Daughters of Fury

[CasualViking]

Welcome to Daughters of Fury.

OC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?518288-Dauthers-of-Fury-OC)

Leaving the city of Vigil and heading north-east into Ustalav, each of you have decided on the northwestern route along the Path Road, going around the river and mountains but skirting the border to the Hold of Belzken. Even with the road, the trek is exhausting, especially for those of you carrying armor.

As the sun kisses the horizon and heavy clouds gather, you come across a roadside shelter. Nothing fancy, just three log walls, a mossy straw-covered roof, and a ring of stones for a fireplace outside it. You know that tomorrow afternoon, you'll reach the border town of Arwyll Stead, but for now, this seems to be it.

What do you do?

[stack]

Thomas Bright

Tom leans back in the seat of his cart. Brick, the heavy bay pulling it, swishing away flies with his tail. The wandering priest nods to the building, "Suppose that would do for the night. Who wants to say hello?"there an OOC thread? I don't see one now was I given a link. They are convenient for discussing various things without cluttering the IC

[Ierox]

Devin

Devin plodded along beside the cart. As usual, he'd grown increasingly closed-lipped as the day's march neared the end and the opportunity to sit down and eat his rations started to beckon.

His new armor was covered in dust and grime of the road. Still, a smile lit his face as he saw the lean-to.

"I'm down. Wonder if there's anyone in there. Might be they'd have something more interesting than biscuits and dried meat to share!"

He walked up to the shelter, ducking his head to look inside. "Heya! Anyone there?"

[Athaleon]

Variel

"A roof is a roof," he shrugged. "Rather have something more solid and with four walls, but you can't have everything." He hopped off the cart with his crossbow strung and loaded, moving instinctively to cover and scanning their surroundings for any sign of ambush.


Perception: [roll0]

[TheFederalist]

Moving on foot next to the other three was Katherine, who had her hair pulled back and was armored up. On her face was not a single sign of strain, despite the armored trek that had been their entire day, though whether this was stoicism or simply inhuman strength and endurance at play was up to debate. Her hand rested carelessly on the pommel of her sheathed blade, not ready to draw but rather providing a platform for the arm. Her shield was at her back, covering most of her torso in it's curved and triangular form, strapped around her armor with leather.

She halted alongside the others, suddenly rising out of whatever deep trance of thought she had fallen into, looking to the horizon as if only just to realize the time. She looked to others, who had made their way towards the building they had come across. "We are not left many other options, are we?", she grumbled as she followed Devin into the walled building.

[CasualViking]

Nothing but a light scattering of bones, bird by the look of them

[CasualViking]

there an OOC thread? I don't see one now was I given a link. They are convenient for discussing various things without cluttering the IC]

There is now (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?518288-Dauthers-of-Fury-OC)

[CasualViking]

[flash of lightning in the distance]
[thunder rumbles four counts later]

[Ierox]

Devin

Devin makes no attempt at being stealthy, in fact loudly announcing his intention to get in there.

"Huh. It's empty. Come on in, friends." He sets about clearing the bird bones out before they take shelter in there.

At the sound of rumbling thunder, he stops to look towards the storm. "We better hurry up and take shelter. That sounds like rain."

[TheFederalist]

Following Devin in, armor clinking against itself like the thunder that surrounds them, Katherine quizzically looked towards the bones scattered on the ground, then towards the walls. To her, it seemed as though somebody had used the location before, and recently, since the bones hadn't decayed into the soil. Perhaps travelers who were making their way down the same path, but there was also another possibility that arose in the crusader's head.

Bandits, perhaps?

She slunk into the building beside Devin, carefully sliding her hand off the pommel of her blade, and crouched next to one of the walls. "Food, recent. Travelers, or could be bandits. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but let's not let down our guard if we're staying here. Scripture's quite clear on the daftness on that. Last thing we need is some bandies walking in on us, sleeping."

[Ierox]

Devin nods distractedly, clearly not that enthused by the idea. Still, he can't very well argue the point. "Sure, we'll set a guard out."

[stack]

"Let us take a moment to at least bury the bones." Tom says solemnly after tending to his beast.

[CasualViking]

>>Take a peak over in OOC (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?518288-Dauthers-of-Fury-OC) when you've set up guard and settled in for the night<<<

[Athaleon]

"Don't need holy writ to know that. I'll take first watch," Variel snorted as he started looking around for good vantage points, unconcerned by the impending rain.

"You go right on ahead, Tom. Gonna say a few words for the deceased, too?"

[TheFederalist]

A quick roll of the eyes was all that Variel's words brought out of Katherine, who sighed heavily as she lifted each plate off her body, revealing a long and modest linen covering her entire body. Her sword was gently placed onto the ground, and on top of it was placed her pillow, before she lay down to sleep. It didn't take long for her to be soundly sleeping, as she finally allowed herself to feel the exhaustion of the day seeping into her. A prayer was said, though all it did was remind her of the void that now existed in her mind. She would have preferred to have stayed awake the entire time, but perhaps with the way the night would bring constant reminders of her penitency, it was now a blessing.

As day came, however, she awoke with a start. Through the door fell a blade of light onto her face, thrusting a killing blow into her sleep, forcing her eyes to open and consciousness to flood her mind. With a rub of her eyes, she pushed herself up, her hand finally leaving the handle of her blade from under the pillow. Looking around, she shooed the squirrels that had figured her armor and body to be a resting place off, before taking a deep breath.

"Wonderful, we're intact. Day's up, fellows, let us embark again. Who last held guard?"

[stack]

Dawn finds Tom sitting up, taking the last watch so he can best greet the sun. "I have had worse nights on the road, despite the inauspicious beginning. Breakfast is on the fire, when you are ready."

[Athaleon]

"Not me," Variel replied to Katherine as he made a beeline for the campfire, and breakfast.

As he sat, he asked around mouthfuls of food, "Need a hand with the plates?"

[stack]

"The cook is exempt from cleaning duties; an ancient and inviolable law." Tom intones solemnly before smiling. "It will be good to reach town though; too much town makes one long for the road, but enough time on the road makes a bath and bed much sweeter."

[Ierox]

"I don't mind cleaning." He'd be doing maintenance on his armor before they set out anyway - the dust of the road was hell on the metal.

"Think we'll make town today yeah? I could do with that."

As they pack up camp, he claps his now gauntleted hands together. "Right! The road beckons."

[CasualViking]

A few hours pass on the road. It's a beautiful day, and the birds are singing. The familiar cadence of the march has lulled most of you into timeless state of mind, your thoughts drifting to recent events in your lives, when suddenly the clang of metal on metal and the shrill whinnies of frightened horses can be heard from up ahead. As the road curves around the hills, a scene of battle comes into view some hundred feet away. Panicked horses bolt past, and corpses litter the ground around the road—some are recognizable as human guards or fallen horses, but others are twisted, winged, horned monstrosities with fiendish features.
All of the combatants have fallen, except for two of the flying yellow monsters attacking a lone, wounded half-orc woman wielding a bow.

[CasualViking]

https://cf.geekdo-images.com/images/pic1311467.png

[TheFederalist]

All it took to get a rise out of the trance-walking Katherine were the tell-tale sounds of combat, the signature screech that marked the combat of steel against itself, which immediately dropped her right out of her memories and back into the real world. She drew her blade from her sheath, and reached to her back, lifting up the absolutely massive shield at her back and wielding it forward, ready for whatever was to face them. Whether it was martial reliance or paranoia that dictated her constant possesion of armor on her body, it mattered not, as in this case it happened to be a boon.

She rushed forward towards the sounds, coming upon the scene of the battle she had heard, immediately frowning as she laid her eyes on the situation. At the moment, she gave no grace to what the creatures she was seeing were, only guessing they weren't human and that they were responsible for the unburied graveyard she could see.

Once she realized that there was still more to the battle, she rushed forward, hoping to aid the wounded woman against whatever horrors had ambushed the town.



I'm ASSUMING combat hasn't entirely started yet so I'm not declaring any combat actions, though I'll assume we've already got initiative rolled for the group? In any case, IF combat has already supposed to have started for us, then Katherine rushes to the closest yellow thingamajig that ain't normal, hitting it with Enduring Crane Strike after swift actioning into Silver Crane Waltz, if she can reach it with a normal move action.

Combat rolls, if they're needed.
IF they are. I'm unclear.

To Hit
[roll0] +6

Damage

[roll1] +2


Healing if needed

[roll2]


Also, a Knowledge Planes check for LATER to recognize what those things are.

[roll3] +8




EDIT: To clarify, the healing goes to the half orc woman

[Athaleon]

"Keep 'em busy, I'm moving around the side," Variel told the others. After a short pause, he vanished on the spot, but his tracks in the dirt would show that he was indeed moving into the fray.


Maneuvers Readied:
[VM, Counter] Inner Sense
[MC, Counter] Flowing Creek
[MC, Strike] Tidal Blade

Swift Action: Activate Veiled Moon Style
Standard Action: Cast Invisibility
Move Action: Move towards the combat, skirting around to the side slightly.

[stack]

Thomas follows, calling a blessing in his fellows.move 30 feet toward them on th path, staying near others as possible, cast serendipity (fate sphere to give everyone within range +1 att and saves

[Ierox]

"Hey! Demon!"

He runs towards the fight full tilt, shield in hand although his sword remains sheathed on his hip.

Taking a run action to move 20x3: 60ft. in a straight, as indicated by my new map token placement.
I'm denied my dex bonus because of the run action, Silver Crane Waltz is active by default.

Maneuvers
Flurry Strike(R)
Iron Shell(R)
Panther on the Hunt(R)
Enraging Strike(R)

Stance
Silver Crane Waltz(A)

Status
Init is +5
Hp is 34
AC is 23, T 12, FF 23
Reflex is +3

[CasualViking]

The first fiend screeches a challenge, climbs a few feet into the air, and charges right at Devin, swift as a hawk. Even running in armor, Devin easily fakes it out with a half-step to the side, and the nasty spear glances against his shield.

The other fiend follows just as swiftly. As it comes in for the strike, it puts a claw on its fellow fiend, gains a quick boost up, and strikes a glancing blow against Devin's armored shoulder. The creatures screech in unison and ready for another go at their hard-shelled adversary. Up close, it's apparent that they're closer to halfling-sized than man-sized.

The Half-Orc woman warily observes the situation, her longbow at the ready.

[Ierox]

Adopting an agressive posture, Devin lunges forward with his shield, repeatedly trying to slam the edge into the nearest creature's head.

Almost as an afterthought, he draws his sword.

Swift: Adopting Agressive Stance - 2AC, +1d6 damage.
Standard: Flurry Strike against "1".
Move: Draw longsword

Flurry Strike, Power Attack vs "1".
Shield bash 1: [roll0], [roll1]+[roll2]
Shield bash 2: [roll3], [roll4]+[roll5]
Flurry Strike
Discipline: Broken Blade (Strike); Level: 1
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature
Duration: Instant
DESCRIPTION
The disciple of the Broken Blade learns to maximize openings in his opponent’s defenses and makes lightning fast attacks whenever possible. As a standard action, the initiator may make two attacks at his full base attack bonus.

If one of the two attacks hit, I use Armiger's Mark as a free action, giving it -4 to hit anything but Devin for 3 rounds. Also some spell failure chance, but that's probably not relevant. It does autofail if they don't have at least 1 intelligence, though.

Status
Agressive Stance(A)
Flurry Strike(E)
Iron Shell(R) - He will not use this if he gets attacked on the next round, as he needs his upcoming swift action.
Panther on the Hunt(R)
Enraging Strike(R)

Init is +1
Hp is 34
AC is 19/8/19 (-2 agressive stance)
Ref is +1

Armiger's Mark 3/4

[CasualViking]

Devin's shield bash connects with a crunch and a sound like multiple cats yowling, and the creature wisely ducks back from the second blow and screams back at you.

[Athaleon]

Variel moved up around the nearby rock and in one motion, conjured his sword and thrust it at both creatures attacking Devin.


Move Action to go to the indicated spot (using Reaching Blade Stance to hit them from there)
Standard Action to activate Tidal Blade (drawing his sword as part of the action)

Same attack & damage vs both targets (Tidal Blade hits both targets for the same damage, if the attack roll beats the AC of either one)
Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2] + [roll3] (Precision Damage)

[CasualViking]

The fiends screech in outrage and pain, then drop dead. Both of them. Down the road, the half-orc woman lowers her bow, but keeps an arrow on the string. Strewn around her are multiple bodies, both fiend and human.

[Athaleon]

Variel put his sword away before letting the invisibility spell fall away. "Hah, that was a two-fer. Thanks for keeping 'em occupied." Looking at the scene just up the road, he motioned towards the bodies and asked the survivor, "friends of yours?"

[CasualViking]

"I....thank you?" she says, putting away her weapon. "The humans were battled. I help".

There are 6 dead devils, 5 dead humans, a dead horse and another corpse, dressed in a simple black robe; she was an orc-descended tiefling, with small horns on her sloping brow, a mane of crimson hair and knobby wings stumps on her shoulders.

[stack]

Tomas gets closer. Do you need any healing? Do you know anything about these creatures?"

[Ierox]

Devin sets about investigating the corpses, turning them over to see if anyones alive.

He half-heartedly kicks the tiefling's corpse with distain. "Wonder if that wasn't the leader. Fought a few cultists in my time, they're almost a worse lot than the demons."

[roll0]

[TheFederalist]

Having not made her way to the fiends fast enough, Katherine cursed at her inability to move up to the plate on time, although it seemed her new acquaintances seemed healthy enough in their production of battle. A quick glance at the creatures as she made her way to the last one standing, and she knew what they were. She spat at one of the bodies, moving up next to Variel, immediately claiming "Gaav. Disgusting things, but definitely not demonic. They're devils... but what seems most troublesome is that they're still here. That cultist or whatever she is didn't summon them, they were brought here. But a gate to Hell, this close to Lastwall? I do understand that the Worldwound and Belkzen are acting up once more, but this seems beyond absurd. Where ever we were headed before this, we ain't going anymore, because this is a threat to be dealt with immediately."

[CasualViking]

"I am Vegazi. These creatures came, battled the humans. I help." She is clearly pretty badly hurt. "We should get the humans to human town, is not very far.".

Everyone but Vegazi is dead.

[Ierox]

"Right," He turns back to the half-orc, "Right... I'm Devin, this is Katherine, that's Tomas and he's Varial." He points, hand open, to each person in turn.

"We really should take the corpses back to town, they'll want to bury their dead. Any chance we can fit them on your cart for a short while, Tomas?"

[TheFederalist]

"You... you did well, Vegazi. It's over, for now. It is unfortunate, but I fear the others are beyond help, but their souls now rest without suffering. Do not consider it a fault of your own, for the Devil is an opponent of cunning and strength beyond that of Man. But we had better make our way to the town, to either warn them or to regroup defense if they are already dealing with some form of invasion." Katherine says, her eyes looking over Vegazi with a tinge of softness, as she realized that perhaps the half-orc wasn't quite aware that the casualties around them were not simply unable to move, but dead.

[Athaleon]

Variel squinted at the half-orc's injuries. "Can any of you heal her before we get going? I'd do it but I can just about tie a bandage, on a good day, and my touch of the Power unfortunately doesn't help me there."

[stack]

Thomas raises a hand and approaches the woman. "Hold till, Vegazi." He makes a soft chant as his hand glows, touching a wound; the gash immediately begins to knit. 1 SP for cure w/ revitalize, fast heal 1 for 3 minutes

Turning to his companions, "Let us load the dead, there will be plenty of space. When we reach the town we can make further inquiries as to what could be going on, I think. This event is...disturbing. While I would not have the fallen looted, perhaps one carries some sign of what their purpose was? They were well enough armed, it seems."

[Ierox]

Devrin sets about loading the corpses, making sure their arms are folded and eyes closed. He also rifles through their possessions, looking for signs of their purpose, at Thomas' suggestion.

He comes up with a letter, and quickly opens it to read it. "Found something."


He stops to read, occasionally mouthing a word. "They were a patrol from town, it seems, looking for another patrol that had gone missing. They mention a 'Hell's Fury' tribe of orcs, which have diabolical connections. That's devils, right? Take silver to bleed? There was also supposed to be a female hunter around. Would that be you, Vegazi?"

He'll pass the letter along to anyone who wants to read it.

Wate,
The attacks on the borderlands around Arwyll Stead have obviously become more frequent and purposeful. I fear what the orcs of the Hell's Fury tribe are plotting - it can't be good, judging by their diabolical company.
My scouts and I have still not been able to locate the squad that went missing last week. As we discussed, I will continue searching along the banks of the Path River for any signs of our missing comrades before rendezvousing with you in town tomorrow morning.
-Terrin.
P.S. We are not alone in our search. I spotted an elusive hunter trailing my party for the past few days, though she is clearly benign, since she has had ample opportunity to kill us in our sleep. She hasn't made her presence known in a little while, and I would not be surprised if you spotted her as well.

[Athaleon]

"Never known Orcs to fall in with the likes of Devils before, but I wouldn't put it past them," he sighed. "I don't know what all your plans were, but it seems to me, my services are about to be in higher demand around here: Orcs in need of puttin' down, as always, plus the good guys are down at least two squads of scouts. So I'll be sticking around after we bring the bad news."

[CasualViking]

Vegazi.
"Yes. I have... watched them for days." She hesitates. "Not to kill", she hurriedly adds, scanning your eyes for confirmation that you understand her. "She was Hell's Fury" she says, pointing at the tiefling. She shrugs, patting her bloodied clothes. "Thank you for the fight-again", she tells Thomas. "I will follow you to the human town, tell what happened".

[TheFederalist]

Katherine looked over to Variel with a sniff, her mind considering the plausible meanings of what they had now discovered. "This does not bode well. Demons and Orcs already besiege Lastwall, and the Undead plague Ustalav yet. If orcs were to bring devils into this... Iomedae protect us, we're in for more than a scrap. Come, let's leave immediately." SHE said, before heading over to help load the bodies into the cart, muttering a prayer everytime she picked up a fallen fighter.

[stack]

"Indeed, the sooner we reach town the better." Thomas agrees as he helps load bodies.

[Athaleon]

Variel didn't react at all to Katherine's disdain, and said nothing as he helped load the bodies.

[CasualViking]

Several hours later, you approach Arwyll Stead. Any last preparations before you approach the gate?http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WqjrkBV0A0Y/VgQdPfxcG2I/AAAAAAAAEms/EELgLxSx57E/s1600/arwyllstead02.jpg

[stack]

"Best we head straight on, yeah? I expect the gate guards will want to hear an explanation of the bodies." Thomas tries to ignore the growing stink.

[Athaleon]

"Right. Hopefully they direct us straight to the cemetery." Variel was no stranger to death and decay, but that didn't make him any more enthusiastic about carting these bodies around.

[CasualViking]

As you reach the gates, the guards halt you while one of them runs off to fetch a superior. Citizens start lining up to gawk at your grisly payload, but one of the guards keeps them at a distance from your cart. Soon after, the guard returns with a sweaty, paunchy man.

"I am Darryl Proum, Mayor of Arwyll Stead." He looks over the corpses. "Oh heavens, no, nonono" he mutters to himself. "You should come with me, so we can talk about this in private. Please, accompany me to Arwyll Estate. Are any of you hurt?".

He pulls one of the guards aside and mutters something to him.

[stack]

Thomas gives a nod of appreciation, "Thank you; no, the only wounds have been tended."re: Darryl Proum
local [roll0] [roll1] take best (spiritualism hedgewitch)
nobility [roll2] [roll3] take best, can make untrained (spiritualism hedgewitch)

[CasualViking]

Darryll Proum may be the Mayor of Arwyll Stead, but the leaders of the town have always been the Arwyll family. Their heraldry is "a badger, standing his ground". Like the heraldry on the well-equipped corpse.

[CasualViking]

You arrive at Arwyll Estate, an imposing stone structure hung with banners. Mayor Proum asks you: "Travelers. I know it's asking a lot, but can I trouble you to bring the deceased into the dining room? Eben, Oron, help them out please. "

The two guards shrug, and one of them picks up a corpse, carrying him over the shoulder, while the older man walks ahead and opens the door for him.

[stack]

Thomas gives a brief bow. "Greetings, of course we will help. We regret the occasion is a dark one."

[CasualViking]

The oaken dinner table sags under the weight of the deceased, and the older guardsman covers them with a tablecloth. Meanwhile, in the parlor, two people have joined the mayor. One of them, a tall man in his late forties, in immaculate red robes and neatly groomed (albeit greying) beard and mustache, introduces himself as "Gallus Crevac, formerly of Cheliax, current curator of the Red Archive". The other, an elderly woman with a wrinkled face and a head full of curly grey hair, dressed in the vibrant colors of classic Ustalav style, introduces herself as Shovann Orda. "And this magnificent creature" - a decrepit own perched on her shoulder - "is my familiar Faydor".

"Together, we are sort of the informal governing council of Arwyll stead", Mayor Proum says, casting a glance at the fourth, empty chair in the study. "Now, please tell us who you are and what happened". He brings a pitcher of wine and places glasses in front of each of you.

[Athaleon]

"I'm Variel. Freelancer, until recently under contract to the army of Lastwall. I was traveling with Thomas, Katherine, and Devrin," he indicated each, "for mutual safety on my way to find employment, when we came across the hunter, Vegazi, fighting a pair of small, winged devils. We finished the creatures off in short order, and went to check on the bodies in the road. These men," he gestured at the coverings on the table, "were all dead when we got there, along with several more minor devils and one cultist, looked like a female Orc with Tiefling features. The hunter was in bad shape but we patched her up."

[TheFederalist]

Katherine had stayed mostly with the bodies the entire trip, muttering scripture the entire way, her hand on the bodies. Though she had been stripped of much of her holy authority, it was her duty not as a warrior, but as a servant of Iomedae, to commend the bodies to death with scripture until they were given the proper rites. Therefore, she had stayed to herself, reciting scripture under her breath until she entered the parlor, and saw the others enter. The Mayor seemed to be somewhat understanding of the situation, and so she guessed that perhaps the town had been dealing with this problem for a while, but as was obvious, was not under siege, and therefore he did not trouble himself as much as he should've.

She nodded as Variel described as to how they had come upon the bodies and combat. Once he had finished, she pitched in with "Mayor, I must add that these devils were not mere summons, but had been brought to our lands with an intent to stay. Lastwall has not anticipated a devil invasion, so if you have dealt with this sort of incursion before, then I ask that you immediately send word to Lastwall."

[CasualViking]

"Devils, you say", Gallus Crevac interrupts. "Are you sure about that? Not Demons? They're not the same thing, you know".

[stack]

"Gaav specifically. And our hunter friend said the dead woman was of the Hell's Fury tribe, so..." Tom shrugs. "Have you had these troubles before?"

[Athaleon]

"How long have they been called the Hell's Fury tribe, anyway?" Variel looked to the others in case they might know. "The name can't be an accident."

[CasualViking]

Gallus Crevac responds: "Ah, I see. Crusader training? I'm glad you're here, then. That aside, it's no surprise that devils were involved. We have had reports of fiend sightings for a while now. Wate was on his way to Vigil to request assistance from the Knights of Ozem".

Darrel Proum: "Hell's Fury, though. That's an old name. At least a decade, probably more. I guess we learned the name from a skirmish or some graffiti or somesuch. I think we were worried back then, but nothing much ever came of it, just the usual orc raiders. We haven't seen any actual infernal influence until now".

Shovaan Orda: "What about you, orc-blood?". The question comes across as a clear slur. "What's your part in all this?".

[CasualViking]

Vegazi hesitates for a moment.

[TheFederalist]

Katherine frowns as the other few people in the room seemed to interject their wants and opinions while the Mayor spoke. What right had they over the clear ruler?

She didn't like it, but since the Mayor clearly deferred to them... for whatever reason, she shrugged it off. But what really provoked her was the aggression with which Vegazi was referred to. She had served with countless others of her kind in Lastwall, blade brothers and sisters without whom she could've been slain.

So she interjected right as Vegazi seemed to hesitate, quoting "He who stands by me, shall be my brother. The Second Miraculous Act of Iomedae, scripture 4. Vegazi helped... those who have departed fight the Gaav. She helped us fight the hell come creatures, and shed blood for you. That's her story, and by the code I obey, that is on what I trust her."

[CasualViking]

Darryl Proum butts in before Shovaan can reply "Please, forgive my friend's outburst. The death of Wate Arwyll weighs heavily on us all in these dark times."

Vegazi clears her throats and speaks, her inflection indicating that she's been working on the sentence for some time: "The one in black commanded the Fire-Belows. The Devils. The ...Devils called friends, other small... Devils. Fox-sized. Wings and tails. Poison."

Gallus nods along. "Mmh. Imps. Makes sense" and goes back to taking notes. Shovaan gets up from her chair. "I should see to the dead summoner, then!" she exclaims, glancing at the Mayor.

[stack]

Thomas holds back his interjection, his companion responding eloquently before he forms a retort. "So no attacks directly on the town then, only against patrols?"

[CasualViking]

Mayor Proum: "Oh, the orcs have attacked us plenty. In the last few weeks, they have - I'm sorry, Vegazi, may I see that ring you're wearing?"

[CasualViking]

Vegazi doesn't seem surprised at the question. "It was a gift. When I was little, I took the slaves from an Orc camp. Sent them home. One of them gave me this".

The ring is a signet ring, bearing a boar and the letters "A.A.".

Darryl Proum clears his throat. "That is an ....extraordinary tale. Certainly not one the late Adil ever shared with me. ". Seeing Shavoon coming back into the room, he quickly picks up. "But then again, I wasn't his closest friend and confidante either". He turns to Katherine and Tom. "Anyways, it's going to take me a little while to get a reward together for you folks' fne deed".

[Ierox]

"I'm sorry mayor - you were going to tell us about the attacks?" Devin tries to guide the conversation back on track.

[TheFederalist]

"Yes, let us put the idea of a reward on the back of the wagon until we can figure out what seems to be the problem and how we can deal with it." said Katherine, agreeing with Devin's move.

[Athaleon]

"I'm no expert, but these were bigger than imps. About halfling-sized," Variel corrected.

[CasualViking]

Vegazi: "Yes. The ones you killed were half-sized. They had other ones, small like foxes, that disappeared when they died". Gallus nods at her explanation.

The mayor gets back to your questions: "Yes, the orcs have been unusually active lately, attacking outlying farms and moving around in force. I don't think there has been any actual attacks by infernal forces, until now. Actually, our scoutmaster Terrin Shaw is due back tomorrow. What do you say to staying at our finest inn and meeting with him in the morning?"

[Ierox]

Devin hesitates. He was headed home, can't help but think of the friends and family he was that close to seeing again.

Still, he was needed here. If he ran now, he knew that his return would leave a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

That settled it. "I'd be happy to stay and help where I can."

[stack]

"I am happy to help as well." Thomas nods, mind momentarily flickering form the dread of the meaning of the attacks to thoughts of a nice bed.

[TheFederalist]

Katherine had no real destination, as she had simply moved away from Lastwall with the intention of mindless roaming, fighting what evil she could hear of or find, and it seems that the evil had come to her. This was no route to redemption, but simply part of her duty at this point. So it was without hesitation that she responded to the Mayor, saying calmly "I will help hunt down the source of these attacks gladly, for it would be the will of Iomedae. Rest on a bed is well appreciated, Mayor, for we slept on stones and squirrels til now."

[Athaleon]

"Thanks for the bed. I can stick around after," Variel nodded. "But just so we're clear in advance, I don't work for free."

[CasualViking]

Shovaan hands Vegazi two items: The feather necklace from the black-clad devil-orc, and a scroll. "I've looked over your prizes, Vegazi. These feathers are magic. These two create small birds, to send messages. This one creates a whip that fights on it's own. The scroll is Divination magic, I haven't studied it long enough to determine exactly what kind." Vegazi seems surprised at this. She hands the feather token necklace to Katherine, and holds out the scroll questioningly.

[CasualViking]

Mayor Proum: "I suppose I should just come right out and tell you this. One of the men lying on the table in the next room is Wate Arwyll. A brave young man, a symbol of the spirit of the town, and a friend to many of us. He was also the last Arwyll. Not only does his death hurt me, and my friends, but coming at such a troubled time for the town? That's bad. His father Adil died some years ago, and young Wate had neither brothers nor children."

[Athaleon]

"Last of his line, huh? Well, at least his name lives on in the town," Variel said awkwardly, by way of consolation. "I'll raise a glass in his honor, at the very least."


Just a heads up, I will likely be unable to post until Saturday afternoon.

[TheFederalist]

Katherine took the feather that Vegazi was holding out to her, holding it in her outstretched palm, as if to weigh the feather. For a second, she did not move, and then suddenly stuck it into her armor, into one of the many rims that it had.

"Blessed are the souls of the faithful departed, so I would not worry for him, for he is surely resting peacefully now. He died as one might hope to, in defense of home and hearth. But I do not understand... how it bodes unwell for the town more so than the loss of a member of the township?"

[stack]

Thomas bows his head in sympathy.

[CasualViking]

Shovaan: "Kathrine, dear. The arwylls founded Arwyll Stead. They have always stood in defense of the town. They have been the beacon we rallied around. But with no more Arwylls...I fear the town will never be the same".

Mayor Proum: "Yes. And while I can certainly do my best to maintain peace in Arwyll Stead as the town’s official mayor, Steaders are a notoriously stubborn lot and aren’t likely to defer their loyalty to someone not of the Arwyll line. In truth, I am leader in name only, and the town likely needs a new hero to look to."

"But, all in all, I think we should all take a good night's sleep. I certainly need it, and you have certainly earned it".

[CasualViking]

The best inn in Arwyll Stead is the Blissful Badger. In the middle, the bar connects the two-story Inn to the open common room of the Tavern, where the kitchen faces a smattering of tables and a small stage, currently unoccupied. The proprietor, a dwarven woman named Isald: "Welcome to the Blissful Badger, travelers. I hear you're here on Darrel's purse tonight? Well, I have three rooms available upstairs: two rooms with two beds facing east, and the married folk's room, facing west. No drunken loutishness in the rooms. Dinner is mutton in shroom sauce with turnips. The beer is strong, so watch yourself. The stage is open if you want to play for tips or something.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/18/35/c2/1835c2aec8c15fc473fe7701bf9fa6ad.jpg

[Athaleon]

"You heard right. Dinner and a beer sound delicious, thank you, but I'll leave the stage open. I'm gonna go wash up, it's been a long day." Variel left briefly to do just that, before taking a seat at one of the tables.

[stack]

"Unless there is a local fondness for the dulcet sounds of tormented felines, I shall restrain myself to a meal and a bed." Thomas gives a small, self effacing smile.

[Ierox]

"A wash sounds like heaven." Devin follows Variel's example.

When he heads down again, it's freshly shaven and without the armor, although his boots remain metal-clad. His hair is still dripping a little bit of water on his white shirt.

He sighs with pleasure as he takes a seat, and his first sip of beer. Looking around at his companions, he raises his mug in toast. "Here's to the living, and the dead." It's more of a pronouncement than a cheer, and he makes sure to look each of his new companions in the face as he raises his drink.

[TheFederalist]

"... and to victories to come, to avenge one and protect the other." Katherine replied, abstaining from the alcohol in favor of simply clear water, to Devin's toast. She did not take part in the toast, being no woman of the brew, but she went along with what he was proposing even so.

[stack]

Thomas joins the toast, lifting mug in agreement.

[Athaleon]

Variel raised his mug with the rest, and drank a good third of his glass before setting it down and starting eagerly on the food.

[CasualViking]

As you're finishing up dinner, some of you into your second mug of good beer, you notice a small group of people, local tradesmen by the look of them, who are eyeing you and discussing something in whispers.

[stack]

Thomas nods toward the group. "Seems we are the topic of the evening's discussion. Not surprising, given recent events and the size of the town. A group such as ours is bound to be noticed. Shall we say hello?"

[TheFederalist]

A quick glance over gave Katherine what she needed to know, and gruffly said "I say let it be. Glory is not something we have achieved yet, and the other option... can only lead to a fight."

[Athaleon]

"If they got a problem with us, let them make the first move. Else they can go get ploughed for all I care," Variel said softly.

[CasualViking]

The locals manage to sort out the selection process, and a tall, roundfaced man with terribly unkempt red har shuffles over. "So... I hear you folks brought some dead bodies in today? Up to Arwyll Manor? Who was it?".

[Ierox]

"The council should really probably answer that question, sorry."

[CasualViking]

The inquirer - and his rubberneckning friends - don't seem to thrilled with the answer, but they return to beer-drinking and muttering and break up not much later.

[CasualViking]

Later that evening...

Perception checks!
Katherine and Vegazi in the room where things are happening automatically pass.
Tomas and Devin in the next room, DC 12 (+10 DC for sleeping already included)
Varial across the hall, DC 23.

[stack]

[roll0] Tom hears...?

[CasualViking]

As the shutters creak open, Kathrine and Vegazi both groggily bolt upright in their beds. A cackling like demented overactive children fill the room, seemingly out of nowhere. But suddenly, a sharp pain pierces Katherine's shield arm, as an imp appears midair, it's tail spike wet with blood. Another imp appears next to Vegazi, who shouts in pain or surprise.

[CasualViking]

Vegazi slashes at one of the fiends with her shortsword. The blow connects, and the monster quiets for a second. Then it realizes that it's unhurt, and resumes cackling.

[Ierox]

Devin comes awake at the commotion in the other room. They'd had drills for this sort of thing, in the worldwound, and he had been on the defending part of a nightly ambush two times. Still, the proccess of going from deep sleep to combat in seconds got no less jarring.

He rolled out of bed, grabbed his shield and unsheathed his sword from their place beside the nightstand, and ran out, barefoot, in the direction of the sound of fighting.

Move: get up and grab weapons.
Move: Move in direction of the noise.
Swift: Activate Silver Crane Waltz (+2 Insight to AC & Ref, +4 initiative)

Current AC is 14, T12 (+2 Shield, +2 Insight)

Readied:
Flurry Strike
Panther on the Hunt
Iron Shell
Enraging Strike

[CasualViking]

Devin fumbles in the dark but manages to undo the latch on the door and push it open, looking out into the dimly lit hallway.

[stack]

Thomas is sleeping lightly, sleeping mind uneasy as it churns over the implication of the day. He wakes quickly at the disturbance, giving thanks for his road-worn habit of keeping his mail on. He sits upright then heads toward the sound.move to get up, move toward the sound. Not grabbing buckler or staff"What is going on? Hello?" He calls as he enters the hall.

[Athaleon]

Variel tossed and turned a bit in his sleep, oblivious to the fighting across the hall.

[TheFederalist]

Despite her unarmed state, Katherine shrugged off the poison and only took a minor bleeding hit upon being attacked, which only.served to wake her up. She grabbed her sword as she got up, and yelled as she attacked back at the closest attacker, hoping to defeat it's guard, making it open to another attack from Vegazi. Or so she hoped, at least. She lead out with a loud roar as she did so, calling out whatever her vocal chord could produce, to wake herself and others up.


Move action to get up action and retrieve weapon
Swift action for using Encouraging Roar
Attack is Hunting Party
[roll0]
[roll1]

[CasualViking]

The imps flit around, laughing and making faces. They stab at Vegazi, and at Katherine again.

attack [roll0], damage [roll1]. Poison save DC 13..

Vegazi flinches and grunts as she gets stung again. She dumps her sword on the floor, grabs her bow, then undoes the latch on the door and steps out in the hall.

[stack]

Thomas dashes towards the door until he can see the imp. He gathers a ball of light in his hand and hurls it with a shout. explosive orb (small version from orb expert)

[roll0] untyped ref 15 half, fort 15 or all creatures have concealment 20% 1 round

[Athaleon]

Variel awoke abruptly to a muffled yell, and instinctively vanished before he was even on his feet.


Assuming move action to get up, standard to use Invisibility.

[Ierox]

Passing Vegazi and Thomas in the doorway, Devin closes in on the creature that was just attacking the woman.

He does his level best to put himself between the creature and the rest of the party, keeping its attention on him with a wide swing. If his sword finds home, green vines sprout from the wound, winding themselves around the foe.

Move in, take a standard action to use Enraging Strike, & Power attack.

Enraging Strike

Discipline: Iron Tortoise (Strike); Level: 2
Initiation Action: 1 standard action
Range: Melee attack
Target: One creature of Intelligence 1 or higher.
Saving Throw: Will partial

DESCRIPTION

The defensive nature of the Iron Tortoise teaches the disciple to protect his allies, and to do so, he must focus the attentions of his foes on him. Make a melee attack, and if successful, the strike inflicts an additional 10 points of damage. The aggravating pain of this wound can cause a foe to react violently against the initiator, forcing it to make a Will save (DC 12 + initiation modifier) or it must attack him at its next available action. This attack must be a melee attack if the target his anything in hand that could be used as a weapon or an improvised weapon (this includes bows wielded as clubs, and natural weapons), otherwise he may choose a different attack method, but he must attack the initiator. Additionally, he gains a -2 penalty to attack the initiator of this strike due to the anger incited by the initiator.

[roll0], [roll1], add +2 to both attack & damage if he was within range of Katherine's Encouraging Roar.

If he hits, the target must make a will save DC 15 or be forced to attack Devin (see the maneuver's text in the spoiler above).

If he hits, Devin will also use a swift action to use his Plant Blessing. It makes the target entangled for 1 round (ref DC 14 negates).
The character is ensnared. Being entangled impedes movement, but does not entirely prevent it unless the bonds are anchored to an immobile object or tethered by an opposing force. An entangled creature moves at half speed, cannot run or charge, and takes a –2 penalty on all attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity. An entangled character who attempts to cast a spell must make a concentration check (DC 15 + spell level) or lose the spell.

Finally, if he hits, he'll mark the creature with Armiger's Mark as a free action. It basically just gives -4 to hit against any target other than Devin for 3 (wis modifier) rounds.

Marked targets suffer a -4 penalty to attack rolls against foes that are not the warder, and arcane spellcasters suffer an increase in arcane spell failure of 10% + 1% per two warder levels until the mark expires.

Resources:
Silver Crane Waltz active.
34/34 hp
AC is 14, T 12.
Enraging Strike is expended.

If he hits:
1/4 blessings per day used
1/4 marks per day used.

Obviously, he can't use either of those if he misses.

[CasualViking]

The blast of light elicits a swear in high-pitched infernal. Devin feels his blade whistle cleanly through the air and failing to connect with anything in the dimly lit room.

The room is dimly lit (the hallway is on the dark side of normal) from light coming up the stairs), and Devin misses on the miss chance. One of the imps took damage and was partially blinded by the flash orb. Vegazi is in the square right outside the door, Tomas next to her.

[TheFederalist]

Further annoyed by the creatures' dodging of her strike, and their constant attempts at harming her, Katherine raised her sword high, gripping with both hands, as she leaned further onto her backfoot and struck once more.



Swift action to change into the Silver Crane Waltz Style, so +2 to AC and +2 to reflex saves.
AC of 12 now then

Attack action for a two handed Enduring Crane Strike

[roll0]
[roll1]
Healing roll to Katherine: [roll2]
EDIT: TO clarify, I'm attacking the same creature as last time. Also, the healing goes to Katherine, so I'm topped up again.

[CasualViking]

Katherine manages to connect with one of the fiends, but the infernal ittering doesn't stop. Both fiends swoop through the small room, out through the door, to stab at Vegazi again. With blood dripping down her arms from multiple small wounds, Vegazi manages to put a silver arrow in one of the fiends, getting an angry scream in return.

Katherine hits but fails to penetrate DR, the healing still happens. The imps both provoke AoO from both Devin and Katherine, with a 20% miss chance for darkness.

[stack]

Thomas fumbles toward Devin, calling out the blessing of the light, enveloping the knight it a brilliant glow. In fact,, the light seems to move with him, as if a physical thing.encompassing light on Devin, planning to concentrate to keep bright light up. He gains a virtual size increase (weapon deals damage as if 1 larger, reach increased 5 ft

Encompassing Light (light)

You may create bright light that encompasses the glowing creature, allowing it to function as if it were larger than it is. The glowing creature deals damage and gains reach as if it were 1 size category larger than it is. This improves to 2 size categories at 10th caster level, and 3 size categories at 20th caster level.

[Ierox]

Devin swings at the imp as it flaps past him.

AoO, Power Attack:[roll0], [roll1]
If he hits, there's still concealment: [roll2], 1-20 is a miss.
If, after all that, he still manages to hit and deal damage through the DR, he'll expend an Armiger's Mark, (which is a free action he can do even if it isn't his turn) to give the imp -4 to hit anything that isn't Devin.

[Athaleon]

Variel moved swiftly and silently to the door, unlatched it as quietly as he could, and moved out into the hallway wondering if the suspicious townies were causing trouble for the others.


Move action to move to the door, move action to open it, using the rest of his movement to go towards the fight.

[TheFederalist]

Katherine's slightly sluggish mind began to work itself out of sleep, fueled by the annoyance that these imps were causing, and her inability to piece their hard skin with any noticeable damage. These hellborn were pathetic, but dodged like champs, and it was beyond infuriating for Katherine. Seeing an opening, she lashed out against the imp, and then proceeded to channel her thought towards Vegazi. Whatever these imps wanted, was with Vegazi, and she wasn't having any of it. With a sudden glow (surprising to Katherine as well, who believed that her divine powers had been greatly stripped), a tiny barrier formed around Vegazi, protecting her to an extent.

Katherine then ran out of the room, to attack the imp that Vegazi had just injured.



AoO
[roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
[roll2] (Lower than 20 means a miss)

Free action use of Guardian's Shield on Vegazi so she gets 6 HP
Move action to move out of the room
Standard action attack on the wounded imp

[roll3]
[roll4]

[Ierox]

Devin lashes out twice with the edge of his shield, the light around him transmitting the movement. He's aiming for the most wounded imp.

Swift: transition to Agressive Stance. (-2 AC, adds +1d6 damage to attacks, AC is now 10.)
Use Flurry Strike
Power Attack, Cover, Shield Bash1: [roll0], [roll1]+[roll2]
Power Attack, Cover, Shield Bash1: [roll3], [roll4]+[roll5]

[CasualViking]

One Imp flies to attack Devin (provoking AoO from Devin, Katherine and Variel), (AC 21, 3 damage, fort DC 13).

The other Imp stabs at Vegazi again, but doesn't draw blood. Vegazi stumbles back into Variel and awkwardly misses the other imp.

[Ierox]

Longsword AoO: [roll0] for [roll1]+[roll2]

[TheFederalist]

AoO

[roll0]
Damage
[roll1]

[Ierox]

FortVdc13[roll0]
AC 10
Hp 31/34

[Athaleon]

In a flash, Variel's weapon was in hand as he aimed a savage two-handed thrust at the imp flying past. He cursed softly as Vegazi bumped into him, but edged around her and thrust at the imp flitting about the hunter.


Attack of Opportunity: [roll0]
AoO Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

Attacking the one on Vegazi: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4] + [roll5]

[CasualViking]

The imp menacing Vegazi falls to the floor, no longer laughing, and only the imp attack Devin is still fighting.

[stack]

Thomas maintains his chant, the light continuing to stream from his ally.

[CasualViking]

As Katherine suddenly slumps over, apparently harder hit by the infernal poison than she had let on, Devin rushes to catch her. The last imp laughs mockingly, then gurgles its last as a stranger steps into the hallway and dispatches it.

(that stranger will be along to introduce him- or herself shortly, I think).

[Elder Inheritor]

The human woke with a start. He felt something... off. As he stood and put on his heirloom peacock and sawn feather cape of the little-known Arclight wizards, he heard annoying laughter. He opened his door, stepping out in his nightgown and mantle to see a few people in the hall. His right eyebrow raised up he saw the laughing imp darting about. He jumped out and poked its stinger, as his wrists began to form dark rings, like manacles. When the creature gave a start, he flicked the shadowy cuffs around its throat.

As he stepped over the strangled imp, he delivered a slight (though articulate) bow, saying, "Perhaps not the best time for interruption, but I like to think that having less poison in a fellow's veins is best. Pleasure to meet you. I'm James."

[Athaleon]

Variel put away his weapon before dropping his spell, and suddenly appeared visible before the newcomer. "Variel. Thanks for the help. Think you can do anything about the poison already in her veins?"

[Elder Inheritor]

James shuffles his feet a bit, then ducks into his room to grab something. A moment later, he hands Variel a vial.

"Won't do much since you're already feeling the effects, but it's better than nothing. At the least, it'll keep it from getting worse."

He stands straight once the vial's been taken.

"I try to keep one or two vials of antitoxin around in case I think I'll be going somewhere with poisonous plants, ants, or scorpions. Don't know if it'll help a lot against devil work..."

[stack]

Thomas holds up a hand to pause the exchange, letting the bright glow fade to a more torch-like intensity. "I should be able to deal with the poison if you give me a moment. Probably best to save the vials for emergencies. Good to meet one well prepared regardless though." He concentrates for a moment, then chants and lays a had on Katherine.spiritualism tradition power to grab restore health, then restore, make a MSD check against the poison DC [roll0]

also restores [roll1] dex.

if the first one fails, [roll2], [roll3], [roll4]

[CasualViking]

You all hear thumping noises, the sound of splintering wood and furniture being knocked around, interspersed with weird moaning, coming from downstairs.

[Elder Inheritor]

"Two full hours of sleep, imps to kill, no hangover, and noises from campfire stories bandying about downstairs? This my lucky night? Oh joy."

James will calmly move to go downstairs... After anyone else, if they happen to be alacritous.

[stack]

Thomas takes a moment to reignite the brilliant light streaming from Devin, then follows toward the sound. concentrating for bright light again, move action toward the sound. Devin has reach + damage as if large again

[Athaleon]

"Oh, no, I didn't get poisoned—" Variel stopped as soon as he heard the commotion downstairs, and vanished again before going down to investigate.

[CasualViking]

As you sneak down the stairs to investigate, Vegazi and Katherine stay behind to recover. Waddling out from a bedchamber is a dwarf-height creature, naked and almost conical in its flabbyness. It's flesh is hanging down so you can't see it's feet, and it has no distinction between body, neck and head, just a face in between rolls of dirty skin. It drinks greedily from a chamber pot while dragging a stained bedsheet behind it with the other hand.

[stack]

Thomas studies the creature, searching his memory...planes [roll0][roll1]
religion [roll2][roll3]

misc, adjust as needed [roll4][roll5]

SPiritualism - roll twice, can make knowledge checks untrained

[CasualViking]

Thomas studies the creature, searching his memory...planes [roll0][roll1]
religion [roll2][roll3]

misc, adjust as needed [roll4][roll5]

SPiritualism - roll twice, can make knowledge checks untrained

It's a Lemure Devil, the lowest of the low. Immune to fire and poison, resistant to cold and acid, some sort of DR around Silver and/or Good. Most notably, it is also Mindless.

[CasualViking]

It doesn't notice Variel, and it doesn't seem to pay any attention to the light coming around the corner and moving closer, but as Devin pops his head around the corner for a look, it spots him and growls.

[Athaleon]

Uh oh, looks like the jig is up. Variel rushed straight at the creature with his sword, blinking invisibly past obstacles as he jabbed at the obscene-looking creature.


Same maneuvers readied as before:
[VM, Counter] Inner Sense
[MC, Counter] Flowing Creek
[MC, Strike] Tidal Blade

Charging the Lemure, using Veiled Moon Style to teleport through obstacles if necessary. If he still can't charge he will just move up and do a normal attack.
Attack: [roll0] +2 Charge, +2 Invisibility
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

If it attacks Variel and gets through the miss chance, he will use Flowing Creek to try and evade: [roll3] Perform (Dance) vs incoming attack roll.

[stack]

Deciding his energy may be needed for healing, Thomas maintains his concentration on the light to better enable his allies to dispatch the creature. standard to concentrate, move to move if anyone needs him out of the way

[CasualViking]

Uh oh, looks like the jig is up. Variel rushed straight at the creature with his sword, blinking invisibly past obstacles as he jabbed at the obscene-looking creature.


Same maneuvers readied as before:
[VM, Counter] Inner Sense
[MC, Counter] Flowing Creek
[MC, Strike] Tidal Blade

Charging the Lemure, using Veiled Moon Style to teleport through obstacles if necessary. If he still can't charge he will just move up and do a normal attack.
Attack: [roll0] +2 Charge, +2 Invisibility
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

If it attacks Variel and gets through the miss chance, he will use Flowing Creek to try and evade: [roll3] Perform (Dance) vs incoming attack roll.


The foul, oily mass of flesh screams and gurgles, but remains standing. Through the corner of your eye, you spot another fiend just like it down the corridor.

[Elder Inheritor]

James moves around the corner to get vision of the monster, then gives a sigh at the dismal creatures in front of him. He manifests his shadowy manacles again to flick them at the lemure he can see.

Ranged touch attack [roll0] and damage [roll1], and on a hit the creature has a -1 penalty to Will saves against illusion sphere abilities for one minute

[CasualViking]

The fiend shrieks like an angry toddler and claws aggressively in Variel's direction. It gets lucky, and only a split-second dance step saves Variel from a nasty gash.

[CasualViking]

A second fiend shuffles around the corner, seemingly attracted by the light, and promptly gets it's throat cut by Variel and falls down in a spray of gore.

[stack]

With one fiend wounded and the other dispatched, Thomas keeps his concentration steady.I am being stingy with my SP, they have to last all day!

[Athaleon]

Variel smiled with satisfaction as the newcomer went down almost as soon as it arrived, but invisible or not, he knew better than to call out in triumph just yet. He turned back to the first one, the one that nearly hit him if not for some fancy footwork, and jabbed the steel spike at it once more.


Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

[CasualViking]

The other fiend goes down gurgling as well. More screams issue from the common room (off to the right).

[stack]

"Hurry, there may be more!" Thomas calls, heading toward the sounds.

[Elder Inheritor]

James sighed and followed the healer.

[Athaleon]

Variel moved silently towards the common room, pausing a moment to regain his focus after putting down the two grotesque foes.


Standard Action to recover his spent maneuver, then moving towards the common room.

[CasualViking]

Inside the common room, tables are overturned and chairs knock over, as the last patrons flee out the door, except one who turns to face the devils. Two host devils, like the one you fouhgt on the road, are flying around the room, screaming something in Infernal.

[stack]

Thomas rounds the corner of the bar, calling upon the blessing of above to guide their fate.move into the room, hanging back a bit but keeping the others in range, casting serendipity (20' radius on self, all allies get +1 luck to attack, saves, skills, + ability checks)

[Necroticplague]

Having experience having dealing with combat before, Timor does not flee at the sight of the grotesque mass of flesh. Instead, she merely takes a moment to step back, an energetic and oversized mimicry of her weapon coalescing from her energies. With the massive weigh of this thing, she then takes a moment to focus as sigils appear across her arms to steady their ability to aim it.
Free: 5 foot step back.
Move: Summon Bound Double Hackbut
Swift: Enter Elemental Nimbus stance.
Standard: Cast spell. Transformation Sphere (Shapeshift: Blank Form (Powerful Arms, Glow*)
*= With Encompassing Light and Black Light applied.

Current Anima: 4
-Granted Maneuvers: Clockwatcher, Spark Strike, [roll0]
(1=Steady Hand, 2= dimensional strike, 3=Horizon Wind Lancet).
Active Element: Earth.

[Athaleon]

Variel advanced around the corner, and moved forward to cover his allies if anything should be attracted to the noise they were making.


Moved into the hallway and ready an action to attack an enemy that comes near him.

[Elder Inheritor]

James followed Variel, making to see if there were any creatures besides Lemures that he could deal with more effectively. He sighed again, and folded his arms. Momentarily lost in thought, he almost didn't pay attention to the devils. Almost.

Moved to current position, then readied an action to throw Shadowstuff at a Lemure who gets within 20 feet of himself.

[CasualViking]

The first devil (the one currently by the door) swoops forward (provoking an attack of opportunity from Variel and a readied action from James), and grapples the patron who had the temerity not to flee (Timor), getting a vice grip with the talons on both feet on his arms and shoulders. [grappled]

The other one swoops around, flying over the bar before approaching James and casually spearing him, although he manages to twist away from the worst of it [3 damage]

[Elder Inheritor]

"Look out!"
James launches his shadowy manacles, shortly before flinging himself mostly out of the way of a spear swipe.


Touch attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]
If successful, suffers a -1 penalty to Will saves against all the fey adept’s sphere abilities for 1 minute.

[Necroticplague]

With finding herself much closer to the rancid pile of fl she than anyone would like to be, her own concentration on maintaining her mightier heft is lost. Not being one for getting quiete this close, she decides to take a gamble on what she already has, using one hand to hold it off while the other performs the difficult task of trying to swing the massive thing towards the devil's body before a loud bang and an acrid scent is produced.


Free: Animus Ammunition to load my Hackbut.
Standard: Initiate Spark Strike to Fire hackbut one-handed at the Lemure grappling Timor. Using Augmented Maneuver for +2 attack.
Attack: vs. touch AC. Damage: [roll1] bludgeoning and piercing+[roll2] acid
Knocked Prone afterwards
Animus: 4
Granted Maneuvers: Clockwatcher, Spark Strike, Steady Hand, [roll1d2 (1 dimensional strike, 2 horizon wind lancet.

[stack]

(Didn't realize I could edit the map last round, so I moved Thomas to reflect last round's movement. Puts him in a worse spot, actually, since now he has to cast defensively.)

Thomas cringes back and attempts to call a burst of light behind the nearest creature.explosive orb radiant blast centered to only hit the beastie

concentration check to cast defensively [roll0] vs DC 17 :smalleek:

damage [roll1] untyped and reflex save DC 16 for half, fort save DC 16 or 20% miss chance 1 rnd

[Athaleon]

Variel's first jab missed, but he found himself in a good position to attack both enemies in rapid succession. He quickly acted on the opportunity, thrusting forward then whirling around to stab at the foe behind him.


5' step to the indicated spot and using Tidal Blade. He can put away his weapon and unsheath it again for the attack bonus as per the maneuver, but I felt that'd be a bit silly to actually have him do IC.

Attack vs Left: [roll0]
Attack vs Right: [roll1]
(maneuver hits both targets if it beats the AC of either one)
Damage: [roll2] + [roll3]

[CasualViking]

The host devil grappling Timor quickly gets him in a lock, with his arm stretched above his head, while the other spears and claws at him: 2 damage, 2 damage and 3 damage.

[Necroticplague]

Crap. Gun jammed. Gonna need to fix that latter. For now, getting this dang thing off of her was going to need to be her higher priority.
Standard: Attempt to Escape Pin. [roll0]

[CasualViking]

Agile and grabby as it is, the Gaav is still only halfling-sized, and Timor manages to shake it off.

[Athaleon]

Variel clenched his teeth in frustration as his attacks went wide. He repositioned to focus on one enemy at a time, hoping it would be enough to hit the nimble devils.


Move Action: Move to the indicated square.

Swift Action, using Coward's Gambit. Variel recovers his Tidal Blade maneuver, and if his attack hits, all allies get +4 damage against that target. If his attack misses, he suffers -2 to all d20 rolls for one round.

Standard Action Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

[stack]

Failing to get his spell off, Thomas tries again.explosive orb radiant blast centered to only hit the beastie

concentration check to cast defensively [roll0] vs DC 17

damage [roll1] untyped and reflex save DC 16 for half, fort save DC 16 or 20% miss chance 1 rnd

[CasualViking]

The Gaav screams in pain as a hot flash of blood sprays from it. But the fiends seem to redouble their efforts to take the gun-summoning stranger apart. The one she just fended off grabs Timor again, while the other claws frantically (3,4)

[Athaleon]

Let's try this again Variel thought, grimly determined to put down the tenacious little creatures.


Moving back to the indicated square and using Tidal Blade again:

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

[CasualViking]

The Gaav holding Timor the "unfilled one, by the door screams and falls to the floor. The other one snarls and curses in guttural Infernal.

[Necroticplague]

With herself finally free of the blasted devil, Timor wastes no time using her own firearm as an extra temporary shield while she stands up and steps back from the one that yet remains.
Standard: Total Defence action (+4 dodge to AC for one round)
Move: Stand from Prone
Free:5-foot step away
Swift: Initiate Steady Hand Boost

Anima: 8
Granted Maneuvers: Clockwatcher, Spark Strike, Steady Hand, dimensional strike, horizon wind lancet. (will refresh at end of next round)

[stack]

Thomas drops a ball of light on the remaining demon. energy orb [roll0] untyped ref DC16, fort save DC 15 or all targets have concealment 20% for 1 round

[CasualViking]

The last of the devils, bleeding from multiple sword-cuts, crashes to the floor as Thomas' glowing orb sears it.

Katherine, Devin and Vegazi enter the common room behind you. "We need to go back to Vigil", Katherine says. "They need to know about this". Devin nods. You briefly discuss it among you, and Katherin, Devin and James decide to leave for Vigil right away.

From inside the kitchen you hear the dwarven proprietor shout: "A little help in here?". Vegazi runs for the kitchen with her bow drawn.

[Athaleon]

Variel, now visible, followed Vegazi to the kitchen. "More of them?"

[stack]

"We must press on until the deed is done." Thomas heads toward the cry at his best speed.

[Necroticplague]

Now knowing these things are a pain to get in close with, Timor takes a moment to re-assert the spell she had lost before moving in behind her newfound allies, her barrel pointing the way. Hopefully, things will go better with them in front.

[CasualViking]

As Vegazi barges through the swinging door to the kitchen, with Variel close on her heels, a wave of heat rolls over you, and you hear the crackling of fire. Pots, pans, shelves and jars line the walls of the kitchen; it seems Isald takes pride in her domain. She is backed into a corner, slapping at the flames with a wet towel, but the fire sputters and flares up as soon as she pulls the towel back.

Map link. (https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tmjrevXStSR8_n6jPSAhwiXgqyJKDHNHl7N7OrrkNDk/edit#slide=id.g1e014c1c7f_0_0)

[stack]

Thomas chants a blessing, aiding the others in any attempt they make to extinguish the flames. serendipity. maintain with concentration. +1 att, save, skill, ability checks

[Athaleon]

The moment he saw the flames, Variel blinked back to the common room, looking for a bucket of water or anything that would help put out the flames faster. A pot of soup or a barrel of ale—provided it was weak—would suffice.

[CasualViking]

On the bartop, several mugs seem to have been hastily abandoned, along with half-eaten plates of food, still-lit pipes and other debris. They may or may not hold some ale in them. In the kitchen, a large pitcher of water is on the table next to the fire; it seems a little small for fire-fighting. The only other open containers you see in the mithcen hold either vegetables or salt. There's also a cauldron in the fireplace, but it seems risky to get at.

As you look around, the floor and walls next to the fire also light up.

[Athaleon]

"Nothing to fight the fire out here!" Variel shouted to his comrades. "Get everyone out of the building!" With that, he flashed back to the kitchen and looked frantically for another solution.


If the table is movable, Variel will try shoving it to the left so that Isald can climb onto it and get to safety (enlisting someone's help if it turns out to be heavy).

[stack]

Thomas runs outside, calling out to anyone who can hear to form a bucket brigade to fight the fire.

[Necroticplague]

With the fire right here and now, Timor is of the thoughts the time to get water and buckets might be too late. However, an idea strikes her with great force: "Everybody, stand the heck back, this can shoot a lot more than just bullets." With that she begins to focus her energies on the barrel, both to have it's current jam cleared out to prime it, and then the barrel begins to spread out into a more spread shape, like a dragon's mouth or a blunderbuss.

Full-round: Change-out to fix my broken Double Hackbut, and give it Scatter.
Swift: Change Stance.
Free: Spend a point of Animus to change active element to Water.
Not sure if we're counting rounds, since this isn't exactly a combat encounter, so I'll stop here.

[Necroticplague]

As soon as anyone sensible (i.e, anyone who recognizes standing in front of a small cannon is a bad idea) is clear from between her and the fire, Timor focuses for a moment before setting her gun down on the table to steady it and pulling the trigger. In what's almost an inversion of what one expects from a firearm, instead of a rush of smoke and heat, the area instead seems to flash-freeze, as her firearm begins to absorb heat from the area with great force.
Free:Animus Ammunition to Reload with Pellets
Standard: Spark Strike vs. Fire. Free Action to convert damage to entirely cold.
Attack roll 1: [roll0]
Attack roll 2: [roll1]
Attack roll 3: [roll2]
Damage: ([roll3]+[roll4]) cold

[CasualViking]

The flames spread along the walls as timor readies his massive gun....and then die out in a roar as the shot shreds the kitchen table, punctures the wall and coats everything in ice.

But moments later, the grease spilled in front of the fireplace flares up again.