them over one by one. Lady Zafira had never failed to complete a Harrowing once she'd begun and you will not sully her memory by leaving this one incomplete, though the answers you get are indubitably not the ones that you'd hoped for.

In the gloom of Aunt Vera's kitchen, your only light coming from the dying embers on the hearth and the tiles cold on your bare feet, you flip over the three cards that represent the past.

A sky of clearest blue, the sun shining down on slaves who rejoice in the breaking of their shackles. A suave-looking centaur who shoulders a bursting knapsack with all manner of gear and gewgaws strapped to it. A dragon that digs its scimitar talons into a broken king's cruciger from which bright red blood pearls and flows.

The Big Sky, partially aligned in the axis of Good, representing freedom from bondage but also new shackles to replace the old.

The Wanderer, also partially aligned in the axis of Law, representing the worth in cast-off things and the failure to see the true value of things.

The Tyrant, in its traditional alignment on the axes of Law and Evil. A paternal influence bringing pain.

With your initial question gone awry, it might have been anyone's guess what fate these cards told, but your years on the road with Lady Zafira have taught you to be judicious. If your heart had told you with the Choosing that this Harrowing was revealing not Xanesha's weaknesses but your own, then perhaps these cards showed was the weaknesses of your group - of all of you who wished to bring Xanesha down.

It certainly seems to match with what you've learned of your current companions, save the two most recent additions. All those haunts in Aldern Foxglove's house had been particularly revealing. Hadn't Setsuna been crying and saying something about her father and wanting forgiveness? And hadn't Taladron been rescued from some corrupted paladin's dungeon just last month?

If nothing else, this Harrowing would certainly help you with thinking of juicy gossip to dig up from your companions during a drinking game. Feeling slightly heartened, you move on to the three cards that represent the present.

A ruddy barkeep in a leather apron gamely pours gold liquor from mug to stein as drunken patrons lie passed out at his feet. A grinning three-eyed demoness with nubbled scarlet skin grins from behind an exquisite mask crafted of ivory and exotic feathers. The laughing ettin again.

The Publican, partially aligned on the axis of Good, representing fellowship and camaraderie, but also the absence of a refuge.

The Courtesan, lying on the crossing of the axes where the present was unclear, representing political and feminine intrigue.

The Joke, lying utterly misaligned on the axes of Chaos and Neutrality.

The reappearance of The Joke in a misaligned order in the spread only serves to confirm your hunch that the Lady of Graves has indeed, for reasons only known to her, rejected your supplication. The Courtesan is somewhat troubling though - that deal with Ironbriar was most definitely political, but that was over... Or was it? As for The Publican... your companions probably counted, even if you didn't know them that well. But what was this about there being no safe place? Was Pharasma trying to tell you something about Aunt Vera's house?

It is with a sense of growing unease that you turn over the last three cards - the cards meant to tell of the future. If the Lady was going to have any mercy on you and help at all with telling you about Xanesha, this would be it.

A collared brown bear squats precariously atop a wheel, skulls lining the grass at its feet. A decrepit scarecrow, with naught but a rusting sword to serve as its crosspiece, drowns in a growing patch of thorny briars. A carpenter crying out in fear, his tools scattered as a divine hand reaches down from above, dazzling his feeble mind with great power.

The Bear, lying out of its traditional axes in the space that augured for a positive future, representing pure strength and the reign of brute force.

The Tangled Briar, misaligned on the axes of Neutrality and Chaos, representing the rise of ancient evils to endanger the present.

The Vision, partially aligned on the axis of Chaos and lying in the space where the negative future was meant to be shown, representing magic and arcane knowledge.

That The Vision card falls into the space for a negative future is worrying. Given that your plan to break into the Shadow Clock relied heavily on the use of enchanted items and spells, if the Lady was trying to tell you that arcane power would be a weakness to you and of little use... Did that explain The Bear, in that case, symbolising that some raw physical power would be helpful? And what about The Tangled-

You get no further in your Harrowing as your thoughts are abruptly interrupted by a frantic hammering on Aunt Vera's front door.

*****

Everyone Else

The following description may be triggering to survivors of sexual assault. Please read with care.

Whoever it is knocking at the front door, he or she is certainly doing an excellent job of waking up the entire household. Qistala growls sleepily from where he has fallen asleep atop Taladron's chest, scuffling his tiny claws through the nightclothes and into the elf's skin. For those of you who chose to sleep in the attic, you can hear the odd thump and rustle coming from Aunt Vera's bedroom below, signalling that she too has been roused.

If someone is knocking like that at this hour, whatever the reason is, it is certainly no good. And what on earth are the three of you who are supposed to be on guard doing? Nevertheless, caution from recent events dictates those closest to the door peek through the curtains of Aunt Vera's sitting room instead of simply yanking it open.

For those who look out the window, the sight is a distinctly alarming one. Kneeling on Aunt Vera's doorstep is one frazzled Chanda Allin, something dark smeared across her angry face and anxiety widening her eyes. With one fist, she bashes on Aunt Vera's door for all she is worth. With her other hand, she presses down on an unconscious Setsuna's belly with what appears to be a bundle of rags, a pool of dark blood widening under the tiefling's half-naked body.

jamieth

2016-01-05, 03:27 PM

At 3 AM, Naya was awake already. the magic of the ring she bought almost on a whim keeping her fresh and her magic restored after only a couple hours of rest; feeling it would be unwise to go explore the city, as she would most nights - keeping to the more civilized districts, of course - she wanders the house, trying not to disturb those who are resting, finally settling in the sitting room, remembering the image of the tower in as much details as she can to avoid the teleportation incident like the one Aunt Vera mentioned in the evening.

Which is why she's likely the first to react to the knocking, peeking outside and letting out a weak yell of terror. Her second reaction is to reach for the door, only to stop that motion at the very last possible moment - were it her house, she wouldn't hesitate for a moment before opening the door and pulling the newly-found companion inside, but here, she had to consider the others's safety... she still would open it, but, luckily, judging by the sounds, the others were alerted also, meaning it was only a matter of seconds. Still, she can at least shout, "Miss Chanda, what happened?!", hoping that the woman would hear her through the window.

Bhaakon

2016-01-05, 07:04 PM

Brin

A creeping dread grips Brin from the very start of the reading, when the all too familiar image of The Joke had rears its ugly heads and falls onto Vera's kitchen table like an anvil kicked off the dizzying edge of the Spire. Ha ha ha. Story of my life. She mentally quips, trying to cut the tension stretching her gut as each new card is revealed.

It was strange. Brin knew the spell had failed, but at the same time she couldn't remember a reading that felt so...significant in a long time. There was hope in that. Pharasma was displeased for some reason, but Brin's course was too important to leave her completely cut off. Clearly their little band was walking a tightrope with disaster a stumble away, but the rope lead somewhere important. She knew it, even if it stretched out endlessly before her into an impenetrable murk. It was terrifying. There was nothing Brin wanted more than to walk out Aunt Vera's back door and disappear into the street.

But she couldn't so that. Not this time. She had to help these people, somehow. Maybe that was the message: that this was her last chance. A joke leading the broken. Maybe it would even be a funny joke, if she could just figure out what the cards meant...

The banging at the door breaks the fragile reverie of the reading. Brin sweeps the deck up with her arm and returns it antique traveling box with the guilty haste of a card sharp raking in an ill-gotten pot, but it's enough of a delay that Naya reaches the door first.

"Setsuna got stabbed in the gut is what happened." Brin states the obvious as she juggles one of the newly acquired wands free from its loop on her belt, nearly dropping it in her haste. "Explanations can wait until she's stopped bleeding."

Not sure how you want to handle the healing, since this is Plot Damage. Should I roll charges?

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-05, 10:55 PM

GM post

"I don't frakken know! Found her like this!" Annoyance and frustration makes Chanda's voice sharper than usual as she barks at Naya through the door. Pausing momentarily in her pounding, she looks down at her knee, which is apparently becoming rapidly soaked in Setsuna's blood. "Oh sh-" Chanda clumsily readjusts the messy wadding and as she does so, those of you closest to the window are able to see the leather wrapped hilt of a dagger, still embedded deep in Setsuna's belly.

"Do somethin' wouldja?"

Bhaakon

2016-01-06, 12:39 AM

Brin

"Open the damned door! she's going to bleed out!" Brin shouts, yanking on the doorknob with her right hand as she shoves the wand towards Setsuna with her right. "Quick, pull the dagger out!" She orders Chanda, activating the magic the instant the blade is clear of the wound.

1 charge: [roll0]

Desril

2016-01-06, 02:31 PM

Setsuna

Eyes fluttering open, Setsuna looks vacantly up at Brin without a hint of recognition for the elf. Groaning, Setsuna curls up into a ball holding her stomach even though the wound has mostly closed from the wand. "Where..." she mumbles, failing to finish the question, barely able to form a coherent thought, let alone voice one.

jamieth

2016-01-06, 02:47 PM

Naya

"It's OK, miss Setsuna..." Naya immediately falls to her knees next to th etiefling, unable to offer anything in terms of healing, but fully intending to support the wounded companion at least, "You're at Mrs. Vera's house... it's OK now..."

Desril

2016-01-06, 02:55 PM

Setsuna

Disoriented and mentally drained as she is, when Naya drops down next to her, Setsuna's eyes open again. The strange talking shape in front of her doesn't register as the friendly sylph that she'd met the day before, however, and with her stomach in as much pain as it was, the tiefling did what seemed the most reasonable course of action to her at the time as she lifts her head up and snaps at Naya's hands, either very hungry or completely delusional.

She won't be insane forever, soon as someone gets her head back on straight I'll explain what happened >.>

jamieth

2016-01-06, 03:26 PM

Unfortunately for Setsuna - or, perhaps, fortunately, should she ever remember the accident - being bitten just wasn't something Naya could agree with. Cut with a blade, yes. Pierced with an arrow, happened. Caught flat-footed by a magical trap, more often then she'd hoped. But things - and creatures - trying to bite a piece of her off, well, she made that mistake once... once Setsuna reached for her hand, the sylph instinctively disappeared, dissolving into thin air... then solidified in the same place moment later, none the less for the wear and not apprently even bothered by the accident.

"Do we have something left from the dinner?" she asked concernedly, "it appears miss Setsuna really needs something to eat... It's ok, miss Setsuna, we'll bring you something soon..."

Windy Escape's only a 1-st level slot anyway :-)

Bhaakon

2016-01-06, 04:51 PM

Brin

She'd seen this before from the pain-addled: the disorientation, temporary aphasia, the biting. Okay, no, she hadn't seen the biting. That was entirely new. Still, Brin had an idea of what to do. She steps into the kitchen and retrieves her half-finished bottle of wine, then shoves its open end between Setsuna's snapping teeth. "Drink. It will brace you for what's to come." She says, silently adding, and keep your mouth full. Once bottle is firmly in a position to fend off any further attempts at humanoid mastication, Brin plies the wand to complete the healing process.

Alcohol is the solution to any problem, if you try hard enough! Brin's faith is restored! :smallbiggrin:

Anyway, roll enough charges to fully heal Setsuna, please. I don't know many HP down she is.

Desril

2016-01-06, 06:06 PM

Setsuna

When Naya's hand vanishes into smoke briefly, Setsuna seems somehow even more confused before Brin returns. Unfortunately, any hope that alcohol would alleviate whatever'd been done to her are likely to be crushed when she rolls over onto her back and tries to swallow the entire contents of the half-emptied bottle of wine in one go. At least it's successful in that it doesn't allow the addled tiefling to interfere with further healing or risk anyone's fingers.

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-08, 09:57 AM

Red

Having spent the better part of a fruitless minute trying to unsuccessfully rouse Rico from her fatigued slumber, Red had arrived late to the scene at the door. The sight of Setsuna unconscious with a gaping wound in her belly, however, is enough to drive concern for Rico from her mind for the moment.

Setsuna... No.

Her heart pounding so hard that it felt it might burst within her chest, Red can only anxiously stand by and try to stay out of the way as Brin and Naya take turns hollering through the door. So much blood. What had happened? What had Chanda done? If she'd hurt Setsuna- Red's head snaps up to gaze at her sister's face, but she immediately feels ashamed at the thought, guiltily lowering her eyes and biting her lip. No. She wouldn't have. Chanda was selfish, not dishonourable. She wouldn't have... Not like this.

Unable to decide between staring at the sudden spurting of blood as the dagger leaves Setsuna's belly or at her sister's swollen nose - the crunch of soft bone when she had smashed her kukri hilt down on it a few hours earlier had been immensely satisfying - Red turns away, scanning the rooftops and road outside Aunt Vera's house. Empty. Unless rats in the gutters and a lonely-looking moon counted. Whoever attacked Setsuna must have run away.

She breathes out heavily through her nose in relief as Setsuna groans and mumbles. That was good. Chanda didn't seem hurt either. That was good too. But Setsuna still didn't seem to be getting up even though Brin was making the wound close. That was probably not good.

"W-we should... get her inside. S-safer." Whatever it was that was ailing Setsuna, maybe being inside where it was warm would help. Avoiding looking at her sister, Red reaches out for Setsuna's shoulder to help carry her in but shrinks back as the tiefling tries to bite Naya. That was definitely not good at all.

"Miss Brin? What... what do we do...?" Red looks up helplessly at Brin.

*****

GM post

"Took yer long enough. Who's gonna pay for me tunic?" Grumbling under her breath as Brin applies the first dose of healing magic, Chanda lifts her blood-slick hands from Setsuna's torso. Scrunching up the wad of rags, she spits philosophically on the paving stones nearby. "Yer bums oughta keep a better lookabout out for yer own," she mutters aloud as she sits back on her heels with the bloody dagger in her hand, talking more to herself than anyone else.

Now that she's gotten the door open and Setsuna is out of danger, Chanda initially doesn't seem to care much about what happens next. Glancing idly down at the dagger in her hand as the rest of you try to revive the tiefling, the thief raises a casual eyebrow before turning her gaze to the delirious Setsuna, upon which her indolent expression immediately turns into a frown. Studying the glazed bloodshot eyes and befuddled expression with what seems to be unusual interest, it takes Chanda only a few seconds before her frown deepens into an open scowl. Without warning, she leans forward and irritably snatches the bottle from Setsuna's mouth with enough force to make the tiefling's teeth ring.

"Wrong milk, priestess. Don't yer know bewitchin' to make dumb when yer sees it?" Tossing the wine bottle over her shoulder without heed for how much of its content she spills, Chanda slides what looks like a nearly empty wineskin from one of the many pockets secreted about her person. She shakes the little fluid that remains in it into Setsuna's gaping mouth before clamping her hands over the tiefling's nose and mouth, ignoring any biting and struggling that takes place until the latter swallows.

Catching any suspicious glances cast her way, Chanda rolls her eyes in resentment and removes her hands from Setsuna's face. "Restoration alky. I'll charge her for it when she's back in her noggin. Don't ask how I knows 'bout dumbing. She'll be up in a bit. See?"

Meanwhile, behind Taladron's shoulder, Aunt Vera materialises with four glowing spheres of fiery light circling around her head. Considering all that has happened to her since the lot of you landed up on her doorstep, the elf remains remarkably calm and level-headed for someone who recently has a tiefling bleeding out in front of her house in the dead of the night.

"I took the liberty of casting a screening spell when I saw what had happened. If anyone else had heard the knocking, they would have looked out their windows and seen nothing. Unfriendly eyes will not discern us for now. Is your friend all right? That wound looked quite grievous."

The wound in question, for those who are close enough to see, no longer bleeds thanks to Brin's ministrations. Nevertheless, even as Setsuna's frenetic breathing slows, the pain in her belly dissipating as does the unnatural pallor of blood-loss, an angry scarlet welt remains where the dagger had been buried, refusing to fade.

Setsuna drinks Restoration potion, gets back WIS score.
Brin uses 5 charges from the wand.

Aunt Vera casts Dancing Lights and Screen.

Desril

2016-01-08, 03:07 PM

Setsuna

Though sanity returns to her eyes, it's replaced by a flash of panic as Setsuna looks around. She seems to be counting heads to see who is here, at least until she reaches Chanda and flinches, almost as if she was upset at being so close to her. The tiefling takes a moment to catch her breath before asking, "W-where are Sirus-san, Rico, and the old man?" Did he ever give his name? With everything that'd happened, she couldn't remember. It wasn't important now though.

"No, wait," she shakes her head. "We can get them in a minute...I...Xanesha found me...she knows that we were waiting here," with a glance toward Chanda, "I thought she was you...it must have been a spell...she got close to me, and we talked...then she did...something...I do not know what, but it felt like I was going mad." Lowering her eyes, she looks toward the floor, "She is not human...I think she wanted to gloat...if the real you had not shown up..."

Bhaakon

2016-01-09, 03:17 AM

Brin

"I know my business. Stop the biting, close the wound, then address the secondary symptoms." Brin mutters as Chanda cuts in to toss away the wine and dispense her potion. She was beginning to see why Red despised her sister so. Arrogrant prat. Brin wasn't going to be reimbursing her for that tincture, that was for damned sure.

But any thought of a brewing argument was blown away by Setsuna's words. "Yeah...where are Stoneface and the old man? Weren't they supposed to be on watch? No, wait, not human? What do you mean? What IS she, then? Did she do this to you with a spell, some artifact, a poison?"

Her thought fly back to the Harrow cards. The Courtesan? There was nothing feminine or political about a dagger to the gut. To the back, maybe, but not the belly. Perhaps The Bear, then. Was the enemy turning towards brute force out of desperation? Or the Tangled Briar. Was Xanesha calling on something ancient and uncontrollable to do her dirty work? Was Xanesha herself some ancient and uncontrollable force?

No, it was The Joke. Always The Joke. The pounding building in Brin's temples reminds her why she'd fallen out of the habit of doing Harrowings. They summoned up more migraines than answers.

"Wait...Setsuna, where were you when you were attacked? Why did you go out alone at all?!

Desril

2016-01-09, 03:43 AM

Setsuna

"I thought I should patrol around the house some...in case there were spies or more assassins watching us, I was sure I could have dealt with them with just Mae-san and myself if there were," she answers. Looking ashamed, with a brief glance toward Chanda, "And when she arrived I thought I was speaking to a friend, so I did not think twice about following her, and let my guard down..."

With a sigh, she continues. "She said..." shaking her head, struggling to find the right words and not entirely sure she wants to divulge the full details of what'd happened, though finally recognizing her state of dress and covering herself with her arms, "When she...kissed me, I lost the ability to resist...after that, she was just...cruel." The tiefling pauses, clearly not overjoyed at the memory. "She was mocking me, telling me what she would do to all of you, she even dropped her disguise. Her face might be human, but she did not use a spell to change it, then or when Chanda arrived." She shudders and looks almost panicked for a moment. "She was going to...no, it does not matter...Chanda found us then, and Xanesha retreated. She must have thought all of you were there too. Otherwise..."

Putting a hand over the wound she'd received, Setsuna winces as she traces the inevitable scar, uncertain why the magic had not healed it completely but knowing that it would not. It isn't until then that something finally seems to click and the relative calm she'd been experiencing shatters and her eyes well up, ready to burst into tears. Otherwise I'd be dead...

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-09, 08:44 AM

Red

Slipping back indoors to retrieve her woolen blanket, Red returns and crouches, carefully maneuvering the cloth over the tiefling's slim shoulders. It was a little short and didn't quite reach to the tiefling's knees, but it would do. Hopefully it wouldn't be too hard to clean any blood that Setsuna got on it later on.

At the mention of kissing, Red glances sidelong at her sister, worry furrowing her brow as she pats Setsuna's arm in what she hopes is a reassuring way. "Is she... a d-demon? The kind that... makes people want to do se-"

Oh. Oh.

As the likely reason for Setsuna's semi-nakedness becomes clear, Red winces, her eyes brimming with pity. No, Chanda wouldn't have done this. She couldn't have. She would know well enough. Poor Setsuna.

Dropping to her knees, Red begins reaching out in an attempt to give Setsuna a hug but pauses, remembering that day long ago - the last time she'd met Chanda and Thom, and before she'd left, Thom had taken her aside to explain what had happened in Korvosa to Chanda to make her worse. Perhaps hugging wasn't the best idea right now.

Instead, Red takes Setsuna's hand in her own, gently massaging the fingers and giving her palm a reassuring squeeze, though her eyes roam towards her sister - who doesn't seem to want to look back. "You are... safe now... We are here. I w-won't let her... get you."

*****

GM post

Aunt Vera appears none too pleased at the mention of Xanesha intruding on her property, nor at the question of where Sirus and Simatzu are. "None of my defensive wards went off... Qist, hurry. Fly above the house and check. This monster might not have gone too far. If you find them not, seek for Master Sirus and Master Simatzu. I myself will check the yard and back garden."

<Qist go.> Unfurling his clawed wings, the pseudodragon hops off Taladron's shoulder and flaps through the open front door, stirring the hair of those nearest to him.

While Aunt Vera hurries off, those who turn to look at Chanda find that the thief has lost much of her usual swagger, staring fixedly at Setsuna with a vaguely haunted look in her eyes. When she speaks, her voice is half-choked, almost a whisper. "I... I didn't. That wasn't me. I wouldn't... never..." For a few seconds, Chanda's face is stricken with an odd mixture of terror and disgust, but the thief rapidly recovers, pressing two shaking fingers against her temple and clenching her bloodied fists.

"I didn't touch her. The Unquenchable Fire strike me down with my own blade if I do lie." Chanda's voice is stronger this time, taut like a serrated wire as her eyes flash with some deeper, smouldering emotion. "Frakken bitch. Steal my face and voice - I'll gut her."

Knowledge (religion / nature) DC 18
Setsuna's description isn't very revealing, but you do recall that there are beings and creatures out there who possess the power to sap one's common sense and willpower, even to the extent of driving their victims insane, all via the merest touch. The succubus would be the most well-known of such monsters with this potent ability, along with allips and lamias.

Perception DC 15 or Appraise DC 13
Your attention turns to the dagger that Chanda had pulled out of Setsuna. Its blade, where not coated in Setsuna's blood, seems rather more lustrous than plain steel. This dagger, you are quite sure, has been coated in silver.

jamieth

2016-01-09, 11:19 AM

"Miss Chanda... No one suspects you", Naya looks around seeking confirmation to her words; "Miss Setsuna says you saved her... Right?"

"Now... Miss Setsuna... You need to rest. I understand it went be easy to fall asleep now, but... You need it. What happened man's we can't delay our assault on that creature's lair... And you'll need all your strength to face her tomorrow. Can you walk? If not, don't force yourself.. I'll make you a ride to the bed... And you need to rest too, miss Brin; my magic is restored already, so I can keep a watch near miss Setsuna's bed in case there would appear any... complications. And... Here, take this cloak - it'll be more convenient than a blanket..."

will cast Floating Disk in case Stands needs help moving

Bhaakon

2016-01-09, 09:44 PM

Brin

"No, we won't let it get to you." Brin agrees with Red, though with venom more reminiscent of Chanda's promise of revenge. "Because we'll be going to get it." It was never easy trying to figure out how to comfort a person who had been through this kind of thing, but Setsuna seemed like the sort of person who did better attacking problems directly rather than brooding on them. Besides, Brin was angry herself. The rage had been building for a while, actually. The murders, the undead, messing with minds, all more wood tossed on the unlit bonfire. But this, this was the spark to set it ablaze.

Maybe...maybe she'd ask Pharasma to blur the memory for Setsuna later. But not now. They needed Setsuna to remember for the time being.

"What you're describing...a succubus? Maybe a lamia?" She wonders. "An allip could also damage your mind directly, but I don't think such a spirit would use a dagger...or be interested in the other thing. That sounds more like a lust demon than anything else. And why has this dagger been silvered? Did Xanesha know that one of us is vulnerable to silver, or is she just used to fighting creatures with such a weakness? Like the denizens of the Hells?" Another point in favor of a succubus, but hardly conclusive.

This was complicated. Maybe it was time to lay all the cards on the table and pool everyone's advice. "Before you interru...before Chanda carried you to the door, I was in the middle of a Harrowing. It was...confusing. It's not unusual for such things to provide different answers from different perspectives, or be meant for someone other than the dealer. Maybe one of you can give me some insight." Brin goes on to describe the reading in detail, along with the typical meaning of the cards and positions (omitting the part about borrowing chocolates as an offering). She even pulls out her antique deck to show them the artwork, in case the sight rattles free some useful idea.

K(religion) 24 in dice thread, perception 20 in dice thread

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-09, 10:13 PM

GM post

Knowledge (religion) DC 13
The allip is one of the lesson common types of undead, known for the ceaseless incoherent babble that issues forth from its decaying lips wheresoever it treads.

Knowledge (nature / planes) DC 17
Succubi and lamias, as Brin has pointed out, are both famed for the beauty of their feminine half as much as their hedonistic and capricious personalities, though the succubus is indeed the one that tends more to the side of lust. Both monstrous races are intelligent and though they are often encountered as solitary wanderers or menaces, it is not unheard of for them to form their own societies, usually governed by the eldest or most powerful spellcasters.

The succubi, like the rakshasas from which Setsuna draws her lineage, are not native to Golarion's plane and are thus likewise more resistant to magical effects and certain types of weapons. The same is true for lamias, though this is because of the magical curse that afflicts their race and not because they hail from an alternate plane.

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-12, 10:14 AM

GM post

Despite her recent emotional rattling, Chanda recovers sufficiently to peer over Brin's cards with a suspicious eye. "Courtesan seems obvious enough. Middle column's for the here'n now. That's yer seduction of old Vee-Ai right there. She'd climbed all the way into his lacy britches and made him wiggle. Mister Publican's saying your place ain't safe - damn straight, it ain't. She got you right here. And that bottom card - the Vision. That's for magicking, no? So if it's in the spot for bad future, it's saying that you lot doing fancy hand waving ain't gonna be much good. Can't be Xanesha not being good at the hand waving. From all what's happen, she seems a dab hand..."

Catching the eye of those who might wonder how a thief is so well-versed in the Harrow, Chanda squints and sticks out her tongue, coughing in embarrassment as she looks away. "Had to scam my way out of town in the River Kingdoms once. Dressed up as a dadi and prophesied doom 'til the bandits scarpered... Ain't proud of it. Don't ask, huh?"

While the rest of you ponder over the cards, you hear the sound of Aunt Vera shuffling back through the kitchen, her steps uneven and her breath coming in slow heavy huffs as if carrying a weight.

Those of you who turn to look behold a sight that though nowhere as alarming as Setsuna bleeding out on the doorstep, is surely equally unwelcome. The willowy elf half-drags a groggy, dishevelled-looking Simatzu with her, a thin trickle of blood flowing from a deep cut at the corner of his eyes. As your eyes meet Aunt Vera's dark ones in question, she sighs in weariness, her lean face pinched and grim.

"Xanesha has been working more of her foulness, I am afraid to report. I found Master Simatzu lying unconscious in the back yard with foam at his lips - poisoned. I have given him an antidote, but he is very weak... As for Master Sirus, Qistala found him in the alley, two houses down the road. He..." As Simatzu groans feebly, stumbling as he tries and fails to regain his footing, Aunt Vera presses her lips together and looks away, deep trouble clouding her fair face.

"Perhaps it is better that you see for yourself." Something breaks in Aunt Vera's composure as she waves her free hand and leads Simatzu aside. Behind Aunt Vera, you behold Sirus's body - frozen in a martial posture and balanced on a shimmering plane of force that hovers about a foot above the ground. His face is twisted in a snarl, the greyish skin that bespeaks his orcish ancestry grown darker - far too dark - the colour of black granite. Qistala perches on his stiff shoulder, his wings drooping as he looks sorrowfully into eyes that stare blindly ahead, unblinking, unchanging.

"His flesh... it has been transformed to stone. There are precious few ways to break such an enchantment, and even then, many do not survive the transformation back." Aunt Vera's voice trembles as she eases Simatzu down by the fireplace, her eyes flitting uneasily towards the windows, as if half-expecting to see Xanesha's grinning face framed there.

Bhaakon

2016-01-12, 11:58 PM

Brin

Oh, sure, it's all obvious in the retrospect, isn't it. Brin was really starting to dislike Chanda's know-it-all streak. She was the type who'd accidentally walk into an occupied privy and stop to correct your posture on the pot instead of running out the door. "Aye, that's one interpretation. In my experience, there's usually several that will fit after the fact."

--------------

"Had to call him 'Stoneface,' didn't you." Brin mumbles, kicking herself mentally as they step outside to find Sirus petrified.

"This isn't...um...we might need to.... She gulps hard, trying to keep her voice steady and failing badly. "Xanesha only did this to Sirus, not the old man, Chanda, or Setsuna...maybe there's a limit. Maybe we should leave right now, before she can do it again."

jamieth

2016-01-13, 04:22 AM

"But if such magic does exist", Naya says, trying to collect herself but barely managing a whisper, "We will seek out a way to use it. But... we can't stay here anymore. It is not safe... not for us, nor for Mrs. Vera, since Xanesha knows of this place know. Perhaps the best option would be to staike back right now... her magic must be drained, at least to an extent... and there's a chance she won't expect a couterattack that soon. Miss Brin, Mr. Taladron, did you restore your powers? Miss Setsuna, do you think you can fight in your condition? And... Miss Chanda, I believe it would only be proper to let you take a revenge against Xanesha as well."

Miraqariftsky

2016-01-13, 12:19 PM

Presently, the slumbering behemoth stirs. Hair all askew, amber eyes blinking blearily, saliva stinking and smeared about her.

Rico scratches an ear, then groans as she stretches, with a reek of sweat and leather, with the creak and clink of armour...

...then takes in the scene of chaos at a glance. A handspan of steel is drawn, then shoved harshly back into the scabbard.

The orcblood constable stomps forward, knuckles crackling, jaw grinding. She scowls deeply, flushing with both shame and rage as she says, "Sorry I was too damn weak to help against wotever da frak happ'd here. ASMODEUS" ARSE. Just lookin' at Sirus an' Hellgirl there. WHAT. Hellish spellcraft an' dire-frakken-ambush? And... ERRYBODY ELSE? All y'all be arright?"

Desril

2016-01-13, 02:51 PM

Setsuna

Already upset, Setsuna looks positively distraught to learn that Sirus has been petrified, and reacts with a gasp before covering her mouth. Restoring him wasn't impossible, like Vera had said, but it wouldn't be easy, nor would it be necessarily safe for the dour half-orc. Still, lowering her hands to her side and balling them into a tight fist, the tiefling resolves to avenge the both of them. Mentally reaching out for Mae, She's a monster, she says silently, her mental voice filled with a calm fury, not bothering to say that she needs to be stopped.

When Naya speaks up, Setsuna nods. "I am...fine now. And you are right, it does not matter if she expects us, or is weakened, we can not let this sit any longer. We should not have waited as long as we did, we need to go, now."

A petrified Sirus helps Setsuna get her head on straight!

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-14, 12:16 PM

Red

Red didn't know Sirus all that well. After all, when you thought about it, she'd only met him all of five weeks ago. True, in the muddied, bruised way of the world, it was difficult not to become comrades with those that you endured biting hardship with. She'd fought hellspawn and goblins and ghosts next to him. He'd watched her come back from the dead. They'd shared meals, lost a friend, and bled together.

But above all, Sirus was kind. He never made fun of her. He always talked gently to her, like she wasn't thick. He always had an encouraging word to say after Red had been afraid.

Red crouches at the side of petrified Sirus, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she strokes his cold arm. She'd never really told him how happy she was with him around. How safe she felt. And now...

No. Mister Sirus would want me to be stronger. Better than this.

As Qistala mournfully curls about Sirus's stiff shoulders, sounding a heart-breaking chirrup, Red thumbs away the wetness in her eyes. Giving the statue one last pat, she grinds her teeth together and turns towards the rest. Look at them. Their eyes. Brin's voice. They were frightened. She was too. Mister Cayden was going to need to give them all a whole lot of courage for them to get through.

"This Xanesha... she wants... to scare us. She... she attacked... the strongest. Of us. We must not... let her win." Red wasn't one for rousing speeches. Especially not this early in the morning. All the same, she tries to stand tall, one hand with an iron grip on the rosary beads around her wrist. "For Mister Sirus. We must not... give up. She must die."

*****

GM post

With both the front door and the kitchen door of Aunt Vera's abode now open, a chill pre-dawn breeze that brings with it the ominous promise of approaching winter sighs through the house. It sweeps up the topmost three cards of Brin's harrow deck, sending them spiraling like autumn leaves to Rico's feet. Meanwhile, standing barefoot in her night-gown and shawl, Aunt Vera shivers, but nods in firm agreement at your proposal.

"Yes. It is possible that Xanesha may have had the aid of enchanted devices, but the sooner you strike back and put an end to her, the better. She will not be expecting you so soon. Come. I shall prepare some victuals and drink. You must be fortified before you go."

As Simatzu is given space to recover from his ordeal and the nearest one helps Setsuna up, the rest of you get down to business, shutting the doors and checking your equipment. What has happened to Sirus is terrible indeed, but there will be time to mourn and to puzzle out a way to save him later. If you do not act now, there is no telling who or where Xanesha will strike next.

Perhaps it means something. Perhaps it does not. Of the three harrow cards that landed at Rico's feet, two lie face up and the last face down. For those who move to retrieve them, you find that two of them include the cards that Brin had pointed out earlier. Lying face down and nearly trodden by Rico as she lumbers off to help is the card of arcane knowledge, The Vision. Overlapping each other and lying face up to its right are The Bear, the card representing brute strength, and The Winged Serpent.

Knowledge (arcana) DC 20 / no check needed if you know how to read the Harrow
The Winged Serpents, otherwise known as the couatls, are one of the great snake races. Known as much for its keen intelligence as its beautiful iridescent wings, the couatl on a harrow card can signify understanding, a bridging of the towers of knowledge and judgment - a reflection of its role as a servant of the gods and a defender of the right. Alternatively, it could also represent the seizing of opportunity, as the rare sighting of a couatl is believed to visit wisdom and knowledge on those lucky enough to encounter the benevolent creature.

*****

Setsuna

Verily, a monster. You have confirmed this for yourself. Maethilur agrees tersely with Setsuna. I do not wish to behold you dallying or withholding your blows when you do meet her. Any mercy of the sort that you wished to grant yesterday to the corrupt Justice and the Hellknights will not do. You ought not to have left me behind just now. I could sense your distress from here, and yet do nothing! You are young and your heart is kind, but this- this utter foolishness is beyond me.

The black blade's voice is acid, shuddering with suppressed anger. Because you were so eager to extend mercy to the sister of your comrade, because you have watched her from the beginning and thought her fair of face despite her barbed tongue, you complied without a second thought to the monster's request to leave me behind. And thus you marched - marched right into the jaws of death. Like a fool! Yes, it would be a purer, stronger world if those offered the hand of mercy would accept it, but there are monsters in this world who do not deserve that hand. Last time, a noble priest fell because of your foolishness. This time, it was almost your own life that was taken. I do not wish for there to be a third time, lest I must seek for a new hand to wield me because your own lies cold in a shallow grave. Do I make myself clear?

*****

Day 37: Lamashan 28, 4707

It is now 0500hrs.

Despite Chanda's offer to break into the neighbouring vault of Abadar to help replenish your supplies for battle, the more upright and civic-minded ones among your group had insisted on finding a store that was still open at this ungodly hour of the morning. Thus, freshly equipped and provisioned for, you leave Aunt Vera behind to tend to Sirus and head for the tower that Naya had espied the raven landing on yesterday.

Permanently shrouded in shadow thanks to the Irespan ruins that loom above the district, the Underbridge seems darker and gloomier than ever to your wary eyes. Within scant minutes to stepping in, it quickly becomes plain to see why the Underbridge truly deserves its reputation as the cesspit of Magnimar. A light drizzle has started since you left Aunt Vera's house, leaving you to trudge past hissing lanterns that cast their wan light over the broken cobblestones. The rain does nothing to alleviate the fetid stench of rotting fish and hot oil that seems to pervade the air and only grow stronger the deeper you head into the district. Doing your best to take shallow breaths, you tread down roads that are little more than muddy gaps between decaying shacks slumping dangerously to one side and salt-blasted tenement buildings. At this hour, the seedy taverns and cheap flophouses remain open, spilling their drunken rabble and flayleaf-addled clientele into streets where the vomit and piss flow almost as freely as the sour beer. Though some of the bolder patrons do leer at your group as you go by, with one or two lewd insults hurled in Naya and Brin's directions, the denizens of the Underbridge are saucy, not suicidal. A simple glare in return is more than sufficient to send the 'bridge trash' scurrying for cover, resentful but respectful looks cast at the weapons that you carry openly.

There are no watchmen or religious mercenaries patrolling the filthy streets here. All the same, you have no difficulty in picking your way through the squalid shantytown towards the Shadow Clock, which is probably the tallest structure in the district. While the other buildings of the Underbridge huddle like crushed weeds at the foot of the great pillars that support the blackened goliath that is the Irespan, the Shadow Clock alone dares to claw for the sky, its craggy roof nearly scraping the belly of the ancient bridge.

Passing by a shrine to Sarenrae where vandals have long since desecrated the goddess's statue with foul detritus, you walk down the pitted lane that leads to the sagging clock tower. This close to the support pillars of the Irespan, where the shadows are darkest, the road ahead is quite abandoned, save for scattered cobblestones, tile shards, and a knot of emaciated rats that too busy savaging some small carcass to scatter as you approach. Soon enough, you have reached the end of the lane and find yourself having to tilt your head back and squint in order to take in sight of the Shadow Clock - a dying structure of weathered stone, wood, and rustled metal supports. The entire teetering edifice is nearly 240 feet tall, with entire sections of its outer walls fallen away near the top, where a broken clock face defiantly (and falsely) proclaims it to be 3 o'clock. On the roof, you can just about make out the angelic shape of empyreal lord Soralyon amid the twisted mess of scaffolding, his wings crumbling and his statue leaning precariously to one side, as if preparing a final leap of despair from his perch.

It's no wonder the Shadow Clock has been condemned as a building apt to collapse at any moment. You can't imagine why on earth young wags would consider it fun to race up the so-called 'Terrible Stair's within. Still, this is where Xanesha is supposed to be hiding. If you wish to discover her and put an end to her foul deeds, it is within this crumbling tower you must go. There appear to be two obvious places to start - the rotting double doors at the tower's base or the mess of open scaffolding at the top, which is where Naya had seen the raven land yesterday.

GM will only make the map once the party has decided on how to enter.

Desril

2016-01-15, 06:24 PM

Setsuna

The tiefling didn't disagree with Red. She couldn't. Gingerly putting a hand to the fresh scar on her stomach, wincing at the touch, After what she did to Sirus...and everything else she has done. All the trouble with the Justice...and Foxglove...even the elder Vinder sister's death...Xanesha was the one behind all of it... Thinking about it, still hurt and angry as she is, Setsuna nods her head. "You are right...I do not know what kind of monster she is, but she has to die."

As she returns to Maethilur, however, the tiefling is caught off-guard and entirely unprepared for the emotional outburst from the blade. Vulnerable and upset as she is, Mae's rant hits hard and Setsuna's eyes begin to well up, caught between anger, relief, guilt, and fear all at once and not being able to process all of it. "I-I am sorry! I...I did not mean for any of this to happen! I...I just could not say no to her...but I did not know she was a fake," the Minkan princess argues back with a choked sob.

----

Determined to end this once and for all, Setsuna was completely oblivious to the calls from the more courageous, or perhaps drunk, passerby, though she did make a note to try and clean up the shrine after all was said and done at the Shadow Clock. And once there, her gaze slowly trailed upward before settling on the scaffolding at the top and locking in there with a glare. Strange...why am I breathing so heavily? I wasn't poisoned too, was I? No...Brin would have noticed...then...am I afraid? Trying to clear her head, she turns toward the others. "I do not know if we should fly or take the 'Terrible Stairs' but we should decide quickly before the monster comes to us."

Bhaakon

2016-01-16, 05:56 AM

Brin

Bending down hastily to retrieve the fallen cards, but can't help but crack a shadow of a smile. No mean feat given the things she'd seen in just the last few minutes. "Huh. Winged Serpent besting the Bear? And the Vision again. Magic and initiative defeating brute strength? We may be on to something for once." She thinks aloud as her hands secret away the heirloom deck in its customary side pocket of Brin's haversack.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Walking along through the Underbridge, Brin fiddles nervously with one of the ensorcelled arrows she'd pried from a gum-eyed shopkeeper in exchange for a positively scandalous sum. Or at least that's what she'd think if there weren't more pressing matters to consider. She couldn't even summon up the energy to toss out the fig sign to ward off the cat-callers, let alone belt out suitably obscene suggestions for alternate avenues of stimulation (her usual response). All she could do was watch the crumbling hulk of the clock tower loom ever higher as the arrow twirled between her fingers.

"Taller than I thought it would be." She finally speaks, once the group is close enough to make a final decision on their approach. "You sure you still want to climb it yourself?" She asks Chanda, "I'm surprised it didn't tumble down when the raven landed."

"I say we use the cloak and magical flight to make our way. Xanesha might be prepared for that, but she will be prepared for us on the stairs." Brin pauses, then adds. "Besides, the last three cards: Vision, Bear, and Winged serpent. Bold use of magic will defeat an overpowering foe. In that spirit, I have a few blessing from the Lady to add before we make the trip."

Obviously voting for flight and the cloak. If that's what we decide, Brin will cast the following just before we go:

Bless
Divine favor (Brin only)
Communal Protection from Evil (2 castings, 14 minutes total, divided up as equally as possible)
Blessings of Fervor (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/b/blessing-of-fervor) 7 round duration, so the last thing she casts, and just as they're heading out

jamieth

2016-01-16, 09:23 AM

Not having said much after the night attacks, Naya stands in front of the tower full of nothing but resolve. "One thing we definitely shouldn't do regardless of our choice is to split ourselves. Miss Chanda, is there a specific reason you object using magic so completely? Because if everyone else is in favour of that, you really shouldn't go inside alone... not to mention, without communication." she looks around, "Unless one of us can communicate telepathically? But otherwise... wherever we go, we go together. I suppose I can fit three people besides myself in the cloak, that leaves two to fly - that much magic I can spare without much worry... and perhaps make some of us invisible? Again, two or three such spells should leave me enough power to throw it at Xanesha."

Vote aerial access too, but as long as it doesn't lead to splitting the party. Also, Invis is pretty much everyhting I can do buff-vise, so if anyone wants it... Chanda, perhaps, and/or Red for Sneak Attacking?

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-16, 12:35 PM

GM post

Setsuna

Despite your plea for sympathy, Maethilur remains stubbornly silent. You hadn't figured before that black blades were capable of sulking or throwing tantrums, but apparently, this one is. Either way, it would seem that your otherwise patient blade is not at all impressed with your excuses.

*****

At the Shadow Clock

Chanda, who'd remained stolidly silent for most of your trek to the tower, save for her determined chewing of what smells very much like coffee beans, sniffs haughtily at Naya's question.

"I ain't got a problem with magic. Magic's all right in its own way. But I'm a thief, see. Born and bred and trained by Riddleport's best since I was ten and four. I know how to gets in and out of a place without my buttocks roasted. Said no in Verala's house to flying. Why? Because any good thief knows that all yer needs to flub that spell is something that's anti-magic - bap - yer not flying no more, and who's gonna catch yer when yer dropping and the ground wants to say hello?" She waggles her fingers in Naya's direction. "Cape's like this one yer sporting are lovely, but 'less I'm mistaken, if yer heading to somewhere yer can't sees, yer liable to whack yer noggin or port yerself into hot soup. Plus, now that I'm here and staring at this damn pile of godsforsaken dung, I'm still thinkin' I'd be taking the stairs. That opening up there don't look very big. If we got to creep in the tower one by one that way, we'd be ducks for slaughter. Yer twisted if yer thinks this Xanesha darling hasn't decorated the entire place to keep folks out anyway. Whether it's up there or down here, we're still gonna get a pasting. And I'd rather meet that pasting with me two feet on the ground, thanking yer very much. Least if them Terrible Stairs collapse on me, I'll know exactly where Xanesha ain't."

"'sides," Chanda remarks aloud, narrowing her eyes at Brin even as she fishes a pair of goggles with violet lenses out from around her neck. "We ain't accounting for The Vision landing face down. Or it being in the bad omen zone of the future when she first showed them to us. If yer asks me and I know yer ain't, I think the cards are saying to beware magic, not to go flush with it. But that's just little mouthy me. All I knows what I learned from card sharpers and my dead Varisian mama. Whadda I know?"

*****

Red

CLW potions x 4, CMW potion x 1, Mage Armour potion x 2

Tugging at the collar of her tunic, Red squints up at the tower, biting her lip as the salty breeze whips her hair into tangled strands. It'd been easy to say it in Aunt Vera's house, when she was angry and sad and her heart had seemed bigger, something lifting her from within - kill Xanesha. Now she was here in the dark. Where Xanesha was. And she wasn't so sure she could do it anymore.

"Rico... Could I please...?" Indicating Rico's hip flask, Red takes a swig of its fiery eye-watering contents, feeling the liquor burn her throat as she places a clenched fist over her heart, the rosary beads around her wrist clacking against her armour.

Mister Cayden. We are going to face a big enemy. We might die. Please help us not to die. This enemy is evil. She has made many people into slaves and she has made many people die when they did not need to. She has tried to kill my friends. We need to stop her from doing more bad things. Please lend us your strength and help us to take care of each other...

Red glances over at the others, where Chanda seems to be arguing with Naya and Brin over how to get into the tower. Hopefully they would figure something out soon.

Mister Cayden. I have died before. It would be nice not to die again. The creature said that Mister Fox gave his life for mine. I don't want to waste Mister Fox's gift. I want to help people like he would have. He would take down this monster. Help me to do the same... to honour you, to honour Mister Fox...

Red takes a deep breath and another swig from Rico's flask. Not very impressive, as far as prayers went. But that was why she'd stopped praying to Irori, who'd never answered anything she said even with all the incense and bows, and why she'd started praying to Cayden Cailean, who actually did help her to be brave and to win fights and to stay safe.

Returning the flask to Rico and giving her friend a gentle punch on the arm, Red glances over at Setsuna. That mark on her tummy didn't look too good. Would it fade with time? Scars did have a way of making people feel like they were weak though. She should know. That's why she kept hers covered up when she went outside.

Walking over to where Setsuna is, Red slips her arms around the tiefling's shoulders in a warm embrace, holding her silence. It will be all right, Setsuna. I won't let Xanesha hurt you.

Desril

2016-01-17, 09:54 PM

Setsuna

Lowering her gaze, looking toward the floor and unable to argue back with a silent sword, Setsuna retreats indoors to collect her thoughts and try to pull herself together.

----

Slowing her breathing as Red puts an arm around her shoulder, though she doesn't say anything in return, she does turn and smile at her. "I am okay now...I think. Thank you," she says before looking to the others. "I do not care how we go, we just need to make the decision quickly." Looking up toward the tower again, her voice sounds somewhat harsher than it usually is. "It does not matter what the cards said, there is no prophecy any more, we just have to pick a path and stop her."

Bhaakon

2016-01-19, 05:25 AM

Brin

After pointedly glancing around at the company she was keeping, Brin almost laughs aloud at the idea that they should beware their own magic. "We'd better be flush with enchantments, 'cause otherwise at least three of us won't be of much use at all in a fight." She scolds Chanda. "Besides, the best way to beat magic is magic. Subtler and better chosen, if we can't managed stronger. Sirus tried to take this thing with his bare fists, and look where that got him."

The warm coal of anger in Brin's gut , tamped down by fear on the march over, flares hot again as she speaks of their petrified comrade. Maybe it was the wine finally taking effect, too, but suddenly the cautious approach seems all the more foolish. They didn't need a scheme, their enemy was full of schemes, probably considered all their strategies ahead of time and thought up counters. No, what they needed was the unexpected. "You're wrong, Setsuna, we don't have to pick a path at all. Xanesha's the one who is trapped here, besieged. What is she going to do, leap off the tower and fly away? No, we wait right here and she can come to us. And if she can fly...well, so can we."

Brin takes a step towards the tower and cranes her neck up, forming a trumpet with her hands to focus her voice at the apex of the crumbling edifice. "YOU HEAR ME, XANESHA?! YOU'RE A TRAPPED UP THERE! YOU'D HOPED TO FIGHT US ONE AT A TIME, LIKE THE SPINELESS WRETCH YOU ARE, BUT NOW WE'RE ALL HERE FOR YOU! YOU CAN COME OUT AND MEET YOUR END, OR WE CAN START PULLING BLOCKS OUTTA YOUR TOWER UNTIL IT COMES DOWN ON TOP OF YOU! WON'T TAKE LONG! RID MAGNIMAR OF TWO EYESORES AT ONCE, THOUGH I NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE TURNING TO STONE FROM LOOKING AT THIS CLOCK TOWER! ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, THE LADY OF GRAVES WILL HAVE YOU THIS DAY, IF I HAVE TO DRAG YOU RIGHT TO HER WITH MY OWN HANDS!" If the thing up there really was a succubus, she'd have been judged already, but now wasn't the time for discussing the finer points of theology.

Miraqariftsky

2016-01-19, 01:15 PM

Through that morning's tragedy upon tragedy, Rico had remained mostly silent. Simatzu's poisoning. Sirus' petrification. Setsuna's... assault. Other than words that died in her throat, brief touches whose comfort seemed warm yet hollow, Rico had trained her movements to but swiftness and efficiency as they set about their last preparations.

Ye old dog, I hardly knew ye. But damned hell that ain't no way ta go. Get better soon, sir.

That whole blasted business with the buying of various potions and alchemical odds and ends... it wasn't to the halforc constable's taste, no it wasn't. But still, they had to prepare. They had to get every little edge they could get. A small part of her mind worries about the myriad vials jostling amongst her coat's pockets and her belt's pouches... as well as the four clay amphorae, carefully stoppered, secured to the rear of her shield by a system of clasps and straps. These were amphorae that Rico did not intend to be swigging from.

You weren't alone. We're all in this together, dammit. Why? Didn't? You? SHOUT, Sirus? Godsdamnit, man.

As they went through Magnimar's underbelly, slowly hounding down their fiendish quarry, Rico's scowl had only deepened, her amber glare burning out from beneath the brim of her black hat. A part of her was surprised that she wasn't railing at the sheer disrespect and disrepair the old Sarenite shrine had suffered... then wondered if she could get away with an in-the-field-requisition of the holy water font... and possibly using it as a blessed battering ram... and shoving it up Xanesha's abyssal arse.

HELLGIRL. Why. whhhyyyyyyyy yuuuuuu sssooooooo stuuuuuupiiiiiiiiid? WE"RE GUNNA GEDDERBACK.

Glaring upwards at the derelict building, the law-dog in Rico's mind rattles off a laundry list of violations of the Building Code and the Procedures for Structural Safety. She breathes, deliberately, savouring the smells of rot and rust, stone and sea, sweated leather and oiled steel around her, the air ever so slightly a-thrum with the scents of magicks.

Her meaty hand slowly thumps and squeezes Red's, then Setsuna's. The deep scowl slowly eases into a thin frown, almost, almost a smile...

The last frontliners of their merry little band. She shakes her head, and says, while taking two vials out and offering those to her sisters-at-arms. "Ladies. Keep yer heads on straight. We bust them up. Get some WRATH done, right an' proper. An'... 'ere. A tot o' these could help us get in under an' past 'pponent's guard."

...The thin smile immediately cracks into a heady grin at listening to Brin's challenge.

"HAAH! HAH! HWAH! kshnort! BWAH! HHAH!
BRING IT, YA HELLWANKERING LATRINESWILLING ANGEL"S TOENAIL-SUCKING YELLAH LIVERED BARNACLE-SNATCHED DEVIL"S DOUGHNUT!" she yells as well in a storm of florid abuse, then snorts at herself. "Wot. Dah. Frak. Was. All. THAT?"

With one last caress of the dragonshead pommel, Rico's hand presently hovers between her sword and one of the suspicious seeming amphorae strapped to her shield's back, awaiting the results of their decrying, if aught at all.

Intimidate, izzit? Ranger bonuses apply if dealing with Evil Extraplanars.
[roll0]

jamieth

2016-01-19, 04:25 PM

While her companions practice their insulting skills, Naya notices Setsuna pulling a wand out and readying to swing it, and steps towards the tiefling; "Excuse me, Miss Setsuna..." she very gently and carefully touches Setsuna's hand, "It should be easier with a slightly different grip - if I may..." she moves Setsuna's fingers on the wand a fraction of an inch, "Here. Wands have a will of a kind; gripping them too tightly only hinders their magic..."

Desril

2016-01-19, 11:07 PM

Setsuna

Struggling with her wand, the tiefling nods at Naya and does as she suggests, causing a short flash of light to erupt from it before the nearly invisible wall settles into place around her. "Thank you...I have always had trouble with this thing."

As Brin and Rico bellow out their challenges to Xanesha, Setsuna readies Maethilur and looks as if she's about to join in the shouting but as she opens her mouth, nothing comes out of it. Quietly closing her lips, she shuts her eyes for a moment. Remembering what happened, she shudders and shakes her head. I don't need to say anything. I just have to put an end to her when she appears.

Steeling herself, the Minkan princess opens her eyes, a familiar fire burning in them, but this time with an uncharacteristic scowl on her face as well as she waits for their enemy's response, casting another spell and replacing the image of a single combat-ready tiefling with seven of herself.

Mirror Image in OOC, 6 images, 7 Setsunas in total.

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-20, 01:04 PM

GM post

Taladron has been botted to be back at Aunt Vera's, helping to find a cure for Sirus.

Simatzu has been botted to still be grievously ill and to be resting at Aunt Vera's.

Sirus and Simatzu have left the game.

*****

Brin's challenge is bold and her voice rings out fearlessly, echoing wildly off the crumbling walls of the Shadow Clock and the empty chambers of the Sarenrite shrine. You would think that it is certainly more than enough to provoke a hardened beast like Xanesha into fleeing. Rico's rejoinder, on the other hand, is rather less effective for its hastily strung-together adjectives, but she more than makes up for it with sheer volume, startling a roosting colony of bats into chittering flight from their perch in the struts of the Irespan's underbelly.

As the bats squeak in alarm, wheeling and flapping frantically overhead, those of you with your eyes fixed on the crooked tower strain your eyes to see if a response is forthcoming. Unfortunately, as the seconds go by, the only movement you can discern through the drizzle seems to be that of the bats circling round and round the tower...

The rain falls with renewed vigor, pattering off your clothing and running down your exposed cheeks. Somewhere above you, you can hear the cries of the bats grow fainter as they beat a gradual retreat back to their dank refuge under the bridge. Standing damply in the rain to wait for an enemy who won't respond is a futile endeavour at best, and you are about to start forward to kick down the doors of the Shadow Clock when all of a sudden, you smell her-

Behind you. Rich amber and warm sandalwood, bright notes through the rain. A heart of sweet jasmine, a feather touch tracing your spine-

It is impossible that she should have sneaked up on you like this. Surely you would have heard. Should have heard. The crunch of gravel underfoot. Mud pulling at her feet. Something. Those of you who are quick enough whirl, arms raised and at the ready, only to behold the familiar form of the only alabastar-skinned tiefling you know, standing calmly almost sixty feet away in the middle of the road with her wet hair plastered to her forehead and a dreamy smile bowing her lips.

It's not Setsuna. You know it can't be. The wicked looking barbed longspear that she hefts casually over one shoulder is a dead giveaway. So is the fact that she's clad in nothing more than form-fitting black hosen rather than a hakama. And yet...

Her face is a perfect match from crimson irises to high cheekbones and it might have fooled you at first glance. But it only at the second glance that you realise that the body - it is wrong - the curve of the pert breasts, the taut belly, the sleek sweep of her thighs - it's perfect. Too perfect. This isn't the Setsuna that you'd seen in Aunt Vera's house, wretchedly gasping for life with an ugly gash in her abdomen, but a simulacra of Setsuna as she could be, with a body flawless in every way.

The smell of her hangs heavy in the air despite the pouring rain, caressing your senses and making it difficult to breathe. It doesn't matter whether you have known what it is to bed a woman or whether you've never been touched yourself. Despite yourself, the sudden tingling rush of blood to your face and loins is nearly enough to bring you to your knees. And when she speaks, her voice is desire and fire.

"You would have me? Here I am." She purrs, running a finger lightly down the longspear's shaft, her amused eyes lingering on yours. "Oh, the things I am going to do to you..."

Forty feet behind you, the doors of the Shadow Clock creak open. For those of you who dare to crane your necks ever so slightly to figure out what is going on, the first two hunched forms that scurry through, knuckling the ground, are immediately recognisable as Faceless Stalkers - the same sort that had ambushed you in the Vadoma Forest. The third form that lurches forth, however, stooping to squeeze its bloated form out the door, is much too immense and grotesque to be one of that ilk. You're frankly not quite sure what it is - it looks like a lot of humanoid body parts sewn together with thick wire and staples into a swollen barrel the size of a carthorse, topped with a lolling idiot head that leers and drools through its stitched lips like a possessed baby. Straw pokes out of the ragged clothing draped about its body, the nauseating smell of decaying dung palpable even from where you are.

Knowledge (arcana) DC 17
With a sickening jolt of the stomach, you realise that the third form can only be a flesh golem. Assembled from multiple cadavers and brought to life with powerful necromantic magic, flesh golems are rare and difficult to construct, but once animated, make for loyal (if mindless) slaves of massive physical strength. As with other golems, flesh golems are able to heal themselves if exposed to an electrical current. They are also remarkably hard to destroy due to their immunity to magic and their sturdy bodies.

Perception DC 29
As the rain lets up for a few seconds, you prick up your ears at a low-pitched rustling sound that seems to be coming from the side of the Shadow Clock. You can't discern anything moving outside the tower, but it would appear that the four visible enemies are not the only ones that you have to worry about - there is at least one more enemy crawling about unseen.

The party is NOT in combat. But you could be if you choose to attack on your turn. Note the distances between you and all enemies as above in the post.

Bhaakon

2016-01-21, 02:39 AM

Brin

It takes all of Brin's formidable willpower to tear her eyes away from the vision of Setsuna perfected long enough to steal a glance at the bloated monstrosity trundling out of the clocktower's too-small doors with its escort of faceless stalkers. It was too brief a look to know what the thing was, beyond big enough to squash her flat and ugly as an ogre's breakfast.

But that wasn't important right now. Not when knee-quaking, eye-watering beauty was approaching from the front. Brin had never really thought of Setsuna in that light, but now it impossible not to. She was virtually a child in comparison to Brin, and not just because of the age difference. She was filled to bursting with naive notions about the nature of the world, an almost unbelievable innocence given what she'd seen and been through. Equal measures bold and coy, and each showing through at the strangest times.

There was something very wrong here, and it wasn't just the real, actual, imperfect version of the bubbly tiefling standing a few strides to Brin's side--dancing at the edge of her peripheral vision. The version that had a blade in her gut just an hour ago. The version whose blood still stained Brin's sleeves. The woman with the spear...there was no shyness in her, no naivete. She was brilliantly, blindly brazen. The real Setsuna might, in the heat of battle, forget that her cursed sarashi had burned away and left her exposed, but even her most elegant bare-chested swordplay was a flickering candle beside the incandescent energy pouring off the doppelganger as she merely stood there, reveling in her unabashed, unbridled, stolen sensuality.

Something was very wrong. The real Setsuna wouldn't do that. Couldn't do that. No one could do that without magic. "L...Lady..." Brin hesitates, swallowing to clear the accumulated saliva from her mouth before repeating the request for the simple divination more forcefully. "Pharasma, lift the veil from my eyes."

Will to disbelieve, assuming it's an illusion: [roll0]

and cast detect magic, in case it's something else.

Don't suppose I can get a chance to decide if she's a succubus or lamia? I'll role K(planes) just in case, but Brin's not trained in K(nature).
K(Planes): [roll1]

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-21, 09:40 AM

Red

Even as a child, Red had known she'd preferred women to men. It was something about how women were softer. Kinder. How their touch didn't hurt. Fumbling experiments in the darker corners of squalid taverns and the few drink-addled trysts she'd had with the opposite sex had convinced her as much. With women, it was different - she was free, it was lovely - like flowing water over your hands, like a little child running down the side of a hill.

Setsuna was pretty. She was pretty all over. Red had thought that from the start. Setsuna was a friend. But Red would be damned a liar if she'd said that she'd never once watched Setsuna appreciatively from a distance - the rise of her breasts, the jut of her hips, the graceful curve of her tail. Sometimes at night, in the pit of her dreams, it was true - Red danced with lithe women like Setsuna. Kissed them silly. Lost herself in their arms.

Setsuna was a friend. Red didn't do the sex with friends, no matter how pretty they were. All the more so if that friend wasn't interested in doing the sex with Red.

But this... this other Setsuna in front of her. This was too much. Gritting her teeth and trembling, Red squeezes her eyes shut, biting hard down on the inside of her cheek. But the jolt of pain does little to shake the images of the other Setsuna from her mind's eye and to ease the quivering tension knotted in her. The light bow of those lips. The fullness of those breasts. The trickle of rainwater down the hollow of her navel towards her thighs.

No. Setsuna is my friend. I should not. I mustn't. My body - it mustn't do this. Almost on the verge of tears, Red whimpers piteously between clenched teeth, digging her nails into the underside of her arm with vicious urgency. Dimly aware of the shapes emerging from the tower, she turns her back on the other Setsuna and draws her kukris forth. It helped a little to be not looking at the other Setsuna and at ugly monsters instead. It was easier to breathe. That's what she should do. Should keep on doing.

"Do... do we kill... her? T-the other... S-setsuna." Red's voice is hoarse as she winces, trying to not think of shapely thighs while doing her best to ignore her body stirring below her belt.

*****

GM post

Brin's Detect Magic / or anyone else using Detect Magic
There is indeed a faint magical aura surrounding the false Setsuna - a hazy lime green light that coruscates and pulses around her nubile body...

Knowledge (arcana) DC 18
The aura is indubitably from the school of Illusion, which means that the Setsuna with the spear is almost certainly nothing more than mere puffery, incapable of harming anyone. You're not sure of what spell this might be exactly, but it is a potent illusion indeed if the spell is capable of conjuring up smells and sound like this. Taladron, if he were here, might well be impressed by such a display.

Desril

2016-01-21, 10:35 AM

Setsuna

When her doppelganger appeared, it had a somewhat different effect on the real Setsuna than it did on her companions. Desire, yes, that was certainly there, it wasn't vain to say that she'd never seen someone more beautiful, more sensual, than this perfected version of herself and it had an effect even on the naive young tiefling. But for her there was more to it. Facing her copy, flawless in every way, the real version could see more than just images of them together. Where most could be easily seduced, the real Setsuna's fantasy was constantly being interrupted by reminders. Reminders of her imperfections, her fresh scar, created by the hand of this clone, her near death experience, and an almost primal rage at the idea that there's another her here. All serving to keep her head from getting lost, and focused on the task at hand.

Ignoring the golem and its backup entirely, the tiefling glares coldly at Xanesha with Mae in hand and ready to charge her. It's only Red's uncertainty that keeps Setsuna from dashing in long enough to recognize Brin's spell and realize that perhaps they needed to be a little more careful given how disadvantageous this fight is looking to be.

Nodding, "Yes. We kill the fake me," she says, her voice barely constraining the anger she wasn't at all certain how to deal with. Though hearing her say that something needs to die is alien, the flesh golem at least is inhuman enough that she does not sound so strange when she recognizes that it needs to be destroyed. "But that flesh golem will be a problem. Naya can not hurt it, and I can not use most of my magic either. We need to destroy it quickly, but I can keep the other monster busy."

Getting ready to do just that, she intones a quiet spell, conjuring another wall of force to abate blows against her.

Casting Shield.

30 AC! 14.28% chance to target the real Setsuna! I believe I'm properly buffed now. Will use the rnd/level buffs once combat begins

jamieth

2016-01-21, 11:33 AM

Naya

Naya had no opoptunity to witness Setsuna's curse in action, and the one time she had a chance to take a glance of the tiefling's chest... wasn't pretty, and besides she tried to avoid looking... but even without having a reference, it wasn't hard to determine fake as a fake. The trouble was, even knowing that, she couldn't pierce the veil of what she quickly confirmed to be a magic of illusion - which, of course, proved that the one who put such magic in place must have been powerful indeed. Of course, the nature of this particular illusion amde it somewhat hard to concentrate, as well... possibly, on some subconscious level, Naya wanted to look at that fake-Setsuna.

She blinked. No. That's... that's not what Lady Kaylee taught me. It's complete opposite... she broke eye contact just in time to turn around and look at the reinforcements. Flesh Golem... the worst possible thing, she thought just as Setsuna - a real Setsuna - confirmed her guess. Well, that meant her magic would have to be aimed at Xanesha herself instead... and Naya wasn't even going to try out her latest idea of generating electricity that affected the nerves of her targets rather then their bodies - she was sure it should work, but such precision took time... and time would likely be a commodity here. Not yet initiating hostilities, though, she conjured a set of shurikens and let them float for now, while addressing the fake... trying to sound calm and wise, but very obviously failing, "Are you... are you that ashamed of yourself that you take such precautions against someone seeing even an inch of your body?" Not that it mattered, of course. Whatever this creature was, whatever she really looked like, Xanesha had to die. After that... everything else could be dealt with after that.

"Miss Setsuna's right", she addressed her comrades without waiting for the answer, "My magic would only restore this abomination's strength should I attempt to blast it... and most other magic won't be that effective either; I'm afraid we'll have to rely on blades here. It should have weak points after all..."

4 shurikens, 7 rounds remaining.

Bhaakon

2016-01-21, 08:46 PM

Brin

Magic. She'd known as much, of course, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Made it easier to tell herself that THAT Setsuna was an impostor. It didn't make it easier to tear her eyes away from the sinuous swing of her hips, clinging hosen soaked to virtual translucence by the rain. Or stop herself from tracing the flow of the water as it gathered to form a pendulous drip--clinging ever so briefly--at the curving base of each voluptuous, ivory...

"No." Brin mutters. "NO. Enough!" She shouts.

"Lady, grant us all the strength to drag this impostor feet! Give us the power to see through her lies and strike her down!" Brin cries, empowering her allies as she readies her bow.

Cast Blessings of Fervor (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/b/blessing-of-fervor)

Um...ruling required: does the 30' distance limitation apply to the disposition of targets at the casting of the spell or for the entire duration?

Miraqariftsky

2016-01-22, 01:23 AM

Rico
Blessing of Fervor [Option IV]
HP 56/56
AC 24/22

Faintly aware of her suddenly slack stance, Rico struggles not to pant as she stares at an avatar of perfection.

The cool night breeze blew errant locks across a face most fair. Acrid smoke drifted on the wind, the cliffs lit with the burning hulk of a slaver ship. An emaciated multitude of former inmates of the chain gangs already on their way to Sandpoint's processing, and charity. There I was, atop the rocks, proud of the work me an' the Watch had done, together with the... hah... heroic minstrel Whisper and the Hound, her diminutive companion.

Thoughts lost in admiring the flames. Pff. How I'd jumped when a pair of warm, cracked lips found mine. Wess' melodious voice sank its silvered hooks into my... HAH... as yet unsullied ears, plying me with the best of Ameiko's liquor and playing my yet untouched heart with the greatest of ease even as we lost ourselves in each other's music.

Where was Wess now? There's still that little sculpture to give her. And an earful about not singing any damned bugger's life and frigging times.

Unearthly beauty? Heh. Yeah. This BITCH don't have a candle to her. For all her faults, at least Wess meant well.

Gasping at the unbidden dampness in her nethers, Rico tries to growl in defiance only to find herself stumbling towards Xanesha. And then she hears her comrades' voices, lifelines thrown to one about to drown in a maelstrom of unnatural lust.

The halforc's face flushes full, even up to the tips of her ears, burning. Even to her shame, in this dark time, she draws upon their voices. She girds her mind with every more-than-friendly glance cast at her comrades, her friends, all those stolen moments forging a link in her mental chainmail.

She catches herself gazing longingly at Xanesha's seductive grip upon her spear's shaft and almost moans...

Those few days when I'd felt the weight of duty and fear flow offa me shoulders, replaced by a warm hand, and an earnest laugh. The only man to have ever made me angry and afraid for him, to have made me blush, to have made me actually yearn for the future...

Cipriano's quiet wisdom, his righteous anger, his mischievous laughter, his warm hand in hers...

And oh, ohhhhhh, mmmmmm, that...

Heh.

The hidden pain of the past month's mornings... Damned straight, I'm gunna live. We all will. Thanks fer the assist... beloved.

Hehehehe. To even think I'd ever... HAH.

"NNNRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!"

A wave of shock and self-loathing writhes in the pit of Rico's belly, erupting in a primal roar. She straightens up, and bites her upper lip, hard. Twin furrows bleed into her mouth, and she savours the pain, helping sharpen her focus.

STAY. FROSTY.

Hocking a glob of bloody spittle, she snarls through a grin, "Ladies. Letsch. Git. Dis. DONE."

STAY. ON. PLAN.

Sheathing her sword, Rico strides forth, loosening the ties of one of her pouches. When she gets close enough, she hurls an alchemically treated stone at the spear-swinging not-Setsuna before them.

Forward 40, and hurl a Thunderstone.
[roll0] +4 if Xanesha IS an Evil Outsider. <---There's been a lot of mentions, but no outright confirm? Asking for the sake of confirming on the Ranger bonuses isn't asking too much, is it?

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-22, 12:48 PM

GM post

From where the rest of you stand, you can just about make out through the sheets of pouring rain the dull green sheen of the thunderstone as Rico chucks it at the smiling, sultry vision in the middle of the road, a fist-sized nugget sailing through the air, arcing towards those hosen-clad feet-

The explosive bang of the thunderstone as it detonates whipcracks through the air, echoing crazily off the overhanging Irespan and causing the more timid of you to clap your hands over your ears. As the ringing and dull ache in your ears fades, you find yourself glancing over in Rico's direction, perhaps hoping to see the false Setsuna reeling or better still, even downed. Instead, all you perceive is a rather befuddled Rico skidding to a halt, steam rising off her puffing body as she growls and scrabbles in the gravel where the image had stood, glaring left and right in search of where the miscreant had hared off to.

To those of you better versed in magic, the explanation is clear - the Setsuna that you had seen was but an illusion, in all likelihood meant to distract you. Indeed, you find that the tantalising aroma that had heralded the false Setsuna's arrival has vanished just as abruptly, clearing your mind of lustful thoughts and envy. Which meant that the real Xanesha was still out there, hidden, lurking somewhere close enough to cast.

Still, there is little time to dwell on such matters. Turning your attention to the motley coterie that had emerged from the Shadow Clock, you find that the big fleshbarrel and the two faceless stalkers have taken up position before the doors of the tower, apparently defending it from your invasion.

"I frakken' told you we'd have to beware magic," grumbles Chanda unhelpfully to nobody in particular. Scowling over the fading flush of her cheeks, she yanks her violet-lens goggles down over her eyes and draws her rapier, a thin fog of ice already forming around the blade.

*****

Combat begins.

Party Initiative:
Red: (1d20+5)[19]
Setsuna: (1d20+9)[16]
Rico: (1d20+1)[11] +2 from Favoured Terrain for 13
Brin: (1d20+9)[25]
Naya: (1d20+5)[8]
Chanda: (1d20+6)[15]

Enemies:
Scarecrow: (1d20-1)[6]
FS1: (1d20+7)[17]
FS2: (1d20+7)[17]
Xanesha: (1d20+7)[11]

Initiative Order:
> 25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS1
17 - FS2
16 - Setsuna - BoF
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - ... is around somewhere
8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow

It is now Brin's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/uvXdf2D.jpg

Bhaakon

2016-01-22, 04:20 PM

Brin
35/35
21 AC (includes +2 from Blessing of Fervor)
Active effect: Blessing of Fervor, type IV (6 rounds remaining--assuming she cast it 1 rd before combat began)

Brin whirls around before the last echoes of the thunderstone finish bouncing around off the mad stone angles of the of the tower, temple, and Irespan vaulting above them all. Rico's charge might not have ended in blood, but breaking that illusion was vital indeed. That Xanesha coudl summon up such a thing, fool them all so completely with so brazen a lie, was beyond troubling. Brin tries very hard not to think through the implications.

Better to focus on the enemies at hand, anyway. The faceless ones had given them enough trouble in their previous clashes; she couldn't afford to take them lightly. Then there was the ogre-sized mound of meat with them.

"Lady, please show them the light." Brin asks with a smirk as she fishes a pinch of silver dust and a flake of flint from a pouch at her belt.

Burst of Radiance (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/b/burst-of-radiance) on faceless stalker #1, please. It should catch all the baddies on the field (yes, I know it won't work on a flesh golem, but Brin didn't make that check!

[roll0] damage to evil creatures, no save

[roll1] round of blindness or, with a successful DC 15 Ref save, Dazzled

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-23, 05:25 AM

GM post

Brin casts Burst of Radiance

Reflex saves: (+4 to saving throws made to resist attacks or effects that target the senses)
(1d20+8)[9] - failed
(1d20+8)[17] - passed

Brin clenches the spell components in her fist, feeling the flinty whisper of silver on the flint before flinging out her arm in a gesture of power. The three minions crouching at the base of the Shadow Clock are immediately engulfed in a great burst of white light so dazzling that those of you gazing in that direction are forced to shield your eyes from the spires as best you can.

The display only lasts for a second or two. As the light fades, all you experience are ghostly afterimages dancing in your vision that are quickly dispelled by the cold slap of rain on your forehead and cheeks. Over by the tower, it would seem that one of Faceless Stalkers has been stricken by the spell, haplessly flailing its now blackened limbs and moaning aloud. Its companions don't seem to have been as badly affected, however. While the other Stalker shudders and stretches its smoking arms, the big fleshbarrel seems to have escaped entirely unscathed. It slowly turns its puffy face towards yours, a maniacal grin stretching slowly behind the tangle of loose wire that sews its lips shut.

FS1 is now Blinded for 3 rounds.

*****

Red
HP 55/55
AC 25 (includes +4 from potion of Mage Armour)
BoF: increase speed by 30 feet

Standard: drink P of MA

Move: C6
Attack: (1d20+11)[31]
Damage: (1d4+4)[6]
Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+11)[17], Damage: (1d4+4)[8] - missed

The other Setsuna hadn't been real. Thank Cayden for that. Red wasn't sure what she would have done if she had to fight seriously when her body was more concerned with telling her that doing the sex with Setsuna would be really nice.

That big... meat-thing. That was definitely real. That one, she had to fight seriously.

The knowledge that Chanda was here and the certainty that she was watching weighs uncomfortably at the back of Red's mind as she fumbles for the clay flask she'd purchased only a while go. She'd managed to make Chanda see that she wasn't a weakling anymore, in that fight. But that was yesterday. This was today. And Red did not want to die. Not in front of Chanda.

The potion is unpleasantly sticky and requires some coughing to get all of it down. Red wasn't sure she actually felt any different. But this was supposed to give her the same shield protection thing that Setsuna was always using.

Not looking around, with kukris in hand, Red takes a shuddering breath and sprints towards the meat-thing. The rain has churned the packed earth around the Shadow Clock into a shallow mixture of mud and gravel, but Red feels oddly buoyant, her feet skimming the ground with unusual lightness. Skirting around the meat-thing, Red quickly scans its flank with a practiced eye before hacking down at its rags right about where she guessed its hip joint would be.

Hitting the meat-thing was like hitting a wall of solid stone. Her kukri barely manages to score the meat-thing's flesh before there is the metallic zing of the blade screeching in protest along wire. Falling back, Red shakes her wet hair out of her eyes, staring down at her blade in panic before glancing tremulously upwards, her eyes meeting that of the meat-thing's.

The meat-thing was big. It stank worse than a midden. Its shriveled head leers down at her, a hoarse rattle rumbling in its throat as the crimson light in its sunken sockets glows with malevolent brightness. In its sodden paw (why hadn't she spotted it just now?), it clutches a rickety scythe with a rusting sickle blade almost as long as Red was tall.

This was not going well. Not at all.

*****

FS1 - blinded

Holding action

The Stalker that had been struck blind by Brin remains where it is, gibbering sobs issuing from its throat as it tries to grope the air around it, unable to sense where it ought to go.

*****

FS2

Move to E8, Readied attack action against anyone who attacks FS1 or the Scarecrow

It is uncertain whether aberrations like Faceless Stalkers are capable of commiseration or such feelings of loyalty. Nevertheless, the other Stalker scuttles closer to its companion, a notched longsword drawn and at the ready for the next one of you to close in combat.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS1 - blinded, holding action
17 - FS2 - readied action
> 16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - ... is around somewhere
8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow

It is now Setsuna's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/4Et7nBU.jpg

Desril

2016-01-23, 03:01 PM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 89% (6 mirror images, blur for 12 more rounds)

With Rico charging in and revealing her risque duplicate to be nothing more than an illusion, Setsuna snarls and quickly calls out another spell, blurring the bodies of her and her sextuple clones. I'll have to deal with Xanesha when she shows herself, but for now Red needs help!

Turning her attention to the flesh golem and ignoring its faceless stalker allies the tiefling rushes in to meet it head-on. I can block its attacks better than she can, as long as it is focused on me, it can not hurt anyone, and as long as my defensive spells are up, it cannot touch me! Steeling herself in the face of the monstrosity, she lunges forward, slashing at it with all her strength as Maethilur flares with a brilliant orange flame. "I will deal with this construct until the real enemy stops hiding!"

Bonus Action: Extended Blur (Blessing of Fervor's last option, 6 rounds left on BoF, 13 on blur)

Regular turn:

Arcane Pool, +2 to Mae, making her a +4 weapon and overcoming DR/Adamantine
Black Blade Arcane Pool, Mae is doing pure fire damage this round, rather than slashing (does that trigger the slow effect or does it have to be a spell?)

+2 Atk/AC BoF (5 rounds remain)
Charge to E7 to hit the golem (provokes from FS2) [roll0]
Damage [roll1] fire damage

Miraqariftsky

2016-01-24, 05:50 AM

Rico
*placeholder

The thunderstone arcs from Rico's gauntleted fist towards the false Setsuna. At its apex, the halforc constable crouches behind her shield, sword already half-drawn, preparing to pounce.

TSCHWAAAAOOOMM!
TOOOOM!
KOOOM!
PDUUM!

The ear-bursting weapon explodes, sending shockwaves rippling in that benighted part of town. Even the rain in their immediate area seems to slacken, blown out, for the briefest instant.

Rico emerges from behind the cover of the Fist of Fox, ready to tear into their tormentor...

...only to find nothing there. Her ears flatten and she snarls her frustration, casting about but finding nothing.

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-24, 11:24 AM

GM post

Setsuna

FS2's Readied Action
Attack: (1d20+8)[15] +2 flanking for 17, Damage: (1d8+4)[6]

Setsuna's arrival is a timely one. Just as the flesh golem begins to creakily raise its bulging paw in an attempt to maul Red, the tiefling dashes in like an avenging angel, her black blade blazing bright. Smiting the flesh golem on the back, Setsuna has the satisfaction of watching as the licking flame devours both ragged sack coverings and putrefying flesh alike, leaving a deep, smoking gash carved into the creature's back.

To her right, the second Stalker does its best to slice at Setsuna's shins, but merely ends up swiping fruitlessly at one of the mirror images, much to its frustration.

The Scarecrow is now slowed for [roll0] rounds.

*****

Chanda

Attack: (1d20+15)[34] (includes +2 charge, +2 BoF), Damage: (1d6+2)[7] + cold damage (1d6)[2] + Sneak Attack (4d6)[11] + Bleeding Attack 4 per round (Heal DC15 to stop bleeding)
Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+15)[25] (includes +2 charge, +2 BoF), Damage: (1d6+2)[4] + cold damage (1d6)[5]

FS1's holding action
Attack: (1d20+2)[19], Damage: (1d6+2)[4]
If hit, 1 for hit, 2 for miss (1d2)[2]
Attack: (1d20+2)[17], Damage: (1d6+2)[5]
If hit, 1 for hit, 2 for miss (1d2)[2]

With Setsuna's mocking challenge still echoing off the pillars of the Irespan and the walls of the Shadow Clock, not to mention the spectacle of seven angry tiefling copies assaulting the flesh golem, each brandishing their own fiery sword, it is difficult to spot Chanda as she glides wraith-like over the ground. Which was just how Chanda preferred it herself.

She doesn't bother with challenges or trading of barbs. If there is fear in her eyes, it is impossible to discern it from behind her night goggles. Moving with the fluid grace of a dancer, her footsteps impossible to hear over the patter of rain, Chanda barely slows as she nears the blinded Stalker. Dodging the windmill of its swinging arms, she ducks low and with a practiced flick of the wrist, drives her rapier straight into the Stalker's belly.

For a second, nothing happens. Then, as Chanda twists and yanks out the blade at an angle, the Stalker jerks and shudders, a thin mewling cry emanating from its wrinkled face as it clutches helplessly at the ragged hole in its body, viscera frosted with rime already beginning to spill forth.

If there is triumph in Chanda's eyes, it is impossible to discern this either. Her face is impassive, carved from stone as she watches the Stalker's spasms of agony in silence.

FS1 is now taking 4 bleed damage per round.

*****

Rico is on the other side of the map, getting madder! Cue the RAGE.

*****

Xanesha

With most of you preoccupied with the flesh golem and the Stalkers, perhaps only Rico and Naya are left to spot the horned apparition that abruptly shimmers into being mid-air just several feet from the sylph's head.

There is no one among you who has not heard of the succubus in legend - that bat-winged demoness of honeyed tongue and thighs - or at least seen the depiction of one in some bawdy epistolary or a more academic encyclopedia. The grinning cloven-hoofed form now hovering over Naya, coiling her sinuous tail about her leather-girded thighs like a whip, is most definitely one of those. You might not have been expecting her face to bear an uncanny resemblance to Chanda's lean and scowling visage - but given how Xanesha has already managed to mimic Setsuna so well, perhaps that is no big surprise after all.

"Such vain boasts from the little tiefling." The effect of hearing Chanda's usually acerbic cant softened into a sultry purr is distinctly jarring, but for those closest to the succubus, the voice is as warm breath in the hollow of your neck, sending quivers down your spine. "She herself certainly was not hiding how much she enjoyed having me just a while ago. The untouched. So eager to open themselves to me..." For a moment, the demoness's knowing eyes linger on Naya's, a brazen fire smouldering within them that sends a flush of warmth to the sylph's face like brandy on a warm night.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS1 - blinded, bleeding
17 - FS2
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - ... is around somewhere
> 8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow - slowed

It is now Naya's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/6JHtlNH.jpg

jamieth

2016-01-24, 02:06 PM

Naya (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=304857)
HP 24/24
AC 18, Touch 17, FF 11 (Incl. +2 from BoF)
BoF: +2 Attack, AC, Ref, 6 rounds remaining

In the short few seconds, Naya has to change her decision twice; at first, she gets ready to command the shurikens floating in front of her to follow Rico's thrown stone, but as the image of Setsuna proves to be just that, an image, sylph quickly turns around to take care of the stalker who, having endured through Brin's spell, now threatens to add more danger to Setsuna, Chanda and Red's battle with the giant golem. But as Setsuna's magical defences prove every bit as affective as they look, Xanesha makes Naya change her mind again, by appearing most unwelcome roght besides her...

"And you used it to betray her!" Naya yells as the succubus boasts of the easiness with which she seduced Setsuna. The next moment, with a wave of a blue-skinned sorceress's hand the full quartet of small flying sparks speeds towards the demon...

Throw 4 shurikens at Xanesha
[roll0] vs Touch, damage [roll1]
[roll2] vs Touch, damage [roll3]
[roll4] vs Touch, damage [roll5]
[roll6] vs Touch, damage [roll7]
...only to watch the succubus's visage dissipate again, pierced by the small missiles.

"Another illusion? You idiot..." she chastices herself, Demons aren't harmed by lightning anyway!

But that realisation leaves only one possible target for her - well, two targets; and taking a step towards the furious fight, she raises both hands and launches a bolt of lightning from either at the stalkers. The less distractions her friends will have, the faster a golem will cease being a problem...

5-foot step to the north
Shocking Ray at both Stalkers.
Against FS1: [roll8] vs. Touch, damage [roll9]
Against FS2: [roll10] vs. Touch, damage [roll11]
Confirmation [12], damage [19] in OOC

Miraqariftsky

2016-01-25, 01:58 AM

Rico,
Blessing of Fervor [Option I] +2 30speed
+2 Ref
HP 56/56
AC 24/22 (+2 BoF)

Hold... hold... She WANTS you to charge. Yer like a bull bein' led around by a gaddem matador!

Rico squints through the haze of the rain pattering over her hat's brim. Her gaze narrows even more as she sees the unhallowed beast that finally shows its wretched face.

...but a simple slash is cheaper than these damned magicks-inna-bottle. Tch. Frakking fiends.

Almost without knowing it, she'd already begun jogging towards her prey. The jog turns into a trot. The trot into a charge that casts floodwater and mud-muck high.

She prepares a punch with the Fist of Fox, then lashes out in a backhanded broadside once she comes in contact with the foul fiend...

...but hits only a mere phantom once again. With the speed she'd built and the rain-slick road, her boots slip, sending her carooming down the path. She pounds the pavement, arms windmilling in an almost comedic manner to regain her balance, eventually skidding to a stop in the shadow of the hulking monstrosity presently bleeding from Red's knifework.

Charge to M11
Knockdown
[roll0]+4 from Ranger bonus
Damage:6+4, plus Prone, if successful

Amend!
Proceed to D9, but with slapstick comedy.

Bhaakon

2016-01-25, 07:35 AM

Brin
35/35
19 AC
Active effect: Blessing of Fervor, type III, extra attack (5 rounds remaining)

"Tss, another fraud." Brin hisses as Naya's magic puts the lie to another illusion. Still, her bow was ready and her hand already grasping an arrow from her quiver. No reason not to put it to use against some actual flesh-and-blood targets.

"We'll see how far your scheme gets when you're all dead, you clay-faced freaks!" She shouts, pumping a stream of arrows into the nearest faceless stalker. Xanesha might be the immediate threat, but Brin hadn't forgotten the sinister plans of those rubbery fiends.

3 shots at FS2, since I have a clear shot at it, using rapid shot and the extra attack ability from Blessing of Fervor.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-25, 11:56 AM

GM post

Naya

Having neglected to cast an elementary cantrip to ascertain the true nature of the succubus, Naya can only watch helplessly as her first volley of sparking shurikens goes to waste. The merest crackle of the first forked bolt is sufficient to blast the succubus's left arm away, causing it to dissipate like smoke into thin air. By the time the rest of her projectiles come hurtling by, there is precious little left of the succubus to attack, save for wisps of dove grey vapour that are rapidly rent apart by the rain.

Naya's second attack goes rather much more successfully. With one Stalker trying to menace Setsuna while the other is blinded and busy preventing its guts from leaving the cavity of its body, the two creatures are far too preoccupied to even attempt a dodge. As a result, the sylph's vengeful blast takes them both by surprise, leaving them twitching in spasms as the electric current surges through their gnarled bodies.

*****

The Scarecrow

Attack: (1d20+13)[21], Damage: (2d6+8)[20]

Berserk? (1d100)[3] - There was a 5% chance of this happening. What are the odds!

The flesh golem, despite the huge gash in its back, doesn't seem to notice that it is being sliced at in the rear by an angry katana-wielding tiefling. Its piggy eyes remain fixed on Red's tiny form, a thin thread of spittle spooling from its cross-stitched lips as it brings its massive scythe to bear, seeming to strain under its own ponderous bulk before abruptly lurching forward with frightening speed, the scythe gleaming like a guillotine blade...

The tip of the scythe bites several inches deep into the mud with an ominous chunk as Red darts aside, unscathed for now. This only seems to confuse the golem, however, as it peers at the ground and roots in the moist dirt with its stubby feet, as if expecting to find Red's skull split open like a melon there.

"RRRRRRGHARRRRRRR!!!"

You've not heard a flesh golem's roar before and you don't wish to hear it again any time soon. The guttural sound is like a mix of boar, fog horn and banshee all at once, and it grates on your ears with all the force of someone raking fingernails down a chalkboard. Apparently infuriated by its failure to skewer Red, the golem begins to shudder as if shaking off fleas, lashing its head from side to side and beating its meaty fists against the ground with such force that the array of pumpkins that it wears knotted around its belt jiggle to and fro with alarming violence.

The Scarecrow is now in berserk mode.

*****

Brin

The Stalker nearest to Setsuna barely has time to recover from being zapped by Naya before Brin peppers it with arrows in what could passably be described as its face. Jerked backwards by the impact, the Stalker lunges askance in agony, one paw already reaching up and clawing at the arrows in an attempt to remove them.

*****

Red

Attack: (1d20+9)[19], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
Attack: (1d20+9)[18], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+4)[7], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20+4)[9], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
plus SA damage: (2d6)[7] 2d6)[8] (2d6)[5] (2d6)[7]

BoF extra attack - Attack: (1d20+9)[28], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+9)[13], Damage: (1d4+4)[5] - not critical
plus SA damage: (2d6)[6]

Her heart pounding painfully against her ribs from the near miss, Red clenches her teeth together, trying to stop her hands from trembling and the churning, cold pit growing in her gut. She didn't have time for this.

I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid...

The rainwater runs down her cheeks, her soaked tunic clinging to her skin. Just a few steps away, the meat-thing is howling and smashing its fists against the ground like it is going mad, clods of dirt flying into the air, the pumpkins on its belt looking as if they might detach at any moment. What if it hit her with those big paws? Or the scythe?

It was also distracted. She had a chance-

Her body moves before Red quite knows what she is doing, but instinct tells her from the instant her breath hisses raggedly between her teeth that she's made a mistake in not waiting. True enough, despite the desperate flurry of her arms, not one blow makes it through the barrier of wildly swinging arms, her kukris glancing off brick-hard flesh...

All but one. Whatever it was that Brin had called on her goddess to grant, it is making Red a little faster than normal. In despair, Red makes one last lash out, raking one of her kukris along the meat-thing's arm with enough force to pop out one of the metal staples holding it together.

*****

FS1

Attack: (1d20+2)[7], Damage: (1d6+2)[5]
Attack: (1d20+2)[6], Damage: (1d6+2)[5]

Still reeling from Chanda's attack on it, the blinded and now half-eviscerated Stalker lurches clumsily at Chanda, trying to bat her across the face. Needless to say, it fails miserably, swiping at the rain with its back to the thief.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS2
> 16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
17 - FS1 - blinded, bleeding
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - ... is around somewhere
8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow - slowed for 4 more rounds, berserk

It is now Setsuna's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/a70i4hu.jpg

Desril

2016-01-26, 07:19 PM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 89% (6 mirror images, blur for 11 more rounds)

As Mae's fire burns the rotting flesh, even in the downpour, Setsuna can feel its movements slowing. "It is weakened! Hit it now, before it can recover," she cries out, only for half of it to be drowned out by the golem's mighty roar.

Realizing that, slowed or not, an enraged golem was a horrifying threat and a danger to everyone in Magnimar if left to roam and rampage, the tiefling redoubles her attacks. No time to disarm it, I have to attack swiftly and slice it to pieces! Staying true to her thoughts, she concentrates briefly and makes a flurry of attacks, her natural speed hastened by Brin's divine aid as she slices into the construct with as much force as she can muster.

5 rounds left on BoF, using the bonus attack this round.

Attack 1 (BoF) [roll0]
Damage [roll1] (overcomes DR /Adamantine)

Attack 2 (Spell Combat) [roll2]
Damage [roll3] (overcomes DR /Adamantine)

Concentration to cast Arcane Mark defensively [roll4] (DC 16)
If successful;
Attack 3 (Spell Combat -> Spellstrike) [roll5]
Damage [roll6] (overcomes DR /Adamantine)

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-27, 09:17 AM

GM post

Setsuna and FS2

Attack: (1d20+10)[21], Damage: (1d8+4)[7]

With her black blade synergised to deal maximum woe to the flesh golem, Setsuna is able to do with Red cannot - break effectively through the creature's defences. As the golem ploughs its stubby feet into the ground and jerks its head backwards, screeching fit to wake the dead, Setsuna manages to land at least one devastating blow to the golem's side.

This time, she hacks away a huge chunk of meat from its torso, causing it to careen dangerously to one side as it suddenly goes off-balance, unable to support its massive shoulders square on. By contrast, on Setsuna's flank, the Stalker's furious swordwork is unable to pick out the true form of the tiefling, flurrying uselessly at the mirror images that flicker in and out of sight like smoke on water.

*****

Chanda

Attack: (1d20+13)[18] (includes +2 BoF), Damage: (1d6+2)[7] + cold damage (1d6)[4] + Sneak Attack (4d6)[22] + Bleeding Attack 4 per round

Chanda, for her part, doesn't give the blinded Stalker a chance to recover from Brin's arrow to the face. Within seconds, she sets upon the Stalker once more, sweeping in and dealing it a swift thrust to the brain before it has time to muster even the most feeble of defenses.

Black ichor drips from the hole bored in the Stalker's head, hardening in dark rivulets that snake down the side of the glowing blue blade. Yanking her blade out of the Stalker's dead with a practiced, cold efficiency, Chanda seems to sneer, her lip twisted and her chin thrust out as it crumples to the ground with a wet thack.

FS1 is now dead.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS2
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
> 13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - ... is around somewhere
8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow - slowed for 4 more rounds, berserk

It is now Rico's turn.

*****

Combat Map is the same as the last post.

Miraqariftsky

2016-01-28, 08:53 AM

Rico,
Blessing of Fervor [Option I] +30speed
+2 Ref
HP 56/56
AC 22/22

As she barges through yet another illusion, the strange and sinister screeching and screaming roar of the foe batters at her flattening ears. Rico raises her shield in a vain bid to hold back the waves of arcane agony.

She grits her teeth and forces one foot in front of the other, striding resolutely towards yet another avatar of madness.

...and purposely tries not to think of the brass-and-leather bound small-but-definitely-not-any-mere-flask amphorae just behind her massive shield.

"Trafficking. In. Unlicensed. Constructs. With. Harmful. Intent." The orcblood constable grinds through the pain even as her long strides eat up the mud-caked yards between her and her quarry. Her and her embattled comrades. And then she growls, "GUILTY!"

Panting, snarling as she finds herself in the abomination's shadow, she grates out, "Y'all! Strike... an' GEDD BAHKK!"

Move Move Move Move to D9!
FLANK!

maggie_mcknife

2016-01-30, 09:43 AM

GM post

Run, Rico, run!

*****

Xanesha

Mirror Image: (1d4+4)[6]

Attack: (1d20+17)[29], Damage: (1d8+8)[9] and Sneak Attack (1d6)[3]

Having to shoot in the midst of a downpour at night might have daunted a lesser archer, but not Brin. Her aim remains admirably steady, sighting down at the Faceless Stalkers through the dark and the driving rain, two fingers always crooked and poised at the waxed string of her bow.

Brin wasn't the sort to give up - not for as long as she had a target that she could see. Unfortunately, a target that she couldn't see was precisely what was about to hit her.

There is no warning, no chance to dodge. The only sign that Brin has of something gone dreadfully wrong is the sudden spurt of searing pain along the side of her neck, as if some fiery talon had dug deep and raked through in an attempt to rip out her throat.

The burning pain makes it difficult to breathe, let alone cry a warning to the others. As blood seeps from the gaping wound, stinging and warm as it soaks into Brin's collar and cloak, the elf manages to stagger around to confront her attacker, only to find herself facing not one but seven of her.

It must be a trick of the eye, likely the same defensive spell that Setsuna was using. All the same, the sight of even one of the creatures is frightful enough. For despite the comely feminine shape under the glittering mail that covers its humanoid torso, the rest of the creature from the hips down is at least twenty feet of writhing serpent, powerful coiled muscle covered in layer upon layer of gleaming bronze scales. Nor is the creature's face any delight to behold. Though the soaked waves of raven hair and the full pouting lips poised above a chiseled chin hint at ravishing beauty, the golden mask that obscures the rest of the face is most hideous indeed, glowing green lens contorted in an expression of intense pain while the twisted bodies of snakes radiate from a scarlet gemstone upon the brows. In its hand, the creature hefts a spear identical to the one that you'd seen the false Setsuna carry earlier on - only that this time, the wide-bladed barb at its tip drips with Brin's blood.

All this time, you'd figured that it was a succubus that you were facing. But Xanesha, it would seem, is no succubus but a lamia. Worse still - as the serpentine half of her body makes clear - she is a lamia matriarch - born a queen of a cruel and capricious race that knows nothing but how to devour morning and night.

Xanesha is no longer invisible.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS2
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - Mirror Image and possibly other buffs
> 8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow - slowed for 4 more rounds, berserk

It is now Naya's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/pypV6as.jpg

jamieth

2016-01-30, 12:06 PM

Naya (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=304857)
HP 24/24
AC 18 (Touch 17, FF11), including +2 from BoF
BoF: +2 Attack, Dodge, Ref, 5 rounds left.

"In Shelyn's name... I see now why you hide your true image..." a shocked sylph mutters as thyeir enemy reveals herself - and yet the creatures's appearance gives her a glint of hope. She can't tell for sure whether lamias share the same protection that demons - and, for entirely different reasons, Naya herself - enjoy, but there's at least a chance they don't... and, there's even bigger chance the illusions they create don't. At least the "Setsuna" she showed them before dissipated on the slightest hit... biting her lip, the sorceress summons another swarm of miniature sparky missiles, and with a willful gesture sends them forward. After witnessing the result of her spell, Naya hurries towards a spot from which she can better control the flow of the battle, able to reach both fights equally easy if needed.

Spark Shurikens again, attacking Xanesha:
Shuriken 1:
Attack: [roll0] vs touch, Mirror image (hit real one on a 1): [roll1], Caster level vs. SR [roll2], damage [roll3]
Shuriken 1:
Attack: [roll4] vs touch, Mirror image (hit real one on a 1): [roll5], Caster level vs. SR [roll6], damage [roll7]
Shuriken 1:
Attack: [roll8] vs touch, Mirror image (hit real one on a 1): [roll9], Caster level vs. SR [roll10], damage [roll11]
Shuriken 1:
Attack: [roll12] vs touch, Mirror image (hit real one on a 1): [roll13], Caster level vs. SR [roll14], damage [roll15]

After that, move to H6

Bhaakon

2016-01-30, 05:39 PM

Brin
23/35 HP
19 AC
Active effect: Blessing of Fervor, type I, +30 move speed (4 rounds remaining)

Brin nearly fall flat at the shock of the blow. He harnd immediately grabs the wound, fingers probing to make sure the important vessels weren't ruptured. They weren't, Lady be praised, but only by a hair's breadth. She staggers away from the serpentine women--the lamia, obviously--carelessly exposing herself to further attacks in her haste to escape.

Seven? Blood loss must be bad...wait, no...an illusion. Brin orders her thoughts once she's out of the wicked spear's reach. Maybe a spell that didn't need to pick out a target...

"H-help me, Pharasma! Burn the sight from her eyes!" She rasps, directing another burst of radiant energy to envelop all the Xanesha's swimming in her vision.

Move action to K14 (60' base move from Blessing of fervor), provoking AoO from Xanesha

Standard Action to cast Burst of Radiance on Xanesha, Ref DC 15 or blind for [roll0] (dazzled if save succeeds)

[roll1] damage vs evil creatures, no save

SR? [roll2]

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-01, 10:59 AM

GM post

Naya and Brin

Xanesha's AoO - Attack: (1d20+17)[22], Damage: (1d8+8)[15]

Reflex save: (1d20+17)[26], +4 from mask for 30 - passed

Brin's panicked attempt to put as much distance between her and the now visible Xanesha goes poorly. For even as Brin turns to flee, the lamia wastes no time at all in rearing back and ramming the weighted butt of the spear into Brin's ribs with such force that the elf can hear the snap of her bones as they crackle and splinter under their meagre covering of chainmail.

Xanesha's brutality, however, leaves her open to Naya's counterattack. With the seductress who has plagued Magnimar with murders and played so many for fools focusing her attention on the wounded elf, Naya is free to send her signature shurikens hurtling towards her in a flurry of sizzling energy and light. While one whirs harmlessly overhead, the remaining three find their marks, striking three of the Xaneshas in a mad shower of sparks.

Two of the lamia images instantly shimmer and vanish while the remaining five images lash about in an agony of low hisses and loops - Naya must have struck the real Xanesha, somewhere in there. All the same, there is little cause to celebrate as Brin's retaliatory spell goes awry. Even though the air around Xanesha fills with an almighty burst of divine light mean to sear away the sight of evil-doers, the light doesn't seem to have any effect on Xanesha. If anything, it seems to enrage her, tension radiating throughout the lamia's massive body as she gathers herself into a spiral, ready to spring forth at a moment's notice.

"Intriguing. So the raven told me true. A sky child, here. You are a long way from home, young one." This time, Xanesha's deathly calm voice belies her clenched body, the low rusty purr of a tiger on the prowl. "Come. Play with me. See if you can stop me before the Scarecrow and I slay all your friends."

*****

The Scarecrow

Attack: (1d20+13)[27], Damage: (2d6+8)[19]

"HRRAGGGH!!! RRRRGHARRRR!!!"

The flesh golem is much too far from Xanesha to have hear her taunt to Naya. Nor is it apparently amenable to reason in its rage. All the same, as if right on cue, the golem's roars rise to the pitch of a scream as it drives its fist into the ground, sending clods of dirt and gravel flying. Whirling in a frenzy, it begins to lash its heavy limbs wildly about, scattering raindrops, still shrieking as it first clubs Red on the skull with the heel of its scythe, then slashes her right arm open to the bone on the returning swing.

Please roll your own AoO for the Scarecrow if you wish.

*****

Red
HP 36/55
AC 25 (includes +4 from potion of Mage Armour)
BoF: Make one extra attack

+2 to all attacks from flanking bonus
Attack: (1d20+11)[25], Damage: (1d4+4)[8] + SA (2d6)[6]
Attack: (1d20+11)[14], Damage: (1d4+4)[5] + SA (2d6)[11]
Attack: (1d20+6)[10], Damage: (1d4+4)[6] + SA (2d6)[9]
Attack: (1d20+6)[25], Damage: (1d4+4)[7] + SA (2d6)[9]

BoF extra - Attack: (1d20+11)[22], Damage: (1d4+4)[7] + SA (2d6)[12]

Her head was broken. She knew that for sure. Never mind the splitting pain. There was something familiar and warm leaking into the folds of her right ear and it didn't feel like she could close her mouth properly anymore.

Her head was broken. From a big and sweaty thing who smelled like a dungheap and screamed like a stuck sow that was trying to beat her to death with a big pointy stick. Make her bleed so much that she'd print her face all over the floor. Make her afraid.

Old news. Her father had practiced on her for years. He'd done his worse. She hadn't died. She was still here. She was still alive.

If her broken jaw wasn't already swelling into a tumid scarlet mess, Red might have cracked a wan smile, her heart suddenly buoyant as the crushing fear slowly ebbs away. Her head was broken. But she wasn't. She'd survived worse. She could do this, stop the meat-thing.

Somewhere on the other side of the meat-thing, Red can hear Rico huffing and shouting. But somewhere to her right, Red catches the dazzle and flash of magic spells through the rain. Someone must be attacking Naya and Brin. "S-setsuna-a... G-go..." The words come haltingly to her stiffening jaw and Red's voice is little more than a choked croak. She would just have to trust that Setsuna would figure the rest out.

I'm not afraid.

Ignoring the growing ache in her head as best she can, Red holds her ground and chops with all her might into the meat-thing's leg, doing her best to hack out as much flesh as she can reach.

*****

FS2

Full round action - withdraw

Visibly shaken by the demise of its companion at Chanda's hands and by the flesh golem being apparently shredded by several unrelenting blades, the remaining Stalker decides that it has had enough.

"To me! To me! Defend the Mistress!" The Stalker's reedy voice quavers out through the air as it unceremoniously turns tail and dashes towards the tower, doing its best to avoid being struck as it goes.

Please roll your own AoO for FS2 if you wish - it leaves squares threatened by Setsuna and Naya.

*****

Perception DC 20
At first, your eyes flit towards the double doors that the Scarecrow had emerged from, lest reinforcements arrive from that direction. You can see nothing, however, and are about to return your attention back to combat when your ears prick up. There - almost unheard over the screeching of the flesh golem, comes the patter of rocks crumbling and the faint squeak of metal girders under stress from above. Glancing upwards, you can just about make out the silhouettes of two squat horned forms as they take off from the tower above and begin gliding towards towards all of you... Judging from the speed at which they are traveling, they will reach the ground in about sixteen seconds or so.

Knowledge (nature) DC 14
You're not quite sure at this distance, but something in your gut tells you that these approaching shapes are likely to be gargoyles or something of their ilk - what else would have lurked unseen among statues on a roof?

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
17 - FS2
> 16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - Mirror Image and possibly other buffs
8 - Naya - BoF
6 - Scarecrow - slowed for 3 more rounds, berserk

It is now Setsuna's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/bKMrGxZ.jpg

Desril

2016-02-01, 11:24 AM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 89% (6 mirror images, blur for 10 more rounds)

As the Scarecrow goes berserk, Setsuna deftly dodges out of the way of its whirling arms, narrowly evading its swinging scythe only for the blow to connect against Red. "No!" Lashing out at it as it leaves itself exposed, she does everything she can to buy Red a chance to recover. Luckily, despite how powerful the strike seemed, it wasn't enough to fell the rogue. Hells! I can't leave her to fight this thing, but! Shifting her gaze back toward Xanesha and her assault against their exposed back line, it takes every effort of willpower the tiefling has not to immediately rush out to confront her. It's only because of Red's injury that she's able to stay, and when the human tells her to go, she nods, resolved to confront the real villain and trusting her friend to deal with this one. "Destroy this thing!"

Trusting Red to take care of it, Setsuna takes a brief moment to concentrate, imbuing Maethilur once more with her typical lightning aura as she casts a spell and begins racing away from the Scarecrow and attempting to drive her black blade into Xanesha's waiting bosom. "Leave them alone!"

Even as she calls out to the lamia, however, she sees something else start to take off from the top of the tower and cries out a warning. "There are more coming, from above!"

Attack of Opportunity;
Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1] (overcoming DR/Adamantine)

4 rounds left on BoF +30ft speed

Casting Thundershock Defensively:
Concentration Check DC 19 (1d20+11)[30] success; 7 attacks at +1d6+7

Move to L6 (provoking from scarecrow and possibly Xanesha is that spear has reach)
Swift Action - Arcane Pool again, swapping +2 over to Shocking Keen (5/7 AP)

SPELLSTRIKE ATTACK! [roll2]
Damage [roll3] slashing (does not overcome DR) + [roll4] electric

jamieth

2016-02-01, 12:27 PM

Naya
HP 24/24
AC 16, Touch 15, FF 11
BoF: free metamagic (4 rounds left)

She's hurt! The beast's hurt! Naya's heart almost leaps out of her chest as she hears Xanesha's cry, and the sylph prepares to answer lamia'a taunt with action rather than words - and then Setsuna charges into the monster, her sword again blazing with lightning, and Naya shakes her head, "Play? I would, but there's someone who needs it much more. Get her, Miss Setsuna!"

With that, she hurries towards the Scarecrow Skirmish, almost instinctively thrusting her staff into the fleeing stalker as she does - and almost loosing her footing as the creature's rubbery skin retorts it with surprising force. Still, it takes her only 3 more steptto stand behind Red and place her hand on the rogue's shoulder.

This bit of magic, the one she's currently performing, didn't come as naturally to her as winds, lightning and even flight; it took more than one evening spent with Miss Zamirra in dusty libraries before she understood a trick to using the air in this way... but it surely proved useful before, and would hopefully prove useful now.

As she weves her magic withuot as much as a whisper, the air around Red solidifies, forming a prism, a lens, a construct devised to bend the light and let it flow around the rogue.

Such constucts are fragile, of course, and would shatter with the first swift motion Red takes... but that motion she would be able to make uninterrupted.

AoO afainst FS rolled in OOC: 5 damage, doesn't overcome DR.

Move to C5
Cast Silent Invisibility on Red; 7 minutes, but unlikely to matter since it breaks on attack :-)

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-03, 11:10 AM

Rico,
Flanking
Blessing of Fervor [Option III] +extra attack
Rage 01/10, I/III
HP 56/56 (plus 04/04)
AC 20/22

A dozen Setsunas and a dozen Xaneshas battle in the corner of Rico's eye, while Naya's spellcraft whips up a storm. Part of the overall tactical situation, but she shuts out the distraction.

Rico quiets the pang of pain as she sees and hears and smells the hurts of her comrades.

She stomps on the bile rising in her throat at the sight of yet another of those Faceless Stalkers up close.

For the briefest moment, she quails in the shadow of yet another monster, yet another thing-that-must-not-be. She gazes up at the mountain of flesh and hide and arcane apparatus and unhallowed rage. The blood pumps in Rico's temples as, just beyond the murderous mound of meat, her dear friend is cracked a terrible blow.

Frak the plan. Time ta die, DEMON!

"Die, ye damned frakker." she grates out and spits into the mud.

The rain seems to slow as Rico's fist closes upon her sword's hilt, then speeds up once more as she barges into its back with her shield, then rips out her wave-edged broadsword in a vicious draw-cut. Quickly pivoting and pushing off with the Fist of Fox, she then hacks down in a textbook Schietelhau, great vertical slash right down the beast's middle, and, her body afire with a divine fury, hacks deep into the other side of the leg that Red had marked--- then sidesteps, sawing away in an Abschneiden slice...

...just as a cavalcade of thunderbolts rumble in the sky above.

AoO!
[roll0]
[roll1]

Regular attacks
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]

BoF attack (waaaait, "Make one extra attack as part of a full attack action, using its highest base attack bonus." Alrighty, then. I guess that cancels the Power Attack penalty.)
[roll6]
[roll7]

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-05, 02:51 PM

GM post

Setsuna

Xanesha's AoO vs Setsuna - Attack: (1d20+17)[23], Damage: (1d8+8)[10]

Perhaps it is her haste to strike at the enemy that has finally appeared which makes her careless. Or perhaps it is pure anger at how she'd been used so wantonly by Xanesha. Perhaps both. For even as Setsuna deals the flesh golem a parting blow on the shoulder, her blade merely glances off a series of metal staples, failing to rend its flesh. (Not that the hulking creature notices, for it is much too fixated on the plucky red-haired rogue currently stabbing its shins.)

Likewise for her actual assault on the lamia matriarch. For Setsuna, churning rage narrows her field of vision. It might seem as if the rest of the world has vanished and faded into smoke, leaving only this glittering serpentine apparition with its mask of gold. Raising her black blade overhead, its blade crackling with arcane energy, Setsuna is about to pounce on her enemy when she suddenly finds herself confronted with the looming fanged edge of a longspear thrust into her path.

Setsuna skids on the slippery ground, splashing through puddles as she weaves and dodges out of harm's way. All the same, Xanesha's counter has done its work of breaking the tiefling's momentum, turning her sword-work messy as she chops at air, failing to hit any of Xanesha's many mirror images, let alone the lamia herself.

*****

Chanda and Rico

5 foot step to E8
Attack: (1d20+15)[35], Damage: (1d6+2)[5] and SA (4d6)[17]
Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+15)[21], Damage: (1d6+2)[5] and SA (4d6)[8]

Of all the party, it is Rico alone who has the sheer mass and girth to square up to the flesh golem without having to crane her neck to meet its gaze. Slamming against the creature with her shield so hard that it is almost forced it to its knees, Rico then proceeds to hack away with great sawing strokes. Sparks fly to the squeal of tortured metal as her sword grates against the tangled wire holding the golem together, forcing the dead flesh and rusted threads apart.

The flesh golem, lost in the throes of its frenzy, doesn't seem to notice as the chunks that make up its torso beginning to come apart. Nor does it seem to feel the fell stroke of Chanda's iced blade as the thief sweeps in from Rico's flank, jamming her rapier deep into the golem's buttock as if she was skewering a pig for market.

*****

Xanesha

Attack: (1d20+17)[34], Damage: (1d8+8)[10]
Attack: (1d20+12)[25], Damage: (1d8+8)[14]
Attack: (1d20+7)[17], Damage: (1d8+8)[13]

Did Setsuna get hit by the 34? 1 for yes (1d7)[4]
25 destroys 1 figment
Total 2 figments destroyed

"So eager to come to me. Did you want more?" Now that she can see Xanesha endowed in her true form, it is difficult for Setsuna to imagine how she could have ever succumbed as she did. All the same, it doesn't make it easier for the tiefling to ignore the lamia's mocking jibes. Not with that voice - husky, deep, rich as wine and just as heady, sending shivers down one's spine.

"I do not blame you. The way you cried when I touched you. You've never felt like that before, have you?"

The barest trace of a mocking smile flickers across Xanesha's pale face, making her look even more monstrous by the flash of lightning overhead. Angling her longspear, the lamia darts forward with lightning speed, destroying two of Setsuna's illusory doubles as she bears down and thrusts the spear neatly through their chests.

*****

Naya and the Scarecrow

Naya casts Invisibility on Red.

Scarecrow's AoO vs Naya - Attack: (1d20+13)[18], Damage: (2d6+8)[17]
Attack: (1d20+13)[30], Damage: (2d6+8)[11]

Unfortunately for Naya, the brave sylph's luck seems to go awry the instant she switches to other targets besides Xanesha. Not only does she miss in her attempt to club the fleeing Stalker, in boldly and selflessly rushing to Red's aid, she forgets that a creature as massive as the flesh golem has long arms to match. As such, she has barely finished casting her spell, shielding Red from the golem's eyes when she herself becomes the object of its burgeoning rage.

Having fixated on trying to squash Red in its animal fury, the golem, needless to say, is quite flummoxed by its target suddenly vanishing from right under its nose. Burbling an agonised shriek, it flails about all the more frantically with its scythe, catching Naya in the shoulder and ripping open her unarmoured chest.

Naya is now unconscious at -5 HP and is dying.

*****

Initiative Order:
> 25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF, invisible
17 - FS2
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - Mirror Image and possibly other buffs
8 - Naya - BoF, unconscious, dying
6 - Scarecrow - slowed for 2 more rounds, berserk

It is now Brin's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/xdw0XeC.jpg

Bhaakon

2016-02-06, 12:56 AM

Brin
17/35 HP
19 AC
Active effect: Blessing of Fervor, type I, +30 move speed (3 rounds remaining)

Despite the hand clamped tight to the wound on her neck, Brin's vision was beginning to swim from the blood loss. Or maybe it was lack of oxygen on account of the shattered rib preventing her from breathing any deeper than a shallow pant. Either way, this was not going well. Not well at all.

"GAA--*cough*-*cough*" She tries to shriek out some of the pain and frustration as he spell falls flat, but only makes it worse, descending into a coughing fit that brings up blood. Then Naya goes down.

"Need to...help." She staggers over under the hurrying effect of Pharasma's blessing, her path wending dangerously close to the flesh golem as she summons up the concentration for a pulse of healing energy--no mean feat in Brin's condition. "Lady...please..." It's enough of an invocation, barely. The pale purple light swirls out from Brin's tattoo, closing wounds and mending bones as it washes over her and everyone else.

Move action to G8 (thanks to 30' movement boost) and standard action to Channel (should his everyone but Xanesha and FS2)

[roll0]

Edit: well...not the total I was hoping for. Anyway, I've already added it to Brin's HP in the header of this post

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-06, 12:41 PM

GM post

Brin channels positive energy for 9 HP.

Naya is no longer dying or unconscious and is prone at 4 HP.

*****

Red
HP 45/55
AC 25 (includes +4 from potion of Mage Armour)
BoF: Make one extra attack

Attack: (1d20+13)[22], Damage: (1d4+4)[6] plus SA (2d6)[11]
Attack: (1d20+13)[16], Damage: (1d4+4)[6] plus SA (2d6)[3]
Attack: (1d20+8)[28], Damage: (1d4+4)[6] plus SA (2d6)[8]
Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+8)[9], Damage: (1d4+4)[6] and SA (2d6)[5] - no critical
Attack: (1d20+8)[24], Damage: (1d4+4)[6] plus SA (2d6)[7]

Extra BoF - Attack: (1d20+13)[20], Damage: (1d4+4)[8] plus SA (2d6)[9]

"N-no-!"

Red's eyes widen in horror as the meat-thing's arm swishes overhead and bashes Naya in the chest. New comrade or not, Red didn't like it when others were hurt. Barely aware of the spell that had been cast on her and of Brin's healing ministration, her knuckles whiten as she clenches her kukris tight, raising her gaze to face the creature.

Damned meat-thing. Red narrows her eyes, not bothering to shake her wet hair from her forehead. Her head still hurt too much for that. Setsuna was right. Destroying this thing. That was the only way.

A burst of cold fog from the other side of meat-thing tells her that her sister is here. No matter. Emboldened by her previous attack, Red gathers herself and leaps, stabbing downwards into the meat-thing's barrel chest. Doing her best not to gag as the stink of its clammy, putrefying flesh hits her with all the force of a brick wall, she claws and kicks her way up the meat-thing's body, wedging her other kukri into the creature's shoulders before lashing out wildly at its neck.

As luck would have it, Red manages to catch the meat-thing's head at an odd angle, separating most of its idiot head from its body as her kukri chops through sinew and loose flesh. And by the grace of Pharasma (and perhaps Cayden Cailean), that is all that is needed to stop the golem - the malevolent crimson glow in its eyes abruptly dimming as its head flops bonelessly forward, its massive bulk slowly toppling like a felled tree.

The Scarecrow is now dead.

*****

FS2

Ranged touch Attack vs Naya: (1d20+6)[11] - failed

The remaining Faceless Stalker, having reached the side of the Shadow Clock, stoops and snatches up something from the ground, clearly intending to lob it towards Naya before she can get back on her feet. Not having visible eyes is probably something of an impediment, however, as the creature fumbles, hitting its arm against the tower wall even as it draws back to throw. Dropping its missile with a cry that is more alarm than pain, the Stalker hisses nervously, glancing upward towards the dark shapes that continue their descent towards the ground.

2 more rounds to two more combatants joining combat.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF, invisible
17 - FS2
> 16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - Mirror Image and possibly other buffs
8 - Naya - BoF, prone

It is now Setsuna's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/2h1N8Ai.jpg

Desril

2016-02-06, 09:10 PM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 20% (4 mirror images, blur for 9 more rounds)

Glaring at the duplicate Xaneshas as they mock her, Setsuna does her best not to let it get to her. Unfortunately, her best isn't enough to protect all of her figments. "Shut up! You...you manipulated me! I will not let you do it again!"

Before the tiefling can renew her attack though, she sees Naya fall out of the corner of her eye, though at least Brin moves to heal her before Setsuna can cry out. Her resuccitation coupled with Red's victory over the flesh golem is enough to spur the Minkan princess onward. Trying not to let rage blind her, she lashes out at the snake-tailed women before her.

BoF (3 rounds) +1 attack

Casting Chill Touch Defensively (DC 17) [roll0]

Spellstrike [roll1] (ignore if concentration check fails. If it does, ignore the Chill Touch rolls)
Damage [roll2] + [roll3] + [roll4] electric + [roll5] negitive energy. Fort DC 15 vs 1 str damage.
(Spell Resistance Thundershock (1d6+7) [roll6] Chill Touch (1d6) [roll7])

Attack [roll8]
Damage [roll9] + [roll10] + [roll11] electric + [roll12] negitive energy. Fort DC 15 vs 1 str damage.
(Spell Resistance Thundershock (1d6+7) [roll13] Chill Touch (1d6) [roll14])

Bonus Attack [roll15]
Damage [roll16] + [roll17] + [roll18] electric + [roll19] negitive energy. Fort DC 15 vs 1 str damage.
(Spell Resistance Thundershock (1d6+7) [roll20] Chill Touch (1d6) [roll21])

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-07, 05:49 AM

Rico,
Blessing of Fervor [Option IV] +boosts
HP 56/56
AC 24/22

The monster of meat and metal before them shudders to its knees, then falls into the mud, its grotesque head rolling away. Rico's heart thunders with pride, her lips quirking in a savage grin and she pumps her sword into the air and crows, "HA-HAH! WELL-DONE, y..."

And then her eyes alight on a crumpled form beyond the monster's corpse, beyond the victorious Allin sisters. The grin turns into a snarl as she takes in Naya's broken body, seemingly but a discarded ragdoll in the dirt. The orcblood constable grits her teeth and growls and almost unintelligible string of names under her breath. The names of their comrades who had fallen.

She looks this way and that. Setsuna seems still able to hold off Xanesha, but almost certainly will be needing support soon. Brin, though injured, looks to be still kicking. And there's that clayfaced demonspawn, scarpering away, preparing what seems to be some kind of weapon.

"...Red, Chanda, g'work! Check... hnn, Naya. Izzhe still alive?" Rico says as she passes them by, building momentum as she goes, pounding off.

Along the way, she sheathes her sword, putting off its cleaning for now. Along the way, she prepares one of her special amphorae, now holding it by its rope handle, letting it swing easily in her slightly trailing right hand. And then she swings it forward, letting the seemingly innocuous vessel, usually used for holding wines, hurtle towards the faceless fiend.

Move to B3.
W'elp.
Time ta die, bugger.
[roll0]
[roll1]

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-08, 11:59 AM

GM post

Setsuna

Did Setsuna hit Xanesha? 1 for yes. (1d5)[3] - no
20 destroys a figment
2 figments remaining

"Manipulated? Oh my dear. You overestimate me. My touch weakens the mind, it is true. But you - you threw yourself into my arms and pressed your lips to mine all on your own."

Xanesha chuckles derisively, shaking her head in mocking despair even as Setsuna plunges her blade into the lamia's scaled coils, causing two of the mirror images to evaporate, leaving three. Despite having her defenses carved away, Xanesha herself doesn't appear to be fazed much. Glancing idly over in the direction of the tower as the Scarecrow falls, something of a predator's smile seems to touch her lips.

*****

Rico and Chanda (strictly speaking, Chanda was supposed to attack FS2. But seeing as to how that would put her in the path of Rico's bomb...)

Move action - sheathe rapier, standard - draw weapon

For the Stalker, the last thing that it perceives is an apparently innocuous jar of wine hurtling towards its head. Having been hurled with no small amount of force, the amphora actually bounces off the top of the Stalker's skull before breaking, cracking all the way down the side before splitting like a smashed egg and drenching the Stalker in its contents.

Most of you have been witness to the corrosive effects of Taladron's acid gobs on skin and armour, but what you have seen before is nothing compared to the real life horror show now taking place. For those of you who dare to look, the Stalker's flesh practically melts before your eyes, crackling and blackening even as it sloughs off tendons and pliant bones. At first, there is a hollow high-pitched choking noise from the region of the creature's dissolving face. Then there is nothing - save for the hiss and sizzle of the acid as it devours the Stalker's body with frightening speed.

Chanda only graces the dying Stalker with sufficient attention to determine that it is not likely to cause any further trouble, before angling her head upwards, appearing to cant her head to one side to gain a better view of the incoming flyers. Making a feral sound in her throat, she savagely shoves her rapier back into its sheath, extinguishing its frost aura before shrugging her bow off her shoulders.

"No frakken idea what those are. But if they don't land and keep flying, we're goods as setten ducks," mutters the thief as she snatches at her hip for an arrow.

FS2 is now dead.

After Naya's move, 1 round more to two more enemies joining combat. Distance to enemy is currently 60 feet, if it matters.

*****

Xanesha

Attack: (1d20+17)[28], Damage: (1d8+8)[15]
Attack: (1d20+12)[32], Damage: (1d8+8)[11]
Attack: (1d20+7)[13], Damage: (1d8+8)[14]

28 destroys one figment
Does Setsuna get hit? 1 for yes. (1d5)[4]
Total two figments destroyed

"Such a brave young woman. I will take great pleasure in her screams when I am done with you once more."

Drawing back her longspear, Xanesha grins, exposing lengthened incisors of purest white. She wastes no time in driving the sharp edge of her weapon neatly through the necks of two more of Setsuna's doubles, leaving little doubt as to her martial skill.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF, invisible
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - Mirror Image and possibly other buffs
> 8 - Naya - BoF, prone

It is now Naya's turn.

*****

Combat Map
http://i.imgur.com/qBBTVDo.jpg

jamieth

2016-02-08, 01:15 PM

Naya
HP 4/24
AC 16, touch 15, FF 11
Blessings: stand as swift action

By the time, Naya realizes her mistake, there's nothing she can do about it anymore; if there's anything good that can be said about the situation, its that the beast's fist puts her out too fast to actually feel much pain.

Well, the other good thing is that, when she opens her eyes, it appears not much time have passed at all... "I'm fine, thank you, miss Brin!" the sylph calls out, correctly identifying the source of her renewed strenght as she leaps to her feet displaying more vigor than she actually feels and looking around.

The only fight that still continues is Setsuna's duel with Xanesha - if it is even correct to call a fight that appeared to have over a dozen participants a "duel" - and getting involved in that, Naya wouldn't dare, for two reasons - one, Setsuna needs this fight. Two, in her current condition, Naya would be a hindrance anywhere near that whirlwind of blades, not an asset... however much it pains her to admit it, for now the best she can do is wait for a chance to strike. Perhaps once Xanesha's aerial reinforcements draw closer... of course, that doesn't mean she's going to just stand in the middle of the road... the very same aerial lens she just used to conceal Red would do equally good job concealing the sylph's own plans.

Stand up as a swift thanks to BoF;
Standard: cast Invisibility on self;
Move: to I5

Bhaakon

2016-02-09, 03:02 AM

Brin
17/35 HP
19 AC
Active effect: Blessing of Fervor, type III, Extra Attack (2 rounds remaining)

Brin reaches for the enchanted arrows, but thinks better of it. There were still two lamias too many floating around in front of her. The fight might be desperate, but each of those arrows could buy an entire winery. Er...that is, all the more reason to make sure each of those arrows count!

Her hand flashes to the quiver and back with speed lent by Pharasma herself. The third arrow is in flight before Brin even notices whether the first hit.

5' step to H8 to get into Point-blank shot range on Xanesha. Full attack w/ rapid shot and blessing of fervor for 3 total shots.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[roll2]
[roll3]

[roll4]
[roll5]

Desril

2016-02-10, 03:51 AM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 20% (2 mirror images, blur for 8 more rounds)

Glaring, Setsuna tries her best to defend her actions, "You tricked me! I thought you were..." she trails off momentarily, distracted by Chanda in the corner of her eye and leaving her copies vulnerable to Xanesha's attack. When the lamia begins to threaten her comrades, however, the tiefling snarls and lunges at her, "You will not hurt them!"

Images of her comrades lying in pools of their own blood, much like she had been this morning flash through her mind. I can't let anyone else get hurt, not any more, not by her! Doing her best to cut through the illusions to slice into the real threat, Setsuna makes a flurry of attacks before incanting another spell that she'd had a great deal of practice with, hoping that the lightning enhanced blade would strike true. As she darts forward with her final attack, she remembers the morning, her touch, her scent, everything about how she felt the moment before the lamia revealed her treachery and stabbed her. Rather than deter her, however, it only steels her resolve as she aims at the monster's heart.

BoF, 2 rounds, bonus attack; (5 thundershocks and chill touches left since 2 images were destroyed I'm assuming those eat up charges, 7 left otherwise)

Attack 1 [roll0]
Damage [roll1] + [roll2] electric
Thundershock SR [roll3] Damage[roll4] electric
Chill Touch SR [roll5] Damage [roll6] negative (Fort DC 15 vs 1 Str damage)

Attack 2 [roll7]
Damage [roll8] + [roll9] electric
Thundershock SR [roll10] Damage[roll11] electric
Chill Touch SR [roll12] Damage [roll13] negative (Fort DC 15 vs 1 Str damage)

Concentration to cast Shocking Grasp defensively [roll14] (DC 17)
If successful:
Spellstrike [roll15]
Damage [roll16] + [roll17] electric
Thundershock SR [roll18] Damage[roll19] electric
Chill Touch SR [roll20] Damage [roll21] negative (Fort DC 15 vs 1 Str damage)
Shocking Grasp SR [roll22] Damage [roll23]

Confirmation? (1d20+14)[28]

If confirmed: Perfect Strike, spending 2 arcane pool to make Mae a x3 critical weapon.

Critical Damage (2d8+14)[26]
Thundershock Damage (1d6+7)[9] electric + 1 round stun on Xanesha!
Chill Touch Damage (1d6)[1] negative (Fort DC 15 vs 2 Str damage instead of 1)
Shocking Grasp Damage (5d6)[14]

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-10, 01:12 PM

Rico,
Blessing of Fervor [Option IV] +boosts
HP 56/56
AC 24/22

Rico's face is a mask of grim satisfaction as the stalker melts, but even as the foe dissolves, she can't help but choke back her own bile. Averting her eyes and panting, she spits, then casts about, looking for any trouble spots.

With the brief jolt of god-juice that they'd felt mere moments ago, and seeing that the gravely wounded sorceress has disappeared, Rico assumes that Naya and Brin are still kicking--- and confirms the latter with her own eyes and ears as the elf looses another flight of clothyard shafts. Setsuna seems to be still doing quite well with her duel with that snake-demon.

The Allin sisters don't seem much the worse for wear... and following Chanda's sighting down her own arrow, takes in the incoming enemy reinforcements. Rico growls a curse at her not having packed a bow herself.

Glaring through the deepening night and the battering rain, she snorts at her indecision. Stay with... hmm... Brin, heft shield and sword, make sure those... whatever they are... don't make mincemeat of her? Or pop that demon bitch with a thunderstone? Hmm...

And then she pelts towards Brin, holding the Fist of Fox as high as she could to try and cover both of them. But beneath its shadow, it is not her sword that she readies, but rather, a tanglefoot bag. Almost certainly demon-strong these frakkers, yet the crappin' again, but if it can hold 'em down, should help in poundin' em, an' keep 'em from flyin' that well. PFF. Hopefully.

Over her shoulder, she hisses at Brin, "Hey! How ya holdin'?"

Move to G7 and Draw Tanglefoot Bag. (Move and Free Draw-with-Move).
*And... IS there an option to share cover or something like that?
Standard:
Readied Action to dive-tackle Brin out of the way of any Stuka Bombers.

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-12, 01:22 PM

GM post

Naya casts Invisibility.

*****

Brin

With her ribs still aching dreadfully and blood seeping from the angry looking scarlet welt on her neck, it is difficult for Brin to draw her bow string fully back. Still, the decades of muscle memory do their work. Even as something crackles in her chest in protest, the waning vestiges of Pharasma's blessing grant Brin sufficient power to push past that wall of pain, sending three arrows punching through the air.

The first and last arrow fail to puncture Xanesha's coat of snakeskin, glancing harmlessly off the toughened scales and clattering to the wet soil. The second arrow, on the other hand, apparently buries itself in the forehead of one of the Xanesha images, immediately causing it to shimmer and dissolve into grey vapour that is quickly rent apart by the driving rain.

*****

Red
HP 45/55
AC 25 (includes +4 from potion of Mage Armour)
BoF: Increase speed by 30 feet

Move to L3
Attack: (1d20+11)[27], Damage: (1d4+4)[8]
Does Red hit Xanesha? 1 for hit. (1d2)[1]

Wincing at the sound of Rico's hapless victim melting from the head down, Red turns away and lowers her eyes, mopping blood and rainwater out of her eyes with the edge of her palm. Leaving the flying things to her sister and Rico, she breaks into an unsteady sprint towards Xanesha and Setsuna.

She'd downed the meat-thing. Thank Cayden for that mercy. But her head still felt as though a glowing-hot knife had been thrust into it, each throb of her pulse behind her eyes like a small explosion, making it difficult to concentrate on her path ahead of her.

Get to Setsuna. Get to Setsuna. Red mentally intones the thought over and over again like a mantra as she runs, doing her best to ignore the splitting pain in her jaw. But no matter how hard she blinks as she nears Xanesha, the double images just won't go away. The meat-thing must've hit her harder than she thought. No matter.

Not bothering to slacken her pace, Red hurls herself at the snake half of one of the two Xaneshas, lashing out with her kukri and narrowing her eyes in mute satisfaction as she feels the resistance of solid flesh.

*****

Setsuna

1st attack (22) destroys Xanesha's last figment
2nd attack (19) does not hit
3rd attack (29) hits for a helluva lotta damage. This feat is seriously overpowered, but hey, GM sour grapes.

Xanesha's cruel laughter is almost drowned out by the rumble of thunder overhead. "Tricked, manipulated - they are all the same. I did nothing to you save for what you wan-sssshhhSSS!"

The lamia's jibe is cut short into a wrathful hissing as Red strikes from behind, causing Xanesha to rear back, lashing her serpentine half about in a paroxysm that is more fury than agony. Nevertheless, the split second of distraction is enough to give Setsuna the crucial opening that she needs. Being far too short to actually reach Xanesha's heart, Setsuna's blade instead bites deep into the meaty portion of the lamia's unarmoured hip, where human melds into snake. Immediately, the white lightning wreathes the black blade dances and forks off onto the lamia's scales, causing the hissing to rise to a guttural screech as the skin around the fresh wound blisters and blackens, spreading nearly halfway across the lamia's torso.

Xanesha is now stunned for 1 round.

*****

Chanda

Attack on G1
Attack: (1d20+11)[25], Damage: (1d6+1)[3]

Sighting upwards into the air, Chanda looses her bow at the closer of the two approaching flyers. This close, those of you who deign to follow the pale shaft of Chanda's arrow as it arcs unerringly towards the flyer's horned visage despite the pelting rain, only to strike its forehead and bounce harmlessly off.

For all of a second, Chanda's lips curl in a snarl of anger. Using one hand to shield her goggled eyes, she seems to be peering up at the flyer - a gangly, spiked creature of sinewy form, with four arms and pebbled skin that gleams oddly in what moonlight there is, its wingbeats ponderously slow as it glides doggedly towards the ground.

"Buggerf-" Chanda curses aloud, hastily shouldering her bow once more, calling frantically out to those who can hear her. "Snow White! Priestess! 'ware up! Gargoyle, on t'way!"

Knowledge (Nature) DC 14
Though to the casual observer, Chanda apparently is preparing to flee, you know better. Gargoyles, in keeping with their usual disguise, resemble the stone statues they look like in that they possess toughened skin that is remarkably resistant to damage dealt by a regular weapon. Only magic can penetrate their hide with any reliability.

*****

Rico is readying action.

*****

Xanesha

Defensive Casting CL check: (1d20+13)[28] - passed
Casting Invisibility

"Fiend-spawn bitch." A straw-coloured fluid spotted with blood seeps between Xanesha's hand as she grasps blindly at the semi-cauterised gash in her side. Being wounded seems to have made the lamia matriarch lose much of her suave self-possession, her bronze tail lashing violently from side to side, a razor-edged growl in her honeyed voice. "You'll pay for this. Oh yes, you will."

Unfortunately for Xanesha, her threats are all that she can hurl at the tiefling. Still reeling from the blow, her longspear slips out of her hand and clatters noisily to the ground.

Brandishing her longspear as if it were a large wand, Xanesha cries out a word of power in an unknown language and promptly vanishes from sight right under Setsuna's nose.

Xanesha is now Invisible. (But come on. You still know where she is for now. She has no move action for 1 round!) :smallcool:

Two Gargoyles will join combat and roll for initiative after Naya moves.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin - BoF
19 - Red - BoF
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - possibly other buffs, stunned
> 8 - Naya - BoF, invisible

It is now Naya's turn.

*****

EDIT: No Combat Map until next GM post due to redacted post! Sorry!

jamieth

2016-02-12, 03:17 PM

Naya
HP 4/24
AC 16 Touch 15 FF 11
Invisibility (6 minutes 54 seconds), BoF (2 rounds) Free metamagic - Enlarge Spell

As it appeard Setsuna and Red's combined effort succeeded at at least weakening Xanesha enough to leave them a brething moment, Naya looked around... just in time to see Chanda's arrows bounce harmlesssly off the flying creatures' stone skins. Oh well, the sylph told herself, seems my magic is more needed here now... if only they were just a bit closer... a bit more... Now!

Forsaking the safety of aerial lens around her, Naya raised her hands and a pair or crackling rays of energy lauched from her fingers towards the nearest gargoyle.
[roll0],[roll1]
Move action: to F5
Ready standard action: cast Enlarged Lightning rayat the first gargoyle to enter range (85 feet).
Ray 1: (1d20+8)[10] vs. Touch, damage (4d6)[11]
Ray 2: (1d20+8)[19] vs. Touch, damage (4d6)[13]

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-13, 09:32 AM

GM post

Naya

New Event

Initiative
G1: (1d20+1)[2]
G2: (1d20+1)[21]

A blinding orb of energy clusters about Naya's fingertips before shooting out toward the nearer of the two flyers in a ragged beam, striking the gargoyle in its craggy chest so hard that the stone actually crumbles, showering the sylph with tiny rock fragments. For a brief second, as electricity crackles over the gargoyle's body, Naya is privy to the creature's pitiless visage - skeletal and sunken with a demon's spreading rack of horns, with dark hollows where its eyes ought to have been.

The tiny pit gouged in its chest doesn't seem to bother the gargoyle very much. Swooping ever lower towards its mistress, it bends its head low and poises to strike. Meanwhile, its companion peels away, making a beeline towards Rico and Brin with its maw agape and stumpy teeth exposed.

*****

Initiative Order:
> 25 - Brin - BoF
21 - G2
19 - Red - BoF
16 - Setsuna - BoF, Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - BoF
13 - Rico - BoF
11 - Xanesha - possibly other buffs, stunned
8 - Naya - BoF
2 - G1

It is now Brin's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 and G2 are both currently located 40 feet in the air.
http://i.imgur.com/RLWDNn4.jpg

Bhaakon

2016-02-13, 02:19 PM

Brin
17/35 HP
19 AC
Active effect: Blessing of Fervor, type III, Extra Attack (1 rounds remaining)

"Oh bloody hells." Brin mutters, her capacity for creative oaths utterly drained by the lingering pain and exhaustion. And now there were MORE of them. She glances up quickly, trying hard not to flee the gargoyle streaking towards her and Rico.

No. Focus on Xanesha. She's the biggest threat here. Drop her and the others might run. Maybe.

Brin reaches for her enchanted arrows and start firing.

Rapid shot + Blessing of Ferovr extra shot at Xanesha using Bane arrows

[roll0] +3 from bane arrows, +1 PBS, -2 Rapid shot
[roll1] +1 str, +3 ench, +1 PBS and bane damage: [roll2]

[roll3] +3 from bane arrows, +1 PBS, -2 Rapid shot
[roll4] +1 str, +3 ench, +1 PBS and bane damage: [roll5]

[roll6] +3 from bane arrows, +1 PBS, -2 Rapid shot
[roll7] +1 str, +3 ench, +1 PBS and bane damage: [roll8]

Desril

2016-02-13, 02:36 PM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 20% (2 mirror images, blur for 7 more rounds)

As Xanesha begins reeling and drops her weapon, Setsuna continues her attack with Brin's arrows whizzing over her head. "That is enough!" Another slash, "Stop talking! The only one who will pay is you-" One more cut, and a brief incantation follow as the tiefling's red-black eyes seem to glow for a brief moment as rage overwhelms her for an instant and for once, she doesn't hold back a potentially lethal blow. Perhaps Maethilur might convince her that what she felt here was 'righteous fury' but for Setsuna, to keep her friends safe, and to avenge what was done to her, all she could see was red when she looked at Xanesha and made a final, enchanted strike, "-YOU BITCH!"

Flanking with Red, BoF for another round (bonus attack)
Not casting defensively because X is stunned so I don't need to.
Using 3 Arcane Pool to make every attack a Perfect Strike (max damage on sword)

Attack 1 [roll0]
Damage 15 (8+7) + [roll1] electric
Thundershock SR [roll2] Damage [roll3]
Chill Touch SR [roll4] Damage [roll5] +Fort vs 1 Str damage

Attack 2 [roll6]
Damage 15 (8+7) + [roll7] electric
Thundershock SR [roll8] Damage [roll9]
Chill Touch SR [roll10] Damage [roll11] +Fort vs 1 Str damage

Spellstrike Shocking Grasp [roll12]
Damage 15 (8+7) + [roll13] electric
Thundershock SR [roll14] Damage [roll15]
Chill Touch SR [roll16] Damage [roll17] +Fort vs 1 Str damage
Shocking Grasp SR [roll18] Damage [roll19]

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-14, 12:13 PM

Rico,
Jump 1/10
Blessing of Fervor [Option IV] +boosts
HP 56/56
AC 24/22

Staring against the sheeting rain, Rico is only able to make out their new assailants by brief glimpses of stony claws here, flashes of lightning there, and the daemoniac glow of their sunken eyes. Squinting by the faint light of her magicked arms, she raises her shield further, her head and ears on a swivel, trying to tell where the fiends might swoop upon them...

...and cursing her fool planning for not getting any bow or spear for times like this. Even a Cipriano's old sling would have sufficed... and might even have done better than a bow where the latter's string would have needed constant waxing.

Snorting at herself, Rico reaches into one of her pouches, pops the cork and quaffs a potion whose seller had said it would bestow "...the grace of a cat, the swiftness of the wind, the slipperiness of an eel, almost as good as true flight." Swallowing the brew, she flexes her legs and prepares to leap.

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-15, 12:27 PM

GM post

Brin

Still mazed by Setsuna's bespelled blows and thus unable to move to defend herself, the lamia matriarch is a ridiculously easy target to Brin's bowmanship. Arrow after arrow thrums into Xanesha's snake body, the barbs buried so deep in scaled flesh that there is barely more than goose feather fletching visible above the writhing coils.

*****

G2

Charge to K2, effectively landing
Attack: (1d20+17)[31], Damage: (1d8+6)[13]

Red's Fort Save vs Poison: (1d20+9)[11] - failed
Initial effect: Blindness for (1d10)[8] rounds

The last command of the recently corroded faceless stalker to protect Mistress Xanesha must still be in effect, for the demon-headed gargoyle closest to the blue-skinned sylph chooses to completely ignore the sorceress. Instead, it stiffly creaks its wings and loops into a swift and ominously silent dive towards the beleaguered lamia matriarch.

For a moment, it seems as if the gargoyle might crash straight into Setsuna, attempting to mash the tiefling into the ground for daring to sully Xanesha. At the last instant, however, the gargoyle flips open a wing and swoops right with dizzying speed, pouncing upon Red with all four claws extended, its haggard jaws already gnashing and chomping hungrily at air.

Nearly bowling the tiny woman off her feet, the gargoyle swarms Red in a flurry of obsidian wingbeats and slashing claws, sending raindrops pattering left and right with mighty sweeps of its bat-wings that make it impossible to see what happens next. All the rest of you know is that by the time Red manages to scurry clear, the red-haired rogue is bleeding heavily from the shoulder, one sleeve of her mithral armour hanging loose and most of the quilted gambeson underneath shredded to bits. With her back towards the gargoyle, Red stares wildly into the rain, trembling as she blinks and scrubs her eyes against the leather of her forearm bracer, her efforts increasingly frantic.

Red is now blinded for 8 rounds.

*****

Red - blinded, 8 rounds left
HP 32/55
AC 20 (includes +4 from potion of Mage Armour, -2 AC and -3 Dex to AC from blindness)
BoF: Extra Attack

Fort save: (1d20+9)[17] - passed, takes no WIS damage, one more to cure

Attack: (1d20+9)[26], Damage: (1d4+4)[7]
Attack: (1d20+9)[26], Damage: (1d4+4)[7] - only this one hits, see rolls below
Attack: (1d20+4)[14], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]
Attack: (1d20+4)[21], Damage: (1d4+4)[5]

BoF Extra Attack - Attack: (1d20+9)[17], Damage: (1d4+4)[6]

50% chance to miss
1 for hit, 2 for miss
(1d2)[2]
(1d2)[1]
(1d2)[1]
(1d2)[1]
(1d2)[1]

She couldn't see. Gods. She couldn't see anything at all. One moment, she'd spotted an opening under the gargoyle's wing joint and had surged towards it to escape. The next moment, she'd felt its serrated teeth bite into her shoulder, the links of her armour snapping and bouncing loose and they got caught in the fangs, the stabbing pain as it ground down and ripped her skin... And then everything had gone dark...

Trembling, Red pressed her lips together, blinking rain uselessly out of her eyes. This wasn't good. Not at all. Something in its bite. She didn't even know which way Xanesha was now. And that gargoyle, was it still-

Panicking at what she imagines to be the crunch of stone against stone, Red whirls with her blades extended, crying out in terror. Her kukris slice through naught but air, save for one blow that she briefly feels nick against something hard before it glances off into empty space again.

*****

Setsuna

Two attacks hit even without Red flanking for... massive damage. Hm. :smalltongue:

Fort saves (with two more because I forgot to roll those earlier on):
(1d20+8)[9] - fail
(1d20+8)[25] - pass
(1d20+8)[11] - fail
(1d20+8)[23] - pass
(1d20+8)[28] - pass
Xanesha takes -2 STR

It is not often that Setsuna's fiendish blood manifests itself so clearly in her appearance. It is as if the spirit of her unknown rakshasa ancestor had descended to possess her body - her eyes glinting like blood rubies as she prowls towards Xanesha, filled with a rage so tangible that every step seems alight with the roaring of inner fires that could not be dampened.

Setsuna's first blow is a vicious side slash across the limp belly that sends waves of crackling electric current coursing up and down the lamia's body, effectively shutting up Xanesha as she spasms in smoking agony. The second blow, swung in haste, merely skids off the lamia's armoured tunic. The third blow, however, more than makes up for the indignity of the second. A clever dancer twist of the wrists and a deliberate step forward brings Setsuna into range of the weak spots in Xanesha's armour. All it takes is a single swift thrust through the armpit to impale the lamia on her katana, writhing in agony like an oversized nightbelly boa caught in a stake trap. Even as Xanesha flops about in sluggish, limpid efforts to free herself, those of you who are closer can see ice crystals crusting on her armour, turning the muscle and sinew beneath to a blackened mess of dead flesh over wreathed by blue electric sparks.

*****

Chanda is readying an action.

Run and stab G1 as soon as it is on the ground.

*****

Rico is readying an action.

*****

Xanesha

Using previous roll...

Defensive Casting CL check: (1d20+13)[28] - passed
Casting Invisibility
Move! Move! Move!

Stealth check: (1d20+20)[22]

I am fully aware the False Life ability of the Sihedron Medallion doesn't work this way, but this tweaked outcome is much too fun to not write.

With such a fatal wound in the chest, one might have expected Xanesha to be well and truly done for, thus ending her blight upon Magnimar and its surrounding lands. But such an outcome is not yet quite within Setsuna's grasp.

Her body charred from electricity burns and turgid from the ice crystals that yet cling to her scales, Xanesha stirs as the last sparks wink out, perhaps revived by the incessant rain pattering down on her scorched form. If nothing else, Setsuna's spell-and-swordwork has utterly destroyed any remaining explications of beauty that might have been applied to the lamia matriarch. For with her hair fried into foul-smelling curls despite the pouring rain and her shapely form now blasted with a squeamish mixture of weeping plasma and frostbitten flesh, not to mention the black blade wedged rather uncomfortably into one armpit, Xanesha appears distinctly worse for the wear.

As Setsuna yanks out her blade, Xanesha slumps forward, half-collapsing in an apparent weariness so great that to hold her body up any longer would be torture. Gasping like a fish out of water, she weakly clasps her hands before her bosom in a semblance of prayer. Too late, Setsuna spots the silver medallion inscribed with the blood smeared seven-pointed Sihedron star dangling from Xanesha's neck by a leather cord, right before the lamia palms it in a feeble fist - a silver medallion identical in every way to the one that the lost Nualia had proudly borne, which Taladron had claimed for his own.

"Gia kýrié mou. Krýpse me."

Xanesha rasps the words in little more than a broken whisper, but that is all that is needed. Her sullied and burnt form immediately begins to fade from view and in less than the time it takes to draw a breath, the lamia matriarch has disappeared from sight.

Xanesha is now Invisible and on the move. Perception DC 22 to figure out where she is, usual modifiers for striking an Invisible enemy apply.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin
21 - G2
19 - Red - blinded
16 - Setsuna - Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - readied action
13 - Rico - readied action
11 - Xanesha - possibly other buffs, invisible
> 8 - Naya - BoF
2 - G1

It is now Naya's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 is currently located 40 feet in the air. G2 is on the ground.
http://i.imgur.com/qB1j8KD.jpg

jamieth

2016-02-15, 02:16 PM

Naya
HP 4/24
AC 18, Touch 17, FF 1
BoF: +2 Attack, Ref, AC (1 round left)

Cursing in a whisper as Xanesha makes her escape, Naya focuses her attention on the foes remaining, trying to decide whether it would be possible to get both with a single spell. Maybe if she circles the one that landed, and aim from a lower point... No. Way too dangerous. Which one, then? The one still in the air was weakened; there was a better chance to finish it. But the second gargoile was threatening Red, and Red needed help. Granted, so did Naya herself... "Miss Brin, whatever divine favor you called on before, me and miss Red could use a little more of!" the sylph calls as she launches two rays of electric energy at the landed beast.
Lightning Ray vs. G2:
Ray 1: [roll0], damage [roll1]
Ray 2: [roll2], damage [roll3]

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-16, 10:32 AM

GM post

Naya

The demon-headed gargoyle has its attention wholly focused on Red and quite fails to take heed of Naya as a potential threat. By the time it is alerted to this folly, its horned visage peering unweidily over its shoulder, it is too late. Naya's spell is already in motion. Twin beams of jagged lightning arc towards the gargoyle, striking it in the back and wing, causing fist-sized chunks of stone to crumble away from the gargoyle's body as if some invisible maw had taken a bite.

*****

Meanwhile...

"Whatever yer up to, stay outta my path." Without looking at Rico, Chanda keeps her gaze trained on the remaining airborne gargoyle, her voice terse enough to cut ice as she draws her rapier.

All of a sudden, the thief abruptly freezes - twisting her head sharply towards the other end of the battlefield. A half-scowl forms on her lips as her brow creases in frustration, canting her head to one side as if to see better. Then, just as suddenly, she hollers a warning, her voice sharp with urgency and echoing off the underbelly of the Irespan above as she jabs her blade at a space some twenty feet behind where Setsuna stands.

"Oi! Over there! Where the rain don't bounce right!"

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin
21 - G2
19 - Red - blinded
16 - Setsuna - Mage Armour, Mirror Image
15 - Chanda - readied action
13 - Rico - readied action
11 - Xanesha - possibly other buffs, invisible
8 - Naya - BoF
> 2 - G1

It is now G1's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 is currently located 40 feet in the air. G2 is on the ground.
http://i.imgur.com/qB1j8KD.jpg

Desril

2016-02-16, 03:55 PM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 30
Miss Chance: 20% (2 mirror images, blur for 6 more rounds)

As Xanesha turns invisible and slips away, Setsuna cries out, "NO! You are not getting away!" Unfortunately for her, even in the rain, tracking an invisible target isn't easy, and observation has never been her strong suit, even with Maethilur's presence helping to guide her.

More fortunately, Chanda had been paying attention. It wasn't as exact as she'd like, but being pointed in the right direction at least allowed the tiefling to notice a faint trace of where the lamia slithered off to. "You will not hurt anyone else, never again!" Launching herself forward with magically enhanced speed, Setsuna intones a new spell, intent upon calling forth a surge of black tendrils to keep Xanesha from moving even as she cuts into the air hoping to strike the beaten but breathing monster.

BoF's final round, it expires after this one last extra attack
Using my QRS to get an extra move action and moving to L9

Because it's a massive pain with all these power ups and my spells about to expire, and I know what Xanesha's HP, is I'm not going to roll damage, either I land a hit or I don't

Spell Combat, provoking an AoO (but without her weapon I'm not sure if she can make it) Just in case though; Opportune Parry and Riposte
If attacked - Parry [roll0]
If parry is successful - Riposte [roll1] (51+ = hit [roll2]

Casting Grasping Tentacles centered on L14 (which puts L10 just within the radius)
Tentacles CMB [roll3]
Effect [roll4]

Attack 1 [roll5] (51+ = hit [roll6]
Attack 2 [roll7] (51+ = hit [roll8]

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-18, 12:37 PM

Rico,
Charging
Rage 02/10, I/III (+2 to Fort & Will)
Jump 1/10
Blessing of Fervor [Option IV] +boosts
HP 56/56 (+04/04
AC 20/22

Looking up at the other monstrosity still hanging dandy in the air far above them, a sudden pang of doubt crosses Rico's thoughts. A fall will still kill or break as bad if I time the leap wro...

And then she sees one of them actually land. And beyond its shadow, there scurries Red away, a good bit more haggard.

"Nrrrrrrrgggggghhhh."

Baring her teeth, Rico gathers herself and pelts down the path, barely noticing that every stride seems lighter, more bounding. In less than half the time she'd expected, her legs launch her three-hundred-odd pounds of flesh and iron through the stormy night, a veritable meteor of fury, barging right at the stony beast's flank, her trailing sword aiming to carve away one of those fell wings.

Acrobatics (with Agile Breastplate and with Jump potion)
[roll0]
Orctapult (plus 6 damage and Prone, if successful?)
[roll1]
[roll2]
SLASH (Rage, Charge, FoB, PA)
[roll3]
[roll4]
End Turn in J-4.

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-20, 09:25 AM

GM post

Rico (redacted - change of readied action)

The sight of a snorting, steel-clad half-orc sailing through the air, blood in her eyes and a war-song on her lips, is a spectacular sight indeed and not one that can be easily forgotten. Unfortunately or not, with its back turned to Rico, most of this is lost on the gargoyle savaging Red. That is, right up to the moment that it becomes aware of the half-orc - which is the exact moment that Rico's boots hammer down onto its back, forcing the creature to its knees.

The gargoyle's stony hide is thick enough to allow it to shrug off the worst of the impact from two hundred and thirty pounds of solid half-orc, but not the deadly edge of Rico's beloved wave-blade sword. As Rico tumbles off with a muffled grunt, she lashes out with her sword, catching the gargoyle's left wing at the joint and shearing it clean off.

Gargoyles do not bleed. Nor do they scream. But as the way in which the stricken gargoyle rears back, its wing stump wiggling about in futility, informs you - yes, they do most definitely feel pain.

Rico is now prone.

*****

Chanda and G1

Attack: (1d20+13)[22], Damage: (1d6+2)[7] plus SA damage (4d6)[15] plus frost (1d6)[6]

Power Attack
Attack: (1d20+14)[21], Damage: (1d8+6)[8]
Brin's Fort Save: (1d20+7)[23] - passed, is not poisoned or blinded

With Rico gone, there is nobody left to stop the second gargoyle from going for Brin. Swooping down with its jaws agape, the gargoyle slams into Brin, nearly clubbing her on the head with a swing of its block-like paw before biting down hard on her arm, its stumpy teeth mashing the flesh under her chainmail to a bruised pulp and cracking bones.

Still, the priestess is not undefended. Even as the gargoyle draws back to strike again, it suddenly lurches aside as Chanda dashes in from its flank, her rapier blazing with a cold blue light. Stabbing the gargoyle deep in what would have been its gut, she doesn't bother to grace Brin with even a sidelong glance, merely hissing furiously at the priestess as ice crystals creep over the gargoyle's cracking torso.

"Get outta here! If yer go down, we're all screwed. 'N my stupid sister needs you."

*****

Initiative Order:
> 25 - Brin
21 - G2
19 - Red - blinded
16 - Setsuna - Mage Armour, Mirror Image
13 - Rico
11 - Xanesha - possibly other buffs, invisible
8 - Naya - BoF
15 - Chanda
2 - G1

It is now Brin's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 and G2 are currently located on the ground.
http://i.imgur.com/AbnG6st.jpg

Bhaakon

2016-02-20, 01:14 PM

Brin
8/35 HP
19 AC

"Chh...that's really easy to SAY!" Brin snaps back at Chanda, pain getting the better of her as she remembers the near-suicidal flight from Xanesha just a moment ago. Turning tail and fleeing was a good way to get stabbed in the back--who'd have thought?

No, this time she'd make sure that couldn't happen. "You servant beseeches you! Go for the eyes, Pharasma! Go for the eyes!" She holds her left arm up, grimacing as the jagged ends of the cracked bone grind together, and prepares herself to flee if the gargoyle's eyes show any sign of withering.

Cast Blindness/Deafness on gargoyle #1--Fortitude save DC 16 or be permanently blinded. If it's successful, Brin will then standard move to E4. If not, she will 5' step to H7

Concentration to cast defensively: [roll0] vs DC21

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-20, 02:11 PM

Rico,
Rage 03/10, I/III (+2 to Fort & Will)
Flanking
Jump 2/10
Blessing of Fervor [Option II] kip-up
HP 56/56 (+04/04
AC 20/22

"fpweh-pwah-PWEH!"

Mouth filled with stone-chips and mud from where she'd fallen upon impact with the now one-winged beast still towering over her, Rico rolls quickly to the side, anticipating a retaliatory strike about to pin her to the ground.

Thankful that the gargoyle is still off-balance, she gathers herself on one knee and her shield-rim, then shoves hard against the ground. She explodes out of the muck, shield high and sword low, expecting a swatting or a stomping to slam her back into the ground.

Quickly checking Red's situation, Rico growls, and sidesteps the gargoyle's agonized flailing. Sparks fly as she strikes, slicing the enchanted edge against the accursed living stone in a long Abschneiden across its legs, then not even letting up, shoulder-checks the beast while at the same time thrusting as deep as she could with her thirsting broadsword.

"WWAAAAAAUUGGGHHH!"

Stand-Up sans AoO by grace of BoF.
5-ft step to I-3.

Full Attack.
BAB 7 Str 6 Weapon 1 Flank 2 PA -2
[roll0]
[roll1]
BAB 2 Str 6 Weapon 1 Flank 2 PA -2
[roll2]
[roll3]

Toss in an Intimidate? CAN Intimidate work as a temporary morale-boost for allies?

[roll4]

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-22, 11:16 AM

GM post

Brin

Servant of Pharasma or not, it seems that the joke is once again on Brin. As she raises her arm, jolts of stabbing pain shoot up her arm and across her shoulder with such intensity that she cannot help but grimace in pain, causing her spell arm to falter as she snatches at her shoulder joint, almost on the verge of whimpering aloud.

The mind wanders to odd places at the oddest of times. As Brin beats a hasty retreat, doing her best to avoid the gargoyle's wicked claws, for some reason, the worn visage of two of the cards that had been drawn earlier during the Harrowing flashes through her mind.

The Vision, a man crippled by knowledge, in the space that augured for a negative future, representing magic. And above it, The Bear, dancing light-foot over a field of skulls, in the space that augured for a positive future, representing brute force.

Somewhere behind you, through the drumming of the rain, comes Setsuna's cry of frustration.

*****

G2 and Red

Attack: (1d20+15)[35], Damage: (1d6+6)[12]
Attack: (1d20+15)[28], Damage: (1d6+6)[10]
Attack: (1d20+15)[22], Damage: (1d6+6)[9]
Attack: (1d20+15)[17], Damage: (1d6+6)[12]

Confirm Critical - Attack: (1d20+15)[18], Damage: (1d6+6)[7] - missed

Rend: (1d6+6)[12]

CON DC 10 check: (1d20+2)[14] - passed

Even with one granite pinion smashed by Rico, the gargoyle moves with a ponderous single-mindedness. Refusing to be distracted from its current prey, the creature lurches heavily back to its feet to the wet whisper of stone rasping against stone, its back still turned to Rico in favour of the easier target that staggers right before its snub nose.

A clumsy swat from one of the gargoyle's four arms is sufficient to snag Red, who is hapless in her sudden blindness, sweeping her off her feet. The creature then proceeds to methodically pummel the tiny woman into unconsciousness, the snap of bones audible even through the rain as it strikes again and again with powerful hammer blows on her limp body.

Red is at -11 HP and is unconscious and dying, but is stable.

*****

Setsuna

There was always risk in casting a new spell for the first time, let alone in casting one with a sword in her hand as she ran screaming towards the enemy probably was. But there was no time to weigh such petty dangers now - not when Xanesha was threatening to slip away like this, not when she was so close-

Kratíste. Déno. Pagída. The unfamiliar syllables tingle on Setsuna's lips like a potent spice as she frantically traces runes in the air with the fingers of her free hand, purple afterimages trailing like ghosts. All the while, the tiefling's gaze sweeps wildly from side to side, her mind focused only on the whereabouts of the foul lamia who had brought so much humiliation and suffering.

There. As Chanda had said. Where the sheets of rain didn't fall straight, but instead scattered in explosive showers, pinging off the back of something moving rapidly towards the Shadow Clock.

The spell moves faster than thought, perhaps fuelled by instinct more than order. No sooner has Setsuna spotted the odd movement of the rain when row upon row of rubbery tentacles, each as thick as a man's waist, erupts from the ground. Wriggling and lashing about with malicious speed, as if they were the appendages of some colossal squid burrowed into the earth and awakening in a frenzied hunger, the tentacles form a veritable forest of grasping, coiling wraiths. If Xanesha is indeed here, then it is impossible that she could have dodged this conjuration. Not in her enfeebled and wounded state.

For several seconds, all the young magus can perceive is rain-slickened tentacles, black as tar, squelching wetly as they blindly squirm, seeking a target. Then, she spots it - a speck of silver, dangling from one of the tentacles just ten feet before her - a Sihedron medallion, flecked with blood, spinning rapidly on its leather thong like a child's toy as the tentacle shimmies and jerks about.

Xanesha is now dead. Not that Setsuna has any visual confirmation of that, since Xanesha's body won't reappear until the spell wears off.

*****

Rico

Intimidate doesn't work to boost Red's morale because Red is unconscious. Intimidate also fails on the gargoyle. AoO rolled in OOC thread misses.

Unfortunately for Rico, having dealt the gargoyle one grievous blow, her shenanigans have rendered her far too dizzy to deal another. Though her body obeys from years of training and muscle memory, her thrusts and stabs are sloppy, grazing the gargoyle's flank but otherwise failing to make more than a few cosmetic dents in its toughened hide.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin
21 - G2
19 - Red - Mage Armour, blinded, unconscious, dying
16 - Setsuna - Mage Armour, Mirror Image
13 - Rico
> 8 - Naya - BoF
15 - Chanda
2 - G1

It is now Naya's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 and G2 are currently located on the ground.
http://i.imgur.com/HPyNB54.jpg

jamieth

2016-02-22, 12:38 PM

Naya
HP 4/24
AC 18, Touch 17, FF 11
BoF: +2 Attack, Dodge, Ref - expires

Naya lets out a gasp as Red falls to the ground; during her short adventuring career, the sylph had seen her share of injuries, it was a common risk, but probably nothing that bad. Quickly scratching a half-formed plan in her head, she launches a brilliant ray of concentrated electrical energy at the gargoyle closer to Brin and calls to the follower of Pharasma, "Miss Brin! You have to help miss Red, now! Me and miss Rico, we'll distract the beast!" - immediately putting the said plan in motion, neglecting to check it with the half-orc constable.

Lightning Bolt aimed between Brin and Chanda, damage [roll0], Reflex DC 19 for half
Move to J1, intentionally provoking AoO from G2; Windy Escape as immediate action if hit.

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-24, 10:27 AM

GM post

Naya

Reflex: (1d20+8)[12] - failed
Provokes AoO and uses Windy Escape to avoid damage

Naya doesn't pause to watch the jagged path of her spell as it zaps the gargoyle menacing Brin in the head. Instead, running as fast as her legs will take her, the sylph races towards the other gargoyle with bold - some might say foolhardy - spirit, waving frantically and yelling aloud for all she is worth.

The gambit works. Although staring down at the scratches Rico has notched in its hide, the demon-horned gargoyle's attention is easily drawn by the noisy gadfly of a girl who dares to prance about so gaily under its very nose. Lunging forward, the gargoyle snaps viciously at Naya's neck - only to have the sylph immediately vanish from sight and rematerialise unharmed a split second later, much to the creature's confoundment.

*****

Chanda and G1

Attack: (1d20+13)[25], Damage: (1d6+2)[8] plus frost (1d6)[4]
5-foot step to E10

Attack: (1d20+15)[26], Damage: (1d6+6)[10]
FLY!

Though Chanda's eyes are shielded by her goggles, the sneer of disdain on her thrust out lip at Brin's retort is plain to see. Still, she knows better than to waste her breath trading jibes during a fight.

"Snow white! Yer gots that bitch or not? Yah!" Even as she shouts over at Setsuna, Chanda's ice-enchanted blade sinks deep into the gargoyle's hindquarters, coating its knee in pearly frost and cracking the stone. Taking advantage of the gargoyle's spasms as it rears back in apparent agony, the thief skips nimbly back, trying to skirt around the creature to keep it between herself and Setsuna's field of black tentacles.

Dumb as the stone beast is, it is not, however, unwise. Perhaps sensing the gist of Chanda's intention, the gargoyle swats a taloned paw out in retaliation, dealing her a cracking blow across the ribs. Lashing its head violently from side to side as if to shake off water, the gargoyle then immediately hunkers down before launching itself into the air, leaden wings beating furiously as it attempts to get airborne as fast as it can, heading back towards the Shadow Clock.

*****

Initiative Order:
> 25 - Brin
21 - G2
19 - Red - Mage Armour, blinded, unconscious, dying
16 - Setsuna - Mage Armour, Mirror Image
13 - Rico
8 - Naya
15 - Chanda
2 - G1

It is now Brin's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 is currently airborne 40 feet. G2 is currently located on the ground.
http://i.imgur.com/uKQx0mL.jpg

Bhaakon

2016-02-24, 10:07 PM

Brin
8/35 HP
19 AC

The beatings were adding up. The Brin's arm spasmed and collapsed as she tried to focus Pharasma's might was proof. And there was still the only partially mended ribs, the neck wound barely sewn enough to hold in the blood...it was getting hard to focus, especially with her attention pulled in so many directions.

"Stupid damned cards..." She mutters as The Vision staggers across her mind's eye, taunting her. Xanesha had disappeared, Setsuna had done...something foolish. But the most important thing right now was that the damned gargoyle that had lamed her arm was flapping away. Escaping. No. Brin grits her teeth and points with her bow arm instead, getting ready to order the thing to fall from the sky when she catches, from the corner of her eye, Red being pummeled into the pavement. Brin wheels, her priorities suddenly re-ordered.

"Pharasma says stop!" She belts out in pain-wracked shriek, her broken voice carrying the weight of a divine decree for the lively statue beating her friend.

Standard action to cast Command (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/all-spells/c/command) On G2. DC 14 Will or freeze in place for a round and take no actions.

Move action to M5

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-26, 10:24 AM

GM post

Brin and G2 and Red

Will save: (1d20+9)[19] - passed

Mira requests to have Rico take all the attacks meant for Naya, self-sacrificial rule of cool, who am I to deny?

Attack: (1d20+15)[32], Damage: (1d6+6)[10]
Attack: (1d20+15)[32], Damage: (1d6+6)[11]
Attack: (1d20+15)[29], Damage: (1d6+6)[11]
Attack: (1d20+15)[27], Damage: (1d6+6)[11]

Rend: (1d6+6)[12]

The demon-horned gargoyle does indeed stop attacking Red, though not because of her spell, as Brin had hoped for. Giving a confused toss of the head that sends raindrops flying, the creature instead continues flexing and tensing its arms, focusing down the length of its snout at Naya as the sylph shimmers back into solid being. It is most definitely not pleased with this new flitting annoyance to deal with.

Lurching violently forward with jaws agape and all four clawed arms extended, the gargoyle is about to bear down and deliver a beating most brutal to Naya when suddenly, a muddy grey-skinned paw is thrust out, snatching hold of its wing stump and yanking the creature backward with enough force to make it spin like a child's toy.

"Yer dealin' with ME, thou frakbugger-!"

Unfortunately for Rico, the measure of her boldness is met with an equal measure of ferocity by the wounded gargoyle. Despite initially rearing back in apparent pain, the gargoyle recovers quickly and is already lunging for Rico's throat even as the half-orc thrusts the rain-slicked wing stump away from her and attempts a martial defense. Its jaws distended in a silent shriek, the gargoyle slashes unrelentingly away at Rico's cheeks and chest, leaving deep furrows that well up with blood and badly bruising the flesh beneath her breastplate.

Red is still unconscious, dying, but is stable.

*****

Initiative Order:
25 - Brin
21 - G2
19 - Red - Mage Armour, blinded, unconscious, dying
> 16 - Setsuna - Mage Armour, Mirror Image
13 - Rico
8 - Naya
15 - Chanda
2 - G1

It is now Setsuna's turn.

*****

Combat Map
Note: G1 is currently airborne 40 feet. G2 is currently located on the ground.
http://i.imgur.com/uKQx0mL.jpg

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-26, 01:14 PM

Rico,
Rage 04/10, I/III
Flanking
Jump 03/10
HP 01/56 (+04/04 )
AC 20/22

As the gargoyle relented from its assault on Red, Rico released a breath she didn't know she was holding. She took a precious heartbeat to check on her mangled friend, and just when she'd considered popping out a potion for her, spotted the beast about to wail on their azure sorceress...

...nigh certain that would result in Naya getting ripped limb from limb, she releases her sword and grabs at the broken wing-stump to haul it back.

"Yer dealin' with ME, thou frakbugger-!"

Thunder crashes across a bloodstained sky. Unhallowed screeches reverberate through the narrow pass. Broken warriors lie screaming, bleeding upon jagged rocks as wave on wave of demons descend upon them.

"Needst thou mine hand to hold thee like a waif? Nay! Ye warriors all and warriors true, comrades with whom I'd burnt and bled for two years and a score! Thou fools, thou brave fools all! Unto death's maw, we march."

Still the Old Guard of Efer-Nim yell in the name of dead gods, in the name of their nation, and the names of their families, every moment bought in their blood giving them precious time to flee.

"Do not falter! HOLD THE LINE!" comes a deep roar rasped against the desert wind even as a strange yet familiar curved sword rises into the air, the arm holding it straining as it cleaves through fiend after fiend. "Here we hold! HERE THEY DIE!"

Suddenly, the halforc constable's eyes snap wide open.

What. The. Flying. FOOK. Was. All. THAT?! An' did I say... "thou"?

Suddenly, the beast she'd wrenched about by a wing-stump comes around on a seemingly lazy twirl, then becomes a whirlwind of death.

The initial lunging snatch at her throat is met by her shield, but too slow, the edge sending its stone fist screeching against her gorget. Before it could get a firmer grip, Rico shifts her stance on her shield, holding the Fist of Fox in both hands and heaves out, shoving the gargoyle off...

...and then receives a vicious slap, right across the face. With a hand of stone, ending in fiendish talons. Rico reels, almost drunkenly, her sight swimming and blurred, her ears both numb yet ringing. She tries to ignore the way everything suddenly feels cold and... Raw.

The next blow comes straight in, taking advantage of her disorientation, simply ploughing into her chest, armour plates screeching, denting and gouging. Right on its heels, another blow thunders into her shield. Rico grinds her teeth against the agony of something cracking in her left arm and plants her feet, determined not to let it drive her backward into and over Red's bleeding, too-still form."

"GRRRYYYAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!" With a yell and a heave, she wrestles with the fiend, bashing away. She almost succeeds at driving it back, banking on the imbalance from the loss of one wing, when a battering ram of a fist crashes into her chest again, the follow-up swipe almost taking her eye as it sends her spinning...

...and falling to a knee as the world spun all around her.

Thunder.

Thunder.

Thunder.

Footfalls. Stone. The fiend's feet were slamming closer. And closer. Puddles in the mud quaking. Who's it going to finish off first?

And then she sees her reflection in the steel of her sword, standing upright from where it had stabbed into the mud when it fell right when Rico had grabbed at the beast.

Rico lurches to her feet, growling deep in her badly bruised throat. She weaves, one hand held to her chest, a bright fountain seeping through the layers of gambeson and cuirass and gauntleted fingers.

She snarls as she reaches up and rips off her own gorget, gasping as her breathing eases. No use being protected by that piece of armour if its damage is contributing to your choking.

Rico snorts her rage and contempt, flicking off a strip of dangling face-flesh, the white of bone shining in a ghastly flash of lightning.

Ignoring the sheer agony of her battering, veins surging with adrenaline, she lashes out again with the Fist of Fox, and, using its shadow as cover, slashes at the gargoyle's leg on the same side as the chopped wing. Recovering as quickly as she could, she jinks left, bobs right and jabs with the shield rim at the beast's right knee, then slaps out another jab at its left shoulder, then a slap its right shoulder then lunges right in with a sword thrust aimed right at the beast's gullet.

"KHAAMMMAAAANNNN! IZZAAAATTT AAAALL YAAAAAHH GAAAAAHHHTTT?!"

Leg-slash
[roll0]
[roll1]
Gullet-stab
[roll2]
[roll3]

Desril

2016-02-26, 06:06 PM

Setsuna
HP 46/46
AC 28 (includes -2 from charging)
Miss Chance: 20% (2 mirror images, blur for 5 more rounds)

Breathing heavily as she sees the medialion being flung about by the conjured tentacles, Setsuna takes a brief moment to smile in grim relief, certain that her last strike put the snake down. She might come to be troubled by the decision later, but for right now there were more important concerns.

Looking behind her, Brin holding barely recovered wounds, Naya left vulnerable, Rico bleeding and battered and barely standing, and Red...No, she isn't dead! Shaking her head to clear the thought, the tiefling dashes toward the grounded gargoyle even as she notices the red-head's chest rising and falling signalling that she's still alive, if barely. "Brin! Heal everyone, Rico, I will handle this, just get everyone some place safe!"

Though worried, between the victory over the mastermind behind the last several weeks and the desire to protect her wounded and fallen friends, Setsuna was more than confident in her ability to buy time. Two gargoyles, one fleeing already, I can take them, they won't be as strong as she was!

Charge to K4

Attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1] + [roll2]
I think I have 1 charge left on most of the spells? I'm just going to assume it's 1 left on all of them so if this hits I'm out of magic, more or less.
Thundershock [roll3]
Chill Touch [roll4] + Fort DC 15 vs 1 Str damage

Confirmation (1d20+15)[27]
Damage (2d8+14)[21]
Thundershock (1d6+7)[10] + stunned for 1 round
Chill Touch (1d6)[1] + Fort DC 15 vs 1 Str damage

Total Damage:
36 slashing
26 electric
2 negative
2 str damage (unless fort DC 15)
Stunned for 1 round

jamieth

2016-02-27, 05:32 AM

Naya
HP 4/24
AC 16 Touch 15, FF 11

"Thanks, miss Rico, miss Setsuna!" Naya squeaks as first the half-orc constable takes the hit, and the next moment the tiefling ends the stony beast, "And yes, miss Brin! Miss Red needs healing, now! And miss Rico as well, most likely!" she very deliberately not includes herself in the list - Brin already pulled her fron the brink of death once today,asking for more would be just impolite.
As the last - visible, at least - enemy takes to flee, Naya raises her hands and gather a glowing ball of electric energy between them. "You caused enough harm!"
Unfortunately, be it due to her being unused of aiming against the cloudy sky, or her inexperience with the spell itself, the gargoyle only gets hit by the very edge of the resulting burst of lightning...
And then there's one more issue. "Miss Setsuna, what about Xanesha? Did you... take your revenge?"

Fireball against G2; 14 damage rolled in OOC, DC19 Ref for half

maggie_mcknife

2016-02-27, 10:34 PM

GM post

With some license taken to the initiative order for the postings to make sense...

Reflex: (1d20+8)[18] - failed

Even a stalwart like Rico can do little in the face of sudden blood loss and the resultant giddiness. For all her flurrying stabs at the gargoyle, the blows go amiss, the flat of her blade whacking uselessly against its stony skin as the world spins beneath her feet. With Red's crumpled form sprawled in a muddy puddle at its feet, a mangled Rico barely keeping her balance, Brin's spells falling short, and a battered Naya utterly dwarfed by its massive bulk, the gargoyle indeed seems set to accomplish what Xanesha could not by slaying the rest of you.

Fortunately, that is not your fate for now - not if one Setsuna Yuki has her way.

Drawing upon what remains of her dwindling magic reserves, the tiefling charges towards the gargoyle, her blade ablaze with arcane energies. Ignoring alike the driving rain that pelts her eyes and the gusts of wind that threatens to push her back, Setsuna takes a flying leap onto the gargoyle's back, using all the force of her tiny body as it falls to drive the point of her magicked katana clean through its skull. The torrid combined onslaught of both surging electricity and chilling ice is far too much even for the sturdy physiology of the gargoyle as it is frozen and torn apart from the inside, its head shattering and showering those of you nearby with frost-coated shards of hard rock.

At the sight of its companion's skull exploding apart, the remaining gargoyle abruptly banks mid-flight, changing direction as it immediately flees the scene. Hastened by a stinging bolt of lightning to the buttocks from Naya, it wings laboriously upwards, apparently heading for the apex of the Shadow Clock.

G2 is now dead. G1 is fleeing to the Shadow Clock.

Combat is over. Initiative ends.

Desril

2016-02-27, 10:56 PM

Setsuna

Breathing heavily, Setsuna only stares blankly up at the tower, her body screaming at her to chase down the one that got away and put an end to it before Naya's question snaps her out of it, the bloodlust starting to fade. Revenge? Is that really what I wanted? There wasn't time for introspection, however, there were more impotant things to tend to, and people who were hurt. All she does to answer Naya's question is glance toward the field of writhing tentacles sprouting out of the ground and give a curt nod. "She is dead."

"But Red is not, Brin! Please, heal everyone!" With the immediate threats dealt with, this is the first time Setsuna has had to truly take stock of everyone's injuries as she drops down next to Red's unconscious form. "I am so sorry...if I had not rushed after her..." She doesn't finish the thought, but it's obvious that she thinks it should have been her that took the brunt of the damage and feels guilty escaping entirely unscathed.

It should have been me...I should never have left her in front of the golem, my wards would've kept me safe and she wouldn't be like this...

jamieth

2016-02-28, 04:55 AM

"No. No, miss Setsuna, that's just not true. I... I worry about miss Red just as much as you do, but you did the right thing. If you hadn't rushed after Xanesha... who knows what kinds of vile macigs could she unleash on us. A single spell could ruin us all, if aimed well... and I don't think her own minions being in the area would stop her. Please, miss Setsuna... calm down. Now we need a rest... we deserve a rest. At least until Xanesha's illusion dissipates... and then, there's still the tower. It must still hold all the treasures... no, more importantly, it must hold all the evidence. What if Ironbriar wasn't the only one she had corrupted? Though... it might have to wait until miss Rico and miss Red are in better condition..."

Bhaakon

2016-02-28, 05:55 AM

Big slate-gray eyes lock on the last gargoyle as it beat frantically for the top of the tower. For a few heartbeats longer than she's care to admit, Brin ignores Setsuna's plea and considers launching some arrows after the fleeing beastie. It certainly looked like it was about ready to fall from the sky, especially after Naya's parting shot leaves a big, sooty scorch on its rear.

But damn, Red!

"Get around, now!" Brin barks, hobbling to where her raspberry-haired friend lay on the ground, laboring for each breath. "Red can't wait any longer! Gospa od Grobova, spasi ženu od njezine! Preklinjem!" She prays, lapsing into Varisian. The familiar mauve glow rolls out from the elf's tattooed palm, knitting bone and sewing flesh. Then again. And a third time.

Lady of Graves, saves this woman from hears, I beg!

It's Croatian, BTW. Didn't choose it for any reason beyond scanning appropriately to my ear.

Use up all three channels remaining: [roll0]

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-28, 01:39 PM

Rico weaves on her feet, barely clinging on. A couple of flaps of flesh dangle from her mangled face, waving in the night wind. She shudders at the cold and rawness...

SHHHEEEE-YYYYYEEEEETTTT! Gods damn, now THAT"S a helluva mighty blow!

...and fights through a grimace to grin at Setsuna's smashing in, her sheer fury making her a veritable avatar of vengeance. Rico raises her sword in salute, then winces, groaning. "kkhhhh... NNnngghh... FOOK YEAH, HELLGIRL! WAAAggghhhhh... kkkhhggggh..."

Her hang limp, the weapon sinking into the mud once more, even as its wielder falls to her knees, cradling her friend's broken body. The halforc constable fishes out a couple of potions, but by the time they have emerged from her pockets, Brin is already on hand with her potent prayers.

"Hahhh... hahhh... Hey. Pfft. Knew it'd take much more'n a little hard crap like THAT ta take ye out."

"Ehhh... a little more won't hurt, eh?" Still panting, feeling her face and thankful that it's not bare bone meeting her touch, Rico impales the corks on her tusks and helps Red with hers, then downs a tot of the tepid-tasting elixir as well. Taking a moment to breathe, letting the now empty flasks fall, Rico flicks her ears, listening, then slowly says, "Erryone. WELL-done. Hellgirl, holy shee-yyate, thanks fer the save. Brin, thanks fer the god-juice."

Rico closes her eyes, counts off, snorts into the cold of the night, then says, "Monkeycraps, Hellgirl. Give yerself some godsdamned credit. If you hadn't kept the big ol' bitch-queen at bay, who knows what deviltry she'd a cooked up an' served up our collective arses, eh?

Hooooolyyyyyy fawk, DAMN, Hellgirl.

Aye. Frak. 'Slike Naya there sez."

Desril

2016-02-29, 12:33 AM

Setsuna

Squatting down next to Red, holding her head while Brin heals everyone, Setsuna listens to the rational and entirely reasonable, correct arguments...but still shakes her head. "Then I should have been faster! Or stronger! If we had beaten her sooner then I could have stopped the gargoyles...or if I had done more damage to the golem or..."

She shakes her head and sighs. What am I doing? This isn't going to fix anything now.

"Some one should stay until the body becomes visible, but...I can not rest yet. Like you say, she may have others under her control, or captives in the tower, or minions that need to be stopped," she says as she glances toward the Shadow Clock's upper heights, "At the very least, I can not let the gargoyle get away."

Saying that, however, doesn't cause her to move from Red's side.

Miraqariftsky

2016-02-29, 03:01 AM

((W'elp, sorry, forgot the rolls earlier.))

Potion,
[roll0]
and potion.
[roll1]

Squatting, Rico massages her nose and runs a hand through her hair. She looks up at Setsuna with exasperated eyes. Tch. How swift appreciation turns into frustration. Hah.

Gathering a ragged breath, she says, "Stahp. Frigging. BLAMING. Yoseff.

If we had focused fire on JUST the queen bitch, the, wha'd ye say tis name was, golem, woulda scythed all our backsides in. You were occupied fer as long as ye were occupied with her, meanin' she weren't no slouch in fightin', but overestimated herself, became overconfident, left her gorram tower ta take the fight to us.

If we'd focused on the golem, the queen bitch'd have spelled-an'-speared us inna arse, an' that'da been worse.

Stopped the gargoyles? DO ye have something that coulda RELIABLY taken 'em out while they were still in the air? We're friggin' lucky they decided ta fight--- AHEM--- fairly onna ground. Do ya realize they coulda just grabbed us one by one, flown high an' dropped us? Or grabbed chunks-o junk an' beat us from on high without us bein' able ta do a damn thing 'bouttit? Ya want a little learnin' point fer all of us here? SHYET, though, more me there. Need more bowcraft, we do. Or some way ta reliably take on flying frakkers, or foes wot don't be polite enough ta be in shankin' distance."

Pauldrons clank as Rico shrugs and smiles thinly while idly plucking at a trio of still-raw wounds across her face. "Woss done's done. Like I said from deh outset, WELL DONE."

...then snaps out a hand in a gesture that sends raindrops flying, then passes around a water canteen for everybody, then says in a voice that slowly descends into a grating growl. "An' hold yer damn horses. Unless errybody else sez otherwise, methinks I do argee dah we gots ta strike w'ile de iron's hot an' not let up, WAAAGH 'em up good an' proppa. But take a damn breath, Hellgirl."

Releasing a long sigh, Rico casts her eyes at Brin and asks in a tired tone, "Ma'am? Do ye still say no ta cuttin' off Xanesha's head? Hmm. Mebbe pulling out her heart too. Just ta make sure?"

jamieth

2016-02-29, 04:18 AM

"I have an idea..." Naya said, trying to think of a way to stop Setsuna from taking unnecessary risks, "Well, we discussed that already, but... with the cloak, I could zip - what, I suppose, four people to the top of the tower, and with what magic I have left, protect them from falling. Xanesha's lair would most likely be somewhere near the top of the tower... honestly, I think we should take our time, but... miss Setsuna, if you think it'll help you ease your thoughts, I'll help you - though in the time since we met, at least, you did nothing you should be ashamed or guilty about."

Bhaakon

2016-02-29, 05:13 AM

Brin considers Rico for a long time, trying hard to say "yes," wanting desperately to hold the Lamia's hair as Rico chops through her neck and the body falls away.

"Just the heart." She says, finally controlling herself. "We can drop it in a pisspot and bury it with her after we ask her corpse some questions."

Not exactly a by-the-book burial, but the Osiriani used canopic jars, or whatever they called the things. The important thing was making sure she wouldn't arise later, not undeserved dignity. Brin might not have said that a few weeks past, but times change. Sometimes they drag people along for the ride.

Brin looks down at Red. "The Lady can help you more if you need it." She says. "But we should really sweep the tower now. Who knows what that flying statue will try and run off with if we let him. We can beat ourselves up after we've taken out in him, don't you think, Setsuna?"

"Naya? You still have that cloak?"

Miraqariftsky

2016-03-01, 01:08 AM

"Hell the fook yeah. Thattawork." Rico says as she swats Naya's shoulder with a finger in a brash but affectionate gesture.

Addressing everybody, she shrugs and asks, "Koff. Four... huhm. Who's stayin' groundside ta come up at 'em from below, then?"

"BWAAAHHH HAH HAH HAH HAH! urrrrffffff... nghh... " Rico lets rip with an unexpected belly laugh, then groans, clutching her ribs. "Tch. Well. Ehm... waitasec. Dunno all'at much 'bout serpent demons, but... where do they keep the heart? High? Low? Both sides?"

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-01, 02:39 PM

Red

Red gasps and whimpers as the air rushes into her lungs with explosive force, arching her back in agony, only to seize up and choke at the accumulation of spittle and blood in her mouth. Rolling heavily onto her side, she coughs up crimson-spooled saliva onto Rico's knees, grimacing as she scrubs and thumbs at her eyes. Cayden's sodding codpiece. For the third time in the long day since she'd entered Magnimar, she'd almost died. Again. Thank the gods, someone (probably Brin) had done the healing magic. But her eyes-

For a moment, dread seizes her heart as Red that she can behold nothing but shadows, causing her to flounder, pawing frantically at her face. The gargoyle's bite. There was something in it. Everything had gone dark. Would it be forever?

Sniffing the cold air and shivering a little as the rains swats her face, Red angles her head towards the familiar scent of sweat and sharp leather, the tang palpable through the heavy rain. So still outside then. "...R-rico?" Reaching out a hesitant arm, Red tries grasping about for Rico's hand, only to brush her fingers against Setsuna's cheek and immediately startle, drawing back. That skin was much too smooth to be Rico's. Judging from the voice and the burning sensation in her ears as she blushed, she knew exactly who it was too...

It seemed that they'd won. She'd done her job. She'd brought down the meat-thing and stopped the gargoyle until Xanesha was dead. That was good then. Not trusting herself to speak without giving herself away, Red contents herself with sipping from the flask that Rico shoves into her hand, recognising the bitter herbal aroma of a Vudrani healing potion, and listening to the others. Chanda hadn't spoken yet. Where was she? Was she safe? She surely was. Her elder sister was far too clever to let herself die for something she wasn't even getting paid to do.

"I am... all right, Miss Brin. Thank you." Maybe the healing potion was doing her good. Or maybe the rain was helping. But she could see a little more than before - shadows and the rain slashed silhouettes of her friends. Her body didn't ache so much any more too. "We... can go. I will do... my best."

*****

GM post

Setsuna

Maethilur waits for Rico to change subject before warmly addressing her mistress.

Commendable. Most commendable indeed. This is where preparation and the appropriate frame of mind can get you. Do you understand a little more now? Righteous fury. It is the blazing fire that purges and cleanses the world of those who would blight it with their malice and cruelty. In it, there can be no room for weakness, nor mercy for those who do not deserve it.

*****

Everyone else

While the rest of you had quickly rushed over to where the demon-horned gargoyle had fallen, Chanda holds back. Sparing a glance with over in your direction long enough to ensure that Brin was busy attending to Red, the thief immediately strides over to where Setsuna's black tentacles continue to writhe and wriggle, her icy rapier still clenched in one hand as she waits.

With the rest of you preoccupied in the debate over what to do next, Chanda alone witnesses Xanesha popping back into sight - mangled into a barely recognisable mess of seeping, raw muscle. She scowls as she peers long and hard at the lamia matriarch's body before yelling to wave the rest of you over.

"Oy! Snow white! Lose the squid-arms!"

Desril

2016-03-02, 04:06 AM

Setsuna

Smiling in relief as Red starts to move, even if it's frantic, she does what she can to help the temporarily blinded woman steady Rico's flask and drink while keeping her head raised. "It is okay, only a gargoyle escaped, and it is at the top of the tower, take a moment to rest," she says, all intention to immediately storm the tower lost in the sight of her friend's condition. She stays like that until Red tries to get up on her own power, offering her whatever help she can in the process, but only speaking when she tries to get up, whispering just loud enough for only Red to hear over the downpour, "You did well."

Maethilur, however, she takes longer to react to, her gaze shifting to the side when the blade speaks, uncertain how she feels. "Maybe...but in focusing on Xanesha I let the other creatures hurt my friends...what is the use in fury if it makes me leave them vulnerable?" She asks the spirit guiltily.

Chanda is the one who gets the fastest reply. She doesn't look up to meet the elder Allin's gaze but replies that "They should not last very long," just in time for the forest of squirming tentacles to vanish, causing the plucked medallion and other stolen items from Xanesha's body to fall to the ground, landing with a splash in various puddles and muddied patches of dirt.

jamieth

2016-03-03, 09:15 AM

Naya

Visibly relaxing at the sight of Red making recovery, Naya starts speaking with rather more confidence, "Miss Rico, there is not really much choice, I believe - miss Red still needs rest, and miss Chanda already expressed her distrust of magical transportation. But it all might be pointless in the first place - I'll go check if there's a place to land in the first place..." Saying that, Naya chants the already-familiar spell and darts up, keeping several dozen feet from the wower itself in case gargoyle would appear again.

Miraqariftsky

2016-03-04, 03:48 AM

Rico's smirk spreads into a smile at the touching interplay between Setsuna and Red, but says nothing, merely averting her gaze politely.

A lip curls and an ear twitches as Rico answers Naya, while still serving as Red's sophont chair-back. "Wasn't sayin' we're a-goin' posthaste. 'Tleast once Red 'ere gets de-cursed, ain't that right?"

Watching as Naya shoots up into the sky, the halforc constable muses aloud, "Huhm. Rilleh. When did we get so used to all these magicks...?"

She suppresses a shudder at how Xanesha's mangled--- and apparently flayed--- corpse reappears. Hwut. Duh. HELL? "Hellgirl, lemme jess say this thou'... Gettin' even an' settin' things right's all good an' all, but... whiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiw..." However, Rico's sentence trails off into a whistle, and then silence as she decides Setsuna might not yet be in the best mindset to receive a warning. That, and that spell was a damned good tactical coup. "Koff. Nuthin'."

ya SKINNED her? Ain't a-meanin' offense, Hellgirl, but this 'ere's a friendly warnin'. DON"T be goin' cultist on us now, arright?

A lip curls again as Rico's eyes dart from one of their fallen enemies' weapons to the other, weighing up the spear and the scythe, while still firmly but gently supporting Red, waiting for her sight to fully recover.

Bhaakon

2016-03-06, 11:44 PM

"If you're sure, then. Still, take a moment." Brin answers Red. The Lady of Graves knew her business. Red might be a little sore, but she was whole again. That, at least, Brin could depend on, even if her divinations kept coming up short. That's not fair. The cards came true! She reminds herself. Oh, aye, but what good is a prophesy that can only be read after the fact. Her bitter half snaps back. There was a reason why she'd turned to the Harrow so infrequently in recent weeks. It increasingly seemed like the cards had less of a hold over fate than her bow did.

Mention of Naya's plan snaps Brin out of her introspection. "You scout ahead, then. I'll keep a watch out from down here and make the gargoyle into a pincushion if it shows its face." She retrieves and arrow and fits it to her bow. "You can take us all up once you've found a safe spot to land."

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-07, 09:58 AM

GM post

If the sight of Xanesha's shredded remains rattles the stoic Rico inwardly, Chanda shows no signs of being likewise affected. Her steps are light as she skips over what remains of the lamia's tail, using the tip of her rapier to prod experimentally at the golden mask hanging askew from the face. Baring her teeth in a mirthless grin at what she sees once she has levered the gilded covering off, the thief nevertheless doesn't hesitate to ram her blade through the lamia's eye socket, twisting the rapier with such force that those of you nearby can hear the dull crack of Xanesha's skull fracturing from within.

"That's for stealing me face, yer scaly bitch." The low note of relish in Chanda's voice is unmistakable as she yanks her rapier out, not caring that she almost slices off what is left of Xanesha's nose as she does so.

It is difficult to tell for sure through the patter of rain. But for those of you who approach as Chanda proceeds to messily hack at Xanesha's limbs in an attempt to wrest the lamia out of her gleaming tunic, you might swear that you can hear the thief humming a jolly tune under her breath as she saws away at a shoulder joint.

You find the following items on Xanesha's corpse:

1 longspear
1 gold mask (slightly dented)
1 Sihedron medallion (or at least it looks a lot like one)
1 snakeskin tunic (which Chanda is still busy cutting off Xanesha)
1 ring of keys

*****

Setsuna

Open your mind. Look beyond the clarion of the immediate. Perhaps it is only a trick of the mind, but it seems to Setsuna for a moment that her skin tingles with warmth where the sheath of her katana rests against her hip. Did I not tell you that you must learn to depend on the strength of others to learn of true strength for yourself? Tell me not of leaving your companions vulnerable. Had you remained to face the flesh puppet, yon temptress would have slain the servant of Pharasma and the brave constable in return. You trusted in the strength of your companion then. What does it say of you now that you doubt her ability to stand? Forgive my rudeness, but you ought not to gamble with lives to assuage the guilt that you bear for what happened to your father.

*****

Red

"I'm better... I c-can see now. I think..." As if to prove her worth, Red knuckles at her eyes and immediately regrets it when the roughened leather of her gloves scratches her still tender face and causes it to bloom with pain. Wincing slightly, she keeps her face turned to the sky, letting the rain do its soothing work of washing the rawness away.

She could definitely see more now. The wolfish glow of Rico's eyes somewhere above her. The scarlet and grey of Brin's cape snapping in the wind. The white marble of Setsuna's fingers on Rico's flask. Something big and dark that was probably the Irespan.

When Setsuna compliments her, Red can feel the tell-tale prickle of a blush on her cheeks even as her heart beats warm with the praise. The blush - that wasn't good. Dammit. She'd need to talk to Setsuna about this later, when this was all over.

"Chanda. Is s-she... all right?"

*****

Naya

The winds get stronger the higher up Naya goes, buffeting the young sylph as if she was no heavier than a kite and threatening to sweep her out to sea at a moment's notice. Yet the blood in Naya's veins runs true - all it takes is a thought and a whisper to strengthen her inner resolve, allowing her to soar easily through the slowly brewing storm.

From up here, Naya can see the smoky, filthy rooftops of the Underbridge sprawling away in a haphazard trail of lights and haze. Her target is the same rickety scaffolding she'd flown past yesterday. By night, the mess of steel and wood looks even more dubious, girders groaning and swaying in the wind and all manner of dark shadows making it difficult to pick out the exact lay of the roof. Nor does the towering statue of Soralyon impart any comfort, his regal face so weathered and caked with grime that it resembles the twisted visage of a demon more than the guardian lord of star-seekers. Of the gargoyle, there is no sign - but then again, the bastards are very well known for hiding in plain sight, which does nothing to put Naya at ease.

Circling the cluttered tangle of roof tiles and beams, Naya is about to give up finding a safe spot to land when she manages to pick out what appears to be a rudimentary flight of steps that winds around the exterior of the roof, little more than loose planks shoved across the more stable support beams. It's not much to go on, but there's definitely enough room for all of you to land and stay balanced if nobody tries any monkey business.

Miraqariftsky

2016-03-08, 01:04 PM

W'elp.

"Well." Rico replies to Red while still cradling her back. "Far as I reckon it, she got off the lightest, second ta Setsuna here..."

And with those words, with nigh to no subtlety, she reaches out and snags Setsuna's weapon belt--- or whatever passes for one--- and pauses, catching herself. Not everybody is fine with brash physical affection, and all the more so with such travail as Setsuna suffered the night before.

That in mind, Rico merely twitches a couple of fingers towards Red, with a double flick of her ears. "Ahem. 'Scuse me. Iffen ye'll be so kind as ta lend y'self as our resident livin' marble throne, hah. Poppin' over ta see with yer sister 'bout... carvin' up a dead hellwanker."

Rico's resolve finally slips a little, however, as she sighs before she says when passing them by, "Oh, and Hellgirl? The way you literally turned Xanesha inside out like'at? While I do think that was a NICE touch... Yer duly warned: Do. NOT. Frigging. Go. CULTIST. On. Us. Hellgirl. Vengeance is one thing, but, Gorum's gonads. Be not the monster wot ye hate lest ye become the monster, or woteva da heck that proverb was. Ye get me drift?"

Slowly, she eases out of the way and lays Red's recovering form at Setsuna's care. Stretching, Rico strides over to the massive corpse where Chanda is wreaking her revenge.

Wait, wait... was I =TOO= sleepy earlier? HER face? Eh... well, not my business. Unless it's a security threat or friends be hurtin'. Still, proves. I was too weak after that midnight ride, need ta be tougher. An', holy frigging hellsteeth, 'pparently at least Hellgirl an' Chanda NEED more paranoia. AHEM. I mean, wariness. Would it have taken THAT much ta prick themselves as part o' handshake protocols? Them stalkers still bleed weird ****, right?Blood test woulda seen to that, if they'da thought it. AH, well. Learnin' point, fer next time...

"Friggin' bitch, eh?" Rico spits and nods at Chanda, as if they were discussing naught but the weather. And hefts her sword and impales the fiendspawn's vile heart.

Thanks fer makin' THAT chore easier, Hellgirl. Though, IF this little precaution don't work an' she does come back? Hella frakkin' hideous, an' there ain't a lot wot curdles me. Like a frigging fish or squid wot been turned inside out. Er. Hell. Snake, afore it's grilled. Ain't that appropriate.

Desril

2016-03-08, 09:08 PM

Setsuna

Setsuna listened carefully to Maethilur's words, most of them calming her guilt over what happened and the injuries she couldn't prevent, but the mention of her father caused her to falter, however briefly, and unconsciously start holding her breath for a few seconds as that pain flared and faded. Sighing, she eventually speaks up again. "You are right...I am sorry," though the tone she says it in is one that doesn't quite have the tiefling's usual warmth. 'Rude' might not have been the correct word for the blade's little dig, though Setsuna does her best not to show how much that hurt.

Red proves an ample distraction from that however. "Chanda-san is perfectly safe. But one of the gargoyles flew away, so Naya-san is looking for a place at the top of the tower to teleport a few of us so we can make sure it does not get away," she explains as Rico gets up.

Unfortunately the distraction Red provided isn't enough to completely eliminate the twinge of pain from Maethilur's barbed comment, and when combined with Rico's warning, even the usually patient Setsuna started to become irritated. It takes her a moment to respond, a slight twitch of her eye her only apparent reaction at first until Rico impales Xanesha's heart. "'Go cultist?'" She mutters under her breath before turning to face where the constable had moved to, "That spell is not meant for attacking the deceased, it was just an unfortunate accident that she died where she did...but I do not want to hear warnings like that from someone who is so happy to defile bodies!" Caught between anger, guilt, and outrage when all she wants to be feeling is relieved, the Minkan princess reacts poorly and emotionally as she wipes what a generous person would call rainwater away from her eyes

Miraqariftsky

2016-03-09, 12:55 AM

The heart. Th' seat of the soul. Dat spring o' all them feelings. Thing wot gets th' blood goin'. A piece o' meat.

Rico muses as a chunk of half-charred mangled meat slowly slips down her wave-edged blade. Blood and fouler filth mingle with rainwater, trickling off the silvered steel.

"Happy to defile bodies, ye say?" Rico shakes her head as she addresses Setsuna over the patter of the rain and the schrkk-ssscchhhkk-sklurtch-slitsch of Chanda's butchering, skinning, flaying of their fiendish foe. "KOFF, ahem. If 'twas Red or you, or ANY one o' y'all wot died, do you doubt I'd make ...Do you doubt I'd see to it that ye get a right an' proper funeral an' all that? An' thass ontoppa gettin' back on 'em wot frakked up me friends. Gettin' business done is one thing. They cross some lines, shet gets personal. As. I'm. Sure. Yer. Agree. Yeah?"

She shakes her sword, causing bits of gristle to fall like red-black rain. "THAT. And. Just. Makin'. SURE. Besides, ask our resident messenger o' Pharasma. She gave sanction."

She slowly blinks, then sighs at Setsuna's tirade as she saunters over closer to them. And almost nonchalantly flicks the defiler's heart into the mud. There she pauses, chin in hand, considering her options. Still listening to Setsuna, she lets her hands do the work--- fishing out a pair of phials, and pouring out their deadly brew onto the heretic's heart, melting it into a boiling sludge. Not yet finished, she takes out a jug of clear, almost sparkling water, and pours out half onto the meat-crap that had once been Xanesha's heart.

Suddenly, Rico shudders, her teeth chattering...

Rain drives across a crow-sown field. Tall grass swaying in green and yellow waves like the sea. Corpses in mail and tattoos that hurt the eyes to look upon litter the churned mud. Their flesh seems withered, husked, as if they were drained.

Broken swords pin the hands and feet of an utter behemoth of a man, bloated with sheer bone and muscle and pulsing with unhallowed power. Though he is clearly dead, nearly cloven asunder from neck to groin and his head hewn off, still the air around the blackguard almost groans with a miasma of malevolent energy.

I gaze upon him--- no, it--- no more a man, a fiend in flesh. Khopesh in one hand, hallowed hat and holy symbol in the other. Words flow like a river from my lips. Words of judgment, a hymn of warding, a litany of protection, a prayer of purging.

Amen.

And then I spit.

Thou foul fiend. Ye blaggard. Be damned and stay dead. In the name of Horakhte, so mote it be.

...the halforc constable sways on her feet, clutching her head, gasping, breathing shallowly. For a moment, she seems to look glassy-eyed, then remembers the holy water in her hand.

What... what the frigging HELL was that...?

Half of the remaining holy water, she uses to clean her sword. The remainder? She passes into Brin's hands and says, "Holy water. Got more if y'need it. What... do... we, er, can ye use that ta give us all a little cleansing, ma'am?" Rico shrugs and says, "T'be honest, I was expectin' undead an' demons. Still be thinkin' these're them, at least by extension, but me gut told me I mighta wasted a sword stroke iffen I'd sprung these on 'em earlier."

jamieth

2016-03-09, 02:10 AM

Oblivious to the drama ensuing below, Naya spends some time planting the exact shape and location of stairs into her mind, then starts descending and lands between her companions, very deliverately not looking at Xanesha's remains.

"Good news!" she says cheerfully, "Seems there's a place we can land on - bad news, it's rather narrow and, with that rain, might be bit slicky... though I think the bridge should have shielded the top of the tower, but still, it won't hurt to be careful. So... I supose we should hold our hands just in case, so I could stop all of you from falling... just in case. So, miss Setsuna, miss Rico, miss Brin?" the sylph extends her hand, "I'm ready whenever you are?"

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-09, 09:25 AM

Red

There was something soothing about the rain falling on your upturned face. Red didn't know how to explain it. It just felt like being healed and having bad things taken away. A quarrel threatening to brew between two friends, however, was not soothing at all.

Glancing worriedly towards her sister as she hacks the shiny bits off Xanesha's corpse (what if there was a trap in there somewhere?), Red turns her attention back to Setsuna, reaching for the tiefling's hand. There was an odd note in Setsuna's voice. It didn't sound right. Something was wrong. Setsuna hadn't complained before about Rico's protective measures.

"... Is everything... all right? You are... not yourself. Did Xanesha... did she hurt you?"

Desril

2016-03-09, 07:52 PM

Setsuna

Teeth clenching, it seems as if Setsuna is about to say something else before Red speaks up, the concern obvious in her voice even to the currently unstable tiefling. It's enough to make her close her eyes briefly and take a deep breath before turning her attention back to the rogue in her arms with an honest, if tired and strained, smile. "No, I am...fine. I am just..." she struggles for the word for a moment before realizing what it is. "Angry." Given her discussion with Maethilur earlier, it should not be as surprising as it is to her, and yet the revelation still takes a moment to sink it. Righteous fury may be virtuous when it's needed, but untempered it turns quickly to wrath, and tempering is one quality that the tiefling's unbridled emotions is very much lacking in. I need to learn how to control that...it is not fair to everyone else to lash out like this, even if they--she stops, shaking her head, trying to cut off that line of thinking.

Taking another breath, Setsuna turns to look toward Naya. "Give us another minute, then take Red instead of me. If any thing happens on the stairs I am the most suited to avoid falling."

jamieth

2016-03-10, 06:23 AM

Naya

"You sure?" the sylph bites her lip, throwing a concerned glance at Setsuna, but then looks around others and adds, "Well, if no one objects, let it be so..."

Chief, unless anyone does object, feel free to port the boarding party - i.e., Naya, Rico, Red and Brin - to the top of the tower. As a precaution, we're holding hands, and Naya would cast Feather Fall the moment a single character loses her footing.

Miraqariftsky

2016-03-10, 07:55 AM

Ambling back to Xanesha's carcass, Rico whistles as she picks through the entrails, heaving out the longspear of the former mistress of the tower yonder.

Catching smatchets of Setsuna's brewing, the halforc constable snorts into the night, making a mental note to resolve certain matters before the night is over. Shouldering the spear and stowing shield and sword, giving her armour's straps a last check as well as the ties of her various pouches, she squares her shoulders and faces the others. "Arright, y'all. Good work thus far, but don't get overcoffident. Meet y'all in the middle, eh?"

With one last touch to the talisman on her hat, she links up with Naya and the others...

Bhaakon

2016-03-12, 04:10 AM

Brin gnaws her lip, trying to think of a better idea than sending Setsuna and Chanda marching up through the tower, but fails. The pair were stupidly stubborn, and the cloak had its limitation. She gives up and sighs.

"Let's get this over with, then." She slips an arm through her still-strung bow so that she has both hands free to form living chain with the rest of the advanced party.

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-12, 11:36 AM

GM post

Naya, Brin, Rico, Red

Naya uses Cape of the Mountebank.

As the wearer of the enchanted cape, all Naya feels as the word of command forms on her lips is a gentle breeze that springs up from nowhere, causing the cape to billow briefly about her body like a protective banner before abruptly collapsing, whisking the sylph from sight and leaving nothing but a cloud of smoke to be rent by the rain. The sensation is familiar, not unlike that of being buoyed upwards by the wind during cloud-play. It is mostly definitely an incentive to keep on using her latest acquisition, even just for sport.

For the rest of you, however, as mere riders to the spell, the sensation of being yanked rudely along by an invisible cable hooked through your navel is jarring, knocking the air from your lungs. Finding yourself subsequently perched precariously on the edge of a ramshackle roof almost two hundred feet off the ground is enough to give even the most steely-hearted among you a lurch of the stomach.

Nevertheless, Naya has chosen her spot well. The creaking excuse of a staircase, rickety though it be, is on the leeward side of the roof, opposite from the frozen clock face, where you all are protected from the worst of the buffeting winds. For as long as none of you lean too far out, there is no danger of falling. From up here, despite the grime and the rain, you have an otherwise unparalleled view of the Underbridge in all its foggy, sordid glory. You can even just about make out the pale spot on the ground that is Setsuna as she hurries towards the base of the Shadow Clock.

Rico has landed on the higher portion of the staircase that leads up a what appears to be a gaping hole in the roof, just beneath the statue of benighted Soralyon (E6). On the lower portion of the staircase is Brin, with about ten feet between her and another yawning space in the tower wall where the wood has long since rotted away (E5). There are no lights within the Shadow Clock, as far as you can tell. The musty overhang of the Irespan above you does not make it any easier to see either, blocking out what little moonlight there is. Still, it affords you some relief from the rain.

Dim lighting rules are in effect.

Perception DC 16
Even with the hollow drumming of the rain on the roof tiles, by flaring your nostrils and sniffing hard, you can just about pick up the raw odour of offal and bird droppings in the air. There must be another raven closet somewhere close by, probably on the other side of the wall.

Perception DC 35 (make another check)
No matter how quiet things look up here, you can't quite shake the feeling that you're being watched. Shaking your head, you are about to dismiss the prickle on your neck as mere paranoia when you spot it - the gargoyle that had fled from battle earlier on, crouching low in the shadows at the base of Soralyon's despoiled form amidst a jumble of other twisted statuettes. There is practically nothing to distinguish it from the other grotesque and hunched stone figures balanced precariously on the roof, but you're not forgetting that skull-like face with sunken hollows where the eyes should be in a hurry.

*****

Setsuna and Chanda

Holding out the last note of her humming as she sneaks a peek at Red limping over to Naya's side, the corner of Chanda's mouth twitches reflexively. All the same, the thief says nothing to her sister as Naya and the rest of you link hands, merely holding up the battered remains of the late Xanesha's tunic, still caked with bits of raw flesh.

"Better not break that poker. That's prime darkwood, 'case yer didn't feel it," Chanda calls over to Rico as the constable hefts the barbed longspear. Squinting at the tunic and rubbing its sleeve between thumb and finger, Chanda looks thoughtful, then purses her lips and shrugs before carelessly rolling up the tunic and chucking it into her backpack, along with the medallion and the gold mask.

She picks up the ring of keys just as Naya's group vanishes, twirling them absent-mindedly on one finger like a child's toy before she turns her head towards Setsuna. With the purple lenses of her goggles obscuring most of her face and hiding her bitter sweep of her scathing eyes, one might have mistaken her for her sister, though the merest word from the thief's mouth is enough to dispel that illusion.

Sheathing her rapier, Chanda beckons Setsuna over even, her voice light with arrogance. "Guess 'tis just yer and me, snow white. Come'n then. Keep your peepers peeled. If things go pear-shaped, I'll be saving mine hide first and yers after. Can't help yer if I'm dead or deadder, see? Best to do this chop-speed now. Before anything inside sees us and springs a trap, 'ssuming your buddies up top don't hustle themselves."

The dry and dusty air within the Shadow Clock is welcome respite after the past hour of being soaked in the rain. Striding through the open doors of the Shadow Clock, Setsuna finds herself in a room heavy with neglect, swaths of rubble and mounds of plaster lying in heaps on the stone floor and piled high in the southwest corner. A single bullock cart with brackets of fungi lining its hub sits to the northeast. Looking around, the tiefling can count six partially collapsed rooms that line the northern and eastern walls, their doors hanging askew and their ceilings caved in. Whatever this base floor was once used for, nothing of value appears to remain - likely long-since looted by the ravenous denizens of the Underbridge.

"Prints. Lots of 'em. Going up the stairs. Looks like this's where that ole flesh-bag outside made his nest," announces Chanda to no-one in particular as she kneels and studies the dusty floor by a flight of wooden stairs that winds up into the cavernous space above.

It is not hard to trust Chanda's assessment of the flesh golem's habitation - the air here is redolent with the sickly-sweet reek of rotting flesh. Looking upwards, Setsuna's eyes have no trouble making out the winding staircase that clings to the sides of the tower like a creeping vine intent on choking the life of its host. All the way at the top, she can discern the dull gleam of four large bronze bells, secured to crossbeams.

*****

Map - warning, it is BIG
http://i.imgur.com/BKW159u.jpg

Bhaakon

2016-03-12, 06:30 PM

A hot mess of cheap wine, Aunt Vera's chocolates, and stomach acid laps at the back of Brin's throat as she peeks over the edge of the dilapidated stairway. Never had she regretted a decision with such immediate intensity. Her back presses against the damp stone of the clocktower--legs moving of their own accord--and Brin debates whether she really wants to call up a light to get a better view.

Reason wins out, barely, and a whispered prayer sets Brin's bow aglow. Plenty of light to examine the yawning chasm between each of the rotten slats. It's not yawning. It's sighing at best. Stop being irrational. The thinking part of her mind lectures.

"Fear of plummeting to our death through rotten stairways isn't irrational." The other, perhaps saner, part mutters aloud. "Um...rope. We should, maybe, hold on to one?" She pulls an armful of silken coils from her pack.

Desril

2016-03-13, 12:35 AM

Setsuna

Maybe it was just because her mood was still soured, maybe it was because Xanesha's deception had spoiled the image of Chanda she'd had in her head, or maybe even that Red had nearly died and Chanda seemed to only show the barest hint of concern. What it was, it allowed the tiefling to see the thief in a different, less romantic light. And coupled with the last few minutes, that meant that Setsuna couldn't find a reply to Chanda's words. She wasn't wrong, they made sense, they were just so...heartless. And so the Minkan princess sighed and moved along after her, idly curious about the golem's nest and wondering why it would need such a thing, remembering that they should go back and check its body for supplies as well, once they've finished identifying everything Xanesha had on her.

"Come on, we need to hurry and meet the others at the top," she says simply, sounding almost tired as she makes for the staircase.

jamieth

2016-03-13, 05:35 AM

"Rope? Oh, well... I guess it won't hurt", Naya says without much obvious enthusiasm, never having really understood what is that "fear of heights" thing supposed to mean, "One moment, I'll make you some light" - she clicks her fingers, summoning a quartet of wisps and hesitating for a moment, "so... up or down? Miss Brin, miss Rico?"

Dancing lights

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-14, 11:12 AM

Red

Perception checks:
(1d20+12)[18]
(1d20+12)[24]

Grimacing as she rubs her tender belly, Red instinctively shields her eyes when Naya conjures up some pretty floating light balls, looking away and down at her feet, only to immediately wish she hadn't. This was high up. Very high up. Gods dammit - one of the precise reasons she'd given up thievery was because she didn't like looking down from high places like this where she was in danger of falling, and just what was she doing now?

"T-thank y-you. Miss N-naya." Too terrified for sarcasm, Red blurts the words out of polite reflex, before squeezing her eyes shut and deliberately looking away before opening them again. Smiling faintly in relief at Brin's suggestion, she keeps her weight close to the tower while scrabbling in her own pack for her own coil of silken rope. "Y-yes. Rope... would be g-good."

Only if you tie it good to something that doesn't break, points out an acid voice in Red's head that sounds uncannily like Chanda's. Red growls softly under her breath. She'd beaten Chanda just now. Chanda didn't have the right to order her around - not any more. But all the same, she makes sure to check that all the knots she ties - one dead loop around her waist and one to a somewhat sturdier looking beam that wasn't swaying - are secure and fast before allowing herself the luxury of looking around.

Raking her sopping hair messily away from her face, Red blinks, snorting as the pungent odour of bird droppings hits her. "I think... there are ravens. Near here. Like in... the s-sawmill," she says aloud, glancing up at the vast shelter of the Irespan in case there were bats or something else that was making that much dung. As she angles her neck upwards, however, something by the base of the statue of Soralyon catches her eye, causing Red to frown and tighten her grip on her kukri in white-knuckled worry. She'd only had a little time just now to see it, from the corner of her eye, while running to the other gargoyle. And then she hadn't seen anything at all. She wasn't sure. But still...

"Rico? The... the other gargoyle. W-what did it... look like?"

*****

GM post

Setsuna and Chanda

Chanda takes 10 on Perception to make 20 for anything out of the ordinary, 23 for traps

"Wotchit." Chanda holds up a hand in warning to prevent Setsuna from climbing the stairs right away, craning her neck towards the top of the tower where the four bells were suspended. "Mm. Yer thinking what I'm thinking? That if I wants to keep nosy folks outta my nest in a spire like this, I'd nut them on the head with a honking great bell? No other way up though."

Sucking in her cheeks, Chanda gives a low whistle of resignation before shrugging her shoulders and striding over to the abandoned rooms. "Count to thirty first though. Gotta be certain ain't nothing nasty hiding in here to crunch yer arse and trap us up there. Ain't called the Terrible Stairs for nothin'"

Caution, as it turns out, right now outweighs the need for speed for Chanda. But it is just as well that Chanda seems to be brutally efficient in her sweep of the ground floor. Little escapes her grasping eye, whether it is a shard of glass frosted with dust or a collapsed corner of the fungus riddled cart . Anything that looks remotely suspicious is swiftly kicked apart or prodded with the broken-off shaft of the cart, her practiced ruthlessness so reminiscent of the ruthless work ethic of organised banditry that one might begin to wonder whether Chanda herself had ever been a participant in such crimes.

"Heh. Lookit that." Knocking off the top of a larger than average pile of rubble, Chanda uncovers a mouldy hempen sack that clinks promisingly when poked, causing the thief to grin widely in satisfaction. "Here. Catch. Yer can pick that up on yer way out." She snags the sack on the sharpened end of the shaft and fishes it out of the rubble, tossing it towards Setsuna's feet with a deft flick of the wrist. Already worn down by time, the sack breaks open as it lands, spilling forth handfuls of jingling gold and silver coins.

"Now we can go get nutted on the heads with a big honking bell. But at least we dies rich," says Chanda cheerfully, letting the broken shaft drop to the ground at her feet. "Dunno what horse-crap that stupid bitch fed yer. But if we ever has the misfortunes to cross roads 'gain, know this. I never does anything without payment. Especially not... buggery." Spitting in the dirt, Chanda rubs her chin almost savagely, suddenly turned business-like again. "Yer wanna go first or take the rear?"

Desril

2016-03-15, 12:40 PM

Setsuna

Listening and watching Chanda in uncharacteristic silence, it isn't until she stops speaking that Setsuna finally starts. "Is gold all you ever think about? There is more to life than just shiny metals! Your sister--!" She cuts herself off, not wanting to say that Red almost died, and just shakes her head. "No, it does not matter. We should just go," she says with a sigh, trying very hard not to blow up in anger again as she takes the lead and heads up the stairs.

Chanda's words echoing around in her head, 'especially not buggery' in particular, eventually gets Setsuna to mutter under her breath, "Mohaya mondaide wa arimasen."

"That doesn't matter anymore."

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-16, 11:01 AM

GM post

Setsuna and Chanda

"Huh. S'times I thinks about what I'd like to do w'all that gold, yeah," shoots back Chanda coolly, not bothered in the least by Setsuna's outburst as she scratches her armpit and follows the tiefling to the stairs. That particular accusation, clearly, is one that has been levied before. The tiefling's mention of Red, however, touches a raw nerve, as Chanda's mouth twitches into a sneer.

"What 'bout Sera? She's alive, ain't she? In case my stupid little sister's failed to inform yer lot, she challenged me not seven cycles back there to a duel. So I'd s-shut up and l-let her b-b-be." Chanda's mimicry of Red's angry stutter is cruelly accurate, down to the blocking and tense jerk of the neck muscles even as she pads noiselessly up the stairs. "And since she ended up rubbing me nose in the mud - hey, I'd say she's won the right. She's a big girl now. No need for the spiteful big sis to come do nothin' no more. So get off me case, saint white. Geez..."

Desril

2016-03-17, 02:59 PM

Setsuna

Normally more diplomatic, given her current state, the tiefling can't help but be confrontational. "That is not fair and you know it! She might not need you to protect her but you are still her sister so you should show it more and stop pretending that you do not care about her!"

Sorry, short post. Hard to get into Setsuna's head right here and...I can't figure out any interesting way to say we go up the stairs >.>

Bhaakon

2016-03-17, 03:05 PM

Brin

"Naya said it was gone." Brin responds to Red, even thought the question wasn't actually directed at here. "But...um, maybe we should go down a meet Setsuna halfway. Just in case we run into it again. Or its friends" The omission of Chanda is more than just an oversight. She was good in a fight, but the less Brin had to talk with that woman, the better.

"Besides, you're right about the birds. I can smell them too. I bet they're just on the other sid eof the wall here. Maybe they have some more messages." There was, after all, a secret facestealer plot yet to be unraveled.

Gripping the rope with a white-knuckled fist, Brin gingerly heads down, one rotten step at a time.

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-18, 02:56 AM

GM post

GM post / Red (with some botting for Rico)

"All right. We shall... go down then." Though she could tell from the agitated rumble in Rico's breathing that Rico herself had probably seen something out there, where the statue was, Red couldn't deny that Brin's idea was a sound one. They'd probably be safer indoors than out. A gargoyle couldn't attack them there so easily. With any luck, there would be nothing in there to attack them either.

"Wait... Tell us later. Just... look out first." Briefly grasping Rico's wrist with what she hoped was enough force to tell her friend that any sudden outbursts to attract a possible enemy's attention would be bad, Red edges down the staircase after Brin, keeping her eyes determinedly trained on the elf's back. Only when she is through the gap in the wall does she breathe a sigh of relief and unknot the rope around her waist.

The room that you have just entered (E5) is a windowless, cluttered mess. Between the combined light from Brin's bow and Naya's glowing orbs, it would seem that you have found your way into what was meant to be the clockwork room of the tower, as you find yourself surrounded by a complicated structure of gears welded onto crossbars and spiked belts, all of these coated with a thick blood-red crust. Judging from the amount of rust and cobwebs in here, it seems that none of these structures have been used in years, if at all. The floor in here, clinker-built out of large varnished planks, is thankfully much more solid than the pathetic excuse of a staircase that you have just walked off.

In the northeast corner of the room is another room (E4). Red, still seeking the source of the bird smell, ambles over and peers though the half-open door before turning to nod at Brin. "It is... ravens. And another door. It goes... outside."

For anyone else who goes to confirm Red's assessment of the room, you find that she is only half right. While you do find a similar bird closet set-up here as in the sawmill, the ragged hole in the wall with more rickety stairs leading outside the tower that Red had generously termed a door doesn't even have a make-shift covering to keep out the rain, let alone the other accouterments expected of an entrance portal.

In their wire-covered closet, two large ravens watch you through the mesh, croaking affably as they rustle their feathers.

*****

Setsuna and Chanda

Even with Setsuna screeching at her, Chanda pauses long enough to listen to the groaning of the planks as Setsuna stomps ahead, feeling the flex and sway of the wood with one hand on the railings before she elects to follow the tiefling. Still, the cold disdain in her voice is apparent, even if Setsuna can't actually see the thief rolling her eyes.

"How's 'fair' even in play? Yer ain't boss o' me. Nor expert on me family. What do yer know, saint white? Raised with all them sliver spoonies in yer craw- keep yer nobby big sis standards to yerself. I'll do what I sees fit to keep my family alive." Chanda calls acidly up the stairs, glancing up at the overhanging bells every few seconds, as if expecting to see some change there. As she walks, she keeps the distance between her and Setsuna, refusing to be hurried or agitated as she paces up one step at a time, always measuring, always judging.

*****

Map
http://i.imgur.com/zgoYnBr.jpg

jamieth

2016-03-18, 03:16 AM

"Well, in that case", Naya looks around, making sure they aren't missing anything - no papers left in the ravens' nest, no treasure chests sneaked between the clockwork?

Perception [roll0]

"In that case, further down we go, I suppose - unless you would like me to check the upper level really quickly? Oh, and miss Rico... that is - was - Xanesha's weapon,wasn't it? Let me take a look at that as well, if you don't mind - after all, you never know..."

Having gotten the permission, she whispers the words to a simpe spell - the first one she actually learned, instead of figuring out instinctively.

Detect Magic, Spellcraft result 23 in OOC thread

Bhaakon

2016-03-18, 03:30 AM

Brin

"Yeah...another way down. But, um...let's make sure there's nothing here before heading that way?" Brin answers Red. And absolutely not because I want to recover before before tip-toeing down another tumble-down excuse for a stairway. She adds to herself, hoping that the slight tremor in her hands doesn't betray her true feelings on the matter.

"Maybe there are some old messages left around the raven cage. It doesn't look like they were particularly tidy." She adds, once she's had a few deep, steadying breathes. It almost sounds like a reasonable argument. And no one could dispute that the rusty, dust-choked space was an absolute rathole. It would be a surprise if the ravens were sick from being cooped up in the place. Hard to imagine they were cared for very well.

Perception for a quick search: [roll0]

Desril

2016-03-18, 08:13 AM

Setsuna

Trying very hard not to scream, all Setsuna can do is keep moving forward, trusting her reflexes and feet to get her out of the way of any danger that she doesn't and probably won't see coming ahead of time. "It is not as if I have never dealt with any thing harsh and unfair! Why do you think I am even on this half of the world?!" Biting her tongue, she just continues to trudge upstairs, trying not to speak the thought screaming into her head, What did I ever see attractive in you?

...let's be honest, Setsuna isn't making any perception checks here, she's way too distracted to be paying attention. I'll just use acrobatics or whatever to deal with the consequences if Chanda doesn't shout a warning

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-18, 12:07 PM

GM post

Naya's Detect Magic and Spellcraft
i.e. +1 Longspear with 1/day 30 foot radius burst of despair as a free action
With your expertise in ancient artifacts, you have no trouble with identifying the weapon that Rico has retrieved from Xanesha as a darkwood longspear dating from the time of the Thassilonian empire - and in excellent condition, too.

Dubbed by weapons enthusiasts of the era as an 'Impaler of Thorns', this particular model of longspear was believed to have been used by crack Thassilonian guardsmen aid in the breaking up civil unrest. When wielded in combat, Impalers are known to emit a horrid screeching sound akin to that of a wild beast whenever its bearer should deal a particularly damaging blow - supposedly to affright and dishearten the enemy. Being constructed for group tactics, Impalers are also known to bestow another equally fearsome power on their bearers - the ability to cause all those who do not themselves wield an Impaler to be immediately overwhelmed with feelings of despair, thus rendering them easy targets for rounding up. Judging from the moderate aura of enchantment that you sense emmanating from this spear, you would judge this Impaler's magic to still be potent.

*****

Naya's Perception check
Contrary to your hopes, there don't appear to be any hidden treasure chests in this room.

Brin's Perception check
Unfortunately, despite straining your eyes and even getting down on your hands and knees to check under the bird closet, there doesn't appear to be anything more on the floor besides the odd rodent bone and a carpet of choking grey dust. Xanesha must have tidied this place up well enough.

The ravens don't appear to mind your intrusion - they're tame enough to endure the proximity of strangers, it would seem. Training their beady eyes on you, they follow your every move, even hopping along their perch and flapping to the closet door, grasping onto the mesh with their feet, in order to see what you are doing.

*****

Setsuna

"And Calistria laughed. Yer such a child-" The words of frustration, hissed between Chanda's clenched teeth, echo slightly in the stairwell of the Shadow Clock. "Listen here, lil' miss holier-than-thou," says the thief in a louder, more vicious voice that could have cut ice. "I don't gives a flying fig why yer here or what yer dealt with 'fore. Yer got no reason to care 'bout me family, and given that yer don't know squat 'bout who we are and what we hadda do to live, yer ain't got the right to care nether. So how 'bout yer just have a nice cuppa shut the frak up? If yer didn't want the gold, yer could've just said so and be done with it. Gods, yer stiffer than a stick up Iomedae's arse..."

jamieth

2016-03-18, 04:43 PM

Naya

"Right, so, miss Brin, about this spear... It's old; and I mean, Thassalonian old. It is, of course, enchanted; there's mostly standard enchantments, to keep it sharp, to guide it to its aim... honestly, I doubt I ever saw an enchanted weapon without those spells woven in. But this one... it has one more enchantment, more sinister; when piercing the enemy, it can emit a burst of... of concentrated despair that'll drown anyone nearby. Please... be careful not to release this power accidentally."

Few seconds after saying that, the sylph adds, "Do... do you think miss Setsuna could be under the effect of that enchantment? She was... not herself after this fight. At least... not as I knew her - of course, that was not long at all... you know her better; tell me, did she look... sound... wrong to you? If so... the effect would've likely worn off by now..."

maggie_mcknife

2016-03-19, 05:48 AM

Red

Red nods sagely to herself as Naya describes the powers of the longspear. Now that was a good magicked weapon, even if it was old. Perhaps Xanesha had other such magic things lying around. They would have to look and see.

"I do not... think Setsuna... was under such a spell. But..." Her voice trails off, cheeks blushing a dusky scarlet under her tanned skin and the hair rising on her neck as the image that Xanesha had conjured up flashes tantalisingly through her mind. That one wasn't going away anytime soon, that was for sure. "X-xanesha. She... hurt Setsuna. In disguise. At Ma'am Verala's house... and here. Maybe... Setsuna... it was difficult. To kill... herself?"

Red frowns. That didn't quite make sense. Or did it? Shaking her head, she sniffs and shivers slightly in her damp armour. The sooner this business was over and she was snug in front of a fire with a warm drink, the better. "Miss Brin. The ravens... can they... be talked with? Maybe they know. About Xanesha."

Desril

2016-03-19, 11:02 AM

Setsuna

Grinding her teeth now, Setsuna does her best not to shout back but it's obvious her voice is strained, "I have every right to care! Red is my friend! I may not have been there to help when you were children but you are both stronger now, there is no reason to keep acting this way!"

Bhaakon

2016-03-19, 03:34 PM

Finally convinced that the ravens have nothing to hide, Brin returns to the others.

She shrugs at Naya's question. "We've seen a lot of...well, it's been a trying few weeks. For Setsuna even more-so than the rest of us, like Red said." Thinking back to the scene in the asylum, Brin wonders if Setsuna would still be a naive as she was then, suggesting they all go into hock in order to save a man in the final throes of ghoul fever. There was no doubt in Brin's mind that Setsuna had needed to build up some callous, but they way it was happening was all wrong. No one should be forced to endure that.

Maybe she'd take Setsuna out drinking when this over. That always helped Brin forget things. For a while.

When Red suggests speaking with the ravens, Brin almost dismisses it. But...no, actually, it wasn't a bad idea. Not at all. "I, um...I think it's just birds who are all bound up to a wizard that can talk on their own. There's a spell for speaking with normal ravens, I think, but I can't cast it. Would be a good idea to keep them caged up and find someone who can, though. They might know of other places than just the tower and the mill." She curls up one corner of her mouth--all the smile she can manage with the specter of another vertigo-inducing stair climb looming. "Good thinking."

"Anyway, let me see that spear before we head down? No offense, Naya, but I don't think you've got the build for it, and I think I've had enough of fighting up close and personal with a bow, and there's not much space in here." Whether or not the spear ends up in her possession, Brin readies the rope again, takes a few deep, calming breaths--why does that never work?--and heads for the stairway down.

Miraqariftsky

2016-03-21, 10:23 AM

"Look like?" Rico asks, a brow rising and then answers along with two earflicks. "Skull-faced stone demon. Like the one over THERE, by them statues, lying in wait."

She starts, suddenly realizing that she hadn't even said spoken. Her body seems to be moving on its own, and appropriately, for now, but strangely, her senses seem to be dulling, warping, changing, slipping...

No more, the crumbled clocktower, clothed with ceaseless rain. Darkness envelops her, the only light a guttering torch, slowly running out. A cavern stretches out as far as the eyes can see, the battering, the stumbling of her footfalls eaten by the leagues and leagues of cold stone.

Cold scales cushion a bleeding back. Flicking flames gout across a stone floor as ancient doors groan upon their hinges louder and louder with every battering blow from beyond. "It's not long now. Do you... want me to end it?" rumbles a surprisingly young voice. "No. Fool. Would that you could yet escape, though young fool. Stand. Stand unto the last. We die, but we take as many of them to Hell with us. Dearest... I'm coming home..."

A wasteland groans around her, badlands skirling with devils of dust. She gasps with a cracked mouth, utterly parched. Still, she keeps on running, keeps on staggering.

The waters boil as the demons emerge, a hideous horde. They cast their foul darts at her even as she charges in, weathering them upon her cloak, upon her hat, upon her shield, upon her armour, upon her flesh. And then she's amongst them, answering claws and fangs and deviltry's spellcraft with lance and axe and sword and choking the foe out when her weapons broke. She grits through the agony and fights on, grinning as the press of comrades behind her grinds into the hated throng.

Villages, towns, cities sprawl and scream at her feet, the air rent with weeping. The sky chokes with the smoke of razing, the roads and rivers run black...

Dust swirls at her bleeding feet. Manacles clink at her wrists. A howling crowd bays for blood. Gates clank open. Bared iron glints in the shadows. A weapon in her hands, its shaft a familiar weight. She bellows and charges...

...then Rico wobbles suddenly, snorting great gasps as she leans heavily against the nearest wall. She grits her teeth, clutching at her head once again. "Hwat. The. Utter. Fawk. Was. That. Sheht."

She squares her shoulders, glaring at every shadow, lowering her spear, looking for something, anything worthy of stabbing. What deviltry is this?!

Panting even as the visions recede, not even having the decency to leave a headache, Rico then grates out, "Hffff. Hffffff... Gargoyle. Was. THERE. 'Mong them statues, shadow of the big statue of... er, Sorala-somebody, a hero or god o' summin' or other. THERE, that demon-skull-thing.. Hhhhffff. And... I... think... I been taking some mindfrakkings or other. It's arright now, dunwurreh... and... I... Nay-aa... right... thanks... dun think it's the spear's doing... summin' ELSE... Don't! Worry! Okay? Flush that frakken' garg outtan put it down fer good."