[D&D 3.5e / IC] Lightning Rails and Whispers of the Vampire's Blade

[TaiLiu]

Sharn, City of Towers.

It is yet another rainy day in Sharn, the City of Towers, the place where your adventuring party has chosen to make their home. Ridiculously tall skyscrapers reach toward the sky, digging into clouds and the Azure Sky, but right now, you are not here for the sights. It is raining, anyway. Instead, you're all greeting a House Orien courier, who has delivered a wax-sealed envelope to you at the tavern where you're staying, and where you are presently breakfasting. Then he departs just as quickly as he came, telling you that he does not know the origin of the letter. Should you choose to open the envelope, you find a folded letter and a sheet of paper with six platinum pieces attached, bound by red wax. The letter reads:

Heard about how you thwarted the Lord of Blades. These coins have many friends who would like to meet you. Come to the Myriad Tower, upper city, at noon. Bring weapons and discretion. - V

P.S. Give this parchment to the guard near the stairs, and he will let you ascend.

Who this "V" is, you have no idea. But you do know that you might have a potential new job, assuming that the letter is not a trap, and that you have free time to kill. It is an hour and a half till noon. What do you do?

[LairdMaon]

The near-feral warforged was the lucky one to receive the missive with the platinum coins. He studies it intently, noting the paper quality, the distribution of the coins within, and the artistry of the handwriting. He sniffs it. He licks it lightly. He holds it up to a light.
He eventually opens it.

He'll be studying it until someone takes it from him.

[Solaris]

"Give me that," Sebastien snapped as he snatched the paper out of the half-forged's hands. Fritz was many things, some of them even admirable, but neither clever nor literate were among them. The rust-haired Cannith artificer skimmed the letter while he muttered about the inadequacies of inferior Houses and why would you even bother handing a letter to someone who looks like they'd just as soon eat it as read it, then looked up at the rest of the group. "So this 'V' character wants to meet us because we beat the uppity 'forged's minions. Says to bring weapons."
He thought for a moment, then slowly smiled. His was not a pleasant smile. "It's a trap. Let's go spring it."

[rax]

Despite the early hour, Quire was already on his second flagon of ale. When the messenger had left, he let out an almighty belch and patted his gut with a satisfied smirk. Stepping up behind Sebastien, he read the note over the artificer's shoulder, grunting noncommitally.

When he had finished reading he held out his hand to Sebastien and Fritz. "Mind if I take a sniff at those?" he asked, indicating the envelope, the letter, and the coins. "And what makes you say it's a trap?" he asked Sebastien. "When I want to trap someone I don't usually tell them to come armed to the meeting."

[Solaris]

"Leaving aside that everything is a trap," Sebastien deadpanned, "the very fact that they told us to come armed suggests it's a trap. Either they expect us to fight something for them, and they haven't bothered to alert us to what we'll be fighting, or they're going to attack us themselves, know our capabilities, and know that they're more than capable of overwhelming them. Simple, really."
If you're bugf*** nuts.

[whoiam]

"Maybe it is a trap. I'm still gonna offer my platinum piece against any of yours that it's just a job offer, though. Maybe with some kind of test of skill to prove we're good enough to do it first. Rich people love that kind of stuff. And not telling hirelings what they need to know. I think they just feel more important whenever they know something we don't."

Still, Mamellek cannot help but sigh. Not over the job-offer-slash-trap - she's quite looking forward to that. Some people just love their work, even if their word is essentially 'We're going to stick you somewhere dangerous, try not to die faster than the enemy'. It's just...

"...Well, there goes my casual clothes day. Who fancies helping me strap on my iron dress this time?"

...Practical as full plate often is, it's neither the height of fashion nor especially comfortable.

[LairdMaon]

Fritz paces over to Mamellek and helps him don his armor.

"Trap? Traps are fun. Traps bring the prey to the predator. Spring is a good season. It is a time of beginnings. I approve. Let's spring the trap."

[rax]

Quire takes another swig of ale and sighs audibly at Sebastien's explanation. "Were you always this way, or did you catch a mace to the head in the war or something? You're obsessive, you are. Anyway - trap or no, who wants a shiny new platinum piece?" Quire grins, jingling the coins in the envelope while carefully pocketing the letter and one coin for himself.

[LairdMaon]

As soon as Fritz finishes helping Mamellek with his armor he bounds over to Quire, "Platinum is good! People overlook things that they shouldn't for platinum!"

He holds out his hands eagerly with a smile across his face.

[Solaris]

A little hint of a smirk tugged at the corners of Sebastien's mouth as he looked to Quire. He ignored the boisterous 'forged helping the other meat-shield get armored up in the rain, although it was distracting to the man who'd spent the better part of his life training as a smith. The chainmail alone was going to be a bitch to clean, at least until he whipped up with that prestidigitator he'd been thinking about making... "I've been told the Karrnathi prison camp did wonders for my temperament, and I should go back soon."

[esorscher]

Don the Dour is as quiet as his name implies, listening pleasantly to the conversation of his fellow party members, and recalling with fondness the strength of their relationship, having all survived the same perilous expedition. A month hence, had someone suggested he would be sharing his breakfast with another person, let alone five, he would have psionically searched them to ensure they were not harboring some possessor that would have driven them insane.

"I'm in," he says, taking a platinum and pocketing it. He takes the final bite of his warm cheese danish and eats it, then looks at the artificer. "Sebastien, if you wish to scout the location before the meeting, I will accompany you."

[TaiLiu]

The Myriad Tower.

If Don the Dour and Sebastien (or other members of the party) scout the place before the meeting:
Don the Dour and Sebastien get to Myriad Tower with no problems, though the rain soaks them a little. The tower blends in with all the others - were there not a small bronze plaque that read "M.T.," you would never have located it, what with the other similar looking towers nearby. The few windows are high and barred, and so are the stairs nearby: a heavy iron gate blocks the way, locked tight. No guards are nearby.

Should the pair wait about an hour, the rain stops, and Don and Sebastien see the gate raised, and a man in tattered clothing emerges from behind the gate. Then he lowers it again, locks it with a large key, slips it into his pocket, and plops himself down next to the gate.

If the scouting group is in plain sight of the man:
The man looks up, then holds out a clay bowl.
If the scouting group is hiding behind another tower or something:
The man pulls out a clay bowl and puts it by his feet.
If no one scouts ahead, and the party arrives at noon:
The party gets to Myriad Tower with no problems, especially since the rain has stopped. The tower blends in with all the others - were there not a small bronze plaque that read "M.T.," you would never have located it, what with the other similar looking towers nearby. The few windows are high and barred, and so are the stairs nearby: a heavy iron gate blocks the way, locked tight. No guards are close by, but there is a beggar sitting next to the gate. He is wearing tattered clothing, and a clay bowl is by his feet, obviously intended to contain the spare coinage of kindly passersby. He does not react unless the party gets close. Then he silently points to the clay bowl.

[LairdMaon]

Fritz jogs right up to the beggar and drops his platinum coin in the bowl.

"Greasing the palms of those who have need..."

[esorscher]

From his vantage point behind a tower or something, Don witnesses the apparent beggar emerge from and lock the gate. He continues to watch, silent and unmoving, enjoying the light rain and the refreshment it brings, until the party arrives. When they do, he'll ask for whoever has the letter to give it to him.

When they approach, he places the letter in the bowl, as instructed in the missive.

[TaiLiu]

The guard looks at the letter, opens it, reads it, folds it back, slips it into one of his pockets, and then pulls out a large key from his back pocket. He tosses it to his left, and it lands in front of the iron gate. "Go on up," he says. "Subdue, not kill. That's the only rule." Then he goes back to being silent.

[esorscher]

Donharath nods, and awkwardly moves to the back of the party, preparing his focus. He also activates his dorje of Force Screen in preparation for an attack. Once inside the doors, he draws his trademark weapon, the recognizable Deep Crystal crossbow he'd used so effectively in the party's last adventure.

Reminder, Donharath has a psionic focus stored in his psicrystal, and spent time in the morning achieving psionic focus as well.

[Solaris]

"Don't make this weird," Sebastien muttered to Fritz as he imbued bull's strength into the 'forged's built-in gauntlets. When that was finished, he turned to the aasimar and and imbued shield of faith into Quire's dastana.

"I think this is worse than a trap," he remarked to his companions as he wiped the oils off of his hands. "It's a test. Just remember - if they aren't playing by the same rules, we pop smoke and level everything between us and the exit. Nobody here's getting killed for a job."

[LairdMaon]

Fritz flexes his claws and looks seriously at his friends, "Safe word is bananas?"

[TaiLiu]

Inside Myriad Tower.

The stairs coil around the tower base, eventually ending at a pair of heavy iron doors. The lightning is dim, but the windows provide enough sunlight that illumination is not a problem. Taped to the door is a small piece of paper, with the words:


Knock, then stand back. - V

The handwriting's the same as that of that letter, and Quire notices that the smell is the same.

If someone knocks, and then stands back:
The knocking echoes on the stairwell, breaking the foreboding silence. For a few seconds, the knock repeats itself as a ghostly reverberation, becoming more and more faint with each repetition. There is no response, and the only sounds you can hear are the sounds of your breathing and the beat of your heart, anxious, either with fear or excitement or some other feeling. Well, except for Fritz, who doesn't have a heart or lungs. But he seemed giddy.

One heartbeat, two heartbeats, a third. Should you knock again? But then, Quire hears something, a faint noise held back behind the hollow iron doors - something like a screech and a hiss and a wingbeat, and then the rest of the party hears it too, as the volume increases, and the noise becomes louder and more evident, more closer - and then the doors fly open, and a duo of hungry giant animals strike the first two frontliners. The first is a black-and-white badger, as long as a human is tall, twice as heavy and twice as mad. It swipes at Quire with intensity.

Meanwhile, Fritz is holding back an angry green dinosaur as it tries to swing its terrible talons in the Warforged's face. It actually doesn't seem all that interested in the wood-and-metal Fritz; instead, it's trying to snap at one of the two more fleshier party members in the middle row.

In the middle of the chaos, a third creature appears, a giant bat, and the staircase is almost too small to contain the mammal's incredible wingspan. It swoops down and tries to take a chomp out of the juicy-looking Sebastien.

None of them are holding back, of course; none of them are "playing by the same rules" of not-killing the party is meant to. Is that the test? That the party be fighting at a disadvantage, in a tight space, on unsteady ground? Well, you haven't got too much time to think. You got three rabid animals attacking you all. What do you do?
If someone knocks, and then doesn't stand back:
Everything from the above spoiler happens, except the first two members of the party take [roll0] damage from the door whapping you in the face (a reflex save of 15 negates the damage).
If no one knocks:
Nothing happens until someone knocks.
You know it's a dire badger if you make a DC 13 Knowledge (Nature) check. The dire badger is attacking Quire:


Attack roll: [roll1].
Damage roll: [roll2].

You know it's a deinonychus if you make a DC 14 Knowledge (Nature) check. The deinonychus is attacking Fritz:


Attack roll: [roll3].
Damage roll: [roll4].

You know it's a dire bat if you make a DC 14 Knowledge (Nature) check. The dire bat is attacking Sebastien:


Attack roll: [roll5].
Damage roll: [roll6].

[rax]

If the doors are unlocked:
Knock and stand back? Well, rules are rules but a test is a test, and sometimes the rules are the test, Quire thinks to himself. Gingerly, he reaches out and tries the door to see if they open.


@TaiLiu: I'm going with the latest posts in the OOC thread here. I was going to try opening the doors in any case, then switch to knocking per the first spoiler box, but now it seems that there's a chance that the doors do open, so let me know how that works out. Assuming the doors open, Quire will take a quick peek inside, and if nothing seems immediately dangerous, he'll step inside the...well, whatever's behind the door.

If the doors are won't open without knocking, then Quire does so and stands back. Cue action sequence:
Quire barely has time notice the raging badger-beast before it's on him, but years of combat training pay off and he reflexively lashes out with his glaive at the grey-black blur that charges him. Subdue, don't kill, you fool! And don't let it crowd you! Quire's subconscious screams at him. He throws himself forward, rolling under the beast's claws, and regains his feet behind his foe. "Mamellek! The badger-beast, help me take it down!" he calls out, his glaive lancing forward butt first, to try and knock the beast out with a blow to the back of its skull.


Various rolls:
Attack of opportunity vs. dire badger: (1d20+12)[19]
I'm assuming an AoO is possible since we're not surprised and Quire has the Combat Reflexes feat.
Damage: (1d10+5)[9]

Move action: Tumble past the dire badger, total 15 feet movement: (1d20+13)[29]
Standard action: Attack the dire badger using Leading the Attack, with flanking bonus from Mamellek and striking for non-lethal damage. If no flanking, deduct 2 from the roll: (1d20+6)[19]
Damage: (1d10+5)[12]

[Solaris]

Right as Quire is reaching up to knock, Sebastien cleared his throat. "It might be a good idea to knock on our terms, not theirs. For all we know, there's a pressure plate on the door connected to some kind of death trap rigged to go off as soon as someone knocks."
Holding up his magitech hand, he produced the finger picks while he brought his goggles down with his meat hand.

If Quire holds off, Sebastien does his thing.

[ROLL="Search"]1d20+11
[ROLL="Disable Device"]1d20+14
[ROLL="Open Lock"]1d20+13

[Solaris]

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
Ten words ten words ten words ten words ten words ten words ten words ten words

[LairdMaon]

Fritz drops into a combat crouch, ready to react violently to anything that might harm his friends.

He Listens, [roll0], at the door for any clues as to what's inside...

[LastCenturion]

Bastoi speaks for the first time since receiving the note as the raptor approaches. "What the hell is this thing? Shall we 'pop smoke', as you say?" he says, curling his lip and raising his blade towards the bat... thing.

Sorry for staying silent so long. I don't really have a good excuse. Readying an action to stab the first thing to get close to me.

[roll0] to hit
[roll1] damage

[esorscher]

If this is a test, Donharath reasons, It will be good to display some versatility, he thinks. That thought is tempered by his own paranoia, careful not to reveal more than is necessary. He opts for a conventional tactic, a slightly more advanced variation on a technique he'd had much practice using in the past. Using the narrow space to his advantage, he lashes out psionically at their attackers. Tendrils of psionic energy reach out from his mind to theirs, gripping their brains as a vice on steel with the intent to paralyze them, if only for a moment.

Mental Disruption, DC 16 Will negates; should be able to target all three enemies if they're as close to the party as I'm imagining.

[Solaris]

"Somebody get this rabid glidewing off of me!" Sebastien shouted as the dire bat mauled him. He drew his short sword and stabbed at it, pummeling the thing with his metal-wood-and-stone composite left hand. He was a bit too caught off-guard by the sudden attack just as he was starting to focus on his usual trapfinding routine that he didn't even try to get into a better tactical position.

In his defense, though, it was a really big bat.

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

[LairdMaon]

Knowledge (Nature) (mammal) [roll0]
Knowledge (Nature) (saurian) [roll1]
Knowledge (Nature) (flyer) [roll2]


...thrashing...
...flesh-thing...
...no kill...
...HUG...

Fritz accepts the painful bite on the arm from the dino and rolls with it. In fact, he combines his response of taking his arm from it's teeth with a twisting step into it's space.
With his back now pressed up against the animal's underbelly, Fritz reaches behind himself and down with his lower set of arms to hook behind the knees of his assailant while his upper arms reach over and behind his head to grasp the skill of that same critters.
One final effort raises a loud grunt from Fritz when he pulls every arm in front of him, pushed up as hard as he can with his back and legs, and intentionally falls straight back onto the now-grappled creature.


To Hit [roll3]
Do I need to make an opposed grapple check here? Just in case: [roll4]

Oops! Forgot to add in the Bull's Strength! Those numbers should be, um..:
22
and
28

And I got what's likely to be my only crit, lol!

[whoiam]

Mamellek takes a step forward into the spot vacated by Quire, and swings her chain wildly at the monster's snout, trying to buy herself space to let a fourth fighter into the melee...


5' step forward into contact with the badger, then Tactical Strike to try and give herself another 5' step (which she'll use to slip out of the doorway around the badger, leaving Quire's original spot free for someone else to take).
[roll0]
[roll1] + [roll2]

[TaiLiu]

Quire's first strike is successful, and the giant badger chitters from his blow. Mamellek follows up Quire's attack with an powerful swing of her spiked chain, and it easily rips through the badger's fur and hide. In pain, it begins foaming at the mouth. Then it suddenly collapses from exhaustion and blood loss. When Quire tumbles into the room, he nearly bumps into an old human man, who is leisurely strolling to take a look at the battle scene. The aasimar can tell immediately from his scent: this man was V.

As the dire bat swoops down and successfully take a bite out of Sebastien, Bastoi manages to pierce the skin of the oversized beast with his dagger. It shrugs it off, ignores the Artificer's attacks, and tries to latch onto Sebastien's face, the better to get a grip with. Fortunately, the powerful psionic pulse Donharath sent out successfully disables the bat, and it stops trying to attack, trying to fight off the psion's mental intrusion instead. It hovers a few inches away from Sebastien, well within range of a melee attack.

Meanwhile, as Fritz tries to grapple-hug the dinosaur, it snaps back and prevents the Warforged from pinning it down. Its razor-sharp teeth manages to rip off significant chunks of livewood from Fritz, and then it leaps onto him, trying to knock him down and get at the more fleshier Bastoi.

Then the party hears a distant clang! of a metal gate being shut, from the base of the tower. It seems as though the man in ragged clothing has shut the gate.

The dire badger is enraged, and it makes a full attack against Mamellek:


Attacks: Claw - [roll0]; Claw - [roll1]; Bite - [roll2].
Damage: Claw - [roll3]; Claw - [roll4]; Bite - [roll5]. UNCONSCIOUS!

The dire bat is stunned, and cannot take actions until its next turn.

The deinonychus attempts an overrun (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#overrun) action:

If Fritz fails to make a successful Attack of Opportunity against the dinosaur, then the dinosaur attempts to knock him prone, via a Strength check: [roll6]. If it succeeds, Fritz will be prone, and the dinosaur will attack Bastoi on its next turn.

[LairdMaon]

Oh, no. No, this will not do at all. Fritz' usual happy-golucky demeanor has vanished. Brackish violet spittle is frothing at the corners of his mouth.

With a rage-filled snarl he lashes out at the distracted throwback from a bygone aeon.


Full Attack, nonlethal -4 to each attack, Rage, Bull's Strength

Primary
Claw
To Hit: [roll0]
To Hurt: [roll1]

Secondary
Claw
To Hit: [roll2]
To Hurt: [roll3]

Claw
To Hit: [roll4]
To Hurt: [roll5]

Claw
To Hit: [roll6]
To Hurt: [roll7]

Bite
To Hit: [roll8]
To Hurt: [roll9]

Slam
To Hit: [roll10]
To Hurt: [roll11]

[esorscher]

Wordless still and standing to the rear, Donharath might go unnoticed as gestures casually and manifests two darts hovering above his palm, each revolving around a central point, barrels pointed ahead. With a wink they fire, each in a slightly different direction, targeting the still conscious animals.

Energy Missile (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/energyMissile.htm), +2 pp for +2d6 damage, +2 DC; electricity for +2 DC (and +2 to overcome PR/SR if that matters). Assuming we are still in the narrow quarters previously described, and none of the animals are more than 15' apart from one another.

Ref DC 20 half, [roll0] electricity

[Solaris]

"Knew it!" Sebastien crowed when he heard the metal gate clang shut. It was a trap! Unfortunately, the half-fiendish dire glidewing had taken a pretty good bite out of him, and he was in a bad way. He saw it slump from the stun the kalashtar had inflicted on it and smiled grimly.

It was stabbing time.

He thrust out with his short sword, aimed at the stunned monster's squishy abdomen. Practically everything living had vulnerable organs in there.
[roll0], [roll1], [roll2]

Sebastien followed the short sword with his prosthetic fist, clocking the critter in its ugly face.
[roll3], [roll4], [roll5]

[rax]

"Enjoying the show so far, Master V?" Quire quips at the old man, twirling his glaive lazily as he takes stock of the battle. "Hope you've got a decent wrangler on hand to patch up your pets. I think the lizard just made Fritz angry." Seeing the monstrous bat hover unsteadily while Sebastien pummels it with sword and fist, Quire decides to intervene in the fight between Fritz and the dinosaur.

"Hey, toothy! Heads up!" he calls as he steps forward, bringing the glaive round for a low, slashing blow against the dinosaur's legs. Hope V counts hamstringing his pet as subduing it...

Attack roll including +2 flanking bonus from Fritz: [roll0]
If successful, the attack also activates Stone Bones, providing Quire with DR 5/adamantine for 1 round.
Damage: [roll1]

[whoiam]

Free of the confines of the stairway, Mamellek carefully positions herself next to the glidewing, but so as to threaten both still-active creatures.


To make use of Iron Guard's Glare, Mamellek's active stance. Every creature she threatens gets a -4 penalty to attack rolls vs her allies. And they're aware that it's her interference that's making it harder for them to land blows.


The chain glowing in her hands, Mamellek takes a swing at the glidewing. The (albeit somewhat limited) ability to heal themselves is one of the factors that makes Crusaders so hard to down in combat. Except no-one's attacked her yet, so this time Mamellek's trying to channel that energy into Sebastien instead...


Crusader's Strike vs the Glidewing. Going for non-lethal damage (-4 to hit) but flanking with Sebastien (+2).

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2] Applied to Sebastien if the attack hits.

[LastCenturion]

Bastoi grimaces as his dagger hits the bat, but says nothing. He holds back from swinging again, keeping his dagger arm raised to parry.

Total Defense action, no movement. Sorry about the delay.

[TaiLiu]

The remaining two animals put up a valiant fight, but your party manages to knock them unconscious before they could pose any additional threat. As the dinosaur collapses and the bat crashes to the ground, "Master V" breaks out into applause. "Your combat abilities are as impressive as the rumours say," he says, "as is your rapid intelligence gathering. My name is Viorr Maelak, and I am indeed the letter sender."

He swings the iron doors wide open, and gestures for the party to enter. Inside, you can see sunlight streaming in from the windows. A circular table sits in the middle of the room, with seven wooden chairs around. "Please, have a seat. I'll show you the path to your platinum friends very soon."

[LairdMaon]

It takes a moment for Fritz to calm down, but he does so more or less quietly. He favors his mangled arm as he finds a place to sit.

[esorscher]

Donharath follows inconspicuously from the rear, and takes an open seat from which he can watch the door(s) into and out of the chamber.

[Solaris]

Sebastien frowned at Fritz's damaged arm, his dragonmark glowing briefly as he placed a hand on the worst of the damage to channel some of the Mark of Making's power into it.

[roll0]

Once that was completed, he took a seat in a spot where he could keep an eye on the room's entrances and exits. He got twitchy when he had to put his back to a door.

[TaiLiu]

Once the party arranges themselves by the table, the iron doors close shut, and Viorr plops himself down on the remaining wooden chair. "Not to worry about the animals," he says to Quire with a casual wave of his hand, "We have connections with House Vadalis, and the animals are their concern. Meanwhile, your concern" - and here he reaches underneath the table - "should be this!" He throws a half-dozen cloth money bags onto the table, and they land with the loud clattering of coin against wood. "A hundred gold in each of them, just for coming here and passing the examination. I can promise each of you twenty times that amount if you succeed on a certain mission for me.

"But I suppose I should properly introduce myself. No doubt you are already aware of the King's Citadel. I currently represent the Dark Lanterns, a branch of the Citadel that performs... certain intelligence-related duties... for King Boranel." He folds his hands on the table, in seriousness, and the rest of his body language and tone follows. "One of our agents, Lucan Stellos, a human male, has gone rogue. He disappeared two days ago, broke into one of our high-security vaults in this city, and stole a rather valuable item: a powerful magic sword known as the soul blade, which we recovered from a Karrnathi warlord shortly before the Last War ended. Then shortly, before dawn this morning, Lucan was spotted leaving Sharn by the east rood. We want you to catch him and bring him and the sword back." He hands the party a picture of Lucan.

"I should also note that, based on eyewitness reports and the conditions of the bodies left near the vault, Lucan has gained strange powers he hasn't had before he betrayed us. He managed to walk up the side of a tower like you or I would walk across this room, he somehow compelled a loyal agent to open the vault, and then he easily resisted attacks that would normally injure a man before he ultimately escaped.

"We don't know why he betrayed us, or what compelled him to do so, but we do know where he's going, based on some notes we were able to recover: Trolanport, the capital of Zilargo. We also know that he's going to try to meet a 'Krell' of some kind, but we don't know what or who that is.

"If you accept this mission and also recover the soul blade for us, I'll throw in an additional five hundred gold on top of your two thousand. Decide quickly; we need you to catch up with Lucan before he manages to disappear into the distance. But I suppose I could take a few questions."

He looks up at the party expectedly.

[Solaris]

Something about that combination of powers and mention of Karrnath niggled at the back of Sebastien's mind, but he couldn't quite place it. He supposed there was the possibility of using magic items to pull off at least some of those tricks - slippers of spider climbing and eyes of charming could let a man walk up walls and rob another of his will - but few men found themselves going mad with power from rather minor items like that.

After all, it wasn't like they were rings of invisibility. Precious...

"What, exactly, was odd about the condition of the bodies?" Sebastien asked, leaning in with a focused frown on his face. He didn't like the 'magic items did it!' explanation, even if it was the most likely one. It was too easy. "And how do you expect us to stop a guy who walked into your nest of secret agents and curbstomped them? By siccing our pet freakforged on him?"

[esorscher]

Donharath examines the picture of Lucan, taking note of any key features that might help him be identified. He does not share Sebastien's concerns, but does share in his question of the state of the bodies. Breaking his characteristic silence, he rattles off a stream of questions. "What is a soul blade? How will we recognize it? Why would Lucan be interested in it? What were his skills as an agent? What contacts did he have, in Sharn and abroad? Does it matter if Lucan is alive or dead; why or why not? You said he was spotted leaving by the east road; how was he traveling?" Then he settles back into his chair in a listening posture.

[LastCenturion]

"Did Lucan have any friends among the force that you know of? I'm sure you've already interrogated anybody who would have information on him; could you tell us about that? I'm sure that we're pressed for time, but another two minutes won't make a big difference when he has a six or seven hour headstart on us, it can't make that much of a difference." Bastoi says out of the side of his mouth, shoulders and nose pointed directly at the picture as he leans in to study it closely. He pulls a notebook from a satchel, and leans in with a pen already reaching for ink. "May I?"

If nobody has an objection, Bastoi will take the picture and write out as much of a description as can be achieved. [roll0] Craft (Writing) check.

[rax]

Quire relaxes in his chair and listens with a wry smile as his companions launch their barrage of questions. They're good questions, he thinks. Wonder how many of them Viorr can or will answer. Spies aren't known for being forthcoming. With this in mind, he focuses his attention on the spymaster, listens to the answers he gives, and tries to get a sense of which answers are true and when Viorr is hiding something...or lying.

Sense Motive check: [roll0]
or, if possible, Quire will take 10 for a result of 18.

[TaiLiu]

What, exactly, was odd about the condition of the bodies?
"Well, there were bite marks on a number of them."

And how do you expect us to stop a guy who walked into your nest of secret agents and curbstomped them? By siccing our pet freakforged on him?
"It's our vault, but they weren't our agents. The Dark Lanterns have more important things to do than be security guards.

"In any case, I hired you for this mission because you bested the Lord of Blades. I'm sure all six of you can take care of this rogue agent."

What is a soul blade? How will we recognize it? Why would Lucan be interested in it?
"The soul blade is a straight-edged longsword. The blade is made of ordinary steel, though rudimentary divination spells reveal it to have magical enchantments on it, and that it radiates evil. Unfortunately, our mages haven't had the time to investigate further into it. You can recognize it by the big ruby in the pommel, and by the Karrnath crest engraved in the centre of the cross-guard.

"We have no idea why Lucan went after it: he's never shown an interest in it back when he was still a loyal agent."

What were his skills as an agent?
"He was trained in espionage and combat. His specialty was in counterintelligence - he was superb at gaining the trust of enemy agents, figuring out who they worked for, and exposing entire networks of enemy spies. Not only have we lost that expertise, but we suspect that one of those spy networks may have turned Lucan against us."

What contacts did he have, in Sharn and abroad?
"He has a sister, Grilsha, here in Sharn. She was a priest by training, and then she went off and started a scroll and potion shop. We've learned that she's purchased horses and a carriage yesterday, and that she likely left Sharn, but we haven't tracked her down yet. Her most striking physical feature is her bright red hair.

"As for more professional contacts: we don't know, or at least I don't. Our agents generally keep their contacts to themselves, and we prefer it that way."

Does it matter if Lucan is alive or dead; why or why not?
We would prefer him alive, so that we can interrogate him and find out what he knows. But if you must bring him back dead, do so. It's far better than having sensitive information in enemy hands, and so long as you bring back the body, we'll pay full price.

You said he was spotted leaving by the east road; how was he traveling?
"By foot. He was running pretty rapidly, for long distances, and didn't show any sign of exhaustion, fatigue, or stopping anytime soon. We quickly lost track of him."

Did Lucan have any friends among the force that you know of? I'm sure you've already interrogated anybody who would have information on him; could you tell us about that? I'm sure that we're pressed for time, but another two minutes won't make a big difference when he has a six or seven hour headstart on us, it can't make that much of a difference.
"Not that we know of. Lucan's job, even more so than most of our agents, requires a lot of double-crossing and false sincerity. It's hard to maintain relationships when you're trained to do the opposite.

"We've asked around, and no one knows anything about why Lucan would just suddenly go rogue."

May I?
"Go ahead. You can have the picture, actually."

[Solaris]

"What kind of bite marks?" Sebastien pressed. "Human? Animal? Are we dealing with a guy who likes to summon monsters, or a guy who is a monster?"

"As for this sword..." He drummed his fingers against the tabletop, looking for the words. There had to be more going on than just what the guy was telling them. He knew he would have wasted no time in dismantling a weapon that radiated evil unless he had a particularly good reason to keep it intact. "If it's evil, why hasn't it been destroyed yet? What possible good could have come about from keeping it around?"

He was leaving alone the fact that these spooks thought they were competent, and yet tested them with megafauna. Sebastien was no stranger to animal testing, particularly when he worked in weapons development, but it seemed unnecessarily cruel to throw a group of critters into a fight they had no hope of winning. That told him things about his prospective employers, and they were not good things. People who would do that would have no compunctions against selling the people who worked for them up the river. Boldrei's balls! For all he knew, this Lucan chap had done nothing wrong and the spies were hiring Sebastien and his squad as hit men to clean up a messy loose end.
Perhaps fortunately, his face had been creased in a suspicious frown ever since they got here. Even so, his comrades could likely tell that wheels in Sebastien's warped mind were turning.

[LairdMaon]

Fritz perked up and smiled at the term "freakforged" before returning to the topic at hand. "Simple fetch job? Fetch sword and traitor? Traitor has powers, some known and some unknown?"

[TaiLiu]

"It's a mix," Viorr said. "Some bites that looked like they came from a dog or a wolf, and some bites that looked like they came from a man. And as for the sword, we don't like destroying sources of potentially valuable information. Why the sword radiates evil is of great interest to us.

"And to answer your questions, Mr. Fritz: yes, yes, and yes."


***

Eventually, the questions come to an end, and Viorr asks the decisive question: is the party willing to take on this quest? "The gold is yours to keep, but I remind you that greater awards await if you choose to capture this rogue agent and his sword for us. What do you say?"

[esorscher]

"Yes," Donharath says.

[whoiam]

The crusader had displayed very little interest in the discussion to date - drumming up work was usually more Quire's department than hers. But she'd apparently not been daydreaming so much that she'd missed the descriptions of the target...

"Hunt down a Vampire, capture or kill, return sword. Sure, sounds like fun! Don't suppose you have any specialist undead hunting supplies we could grab on the way out, do you? Or the address of a specialist store? Holy Water's not exactly in our typical loadout..."

[TaiLiu]

Viorr nods, pleased with the party's agreement to go on his mission. Further, he seems impressed with Mamellek's casual deduction, and recommends that the party head to the adventurer's quarters in Clifftop, located at the towers in Upper Dura. "No doubt you've been there before," he says. "There are shrines to the Sovereign Host and the Silver Flame, and perhaps they have some holy water or some undead-fighting weapons to spare. And while I don't have any specific suggestions, I'm sure you can find whatever you need at the Mystic Market up there.

"But be back in two hours. I should have your horses and paperwork readied by then."

[TaiLiu]

Viorr and the man in ragged clothing meet you outside the tower, six magebred horses in tow. Viorr hands the party travelling papers signed by King Boranel, and mentions the potion of Cure Light Wounds included in each horse's saddle pouch. He also hands the party a letter of credit. "If you run into unanticipated expenses, you can present that letter at any House Kundarak bank," he says. "They'll give you a cash advance. But be warned: King Boranel doesn't like to see his gold spent frivolously, so save it for until you really need it."

And with that, he points the party to the east gate and bids the party farewell.

[TaiLiu]

The sun is high in the sky when the party sets out, warming and shining a clear path for the party as they travel along the House Orien trade road. The trip from Sharn to the gnomish captial of Trolanport is about eight hundred miles, and the magebred horses make about fifty miles a day, before they are too exhausted to go further without being hurt. You quickly deduce that the trip will take about two weeks and change, if nothing changes.

On the second day, the part checks into a small town inn, where the innkeeper warns the party about the recent bandit attacks on merchant wagons - ogres, mostly, but there's been some humanoids, too. "Ye don't look easy to rob," she says, "but be careful all the same."

On the third and fourth days, the party encounters a couple of merchant wagons headed toward Sharn, who offer to sell and trade with the party on the spot. On the fifth, a band of human bandits quickly surrender after a small show of force from the party. They don't carry anything of real value, but they tell a tale of when they tried to rob a red-haired woman and her travelling companion, not too long ago. It didn't go well either.

The sixth and seventh days come across a few fellow travellers, mostly headed the other way, though one or two travel with you for a short distance before departing. A gnome traveller suggests that the party check out Korranberg, if they have the time to make the trip.

On the eighth day, halfway through the trip, the party goes a little ways offroad and camps in a small clearing in the woods. The sun is still up, though not for much longer; the horses, however, are parched, tired, and unwilling to go forward without any additional shows of force. And there is a small pond by the intended campsite, after all. It is the perfect place, and the only living things the party can see are small woodland animals, some fish, and a small collection of birds perched on a branch together: sparrows, robins, and a tiny black raven. The party starts a small fire to get ready for the cold night as the horses doze off. Then, from a distance, you can see a traveller approach: it's a centaur, with brown hair all over. He carries a longsword by his side, a longbow on his human back, and a good amount of travelling gear distributed over the more horse-like parts of his body. He waves at the party from a distance, and asks for permission to approach.

"Hail, fellow travellers!" His voice is strong and hearty. "Mind if I join?"

[esorscher]

Donharath rides to the back of the party, quietly whittling away the time as well as the parts of 10' poles which are not 1' wooden stakes, taking stock of his life as he does so with pleasure. For the moment, atop the back of a well-trained mount, in a comfortable saddle, with a pleasingly mundane task to occupy his body and a free and wandering mind, life is good--as good as it has been in any of his previous experiences. Although he is no skilled carpenter, he has knowledge of basic geometry, including three-dimensional shapes, and is able to carve cones with cylindrical handles without any unnecessary trouble. Perfection is not a goal, and any which fail to meet structural integrity are easily discarded to decompose along the wayside, in line with the natural order. As he finishes his products he shares them with the group, and as they stop, he leaves the investigating to them, except to ask each living creature they encounter if they have seen anyone matching the description of Lucan or his sister, Grilsha. Once a more loquacious member of the party takes up this line of inquiry, he remains silent, enjoying the solitude of long travel. Each night he takes the same precaution, sprinkling ground garlic powder around the campsite, and each day he makes the same morning ablutions and ritual meditations to attain his focus. He quickly reveals himself to be a creature of habit, but also one comfortable in silence, easily capable of going from wake to rest without so much as a murmur. He is silent, now, deferring to the party.

[whoiam]

Mamellek... hated travelling.

It was just so boring!

Besides, it reminded her of her period in the military. She'd managed to join the infantry shortly after Cyre's destruction; So her actual military service had mostly been glaring at other countries' new recruits while they sat around waiting for the peace talks to collapse and the fighting to restart.

It was pretty obvious how well that plan had worked out, wasn't it?

Well, things could be worse. She was travelling with friends, and there was a vampire promised at the end of the journey. That ought to be exciting, at least!

In the here-and-now, however, she had to deal with this... horse-man.

"Hail, and well-met, stranger. Of course you can join us; but be warned, if you intend to stay the night, you'll need your own tent and we'll likely wake you for your share of the watch overnight."

Having a warforged in the party meant they didn't strictly need to keep watches overnight, but considering what they were chasing... well, having two armed sentries at night didn't hurt at all...

[Solaris]

Sebastien rose to his feet at the centaur's approach, feeling a twinge of regret that he'd lost Torch back in the closing days of the war. He'd relied a lot on that warforged paladin's ability to spot evil, especially when dealing with undead.

Still, it'd probably be best for him to draw the centaur's attention; if the horseman was focused on him, he wasn't paying as much attention to the rest of the group. They could use that to their advantage to position themselves in case things went south.

"I don't see why not," he said with a shrug. "It's a free road, after all. You, uh, you from around here?"

[LairdMaon]

Fritz rather enjoys the days of walking. Such things never really bothered him, as long as he wasn't the one leading. There's a reason he was known as Oft-Lost.

He greets the centuar with a couple sniffs and a walk-around.

[TaiLiu]

"Thank you kindly, good sirs and madams!" He trots over by the fire, the light illuminating his face and the heat warming his body. "My name is Bruerion the First, and I hail from the Eldeen Reaches. We're our own nation now!" He thumps his chest with pride, and then says to Mamellek, "And not to worry, good madam! I intend to stay for only a little bit. Then I really must get going. The life of a sellsword is one of constant busyness and adventure! And gold, though I don't get to see much of it. Most of it goes to my children, you know!"

He watches as Fritz goes around sniffing him, and he laughs out loud, vigorous, strong, and a tiny bit forced. "What concerns you, good Warforged? I will not draw my weapons, unless you draw yours." He is silent for a few moments, as if to concentrate on drawing heat from the flames, and he lets the party question him as deeply or as shallowly as they want. Bruerion is gregarious, but distant, and he doesn't seem all that interested in learning more about the party. Indeed, he seems more preoccupied with his own thoughts.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the centaur rubs his chin, as if deep in thought. "Well, before I depart, how about a song? I owe you for the fire!" He reaches into one of horseback bags, and pulls out a small, handheld lyre, along with a plectrum with which to play with. "I've been working on this piece for a while." Then he begins to quietly strum. His music is controlled, and obviously a result of plenty of practice. He stops. "My current clients are paying a lot," he says, to no one in particular, his carefree tone replaced by gloomy weight. "My children are going to use it to get a really big farm."

He continues: twang! twung! tung! tung! Silence. "Prastal will really love the apple trees we'll get."

Twdung! Dun! Dwun! "I do it for them, you know," he says, now looking at the party while playing his lyre. "The adventure's great, but I do it for them.

"You seem like good folk. But it's for a good cause." Silence again, for a split second—

—and then a voice comes from the trees: "Aw, shut it centaur. We ain't paying you for melodrama." Before the party can react or look up, out from the trees flies a barrage of arrows, throwing stars, and a magical shard of ice. An arrow is aimed at Bastoi, another at Mamellek; the throwing stars are aimed at Quire and Sebastien. The icy shard is reserved for Donharath. The attackers are able to get another barrage in before the party can response. Only Fritz is spared.

Looking up, you see three figures cloaked in camouflaging cloaks, each occupying separate but adjacent trees, about twenty feet away from the party, as the crow flies. Their eyes have a slight glow to them, and you can immediately discern that they are Warforged. One is red-eyed, and is holding a shuriken between two of his fingers. Another is blue-eyed, wielding a shortbow nocked with an arrow, and the third, green-eyed, grips a shortspear, her other hand still wafting cold air and magical energy.

"The Lord of Blades sends his regards!" says the red-eyed one. His focus turns towards Fritz. "Brother! The Lord of Blades would welcome you into our ranks, regardless of your previous transgressions towards him. A small proof of your change of heart is all that is needed. Help us kill these fleshlings, except for the centaur."

Two arrows were aimed at Bastoi, versus his flatfooted AC:

For every attack that hits, Bastoi must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or take Dexterity damage, and make another fortitude save in ten rounds to avoid it repeating.

Attack: [roll0]; Damage: [roll1]; Poison: [roll2].
Attack: [roll3]; Damage: [roll4]; Poison: [roll5].

Two arrows were aimed at Mamellek, versus her flatfooted AC:

For every attack that hits, Mamellek must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or take Dexterity damage, and make another fortitude save in ten rounds to avoid it repeating.

Attack: [roll6]; Damage: [roll7]; Poison: [roll8].
Attack: [roll9]; Damage: [roll10]; Poison: [roll11].

Two shuriken were aimed at Quire, versus his flatfooted AC:

For every attack that hits, Quire must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or take Dexterity damage, and make another fortitude save in ten rounds to avoid it repeating.

Attack: [roll12]; Damage: [roll13]; Poison: [roll14].
Attack: [roll15]; Damage: [roll16]; Poison: [roll17].

Two shuriken were aimed at Sebastien, versus his flatfooted AC:

For every attack that hits, Sebastien must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or take Dexterity damage, and make another fortitude save in ten rounds to avoid it repeating.

Attack: [roll18]; Damage: [roll19]; Poison: [roll20].
Attack: [roll21]; Damage: [roll22]; Poison: [roll23].

Two Ice Knife spells were aimed at Donharath, versus his flatfooted AC:

For every attack that hits, Donharath must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 2 Dexterity damage.

Attack: [roll24]; Damage: [roll25].
Attack: [roll26]; Damage: [roll27].

It's a DC 17 Spellcraft check to recognize the spell.
It's a DC 10 Climb check to climb up a tree, or a DC 15 Jump check to simply make the leap up.

It's a DC 10 Jump check to leap to an adjacent tree, a DC 20 check to leap to two trees, and a DC 30 check to leap to three. If you fail this check, you can make a DC 10 Jump or Tumble check to fall to the ground gracefully. If you fail, you take 1d6 damage falling.

[LairdMaon]

In the moments of quiet following the words of the warforged Fritz stands up straight, straighter than his comrades have ever seen. He steps forward to the ambushers, "Brothers? What are your names, brothers?"

[TaiLiu]

The red-eyed Warforged peers down at Fritz. "I am Ruby, brother, and these are my siblings-in-arms, Azurite and Jade." He gestures towards the blue-eyed Warforged and green-eyed Warforged. "We are followers of the Lord of Blades, who wishes to create a utopia for us Warforged. Some of these fleshlings you walk with deceived you, and tricked you into ruining one of our glorious plans. We are to kill them and to bring you into the light."

[LairdMaon]

Fritz walk closer, now a mere 10' from the tree Ruby crouches in.

"Brother again. Brother means family...", Fritz twitches. "What will I gain for my loss?"

[esorscher]

Although this fleshling is particularly close to death, he opts for an offensive rather than defensive measure. If it is his day to die, he will do so taking his enemy with him. Reaching deep within to his well-spring of psionic energy, he channels all the power he can into a single ray of electric energy, which he fires at the green-eyed warforged, assumed to be Jade.

vs. Touch AC, includes -1 from ability damage and +3 vs. metal armor

[roll0], [roll1]

[TaiLiu]

"Nothing will be lost, brother, and there will be everything to gain. Tell me - do the fleshlings treat you like a person, or are you simply a means to an end? We were made to die in battle for a cause other than our own, brother. The deaths of these fleshlings will be nothing but just retribution."

[LairdMaon]

Fritz flinches as Don's shot fires past him to hit Jade. He walks up to the trunk of Ruby's tree.

"Yet again brother." He places a hand on the tree.
"These men, they treat me as they treat each other." He places two more hands on the tree.
"Would I have respect with you?"

[TaiLiu]

"Yes. Respect, and freedom, and to be in the company of your kin. Brothers and sisters to call your own. We serve the Lord of Blades, brother, and in turn he serves us.

"Well? What say you of our offer?"

[LairdMaon]

Fritz climbs the tree to meet Ruby face to steel face. He leans in as if to whisper in Ruby's 'ear'.


Rage on.
Full Attack.
Goal is to tear this automaton into it's component pieces.

Claw
To Hit [roll0]
To Hurt [roll1]

Claw
To Hit [roll2]
To Hurt [roll3]

Claw
To Hit [roll4]
To Hurt [roll5]

Claw
To Hit [roll6]
To Hurt [roll7]

Bite
To Hit [roll8]
To Hurt [roll9]

Slam
To Hit [roll10]
To Hurt [roll11]

Don't hurt Fritz's friends.

[rax]

Quire listens appreciatively to Bruerion's music, absent-mindedly tapping his foot to keep time. But when the centaur exclaims that his "current clients are paying a lot", he snaps out of his reverie. What does he mean, "his clients are paying a lot"? Quire reaches out with all his enhanced senses, but cannot hear or see anything unusual. There's no movement on the ground except for the centaur and Quire's own companions. But then, sniffing the air, he detects a strange smell - a scent that's clearly not coming from Bruerion or anyone else in the immediate vicinity. It smells like Fritz...but not quite the same.

"Hey! Everyone pipe down, there's someone else out there!" Quire shouts, but even as he calls out, the first barrage of spells and missiles strike his companions. Whirling in the direction of the attack, Quire spots the three warforged ambushers. "Mercenary scum," he hisses at the centaur, then reaches for the piece of amber at his throat. "Awake," he whispers, and instantly an enormous centipede appears at the foot of the tree where the warforged spellcaster is perched. "Kill," Quire commands, and the centipede races up the trunk to attack. With the beast unleashed to hunt, he then stalks toward the centaur, readying his glaive to attack, just as a second shuriken grazes his arm...

OOC: Quire's actions: Standard action - activate amber amulet of vermin. Move action - move to engage Bruerion, readying his glaive as a free action at the same time.

The amber amulet says that the summoned creature appears and obeys commands as if summoned by summon nature's ally, so I assume that we default to the spell for what the amulet can do. With CL 10, it should have a range of 50 feet, allowing Quire to have his beastie appear anywhere within that range. The spell also says that he needs to be able to communicate with the summoned creature in order to direct it to attack a particular enemy. Well, Quire can't do that, but I hope it's okay to assume that the centipede will attack the nearest enemy without prompting, so that's why I summoned it specifically next to Jade's tree. The centipede has a climb speed of 40 feet, so it should have no problem immediately moving up and attacking the warforged.

Centipede's actions: Move action - climb Jade's tree. Standard action - attack Jade. (Note that the centipede has 10 foot reach, so it can attack from beyond Jade's melee range.)
Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage roll: [roll1]

[LastCenturion]

Bastoi grimaces in pain as the first volley finds his shoulder, but fights through it and steps over to the tree with the blue-eyed warforged is perched. Time for that new trick...

His eyes sparking, Bastoi places a hand on the trunk of the tree. "Tethcihcsebttef" he mutters, and instantly the branch on which the warforged stands becomes slick.

Moving to the tree with (I presume) Azurite and casting Grease, targeting the surface where Azurite is standing.

[Solaris]

Sebastien smiled wryly as the centaur's self-pitying song turned out to be - surprise! - a prelude to an ambush.
And people wondered how he'd gotten to be so paranoid.

He hustled back towards the tents, taking cover in the camp as he traced a quick sigil on his hand crossbow. The others had scattered, so he'd need to amplify and augment his own capabilities in order to survive. The warforged in the trees seemed to be the biggest threats, at least for the moment - the centaur was a mercenary, with all that entailed. How fortunate, then, that there existed magic designed to tear asunder the living constructs with the very energies that animated them.

Sebastien moved for cover, because somebody has bows and he is very squishy, and then he used the personal weapon augmentation infusion on his hand crossbow to grant it the construct bane property. He's also burning an action point to make it happen sometime this week, reducing the casting time.

[whoiam]

Mamellek's armor stops the first arrow, but her reactions are too slow to keep the second arrow from hitting the joint at her left elbow.

Not debilitating, by any means, but she'll definitely feel that one later.


[roll0] vs DC 11

Mamellek currently has 7 points of damage in her Steely Resolve pool, giving a +1 bonus to attack and damage rolls.


'Azurite' appears to have the least 'attention' of their current foes... so Mamellek joins Bastoi in targetting it. She heads under the branch Azurite is on, pulling her chain out and going for the warforged while it struggles to resist Bastoi's grease...


Mamellek uses Crusader's Strike on Azurite.
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3] - If Mamellek hits, this healing will be sent to Bastoi

[rax]

Quire circles around Bruerion to put the centaur between himself and the warforged. "Are you here to play or to fight, centaur? Draw a weapon and defend yourself, or leave now and you may live to see your children again. Either way, I've had enough of your tunes!" Quire growls, lashing out with his glaive to knock the lyre out of Bruerion's hands.

Move action - use as much movement as necessary to circle around Bruerion until he's between Quire and the warforged.
Standard action - roll to disarm: [roll0]
...and let's add an action point for style: [roll1]
Roll includes +4 bonus for having a 2-handed weapon. If I understand the rules correctly, the centaur should get a +4 size bonus to his roll, but then suffers a -4 penalty because the lyre isn't a weapon. Quire also won't suffer an AoO since the centaur doesn't have 10-foot reach.

Meanwhile, over at Jade's perch, the monstrous centipede continues its attempt to devour the warforged.

Standard action - Attack Jade; no other actions
Attack roll: (1d20+5)[22]
Damage roll:(2d6+4)[13]
Rolls copied from dice roll thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22090127&postcount=2879).

[TaiLiu]

The party's counterattack is particularly effective. All three Warforged are successfully attacked by claw, chain, and spell and critter, forcing them to move to more defensive stances. Quire successfully knocks Bruerion's lyre out of his hands. The centaur doesn't really resist, but he silently draws his longsword out from its sheath with his left hand. Then, with a sudden celerity and ferociousness, he bounds forward and attempts to bowl over Quire, trying to knock down the aasimar with a powerful thrust of his right arm.

"If you die," he growls back, "My children will get the money, no matter what happens to me. I wouldn't expect those without children to understand." He grabs onto the sword's grip with his right hand, just above his left. "Now get up and fight! Your life for me and mine!"

Meanwhile, Ruby desperately tries to ward the savage Fritz off, frightened and furious at Warforged's surprise attack. He strikes Fritz with a quick upward kick to his face, and then he bends down and lunges for a faraway tree. "Siblings!" he calls out, though his voice is less authoritative than before, "Our brother has chosen to side with the fleshlings. May his destruction free his soul so his second life can be lived amongst us."

His fellow ambushers don't seem to be in a position to listen. After being hit chest-on by Don's lightning ray, and after being bitten by a giant summoned centipede, Jade is not having the greatest of times. She mutters a lightning spell into her palm and swings her fist at the oversized insect. "This ain't going well!" she shouts at Ruby, "I told you we should've brought more people!"

"Not the problem," says Azurite, calmly leaping to a nearby tree. "Should've focus fired instead. Offed them one at a time." The archer nocks another arrow, then lets it go, aiming it at Mamellek. "Good combo." The truncated sentence is directed at Bastoi and Mamellek. "Not enough."

Bruerion draws his weapon as a move action, takes a five-foot step, and then makes a trip attack attempt at Quire:

Bruerion makes an unarmed melee touch attack: [roll0], versus Quire's Dexterity or Strength check. If Bruerion succeeds, Quire is knocked prone.

Quire gets an attack of opportunity.

Ruby makes a standard action unarmed strike at Fritz, with a Stunning Fist rider:

Attack: [roll1]; Damage: [roll2].

If the attack hits, Fritz must make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be stunned until Ruby's next turn.

Ruby makes a DC 20 Jump check to jump over to a non-adjacent tree: [roll3]. If Fritz isn't stunned, Fritz can make an attack of opportunity because Ruby is leaving his threatened area.

Jade makes a five-foot step and casts Shocking Grasp on the centipede:

DC 17 Concentration check to defensively cast: [roll4].

Touch attack: [roll5]; Damage: [roll6].

Azurite automatically succeeds on a DC 10 Jump check to move to another tree, and then makes a standard action shortbow attack:

Attack: [roll7]; Damage: [roll8] plus [roll9] Skirmish damage.

Mamellek must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or take [roll10] Dexterity damage, and make another fortitude save in ten rounds to avoid it repeating.

Mamellek can make an attack of opportunity because Azurite is leaving her threatened area.

[LairdMaon]

Fritz Oft-Lost uses the moment of the kick to his face to spin around and swipe at the cowardly warforged trying to flee.


To Hit [roll0]
To Hurt [roll1]

[rax]

As Bruerion bounds forward, he meets the sweep of Quire's glaive. The attack leaves a bleeding gash along the centaur's flank, but it is far from serious. Meanwhile, the centaur's own attack if so swift and powerful that Quire is thrown backwards onto the forest floor.

Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage if successful: [roll1]

I'm assuming that the AoO hits. If not, let me know and I'll amend the description.

[LairdMaon]

"COWAARD!" Fritz screams, furious at Ruby. He leaps to an adjacent tree. "THE LORD OF BLADES IS A COWARD TOO!" He leaps to the same branch Ruby is on. "I WILL TEAR YOU APART FOR YOUR LIES!"

[whoiam]

"The warforged is right, we should down them in order! Everyone, focus on their caster, and quickly!"

While the second arrow sticking out of her definitely suggested she needed to kill Azurite (and soon), she instead moves over to Jade's tree. Her training was pretty firm on this point: All else being equal, kill casters whenever you can.

Never knew what the tricky little buggers would pull out if you didn't get'em at the start of the fight, after all...

"Together, let's bring it down!"


Mamellek's using Vanguard Strike, so her allies will get a +4 bonus on ranged and melee attack rolls vs Jade (if she hits) until the start of Mamellek's next turn.

[roll0]
[roll1]

[Solaris]

Sebastien nodded. He didn't need to be told twice; he stood up, took aim with his crossbow, and fired a mystically-charged bolt at the warforged Mamellak was attacking. As soon as the bolt let fly, he ducked back down to reload another round. He knew the tents weren't actually cover so much as they were concealment, especially if the enemy had something like a penetrative spell or a good crossbow, but it certainly made him feel better.

He just hoped none of the 'forged had ever played the carnival game, Whack-a-Gnome. Sebastien wasn't quite short enough to count, but the principles were uncomfortably similar.

Hand crossbow: [roll0], [roll1] +[roll2]
Included in the attack roll is the -2 penalty for range, the +1 bonus for Point Blank Shot, and the +2 bonus for bane.
EDIT: It should not have a -2 penalty for range; I'd misremembered the range increment of the hand crossbow as 10 ft. rather than 30. That would make the attack roll a whopping 11.

[esorscher]

Donharath doesn't need to be told twice, bringing his crossbow to bear on the green-eyed warforged who had already incurred his wrath. He channels some of his psionic energy through his weapon into the bolt, imbuing it with additional potential.

I believe Donharath is already within point-blank range, but if he hasn't been, he will move such that he is.

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

[rax]

Quire rolls away from the centaur and regains his feet, sweeping his glaive before him to try and fend off the attack that it sure to come. "And what if we put down all of the clanks over there? Are you expected to kill all of us by yourself to get paid?" he inquires with a mirthless grin, directing a quick cut at Bruerion's head.

Move action - get up from prone.
Take 5-foot step away from the centaur.
Standard action - roll to attack and initiate Stone Bones maneuver:[roll0]
Damage roll: [roll1]
If the attack hits, Quire gains DR 5/adamantine for 1 round.

[rax]

The centipede spasms as the electricity from Jade's spell courses through it. Chittering angrily, it looks for easier prey. Noticing a rustle as Azurite moves, the centipede lunges forward and hauls itself, snakelike, through the branches to the tree where the skirmisher is setting up for his next shot. The centipede's jaws open wide as it tries to take a bite out of the warforged.

Move action - climb from one tree to the next. With Huge size and a climb speed of 40 feet, I'm making the assumption that the centipede can easily make it from one tree to the next with a single move action.
Standard action - attack roll: [roll0]
Damage roll: [roll1]

Also, after being hit with Jade's shocking grasp, the centipede is down to 19/33 hit points.

[LastCenturion]

Bastoi grimaces in disappointment as the warforged leaps out of his reach. That was his last ranged trick. He crouched in preparation for an attack, spinning his back to the tree trunk.

Total defense action. Sorry for the delay.

[TaiLiu]

Whoosh! Thunk! Thunk! A crossbow bolt strikes Jade right in the forehead. She shudders violently, freezes up, and falls out the tree, falling onto the forest ground with a loud crash.

"Sister!" Ruby turns to the falling Warforged, clocking Fritz in the face. "You'll pay for that!"

"Ruby. Tactical retreat. Let's go."

"You go first, sibling!" Azurite shrugs and begins an arboreal retreat as Ruby clocks Fritz in the face again.

"As for you, brother - I am no coward, and neither is my lord. Let us fight man versus man, then, without interference from your party or mine. What say you?"

Concurrently, Bruerion is having opposing thoughts. The centaur swings his longsword at Quire as the aasimar stands and strikes him, and raises his longsword for another blow, but the death of Jade and the retreat of Azurite gives him pause. He looks at the heavily battered Ruby, sizes up the party, and then wordlessly makes his own tactical retreat.

Azurite withdraws, using a full-round action to make two Jump checks to flee the scene.

Bruerion withdraws, moving a hundred feet away from the party.

Ruby is fighting defensively, trading 4 on his attack roll for a plus 2 to his AC:

Attack: [roll0]; Damage: [roll1]. If it hits, make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be stunned.

Attack: [roll2]; Damage: [roll3]. If it hits, make a DC 14 Fortitude save or be stunned.

[esorscher]

Donharath does not give Fritz an opportunity to answer, firing a crossbow bolt at Ruby, again with added psionic energy. There would be time to argue the point after the battle was won--and a tactical retreat promised future conflict. At that point, he'd rather face two than three, regardless of if anyone's feelings are hurt in the moment. Cruel, perhaps, but he is not known as Don the Kind.

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

[LairdMaon]

"These are not a 'party'! This is my family!"

Fritz rips into the struggling compilation of steel, stone and wood.


Full Attack.
Goal is to tear this automaton into it's component pieces.

Claw
To Hit [roll0]
To Hurt [roll1]

Claw
To Hit [roll2]
To Hurt [roll3]

Claw
To Hit [roll4]
To Hurt [roll5]

Claw
To Hit [roll6]
To Hurt [roll7]

Bite
To Hit [roll8]
To Hurt [roll9]

Slam
To Hit [roll10]
To Hurt [roll11]


"I say there is no next time."

[Solaris]

Much like the silent psion, Sebastien was in no mood for the warforged supremacist to come back when they least expect it. He wasn't exactly keen on letting the centaur assassin get away, either, but the warforged were the main threats... and his hand crossbow didn't exactly have the range to reach out and touch him.

He would just have to deal with the lowlife mercenary and his ill-gotten farm later. Much later.

Sebastien drew a bead on the warforged leaping through the trees, running along the ground to close in and keep the 'forged from getting away. As soon as he had his shot, he took it.

Move action to move, standard to attack.
[roll0], [roll1] +[roll2]
The attack roll includes the +2 for bane and +1 for PBS. No penalties for cover or concealment, if any, are applied.

[whoiam]

With only Mountain Hammer left to be granted, Mamellek gains that maneuver automatically.


Ruby probably shouldn't have held station. The three retreating together, scattering into different directions... that may have gotten all three of them away. But standing your ground... just guaranteed you would, at best, save two.

Of course, they did have to put 'Ruby' down first, though...


Moving to a spot under Ruby's tree, and 'Leading the Attack' against it.
[roll0]
[roll1]

Using Leading the Attack, which is also a +4 attack bonus to Mamellek's allies if she hits and they go after the same target.

[TaiLiu]

Donharath and Mamellek ignore Ruby's pleads and strike, both of their attacks missing due to the warforged's defensive measures. However, the double attack leaves him vulnerable to Fritz's furious full-on attack. Dented and with gashes all over his body, Ruby plummets from the tree, a sickening crunch signalling his landing. "Brother—" he croaks, and then he says no more.

If you search Ruby's body, you find two vials, one open and emptied, the other still filled with a viscous paste; a potion of repair light damage, in a flask; and around two dozen shuriken, layered with said viscous paste and a shiny transparent oil. He is equipped with brown leather gloves and boots, an amulet with the Lord of Blade's holy symbol carved into it, and his cloak, the dark green fabric blending in with the dark of the trees. With the exception of the cloak, his worn equipment lightly pulses with magic. He holds no money.

If you search Jade's body, you find her cloak and shortspear on the ground next to her. There is a ring on one of her fingers, and carved into it are the initials of the Lord of Blade. Behind her cloak you can see a small backpack and a cloak; the latter has the holy symbol of the Lord of Blades crudely painted on it, and seems to glow with the cultic charisma of the warforged would-be god-king. The former holds a wand, as well as a small pouch of about a hundred and twenty gold pieces.

Meanwhile, Sebastien runs after Azurite, aiming his crossbow at the fleeing warforged. The bolt misses, and Azurite doesn't even look back as they continue fleeing.

Azurite continues doing his double Jump.
Ruby:


- small centipede poison;
- potion of repair light damage;
- 24 shuriken with poison and an oil of magic weapon applied;
- gloves of dexterity +2;
- boots of striding and springing;
- amulet of natural armor +1;
- masterwork cloak, +2 circumstance bonus to hide.

Jade:


- masterwork shortspear;
- masterwork cloak, +2 circumstance bonus to hide;
- masterwork ring, +2 circumstance bonus to concentration;
- wand of magic missile, 13 charges left;
- cloak of charisma +2;
- 120 gold pieces.

[rax]

As the centaur gallops away, Quire gingerly examines the ribs on his left side, where Bruerion's longsword mashed against his chain shirt as he rolled to his feet. Nothing feels broken, but no doubt there'll be some serious bruising. Taking stock of the situation, he sees that Jade has fallen and - just then - Ruby also comes crashing out of his tree. Of the third warforged, there's no sign from where Quire is standing. Probably doing a runner, just like the centaur, he thinks with a mirthless smile.

He briefly considers recalling the centipede, but the summoning spell will soon run out, and perhaps it can take a chunk or two out of Azurite before then. Quire decides to let it run.

[rax]

Speedy the Centipede
The centipede is not inclined to let it's prey just run away, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing Azurite to the best of its ability.

@TaiLiu: The centipede has 40 foot land speed and climb speed. Rather than keep detailing its actions round by round, I'll just describe a general course of action that it will pursue until it catches Azurite, the spell runs out (lasts a minute), or Azurite definitely outdistances the vermin. If Azurite pulls some clever trick, it's unlikely that the centipede will notice, allowing him to get away.

Action-wise, that means the centipede will run if the terrain allows (full round action to move 160 feet/round in a straight line) or take double moves on the ground or in the trees to move 80 feet/round.

In case it catches the warforged and is in a position to attack, here are some attack and damage rolls:
Attack #1: [roll0]
Attack #2: [roll1]
Attack #3: [roll2]
Damage #1: [roll3]
Damage #2: [roll4]
Damage #3: [roll5]

[LairdMaon]

Ever hear a V8 scream as the RPMs shoot into the red? That. That's the sound that tears itself out of Fritz as he rips out of the tree. He rockets after Azurite, ground cover thrown up behind him, the sound of his chase unhindered by any of his own concern.


Fritz will stay on Azurite's tail like a hound on a fox. I want him nervous enough to make a mistake.

[esorscher]

Donharath chases after the fleeing warforged as well, his choice motivated by the same desire to tie up loose ends as his choice to prevent a time-consuming honor duel. He will move as close as he can to the warforged, and fire if he is within ranged.

Ideally, move 30' after the warforged and shoot if he is within 80', otherwise, move up to running speed (120') to get as close to the warforged as possible.

If he can attack: [roll0], [roll1]

[whoiam]

Mamellek couldn't chase to save her life (she's wearing plate mail, after all), but she's not above unslinging her bow and taking a parting shot at a fleeing foe. Azurite, in this case. She'd have time for one, right...?


Move to switch weapons, standard to shoot Azurite (or in Azurite's approximate direction if the roll's bad.)

[roll0]
[roll1]

Mamellek doesn't have anything fancy to apply to her shooting. It's just a backup weapon.

[TaiLiu]

Donharath's bolt goes wide, but Mamellek's arrow strikes Azurite in the shoulder. They grunt, looking at the crowd after them. "Go away. Won't hurt you if you don't hurt me."

[LairdMaon]

When Azurite pauses to look at his pursuers Fritz takes the opportunity to leap up onto the branch with him.


Jump check to get next to Azurite [roll0] DC 15
If he has an Action Point available let's toss it in. [roll1]

Pounce into Full Attack
Claw
To Hit [roll2]
To Hurt [roll3]

Claw
To Hit [roll4]
To Hurt [roll5]

Claw
To Hit [roll6]
To Hurt [roll7]

Claw
To Hit [roll8]
To Hurt [roll9]

Bite
To Hit [roll10]
To Hurt [roll11]

Slam
To Hit [roll12]
To Hurt [roll13]

[Solaris]

Sebastien ran through the brush along with the group, trying to pursue the warforged on the ground rather than risk his neck leaping through the trees like some lunatic ape. As he bulled his way through the brush, cursing the fact that they had horses instead of dinosaurs and thus he had to do this on foot lest his mount break a leg, his quick mind ran through the infusions he knew to try and determine if any of them would actually be helpful. The only thing he could think of, perversely, was designing some kind of hunting homunculus so the next time the centaur mercenary tried to run away it wouldn't escape.

Screw it.

As Fritz leaped up onto the branch, Sebastien lined up a shot and let fly with his crossbow to try and get the nasty little warforged supremacist's attention. If he hit, great, but at least he wanted Azurite to realize there was more than just one hunter after him.

[roll0], [roll1]+[roll2]
PBS not applied, no penalties for range applied.

[esorscher]

Donharath continues his pursuit of the warforged.

As previously described. [roll0], [roll1]

[TaiLiu]

The sky slowly darkens as the party rides on, the horses trotting slowly along the main road, tired by the day's activities. It is the thirteenth day, and your journey to the gnomish capital is almost over, and soon the party would reach Trolanport. Lucan and Grilsha's head start meant that they would almost certainly already be in the city to look for a "Krell" by the time the party arrived. It was a simultaneous game of playing catch up and hide-and-seek, and unfortunately, hiding was a practiced skill of Lucan's.

It is by extraordinary good fortune, then, that the party manages to spot a coach up ahead of them - Grilsha's coach, if you remember the description correctly, though it is hard to tell in the dim darkness. The horses are somewhat slow, slower than your own, and you can catch up relatively quickly if you'd like. And the driver isn't even paying attention! If this is indeed Lucan and Grilsha, then you have an opportunity to end their journey - and earn yourself plenty of gold - before they even near the capital. What do you do?

The book gives a 1200 feet distance between the party and the coach. Since I don't want to deal with that, the party is closer - at whatever distance is deemed dramatic. The party also has a surprise round.

[esorscher]

Donharath draws up quietly, but when he can go no further without drawing their notice, he urges his mount forward at full speed, racing past the carriage to prevent their escape up the road.

as described OOC, move up to 4x movement speed so that he is about 40' ahead of the carriage.

[TaiLiu]

Donharath sees a red-haired woman driving the carriage, a dark cloak partially concealing her metallic plate armour, and immediately recognizes her as Grilsha. She seems a little surprised by a rider suddenly darting ahead of her, and a little on edge, but otherwise does not respond to the psion or his horse.

[rax]

Following Donharath's lead, Quire urges his horse forward until he's alongside the driver's seat. Concealed in his right hand, ready for use, is a vial of sleep-smoke. Seeing the red-haired woman driving the coach, he flashes her a smile and says: "My, but he was in a hurry, wasn't he? Now, catch!" With that, he tosses the vial at the side of the coach to release the sleep-smoke, hopefully catching the driver in the cloud.

Horse's actions: Double move to catch up with the coach (60+60 feet movement).
Quire's actions - pending DM approval
Move action: Control the horse. DM permission required: As no real combat has taken place, I hope we can ignore the DC 20 Ride skill check to control the horse. If not, let me know and I'll reconsider my actions.
Free action: Speak to the driver to distract her.
Standard action: Throw the vial at the coach. Sleep-smoke affects a globe 10 feet in diameter on the first round, so I'm counting on a hit near the driver's seat being enough to also envelope the driver. If that works, she needs to make a DC 15 Fort save or fall unconscious for 1 minute. Secondary damage is also unconsciousness, for 1d3 minutes.

More DM permission required: Per the mounted combat rules, this attack should take place after the horse has completed half its movement (60 feet), which isn't close enough to make the attack as described. Since we're running slightly more freeform combat, I hope you'll be okay with allowing the attack later than that. The remaining move of the horse (20 feet) would then be just enough to clear the area of the smoke.

Attack roll: [roll0] (includes -4 penalty for ranged combat when mount is taking a double move)

[LairdMaon]

Fritz directs his horse to run up alongside the carriage opposite Quire. As the house pulls up a bit faster than the target, Fritz dismounts directly into a sprint, covers the last distance to the carriage, and hauls himself up. He crouches down on the roof, just waiting for violence to occur.


Climb [roll0]

[TaiLiu]

Grilsha instinctively holds up her arm to block the sleep-smoke, but Quire was aiming elsewhere, and the vial explodes on the carriage seat, the smoke blotting out the sight and consciousness. You hear a soft whump! as Lucan's sister falls asleep and hits her head against the side of the carriage. Her grip on the reins soften, though the horses don't really notice and continue to move at the same speed.

Fritz successfully climbs onto the roof.

[LastCenturion]

Crouching low over his horse, Bastoi pulls alongside the carriage, looking to see the driver asleep at the reins. Gathering himself and detaching his stirrups, Bastoi leaps onto the cab, reaching already for the reins, looking to control the horse team.

Bastoi has a rank in ride, and can burn inspiration points to get even better at it.

[roll0] Ride check, spending one inspiration point on it. For the hell of it, I'll also spend an action point, adding [roll1] to it.

[LairdMaon]

Fritz climbs over Grilsha and uses two hands to cross her and over her chest. He then straddles her so that he is facing her. His other two arms grab hold of the railing behind her and he pulls in close to brace the two of them while grappling her. He then braces for any jostling of any kind.

[TaiLiu]

While Fritz reaches down to get a steady hold on a Grilsha knocked out cold, Bastoi successfully leaps onto the carriage and assumes control of the horses.

[esorscher]

With things well in hand figuratively and literally, Donharath slows his pace, allowing the carriage to naturally catch up to him. He looks inside the window, if he can, if not, he attempts to open the carriage door without leaving his mount.

[roll0] (untrained, +1 dex, +2 military saddle)

[TaiLiu]

The carriage windows are covered by drawn curtains, but the door is unlocked. Donharath manages to pull it open. Inside, he can see two surprised men - one matching Lucan's description, another whose face is obscured by a cloak and mask. "Hey!" the masked man says. He reaches for his belt dagger...

[esorscher]

Don slams the door shut with a swift motion. "Lucan, and another hostile within." He lets his horse fall further back from the carriage.

[whoiam]

As per her typical role in any battle, Mamellek is heading to where she's most likely to be hit, and waiting for it to happen.

Which in this case means replacing Donharath by the door, leaving a 5' gap between her and the carriage, and preparing an action to whack the first person to come out through the door.


Readied action: Attack (standard attack) the first person to open the door.
She may also score an AOO on them, depending on what they do once the door's open.

[TaiLiu]

Sebastien pulls out his crossbow, loads a bolt in, and then gets ready for the conflict up ahead. Lucan and the masked man seem to have the same idea. The latter pulls the curtains open and stays stationary for a few seconds, as if he were staring Mamellek down through his mask. Then he raises his arms and start chanting. His body blocks most of the inner carriage from Mamellek's view, but she can still see Lucan moving about on the inside.

Grilsha is still unconscious, and is drooling a little.

Grilsha will be unconscious for nine more rounds.

A DC 16 Spellcraft check will let you know that the masked man is casting mage armour.

Lucan is using his Children of the Night ability. In [roll0] rounds, [roll1] bat swarms will descend upon the party.

[rax]

As the carriage rolls past him, Quire sees the red-haired woman slump down in the driver's seat, and soon after Fritz and Bastoi leap onto the carriage, taking control of the woman and the reins respectively. When Donharath confirms the presence of Lucan and another person within, Quire spurs his mount forward again, riding parallel to the carriage, just far enough away to prevent someone within striking out at him with a weapon.

"Bastoi! Stop the bloody carriage!" he calls out, simultaneously preparing a second vial of sleep-smoke to toss into the carriage once it - hopefully - comes to a halt.

Horse's actions: Single or double move as needed to keep pace with the carriage.
Quire's actions
Free action: Call out to Bastoi to stop the carriage.
Move action: Control the horse.
Move action: Ready another vial of sleep-smoke.

"Just far enough away to prevent someone striking him with a weapon" should read as 10 feet away in game terms.

[LairdMaon]

Fritz adjusts his grip on the unconscious woman beneath him so that his four arms are secure around her waist and hips. With a grunt he lifts her in the air, turns around and falls backward, leading with her shoulders and neck, through the roof of the carriage.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r7YOrJ358WI

Goals:
Overcrowd the carriage with bodies.
Force Concentration checks on anyone casting.
Make movement within difficult.
Provide easy target for friendly attacks.

[esorscher]

Donharath urges his mount forward so that he maintains a roughly 25' distance from the carriage, and activates his Dorje of Force Screen to provide him with a slight defensive edge.

[Solaris]

Sebastien, cursing under his breath and muttering about being an artillery officer, not a gods-be-damned cavalryman, gave his horse a kick to the flanks to get it to pick up the pace.

"Mamellak, damn your hide, get back here!" the rust-haired artificer barked as he nudged his horse up along next to her. He was already fishing out the oils he needed to enhance her weapon, and wasted no time infusing it with the power of his birthright.

Sebastien infuses Mamellak's weapon with magic weapon.

[roll0] against DC 10 to avoid losing the infusion due to the bouncy horse ride.

[LastCenturion]

Bastoi acknowledges the command with a tip of the head, pulling on the reins to bring the cart to a gradual halt.

Stopping the carriage all at once would be a terrible plan, so my plan is to reduce the speed until it stops. I figure -5' per round squared is a reasonable deceleration rate?

[whoiam]

Re-reading your previous post, I just realised that Masked Man was attempting to cast inside Mamellek's threatened area (since she's got her chain out, and she's 5' from the carriage, people on the 'near' side of the carriage are threatened.)

Although they could try making a Defensive Casting roll, I suppose...

[roll0]
[roll1]


When Mr Mask glared at her, Mamellek offered him a cocky grin in response. But then he started casting instead of making some sort of assault on her... how disappointing! Well, there was ways to deal with that. So she made a (reflexive) attempt to smash in the caster's face. She couldn't just let people be that rude to her, after all! And then.... hmm... well, people having cover in a fight is nice, but right now, the cover was helping the enemy more than her. So for her 'recovery' from the attempt to rearrange Mr Mask's face, she twitched her chain sideways, and pulled it back sharply, dragging most of the carriage's front/side panels back with it. A second blow behind the door demolished the rest of the side, leaving the two (now three - how had the unconscious woman gotten into the carriage?) occupants exposed to the party...

(At least, to the members of the party still on their horses.)


Burning an action point to demolish the near side of the carriage after attempting the AOO.

[TaiLiu]

A powerful thrust from Mamellek's chain sunders the wall and disrupts the masked man's spell. He stumbles backwards, ready to cast another spell, when part of the roof collapses and Grilsha falls through with a loud crash, wood splinters everywhere. With unblinking eyes, Lucan looks at his sister, then at Fritz on the roof, and then at the armoured crusader with a chain powerful enough to rend walls. He has on a very large green knapsack, and there is a ruby-pommeled sword on his side - the soul blade.

"Good luck, kid." His voice is dry, hollow, emotionless, and he almost seems disinterested with the way the scene is unfolding.

"Wait!" the masked man shouts, his stern demeanour all but gone. But Lucan has already dissolved into a thin grey gas, floating out from the newly-created hole where Grilsha entered. The masked man looks at his two assailants and the unconscious human woman next to him. He silently notes that the carriage was indeed slowing down, and that he heard more than two horses after him. Then he drops his dagger and holds his hands out in a sign of surrender. "I give up!" he shouts, and immediately afterward: "Don't come closer, though, either of you! I know magic! We can parley from a distance. What do you want?"

Lucan uses his Gaseous Form ability and is floating away. Fritz gets an AoO.

Grilsha will be unconscious for eight more rounds.

[whoiam]

"...You know I can still hit you from here, right?" Mamellek points out to the person she'd hit in the face just moments earlier. "Actually, what we wanted... " she gestures up to where the gas cloud is floating away, "was him. Don't think hitting him with a length of chain is going to accomplish much, though... Not in that form, anyway!"

[LairdMaon]

To Hit [roll0]
To Hurt [roll1]


Fritz takes a parting swipe at the villainous vapors vacating the vehicle.

And, following the amused words of Mamellek, promptly drops behind the Masked Man and wraps him in a hug, the kind of hug that includes a Full Nelson.
"Parlay is better with cuddles,
right Mamellek?"


This will be a touch attack. I'm hoping that he is willing himself to not bother fighting at this point.

To Touch [roll2]

[TaiLiu]

The masked man reaches into a little pouch and draws a glass prism before Fritz even touches the floor. "Go away!" he shouts, holding the prism above his head. As he chants his next spell, the colour from his body leeches from him and enters the prism, where it expends outward as a powerful, multicoloured ray of light. It strikes Fritz, threatening to blind him temporarily. At the same time, the masked man fades away from view.

A DC 17 Spellcraft check identifies the spell as blinding colour surge.

Fritz must make a DC 15 Will save or be blinded for one round.

The masked man is affected by invisibility for six.

[esorscher]

Donharath spies the fleeing gaseous form, and considers his options. The fleeing form of the vampire seems to be held together in the cool night air, but as Donharath wills it, so the air begins to stir, restless even as it swirls around the gaseous form of the vampire, picking up speed as he focuses, changing its direction every interval of time necessary so that the wind continues to whip round the attempting escapee, defying the expectations of meteorologists everywhere as it creates some sort of twister/globe of wind hybrid, trapping the vampire at its center by creating a vortex of low pressure at the center of the incredibly local weather system.

Manifesting Control Air as a standard action to contain Lucan and prevent his escape. It will last concentration, up to one minute. Adding an action point (not sure how mechanically) to make it even more possible and cool: [roll0]

[rax]

Quire watches in some frustration as Fritz crashes through the roof with Grilsha. Moments later Mamellek tears the side off the carriage and Lucan begins to make his escape. Well, so much for negotiating a bloodless solution...

He considers the vial in his hand, now probably overkill in handling the mage as Fritz tries to grapple him in the confines of the carriage body. But putting it away and drawing his glaive to attack Lucan will likely let the vampire escape. Just then, strange winds whip up and seem to hold the vampire's gaseous form in place, and Quire makes his decision. Alright, Lucan it is! he thinks, and spurs his horse towards the vampire.

Move action: Put away the vial. Dropping it is a free action, but I don't want to risk it breaking if I do.
Move action: Control horse.

Horse's actions: Move past the slowing carriage to get beneath Lucan.

Planned actions for next round if circumstances still allow: Quire draws his glaive (move action) and takes a swing at Lucan if he's still within 10 feet (standard action, may include a maneuver)

[TaiLiu]

Lucan is trapped! Donharath's power over the night wind has ensnared him, and he can go nowhere in his gaseous form.

As Bastoi slows down the cart, you hear footsteps as the masked man takes the opportunity to jump off and attempt to flee the scene.

Grilsha is still drooling.

Grilsha will be unconscious for eight more rounds.

Lucan does something this round, but he is still in gaseous form and has not escaped.

The masked man will be invisible for five more rounds.

In five rounds, three bat swarms will descend upon the party.

[rax]

Having directed his horse to close with Lucan, Quire draws his glaive and calls out a short prayer to the god of war as he strikes at the vampire's misty form. "Dol Dorn, guide my hand!"

Guide horse with knees to enable use of both hands: DC 5 Ride check. Automatic success due to +4 modifier and minimum die result of 1. Not listed as taking an action in the skill description.
Move action: Draw weapon.
Standard action: Attack with Leading the Attack maneuver. [roll0]
Also expending an action point to improve hit chance: [roll1]
If successful, allies gain a +4 morale bonus on attack rolls against Lucan for 1 round.
Damage: [roll2]

[whoiam]

Completely forgot I was meant to be making ride checks! --Last time the mounted combat rules came up for me, I was playing as a Centaur...:smalleek:

[roll0]
[roll1]


"Are you done with whatever you were doing to my chain, Sebastien?"

Mamellek had been aiming to take a swing with her (ideally enchanted) chain at the gas cloud (since she didn't know where Mr Mask had slipped off to), but, sadly, her horse was on an entirely different wavelength; and trying to wrestle the beast back into line meant she didn't have enough hands free to make an attack this round.

(Mamellek's not big on one-handed weapons...)

[TaiLiu]

Quire successfully strikes the cloud of mist, though he cannot tell whether his attack had an effect just yet. Then Lucan merges together again, and instead of a man, you see a giant bat with a small gash on its belly, the cut quickly closing up. It reminds you of the dire bat you fought back in the tower, though even in his new form, Lucan's eyes suggest a greater intelligence behind them. He circles the party for a second, sizing them up. Then he aims his body skyward, focusing on escape.

Meanwhile, you hear the distant sound of dry leaves crunching underneath hurried footsteps - the masked man apparently has the same idea.

Lucan leaves his gaseous form, revealing that he spent last turn transforming into a dire bat. Then he flies forty feet up.

Lucan has taken eight damage. His fast healing removes five.

Grilsha will be unconscious for seven more rounds.

The masked man is running away, and will be invisible for four more rounds.

In four rounds, three bat swarms will descend upon the party.

[esorscher]

Don breaks his concentration on the wind, as it is now pointless to maintain. He brings his index and middle fingers to either side of his forehead, pressing his temples as he thrusts mentally toward the bat. He expends the psionic focus he has maintained since morning, further empowering the blast of psychic energy.

Empowered Cold Energy Missile [roll0](1.5)=39 rolled OOC
Fort DC 17 negates

[whoiam]

With the bat that high up, Mamellek has little choice but to switch to her bow and hope her horse is more co-operative this time around.


[roll0]
Mamllek has all 5 maneuvers granted this round, but they're all melee range, so she can't use any of them :(

[roll1]
[roll2]

[rax]

Quire curses silently: Damn him, he's getting away! We need more magic to stop him! Why aren't Bastoi and Sebastien doing anything?

Alright, if we can't stop Lucan this time around, we're going to need all the information we can get to work out what his next move will be. His masked friend might be able to help with that. Now, where's he off to?

Cocking his head to one side, Quire tries to pinpoint the location of the masked mage, then spurs his horse after his prey, readying his glaive for a blow at the mage's legs.

Free action: Listen check to pinpoint the invisible man. [roll0]
If Quire beats the mage's Move Silently check by 20 he successfully pinpoints his location and takes the following actions:
Move action: Control horse. DC 5 check to control horse with knees is automatically successful.
(Horse's actions: As many move actions as necessary to catch up with the mage)
Standard action: Attack the mage. [roll1]
Quire has Blind-fight, so the mage has to re-roll his 50% miss chance.
Damage: [roll4]

If the Listen check equals the Move Silently check but doesn't beat it by 20, Quire knows the general direction of the mage and will pursue in that direction, taking the following actions:
Move action: Control horse.
(Horse's actions: As many move actions as necessary to catch up with the mage)
Move action: Once within 5 feet of the presumed location of the mage, use scent ability to pinpoint his location. This is automatically successful if within 5 feet.

[TaiLiu]

Two missiles, one psionic and one mundane, strike Lucan square in the chest. He keeps flying, higher and further away, eager to escape. A tactical retreat, perhaps, or maybe he just wants to get whatever secret plan he has completed as quickly as possible. Or maybe, if you're lucky, the party was just too threatening to him. Whatever it is, he continues on his way.

With his keen ears and sharp senses, Quire manages to get a general idea of where the masked man is moving, and he points his mount forestward. He comes quite close, within a few feet, and Quire can smell the man and his fear, almost pinpoint his exact location... And then he loses it, as the man scampers away, trying to lose him by moving in another direction.

Lucan takes nine damage from Don and four from Mamellek, and he Fast Heals for five, leaving him with a total of eleven hit points lost.

Lucan flies eighty feet up, and is now approximately a hundred and twenty feet away from the party.

Grilsha will be unconscious for six more rounds.

The masked man is running away, and will be invisible for three more rounds.

In three rounds, three bat swarms will descend upon the party.

[rax]

"Sneaky devil, aren't you," Quire grumbles under his breath. He strains his hearing again to locate the fleeing mage, and sets off in pursuit. As he does so, he shifts his glaive to one hand and grabs a flour pouch hanging at his belt, ready to dust the mage once in range.

Free action: Listen check to pinpoint the invisible man. [roll0]
If Quire beats the mage's Move Silently check by 20 he successfully pinpoints his location, otherwise he only knows the general direction.
He also the following actions:
Move action:Control horse. DC 5 check to control horse with knees is automatically successful.
(Horse's actions: As many move actions as necessary to catch up with the mage)
Move action: Ready a flour pouch to throw at the mage.

From Dungeonscape, p. 32: You can attempt to strike an invisible opponent with the pouch as a touch attack. You must still pinpoint the target or choose a space to attack into, and the normal miss chance for total concealment applies. You can also throw the pouch as a splash weapon; any invisible creature in the space attacked or within 5 feet is coated with flour.

Coating a creature lets you keep track of its position and reduces the miss chance to 20%. The Hide bonus is reduced to +10 if moving or to +20 if not moving. A full-round action allows the creature to remove all the flour, as does a gust of wind spell, or moving through water.

[esorscher]

Don fires another energy missile at the fleeing Lucan, hoping fire can be more effective.

+1 pp [roll0], ref DC 17 half (range is 140')

[whoiam]

Mamellek has no more maneuvers to receive, so the pool resets.
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]

Not that any of them are useful during the archery phase of the battle...

[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]


Speculatively, Mamellek looses one final arrow towards the rapidly ascending beast. But at these sorts of ranges, she's more likely to kill one of her allies if a miss comes back down in the wrong place than she is to kill a Vampire... so better she just leaves it there.

"Well, that one got away. Shall we try tying up the sleeper while we still have the chance? You just know if we don't, we're going to get a third escapee in a minute..."

[esorscher]

Donharath nods. "Tie her up and put her on one of our horses, then let's get out of here."

[TaiLiu]

Don and Mamellek fire new missiles, though this time they miss. Lucan flies further up and onward, towards Trolanport.

Quire hears a quiet cuss, and the slowing of footsteps, and loud, clear chanting. It is the same chanting that Mamellek heard just before she ripped open the carriage wall and struck him with her chain.

Both Don and Mamellek's attacks missed, and Lucan flies eighty feet away. He also continues his Fast Healing. The three bat swarms will descend in two rounds.

Grilsha will be unconscious for five more rounds.

The masked man only moves thirty feet this time, and since he is speaking, the Listen check to detect him is 0. He is also casting mage armour; the Spellcraft DC to understand it is 16. He will be invisible for two more rounds.

[esorscher]

Donharath moves his horse next to Grilsha's body and grabs Lucan's sister, shifting her weight onto his horse so the group can make their escape, and question her later.

[rax]

Great! Now he's casting! Well at least he's giving away his location... Quire spurs his horse towards the sound of the chanting and launches the flour pouch at the ground where he thinks the mage is standing.

Free action: Listen check to pinpoint the invisible man. [roll0]
If Quire rolls 20 or more on his check he successfully pinpoints the mage's location, otherwise he only knows the general direction.
He also the following actions:
Move action: Control horse. DC 5 check to control horse with knees is automatically successful.
(Horse's actions: As many move actions as necessary to catch up with the mage)
Standard action: Throw the flour pouch as a splash weapon, automatically hitting the mage if Quire targets the correct "square" or if the mage is within 5 feet (see pouch mechanics in previous post).

[whoiam]

The bat's just too high up now to be a practical target: It's still technically in range, but too far away for Mamellek to shoot with any real accuracy.

So, on to targets on the ground. Donharath has gone after sleeping beauty, but Quire... oh, direct hit with the flour bag! Well, that was just too tempting a target to pass up. Mamellek pulls her horse around, and moves straight into a charge vs the indistinct flour-shape...


[roll0]
[roll1]

[TaiLiu]

Quire is proving himself the prince of thrown objects, successfully dusting the masked man and revealing his location. He grunts, taking a step back before chanting again. From his outstretched finger, a prismatic ray emerges, threatening to blind Quire and his horse.

"Let me go!" he shouts. "Let me go! I haven't done anything to hurt you, except out of self-defense."

Quire and his horse must make a DC 14 Will save or be affected by colour spray. If affected, they are blinded and stunned for [roll0] rounds, and then stunned for one. A DC 16 Spellcraft check lets you know what spell he's casting.


Horse's Will save: [roll1].

Grilsha will be unconscious for four more rounds. The three bat swarms will descend in one round.

[whoiam]

...During the charge, Mamellek switches weapons, finally getting a chance to draw her sword on something! Just as well, really. Trying to beat a man into submission with a bow is an iffy prospect at the best of times...


[roll0]
[roll1]

Mamellek is expending her granted Vanguard Strike, giving all other PCs a +4 attack bonus vs the flour boy.

She also has -2 AC for one round as a result of charging.

[rax]

The sudden flash of rainbow colors stops Quire's horse dead in its tracks, but Quire is unfazed. He leaps nimbly from his unfortunate mount and directs a low, cutting blow at the flour-covered outline of the mage. As he does so, he shouts: "Then surrender and tell us everything you know about Lucan Stellos!"

Posted my Will save in the OOC thread so I didn't have to keep editing this IC post.

Move action: Dismount from horse.
Standard action: Attack mage with glaive. Roll includes +4 bonus from Mamellek's Vanguard Strike. [roll0]
If the attack hits, the mage still gets his miss chance (20%), but must re-roll if successful due to Quire's Blind-fight feat.
Damage: [roll1]

[esorscher]

Don stuffs a makeshift gag in Grilsha's mouth, and ties it behind her head so if she does wake, she won't be able to spellcast--if she is a caster. Then he calls out to the rest of the party: "Kill him or take him with us--we don't have much time!"

[TaiLiu]

"Fine! Fine!" He raises his arms in surrender. "Look, all I know is that he offered to drop me off at Korranberg in exchange for some of my blood, and that he's going to see someone named Neya ir'Krell. That's all I know, I swear!" Then it looks like he's about to say more, like he changed his mind after his sentence, but the squeaking of bats sound in the air, and the party notices that a trio of bat swarms are descending upon the party, growing louder and louder. In the next few seconds, they will cloud the night sky and be upon the party.

The bat swarms have descended, but they aren't close enough to the party to attack just yet.

Grilsha will be unconscious for the next three rounds.

Mamellek and the two horses will be stunned and blinded for the next three rounds.

[rax]

"Spending your own blood for a lift to Korranberg? That's an expensive way to travel! How about a different deal? Help us save the horses and drive off those bats, and we'll get you there!" Quire shouts over the noise of screeching bats. "Don, Bastoi! Mamellek and the horses are out of the fight! We need some magic over here RIGHT NOW!"

Quire then moves to grab the reins of his own and Mamellek's horse, before reaching for the amulet at his throat and speaking the command: "Awake." A monstrous centipede appears between him and the descending bat swarms. "Now, hunt!"

Move action: Take control of the reins of his horse and Mamellek's. I'm making the assumption that we're all close enough to manage this with a single move action. Also hoping Mamellek remains seated on her horse despite being stunned.

Standard action: Activate amber amulet of vermin to summon a huge monstrous centipede. This is just a delaying tactic - the centipede can't damage the swarms, but hopefully the sudden appearance of 2 tons of centipede between us and the swarms will get them to go after the big, juicy target first. Unless, of course, Lucan is out there directing their attack...

[esorscher]

Donharath presses his index and middle fingers to his temples, reaching out to mentally smother the nearest swarm.

Mindthrust (3pp) Will DC 16 negates: [roll0]

[TaiLiu]

Donharath's psychic attack disperses the first swarm, and the tightly-knit colony disperses, the bats squeaking pathetically as they fly in circles and tumble into trees. The second swarm goes after Quire's summoned centipede. They surround it and try to pierce through its exoskeleton, ravenous and in need of blood. But they quickly grow tired of the armoured prey, seeking warmer bodies to consume. Say, those juicy, unmoving horses nearby...

The masked man quickly agrees to the terms Quire set out, and as the third swarm approaches, he blasts it with another rainbow ray. "My name's Marrath," he offers. It is a common elven name on Khorvaire, and he repeats it again, over the din of the bats as they break apart and come together again. They will be no threat for a fraction of a minute, but unlike Don's group, they have not dispersed. He yells to Quire: "I can keep them under control, but I can't hurt them!"

Grilsha is all tied up on Don's horse.

The first bat swarm is dead. The second swarm will move on from the centipede next round. In the interim, the centipede must make a DC 11 Fortitude save or be nauseated for a round. The swarm also attacks it, with an attack roll of [roll0] and a damage roll of [roll1]. If it hits, the centipede will also be wounded, suffering one hit point of damage every turn. The third bat swarm will be blinded and stunned for [roll2] rounds, and then stunned for a round.

Grilsha will be unconscious for the next two rounds.

Mamellek and the two horses will be stunned and blinded for the next two rounds, and then stunned for a round.

[esorscher]

Don blasts the swarm targeting the centipede with a similar mind thrust. "Do these swarms have any vulnerabilities?" he asks, hoping someone knows more about nature than he does.

Mindthrust (3pp) Will DC 16 negates (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wYoLQc-x5g): [roll0]

8 pp remaining

[rax]

The masked man quickly agrees to the terms Quire set out, and as the third swarm approaches, he blasts it with another rainbow ray. "My name's Marrath," he offers. It is a common elven name on Khorvaire, and he repeats it again, over the din of the bats as they break apart and come together again. They will be no threat for a fraction of a minute, but unlike Don's group, they have not dispersed. He yells to Quire: "I can keep them under control, but I can't hurt them!""Good enough! We just have to keep them away from us and our mounts until the horses come to their senses. I'll do what I can to help." Quire drops the reins of the horses and starts tearing long strips from his travelling cloak. He quickly quickly ties them like padding around the blade of his glaive, then produces flint and steel and sets the cloth on fire, producing a makeshift torch. "Alright, bloodsuckers. Let's see how you like a touch of open flame!" Quire mutters as he steps forward to place himself between remaining bat swarm and the horses.

Two move actions: Wrap the glaive in cloth and light her up! Then, a 5-foot step to position himself as the next target for the bat swarm that's attacking the centipede.

The centipede failed its save, so it's nauseated and bleeding. Poor centipede! :smallfrown:

[TaiLiu]

Don kills the bat swarm. Quire lights his sword on fire. Marrath doesn't do anything, because the only bat swarm left is blinded and stunned.

The only swarm left will be stunned and blinded for a round, and then stunned for a round.

Grilsha will be unconscious for the next round.

Mamellek and the two horses will be stunned and blinded for the next round, and then stunned for a round.

[rax]

Quire sweeps his glaive through the swarming bats, hoping to burn enough of them to disperse the swarm.

Standard action: Attack the bat swarm [roll0]
Damage: Auto-disperse swarm on hit.

[esorscher]

Don dazes Grilsha psionically, ensuring she will not awaken until someone else has a chance to better bind her--or he runs out of psionic power.

[TaiLiu]

The final bat swarm disperses, scattered and scared away by Quire's flaming glaive. Grilsha looks like she's about to wake up, but a burst of psionic power from Don keeps her down for a few seconds more, and Quire uses the time to tighten the knots that Don tied.

The battle is finally over, far as the party can tell, though Mamellek and the horses will need a few more seconds to recover from Marrath's colour spray. The elven man asks the party why they attacked his ride and kidnapped Lucan's sister. "Are you bandits or kidnappers or something?"

Grilsha is dazed for a round. Because she has seven hit dice, Don needed to use four power points to hold her down.

[rax]

"Certainly not!" Quire responds sharply. "Lucan Stellos is wanted by parties in Sharn for murder and theft. We've been hired to return him to Sharn to answer for his crimes. Now, besides offering to let him suck your blood, what's your prior relationship with Lucan Stellos?"

Sense Motive check: [roll0] to try and discern if Marrath is lying or at least not telling the whole truth about his relationship with Lucan.

[TaiLiu]

"Hey, look, I didn't know, okay?" Marrath is on the defensive again. "And he's a stranger to me. I need to go to the Library of Korranberg and he offered me a ride. Plus, I'm a Seeker, and I thought maybe I could get a quick convert while riding with him. That's all."

The elven man does not seem like he's lying.

Yeah, Marrath is telling the truth.

A DC 10 Knowledge (Religion) check lets you know that a Seeker is a follower of the Blood of Vol.

[TaiLiu]

Grilsha has managed to untangle the psionic cobwebs in her mind and is now struggling against her bindings. She struggles against the tightly tied rope around her wrists, and the party can hear muffled cries from behind the makeshift gag that Don wrapped around her head. Her whole body trembles with a little confusion and a lot of fury, but her movements are ultimately ineffective, and all she can do is glare at you all.

What do you do?

[whoiam]

Unable to pick up anything troubling in the conversation between Quire and Marrath (and with her head clearing from the effects of the colour spray), Mamellek instead makes her way back over to Grilsha. It's a good time to check over her equipment while someone else handles the interrogation, and now she's on point in case Grilsha manages to work some bonds free. Which she certainly seems to be making a spirited enough attempt at...

[rax]

"Hey, look, I didn't know, okay?" Marrath is on the defensive again. "And he's a stranger to me. I need to go to the Library of Korranberg and he offered me a ride. Plus, I'm a Seeker, and I thought maybe I could get a quick convert while riding with him. That's all."

The elven man does not seem like he's lying."A Seeker? You're a believer in the Blood of Vol?" Quire asks, suspicion creeping into his voice. "You from Karrnath...friend?"

[TaiLiu]

The masked man rolls his eyes. "Divinity Within, you people are ridiculous. Just because some Seekers live in Karrnath... And, yes, I am a follower of the Blood of Vol. And Lucan would've been, too, if Miss Praise-the-Sovereign-Host didn't interfere." He gives Grilsha a glare. She returns it.

In the interim, Mamellek searches her, Grilsha struggling all the while. She removes the cloak that Grilsha was wearing, fully exposing her plate armour. Mamellek sees that the priest has on a silver amulet, stamped with the holy symbol of the Sovereign Host. A heavy mace is attached to Grilsha's belt by a small metal loop, and she has on a small leather backpack. If Mamellek looks inside, she finds several potions and scrolls, a light crossbow, and about a dozen crossbow bolts.

"Are we going to get going soon?" Marrath's patience has been cut by Quire's questioning. "You promised me a trip to Korranberg."

[esorscher]

Don, standing over Grilsha, says, "Whatever was your brother is gone, now. Why didn't you kill that vampire, cleric?" Hopefully, this line of inquiry draws the focus back to their investigation--the driver of the carriage, not the passenger.

[TaiLiu]

The words "brother" and "gone" seem to refresh her anger. She attempts to headbutt you, though the distance is too great. She settles for a dirty look, built on ice and fire. You can start to see the family resemblance between the priest and the agent.

[esorscher]

Don looks around at the group. "Well, that went well," he says, moving over to where Marrath is and standing beside him. "I'll stand over here," he suggests, "Maybe one of you will have better luck."

[whoiam]

"When a priest of the Sovereign Host consorts with a Vampire, there's definitely some kind of luck in play. Just not a kind I care to rely upon." Mamellek was associated with the Church of the Silver Flame herself, but the two religions got along relatively well, all things considered. For a start, neither was terribly fond of the undead.

"You know we have to destroy him, right? Whoever he was in life. The Sovereign Host demands it as surely as the Silver Flame does. I know, it's too much to ask to get you to raise a hand against what's left of your brother, but... it has to be done, I'm sorry."

Steeling herself for the nigh-inevitable torrent of invective, Mamellek carefully frees Grilsha's mouth...


[roll0]

[TaiLiu]

Mamellek is right to brace herself. Upon being ungagged, Grilsha scornfully and forcefully laughs in the crusader's face. "You're a fool to lecture theology to a graduate of the Seminary," she tells you. "I know the teachings of the Host, and Boldrei would not have me abandon my brother. Now tell me where he is, now!"

A DC 10 Knowledge (Religion or Local) check tells you that "the Seminary" is The Heirs of the Host Seminary, located in Wroat, Breland. It is a very prestigious school for acolytes of the Sovereign Host.

[rax]

"I can answer that," Quire interjects. "Your brother decided that discretion was the better part of valour. While you were knocked out, he turned into a giant bat and flew away, so we actually don't know where he is now. And just to clarify my overzealous companion's earlier statement - we've been hired to find your brother and bring him back to Sharn. Destroying him would be a last resort."

[TaiLiu]

"Funny," Grilsha says. "You say that you mean only to capture him, but two of your companions call for his destruction. And that you're willing to destroy him at all... I've heard enough. I will find him and free him from his undead state, not some self-styled vampire hunters. Stay away from me and my brother, or else I cannot promise you your safety." With that, she disappears in a sudden flash of light.

"Oh, good," Marrath says, "she's finally gone. Can we go now?"

A DC 17 Spellcraft check lets you know that Grilsha just cast Dimension Door.

[whoiam]

"Huh. If she knows a cure for Vampirism, why didn't she just say?

But yes, I don't think we've got anything else to do here..."

[rax]

Quire turns on his companions, something dangerous glinting in his eyes. "You lot are going to be the death of me, aren't you? Why do you insist on spouting off that we're out to destroy a vampire at every turn? Have you forgotten that the job is to capture Lucan and bring him back? That destroying him is a last resort? If you'd said as much we might have gained a truce here. Now we have to keep our eyes open not just for whatever tricks Lucan can pull on us, we also have to look out for an enraged cleric of the Host and whatever trouble she can muster."

"As for you, Marrath the Karrnathi. We'll need to stop off at Trolanport, and after that we don't know how quickly we'll continue on to Korranberg. You can ride with us to Trolanport and then make your own way from there if you like. We'll throw in one the horses to speed you on your way, or you can have the carriage if you prefer. Just steer clear of our business once we make it to Trolanport, and we'll do the same for you."

[esorscher]

Don the Dour, suitably chastised, is reminded of why he is called Don the Dour, and says nothing.

[TaiLiu]

Three days ride brings the party into eyeshot of Trolanport, Zilargo. The gnomish capital is crisscrossed with canals and waterways, and in some ways, the bridges of this coastal metropolis remind everyone of the skybridges of Sharn. Small boats travel up and down its canals, its rowers offering passage for a small fee. For those interested in sightseeing by land, the stone streets are all connected with bridges and divided by flooded thoroughfares. From almost anywhere in the city, Trolanport's sky-high docking tower can be seen, elevated above all other buildings and structures in the capital. In the distance, a House Lyrandar airship takes off.

The party gives a horse to Marrath, who thanks them for the ride and continues on. As he rides away, he shouts to the party, "And for the last time, I'm not from Karrnath!"

The party quickly learns that Neya ir'Krell is an Aundairian diplomat, housed in a white marbled mansion on Embassy Row, one of Trolanport's most guarded streets. Asking around reveals that a high society function will be taking place in her mansion in two days time: a masquerade ball, by invitation only. All attempts to find Lucan turn up fruitless, however, and as far as the party can tell, there is no sign of Grilsha.

[rax]

"So... Lucan came to Trolanport to attend an Aundairian masquerade ball? And attendance is by invitation only. I don't suppose either of you is secretly a skilled forger or seamstress?" Quire asks, a note of resignation creeping into his voice.

[whoiam]

"No, not really. I could beat up a skilled seamstress, but as my trainers had to keep reminding me, defeating a craftsman doesn't automatically allow me to absorb their craft-ey powers...



...I'm afraid the closest I could get to a stealthy insertion would be to offer myself to an invitee as an incognito bodyguard. Though it'll feel weird to go somewhere in a dress instead of armor..."

[esorscher]

"I heard that in some cities, they have people who will sell you clothes they have made," Don says wryly. "I'm more concerned about the invitations. Perhaps if we explain the circumstances, this Neya ir'Krell will give us access." Reflecting on their conversation with Grilsha, he adds, "Or maybe we could make up a reason, instead."

[Postmodernist]

Anchor strode through Trolanport, drawing fewer stares than he expected to in the Gnomish city. He, however, tried to scrutinize those he passed as subtly as he could. The warforged was, unfortunately, not particularly successful in being circumspect. Plodding his heavy admantine frame through the narrow streets, his obsidian-black eyes unnerved whomever he glanced at. Worst of all, he hadn't found his quarry.

A Kalashtar, a human, and an aasimar, he thought to himself. Surely they can't be too difficult to find. Even so, the trio of warforged have managed to elude me thus far, delaying my revenge. And yet he'd found nothing, walking the city for hours. Nothing but gnomes, everywhere, scurrying underfoot, traipsing across the bridges in the city with far more grace than the construct cleric.

Of course! Gnomes! Surely House Sivis had a message station nearby. Anchor made his way to the nearest station, waited in line for what seemed an interminable period of time, and then made his request. "I need a message to be taken to some friends. They should be at the city gates." Anchor then scrawled his message on the parchment provided, and handed it to the courier.

He left the message station, and headed for a suitable place to wait, hoping his message would find his target.

Meet me at the Laughing Crane tavern in Trolanport. I have information regarding our mutual friend from Sharn.

[TaiLiu]

While the party stands around debating on what to do next, a gnome man walks up, clears his throat and looks up at the party. "You've a message," he says, "'Meet me at the Laughing Crane tavern in Trolanport. I have information regarding our mutual friend from Sharn.'" Then he walks away.

[TaiLiu]

The afternoon is an odd time for drinking, and the Laughing Crane is mostly empty when the party arrives. A bored-looking gnomish bartender sits behind a wooden counter; behind her sit shelves of alcoholic drinks. No one is inside except for a very drunk kalashtar couple, and a Warforged sitting at a table. The bartender seems surprised when her door swings open, but she greets the party nonetheless. "Welcome to the Laughing Crane! What can I do for you?"

[esorscher]

"A very large pitcher of your finest brew, please, and three mugs for me and my friends," Donharath says, placing coins on the bar counter. He gestures to an open table, near the warforged. "We'll take that table, over there, if that's alright."

[rax]

Taking his seat at the table, Quire whispers: "I see two mes and one us in this taproom. From her reaction, I'll wager that the bartender isn't the one who sent the message. Which leaves...him?" Quire nods almost imperceptibly towards the warforged.

[TaiLiu]

"Fine with me." The bartender turns to go get mugs while the party seats themselves. Quire whispers something to his companions, but Sebastien doesn't seem to be paying much attention. Suddenly, he pushes his chair back and stands up. "I have to go," he says. "Cannith business. You too, Fritz." The two of them leave, and the instant the door closes, Bastoi gets up from his seat and says to the party in a low voice: "I'll trail them." Then he, too, leaves, just in time for the bartender to bring the mugs and a hefty pitcher of dwarven ale. She tells the party the name of the drink, and warns you all to drink slowly. Then she asks if they'd like anything to eat before either scurrying into the kitchen, or returning to her counter.

Most of the tavern tables and chairs are gnome-sized, though there is a small collection of tables and seats for taller creatures to the left of the entrance. The Warforged is seated at one, the kalashtar couple at another. Donharath and the rest of the party scored the final one.

[esorscher]

Don orders a plate of meat and vegetables for himself, whatever they have cooking, as well as a bowl of stew and some fried potatoes. He also asks for a loaf of bread for the table, and butter or oil if they have it. It's been a long time since he's had a chance to eat this well.

[rax]

With a resigned shrug, Quire gets up and walks over to the warforged, sitting impassively at its table. "Ahem," he begins, clearing his throat. "Sorry for disturbing your... erm, meditations? But you wouldn't happen to have sent a message about a mutual friend from Sharn?"

[Postmodernist]

Anchor observes the fleshlings eating, drinking, and chatting among themselves. Their obvious pleasure, the natural ease with one another, it was all so... organic, and utterly fascinating.

As the bald, dark-bearded humanoid approached, Anchor felt a frisson of anticipation and excitement, like a gear being engaged. He replied as warmly as he could, with a voice that sounded as though it came from the depths.

"You are not disturbing me in the slightest. I was waiting for you, but I did not want to disturb your refueling. My name is Anchor, and I was the one who contacted you. I trust you are Quire, Mamellek, and Donharath? You fit the description I was provided with."

"I understand you may have encountered some of my kind recently, a group of warforged who name themselves after gemstones, servants of the Lord of Blades. They sought to convert me, and attacked some friends of mine. I wish to give them the Devourer's justice they so richly deserve. In exchange for your assistance in this matter, I've been tasked with helping you search for your... pallid friend."

"Forgive me for being direct. I am not well acquainted with how these sorts of things are supposed to transpire."

[esorscher]

"Your bluntness is appreciated," Don says, "By me, at least." Don says, gesturing to the warforged to join them at their table. He fills his mouth again with meat and vegetables, chewing as he rips off a hunk of bread and uses it to scrape up the last of the stew that they'd served him. It was a good stew, and he wanted more of it, but instead he waves the waitress over and asks for some of whatever they have roasting, meat still on the bone. He also orders some more ale, placing a whole gold on the table. He is in no hurry to leave, and while he has no reason to doubt this warforged, he is interested to know who has brought them so fortunately together. "Who gave you our names and descriptions?"

[TaiLiu]

The pitcher ale is quickly refueled, and the bread, too. The barkeep asks if anyone else wants anything before fetching Don a plate of sizzling seven-bone beef roast, its pleasant aroma filling the entire tavern. "You must be hungry," she says, as she collects Don's emptied bowl of stew. "No one else here is eating as much as you!"

The drunk kalashtar couple, eavesdropping, laughs when they hear that. They cheer Don on as he tackles the giant hunk of meat in front of him.

[whoiam]

Mamellek, though quite the eater most of the time (walking around in plate can make you pretty hungry!), seems curiously uninterested in the food on offer.

Well, that's not exactly true. She seems very interested; she's just not having any.

Finally, she managed to drag her mind away from Don's dinner, and a touch closer to his conversation. "You can understand him being a touch paranoid on the subject, I'm sure - the last warforged who managed to track us down were the trio you just described..."

[Postmodernist]

Anchor continued to watch the group eat with fascination, unsure whether he found it grotesque or beautiful. He nodded when Mamellek mentioned the warforged. "A trio, you say? As I understand it, there are many more of them. It has become fashionable among the Lord of Blades' followers to shed their old names in favor of new ones.
The gemstones are supposed to represent something about the warforged "soul," though I'm unsure what. Regardless, I hope you fared well against their incursions."

Anchor glances at the Kalashtar couple, clearly paying attention to the motley group. "I am unschooled in subterfuge, but is it wise to discuss our mutual acquaintances here? I am happy to wait for you to finish your meal, or if you deem it sufficiently safe, then I can shed further light on the subject." Anchor's voiced had dropped to whatever passes among the warforged for a whisper.

[esorscher]

To watch Donharath eat is like poetry in motion, his jaw moving perpetually as his incisors tear and his molars grind everything put within his mouth, and his arm lifts the fork to shovel in bite after bite, barely allowing the shared system to inhale to keep him from fainting. As he finishes his meat plate, he waves over the passing waitress and orders a small salad, "to aid the digestion," which he consumes with similar speed before stacking his empty dishes in an attempt to be helpful. Then he leans back in his chair, and untucks the front of his shirt, allowing his engorged stomach some space to work. "Why don't we get a room? We can discuss in private, and I for one could use a good night's sleep."

[TaiLiu]

The barkeep leads you into a separate meeting room. There is a circular table in the centre, and six seats surround it. Unfortunately, all the furniture is gnome-sized. She apologizes, but there are no other private meeting spots in the inn - unless the party would like to roll in the larger chairs and table they were seated on and around. The Laughing Crane also doesn't house larger-sized creatures, but she recommends that the party reserve rooms at the Cockatrice. It's a high-quality inn designed specifically for taller folk.

If the party doesn't want anything else, she'll just get out of the way and go back to her counter.

[Postmodernist]

Anchor declines to sit at the diminutive table, suspecting that his adamantine frame would crush the furniture. Once everyone has convened, he addresses the group.

"While in Sharn, looking for the warforged we spoke of earlier, I was approached by a man named Viorr Maelak. He said he would help me find my enemies, and that they had run afoul of some adventurers. Namely,
you. He told me you were on a mission for him, on behalf of Breland and the Dark Lanterns. If I aided you in the completion of this mission, I would be granted an opportunity to carry out my revenge, possibly with your aid and the support of the Brelish secret services. And so, here I am." The construct priest paused a moment to allow his words to sink in.

"Viorr told me that they found something else about the traitor spy, this, this Lucan. They found a few more scraps from his room, and they've determined that he was on his way to Karrnath. I don't think they know why,
at least not yet."

Anchor looks to gauge the reactions of the party.

[rax]

"So V sent you, eh? Well, we could certainly use an extra pair of hands right now. We just lost some of our party, called away on House business. I must say, I'm not all that surprised to hear that Lucan would be heading for Karrnath. He's a vampire now, and the Karrnathi ain't squeamish about working with undead abominations - I fought enough of them in the war to know that. Also, V told us that Lucan stole a magic sword that had belonged to a Karrnathi warlord. He's probably planning to use it to buy his way into their favour."

[esorscher]

"Excellent," Don says with a slight smile, his mood greatly improved by the bounteous meal he had enjoyed. "If you're going to be a part of the team, you can help us with our current quandary. We believe he will be at a swiftly approaching party thrown by Neya ir'Krell, Aundairian diplomat--tonight, isn't it?" I suppose that good night's rest will have to wait, he thinks to himself, recalling the lessons of stoicism learned in his life's experience. "I still think we should try and convince her to give us invitations ourselves--or maybe help us catch him, if she's inclined." Then he resumes his silence, until an idea strikes him. "If we know he's going to Karrnath, we should try and get there before him. Whether we can get into the party or not, I suggest we book passage on the fastest way to Karrnath. If that's where he's headed, we should try and get there before him." He does some more thinking, then says, "I'm not good at first impressions, but maybe you are?" he says, looking at Anchor first, then the rest of the group in turn. "Or at least, average?" Don grins nervously, gesturing with hands palm open, "I always say too much, or too little."

[rax]

"I think you might have scoffed down that meal a bit too fast, Don. The party's in two days, so we still have time to work on a plan - and for you to get some rest," Quire replies jokingly.

"I suppose we could try talking to ir'Krell, but if V's intelligence is any good, Lucan thinks she'll help him get to Karrnath, even though she serves Aundair. So my guess is he either has some sort of hold on her, or they're friendly in some fashion. Either way, letting her know we're after him seems dangerous. Though, if we can find something to bargain with, and she's not in fact helping Lucan out as a favour to a friend, then perhaps she could be convinced to let us grab him at the ball."

"As for booking a ride to Karrnath and catching Lucan there... Karrnath is a big place, and we have no idea where he'll be headed. If we at least knew how he'll be travelling, we might try and head him off before he leaves Trolanport, but we would pretty much have to know exactly how and when he'll be leaving. And if we guess wrong, we'll have lost his trail completely."

"Honestly, at this point, I think the most productive use of our time would be to try and learn as much about Neya Ir'Krell and her masquerade ball as possible. I don't know Trolanport well, but we have gold left from the sale of the warforged's loot, and if we spread enough of it around, we'll hopefully get enough useful information to help us decide whether contacting ir'Krell and/or going to her party is a good risk."


OOC: Trying to set up a transition to use Gather Information here.

[Postmodernist]

"I suppose we could try talking to ir'Krell, but if V's intelligence is any good, Lucan thinks she'll help him get to Karrnath, even though she serves Aundair. So my guess is he either has some sort of hold on her, or they're friendly in some fashion. Either way, letting her know we're after him seems dangerous. Though, if we can find something to bargain with, and she's not in fact helping Lucan out as a favour to a friend, then perhaps she could be convinced to let us grab him at the ball."


"I was puzzled by this, as well. Why would Lucan risk exposure, if he's trying to get to Karrnath as quickly as possible. While your theory about them being friendly may be true, perhaps he needs something from ir'Krell?If he's betrayed Breland for the Karrnathi, why not sweeten the deal and steal from Aundair as well? Warning her might give us the upper hand. It's all speculative, though."

Anchor stroked his chin, impersonating the humans he had seen while they were processing their thoughts. "We do have one slight advantage. Lucan hasn't seen me at all. I certainly tend to stand out in a crowd, but if he doesn't recognize who he's looking for, that may give us the upper hand."

[TaiLiu]

Hearsay turns out to be true: the gnomes are incessant gossipers. Within the first hour, the party learns the following facts about ir'Krell: that she's been on the job somewhere between five and twenty years, that she's either childless or has had multiple children out of wedlock, that she's actually a high-ranking spy for Aundair or a low-ranking diplomat who got her job through a personal favour, that she's friendly or she's fierce. The gnomes are remarkably open with this surface information, each freely contradicting one another, and most of them are more than happy to trade gossip with the party regarding ir'Krell, Aundair, or international affairs in general. The only consistent information that the party has received regards the frequency of the Aundairian masquerade balls - they happen only once a year.

Word of the inquisitive outsiders gets around, and another bit of hearsay turns out to be true: the gnomes regard information as tools - and as weapons. During the second and third hours, more and more gnomes respond to the party's question with their own, in manners friendly, curious, or suspicious: "Why do you want to know? Why are you interested in ir'Krell and her ball?" A little bit of coin occasionally opens them up, but rumours and information turn out to be a more reliable form of currency with the gnomish people. The party learns that ir'Krell is very approachable, so long as you have the right contacts, though she's just as wary of sharing personal information as most Zilargoians. One man deems her an honourary gnome. Another, trading rumours with the party, tells you that the masquerade parties are actually a cover-up for discreet transactions to occur. He clams up if the party asks any more questions.

During the fourth hour, a gnome in a yellow sundress slips a folded piece of paper into the pocket of a party member before walking away. It lists the address of a gnomish locksmith who also specializes in covert forgeries, should they be interested in ball invitations of their own. During the fifth hour, another gnome slips a folded piece of paper to the party. It lists another address, this time of a small magic item mart. On it are also these words: Information broker available upon request. Knock on the table and ask to see the boots in the back room.

It is now early evening. What do you do?

[TaiLiu]

Dark green eyes greet you as you enter the store. They belong to a female gnome, red-haired and heavyset. She sits behind a counter to the right on the entrance, watching the party, silent, her eyes wandering wherever the party wanders. It is a small building, and the walls are covered with shelves and shelves of minor magic items - potions, scrolls, necklaces, cloaks, and countless little trinkets - organized in peculiar ways. The shelves cover even the windows, so no sunlight gets in. The room is lit only by an everburning torch, which lays in a corner, half covered by a magic cloak of some kind. Cold magic flames escape from the other half, reaching upward in unstable columns of red, orange, and blue. To those without darkvision, the place looks dusky and eerie.

Her eyes meet Quire's, and then Mamellek's, Don's, and Anchor's. She is still and mute.

[Postmodernist]

Anchor looks into the awkward silence, then down at his adamantine feet. He shuffles forward, methodically raps upon the counter and stammers, "Um, my feet are quite cold. I was told you have some boots. Perhaps there is something in my size in the back? Thank you."

[TaiLiu]

She continues staring, unspeaking, seemingly unmoved, her eyes drilling into Anchor's for what seems like a full minute. Then she gives him the tiniest of nods, and speaks. "Heard about you." Her eyes move to scan the entire party. "Heard about all of you. Tall outsiders asking questions about the Aundair diplomat and her ball. I know about her. About her ball. Everything. But I don't come cheap.

"Tell me what you want to know. Then we'll discuss price."

[rax]

Quire glances over at his companions for any reaction to the gnome's offer. Then, with a shrug, he begins to rattle off questions. "Alright, let's start with something simple. We understand that the ir'Krell ball is a regular occurrence. Who gets invited and why? Is there a specific theme for this year's masquerade and would it be possible to secure legitimate invitations for the four of us?"

[TaiLiu]

The gnome turns her uncomfortably long gaze onto Quire. "This is a trade," she finally says. "What will you give me for that information?"

[rax]

Quire matches the gnome's gaze and scratches his beard thoughtfully before replying. "No idea, to be honest. I don't do much haggling, and when I do, it's usually over gold or goods. So perhaps you'd best tell us what sort of information you're interested in?"

[TaiLiu]

"An answer for an answer," she says. "Three questions. For my three answers, I want three answers back." She drops her mysterious demeanor, leans back with practiced ease, and holds three fingers up. "Who are you? Why are you in Trolanport? And what do you want with ir'Krell?

"You go first."

The information broker is taking ten on her Sense Motive checks. Any Bluff checks made will need to be a 16 or higher, or she will know that you're bluffing.

[whoiam]

"To answer your first, we are a band of mercenaries. To answer your second, we are hunting a criminal. And to answer your third, we've no particular interest in her, specifically; we need access to the ball, not necessarily to it's host."

Sense Motive will reveal that Mamellek is being entirely honest. She's not being terribly helpful, but then this isn't the sort of situation that would encourage her to offer extraneous information...

[TaiLiu]

She nods, expecting a certain amount of question-dodging. "The high-born, the wealthy, and friends of Aundair or ir'Krell," she says, answering Quire's first question. "And those who have something that ir'Krell wants.

"There are never themes for her masquerade balls, and the only requirements are noble clothing and a mask. But if you're not part of her inner circle, and if you don't have anything to offer her, I doubt that you'd receive an invitation off-the-cuff.

"Will that be all?" She looks up expectedly.

[rax]

Quire considers the gnome's answers for a moment, then decides to forge ahead with more questions. "Actually, this game is quite interesting. Let's keep playing. What sort of things is ir'Krell known to want? And how about the staff at the ball - are they all her normal servants or does she hire extra hands for occasions such as this? If so, who provides them?"

Quire will also take 10 on his Sense Motive checks. If the gnome is bluffing, she has to roll 18 or better.

[TaiLiu]

"Who is this criminal you're hunting, what did this criminal do, and why do you need access to the ball?"

If the party honestly answers her questions, or if she can't tell that the party is bluffing, she responds to Quire's questions:
"Whatever serves Aundair: information, secret trade relations, contacts.

"She has extra hands, which are paid for by Aundair and provided by Zilargo. All of the servants are gnomes."

[rax]

Quire grins and replies, now quite enjoying himself. "He used to work for our employers. He stole something from them and murdered several guards in the process. We believe he'll be at the ball."

All true and only slightly evasive on the first question. Good enough?

[TaiLiu]

Two gnomish men sit on wooden stools outside the locksmith's shop, smoking on pipes and conversing in Gnome. One is grey-haired and bespectacled. The other looks younger, though his brown hair too is starting to grey. Both of them look up as the party approaches. The older says something to the younger, and the younger says to the party, "We're closed for the night, I'm afraid. Unless you're here about something other than lock and key?"

[rax]

Quire is about to speak, a carefully rehearsed speech on the tip of his tongue, when the gnomes surprise him with their direct manner. "Umm, well, we were informed that your establishment is an excellent place to pick up party invitations?"

[TaiLiu]

"We've no idea what you're talking about," says the younger gnome. "We're just locksmiths. We sell locks and keys." He props his chin up with his right hand and rolls his eyes up in thought. "Oh, but I suppose we've a few extra invitations to this ball that's happening. That usually doesn't happen. Uncle and I were going to go, but there's a big job we forgot about on the day of the party. Perhaps you and your friends might be interested?"

His uncle leans over and whispers something to the younger gnome. He nods and rises from his seat, takes a key out from his pocket, and unlocks the door. "Come on in," he says, holding the door open for the party. "How much are you willing to pay?"

The younger gnome is lying about (1) not knowing what you're talking about, and (2) that he and his uncle were going to go to the ball. His Bluff check is [roll0].

[whoiam]

Taking 10 on Sense Motive (for a 10), Mamellek knows they're lying about the invitations being real.
[roll0]


"Oh, well, if they're just extras you happened to have lying around, we'll take them off your hands... with a nominal fee as a thank-you for the time you saved us..."

[TaiLiu]

"Hey, now." The gnome bites down hard on his cigar stem. "We're not going to just give these invitations away for strangers. How about a hundred gold each? We'll even give you a discount: three hundred and fifty for all four. How about it?"

[TaiLiu]

After successfully acquiring forged invitations, and after picking up your costumes, the party prepares for ir'Krell's masquerade ball. The invitations promise that this'll be a night to remember, and there is an electricity and excitement in the air as you hand in your invitations and pass through the embassy gates. It is a warm night. Masked nobles chat with each other, servants walk around with drinks and food, and gnomish guards patrol the courtyard with hooked hammers and heavy crossbows at hand. Music streams out open windows of the white marble mansion in the centre of the embassy space, brightly lit by everbright lanterns. Two guards man the entrance of the mansion. They inform the party that neither weaponry nor magic are allowed inside the mansion, with the exception of costume glamours. Armour is allowed, so long as it is tasteful and integrated with the rest of your costume. They offer to take the party's weapons for the evening, should you be carrying any. Then they allow you entrance.

Night of a Thousand Stars, indeed! A massive crystal chandelier hangs over the ballroom. Magically lit, it shines a brilliant light onto the carpeted floor. Orbs of light softly dance in the air, each one glowing with a different colour of the rainbow. An elven quartet plays in the far right corner of the room. At the centre sits a lavish banquet, and smaller tables and chairs are scattered throughout the room. Servants stand nearby, ready to serve. The atmosphere is one of luxury and warm conversation. In the crowd of gnomish nobles, the taller folk stand out. Two human woman, one in a eagle mask, and the other in an owl mask, chat loudly with a gnome nobleman, masked in a diamond-encrusted cat mask. You also see a woman in a golden dragon mask conversing with an elven man and a human woman. The latter wears a horse mask; the former, a tiger. Two dwarves with grey beards stuff themselves with roast boar. On each hand, four out of five of their fingers are decorated with shiny golden rings. In the bright light of the Night of a Thousand Stars, the rings almost seem to let out a hypnotizing glow of their own.

"Sirs and madam?" A gnomish servant in a domino mask looks up at the party. "Do you require any assistance? Or will you be alright on your own?"

A DC 20 Spellcraft check lets you know that the glowing lights are dancing lights, and that the chandelier is lit with light.

A DC 20 Knowledge (History, Local, or Nobility and Royalty) lets you know that the dwarves are members of the Aurum (http://eberron.wikia.com/wiki/The_Aurum).

[rax]

"Sirs and madam?" A gnomish servant in a domino mask looks up at the party. "Do you require any assistance? Or will you be alright on your own?""Thank you, my good man. If you would be so kind as to direct us to a table that's not already taken, that would be grand," Quire replies with studied ease. He is resplendent in a costume of black and silver, topped with a mask in the shape of a snarling red wolf. Anyone with even the faintest knowledge of heraldry can easily recognize that Quire has come as a living embodiment of the arms of Karrnath. He is openly wearing his chain shirt and dastana, in what most will likely interpret as a nod to the martial traditions of that nation. Concealed on his person are his newly purchased silver dagger and some useful potions. A small steel mirror hangs from a chain around his neck and is tucked inside his shirt.

As the party moves towards a table, Quire carefully studies the surroundings and the other guests. He makes a special effort to try and pick up any familiar scents beyond those of his teammates. With any luck, Lucan and Grilsha won't have thought to disguise their odours with heavy perfume or the like.

As noted, Quire has brought his dagger to the ball. He's added the least truedeath crystal to the dagger, and used his weapon aptitude ability to shift his Weapon Focus feat to the dagger. He has no training in Sleight of Hand, but the rules for the skill specifically state that hiding an object on your body is possible even when untrained. So, if allowed, Quire will have taken 20 to hide the dagger and some potions on his person, for a check of 26 (incl. +2 for the dagger). If you want to limit it to taking 10, then obviously Quire ends up with 16 for his Sleight of Hand check.

Potions he will have brought include: 1x Oil of Magic Weapon, 1x Potion of Protection from Evil, 1x flask of holy water, 1x vial of sleep smoke.

I assume it's okay for Quire to be wearing his healing belt, gloves of dexterity, and amber amulet of vermin as well.

Quire will be constantly using his Spot and Listen skills, as well as his scent ability, in the hopes of getting a lead on which of the guests could be Lucan and Grilsha. If taking 10 is allowed for Spot and Listen, his check result for both is 21 (10+11).

[esorscher]

Donharath is his usual silent self as they enter the ball, deferring to Quire who has done an admirable job negotiating their way socially so far. For his part, he is dressed in an understated gray attire, of suitable cost--the label is sufficient to qualify it for the event, even if it is not especially ostentatious. His mask is silver, and covers his whole face, with the mouth apparently sewn shut. Around his eyes he has painted black, so that his bare skin does not detract from the image of the costume. His dorje of Force Screen is hidden in an inside pocket underneath the folds of his shirt, which also conceals his mithral chain shirt. The shirt is sufficiently billowy for this purpose, while the trousers are tailored tight around his legs and loose around the groin, providing freedom of movement while still appearing fashionable. His boots are black leather, rising up to his shins, and the cuffs of the trousers are tucked therein. Anyone who gets too close to him will detect the smell of garlic, a clove of which he has ground and mixed into a watery paste, then smeared over his neck and wrists as a perfume--and a ward against their vampiric quarry. Although without weaponry, he still bears the psionic power which he was born with, and which he has developed over time, which he suspects will be sufficient should battle become unavoidable--he would rather not mar such a splendid occasion with violence, and he imagines their host feels similarly. He checks his hair, which he has slicked back with oil, in a small mirror as they are seated, then returns the device to the inner pocket of his shirt.

Think Picard on Risa for the shirt, but more folds, and with an inside pocket.

[whoiam]

Mamellek had ultimately had to settle for the most concealing dress she could find. It's not that she'd wanted to dress prudishly... but, rather, that her career to date had added a few too many scars to her limbs for her to pass as a socialite if they were visible. She could, perhaps, have chosen a plunging neckline... but given they were hunting a vampire (and she was the only woman involved in the hunt), she'd felt it safer not to draw attention neck-wards.

She had, at least, coordinated her outfit with Quire's - her dress being mainly in silver, accented with black, as a mirror to his own. Likewise she'd chosen a silver mask patterned after an adorable little lamb... because what else would you wear alongside a snarling wolf?

With Quire taking the lead talking to the servants, Mamellek slotted in quietly to a spot beside (and slightly behind) him. It was a nice, convenient position from which to watch the crowd...


Of course, her spot/listen checks are a lot worse than Quire's - so if anything's visible, he'll spot it before her.

[TaiLiu]

"Of course. Right this way." The servant leads the party towards the back of the room, to a table close to the elf band. Five seats surround the circular table. The seats are cushioned, and the table is covered with a lacy tablecloth. He hands the party wine menus and tells them that he'll be back to take their orders. The banquet table is self-serve, he says, and servants are also walking around with snacks and smaller food items. Another gnomish servant, his head shiny and bald, comes up to the party's table and offers everyone cucumber sandwiches.

All the while, the party has been carefully observing for familiar people - particularly for Grilsha and Lucan. The masks, of course, make it impossible to identify them by sight, and it seems impossible to identify them by their scents: the smell of perfume and cologne overwhelms everything else, and Quire is unable to pick out any familiar smells at all. The celestial-blooded warblade does notice one peculiarity, however. When the party moved past the conversing trio of a man in a tiger mask and two women in a dragon mask and a horse mask, he senses that there were the vibrations of four creatures there, not three.

Quire's Scorpion's Sense feat senses four creatures in contact with the ground, though he and the rest of the party only see three.

[rax]

Once the bald gnome has finished serving his sandwiches, Quire leans forward and speaks quietly to his companions. "Well now, this is interesting. I can't smell Lucan or Grilsha anywhere, but that trio over there - they're actually a foursome. Someone or something invisible is standing right next to the dragon, the horse and the tiger. And if I remember the local scuttlebutt correctly, didn't Lady ir'Krell have a thing for dragons? If so, the woman in the dragon mask could be her, and the invisible presence could be Lucan or Grilsha. Unless any of you have a better idea, I'm of a mind to enjoy my sandwiches and just watch the group for a moment, to try to get a feel for whether any of them seem aware of their invisible companion."

Spot check: (1d20+11)[21], to try and discern whether any of the trio seem aware of the invisible being's presence.
Rolled here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22673807&postcount=3277).

[whoiam]

"We could walk into it?" Mamellek suggests, going for the most direct solution. "You and me could walk on over to the group - exchange pleasantries, say - and if the invisible person doesn't back away, we can 'accidentally' crash into them."

[rax]

"A good idea, but I would prefer to watch and wait a bit before we try it. If the invisible man turns out to be working with the other three, we would immediately be outnumbered if it comes to blows. And if he turns out to be, for instance, Lady ir'Krell's secret bodyguard, then we might find ourselves on the outs with our unwilling hostess before we've had a decent chance to look for Lucan."

[TaiLiu]

The party members munch on cucumber sandwiches and watch the trio interact with one another. The woman in the gold dragon mask, who Quire suspects is Neya ir'Krell, is dressed in scaled yellow robes, and her hair is in dreads, the better to mimic the appearance of a dragon. The elven man leans in to whisper in the woman's ear. He is wearing a mask with the image of a tiger and a bicorne hat. His two-piece costume is white on the inside and navy-blue on the outside, diamonds run down the creases of his sleeves, and his one leather glove looks especially well-made. The end effect is that he looks like an ostentatious military sailor.

She, too, whispers into his ear, and then they both head to a different section of the ballroom to dance, blending in with other dancing couples. Soon, they are lost from sight, drifting into the sea of twirls and lights.

The other woman, wearing a horse mask, watches the pair leave. She is wearing a long puffy red ballgown that reaches all the way to the ground, and over it a fine shawl. Her black hair is tied with a red ribbon. She says something to herself out loud, and then she slowly heads to the banquet table, her dress dragging behind her.

In any case, none of them seem to act like there's anything or anyone invisible around them - as far as the party can tell, anyway.

[rax]

"Blast!" Quire curses. "Well, it's unlikely he followed those two onto the dance floor, so my best guess is that the invisible man is with the lady in red - not least because she appears to be talking to herself. I'll go after her and see if I can sense mister invisible nearby. Depending on how that plays out, I'll also try and figure out if she's Grilsha in disguise, or if she can confirm that the woman in the dragon mask is Lady ir'Krell."

Turning to Mamellek, Quire says: "In the meantime, may I suggest that you and Don take to the dance floor and try and listen in on what dragon lady and the elf may be discussing?"

[esorscher]

Don nods his approval of the plan, and moves onto the dance floor, dancing as casually as possible as he gets closer to the dragon lady and elf in order to eavesdrop.

Listen: [roll0]

[whoiam]

Instead of heading out to the dancefloor with Don, Mamellek joins Quire (who is, technically, heading towards the banquet table - which is where Mamellek wants to go.)

Quietly, she whispers, "That plan would have worked better if I knew how to dance. It's not exactly the first thing they teach conscripted kids, you know? Still, if you find anything, this way I'll be closer at hand. And if you don't, I get a chance to look for a better sandwich. Nothing against cucumber, but there's got to be meat on that table somewhere..."

[TaiLiu]

The woman with the horse mask and the red ballgown turns and contorts her face into a broad, fake smile when Quire and Mamellek approach. "This party sure is lovely, isn't it? The lights and music are magnificent." Her voice sounds somewhat familiar. Neither Quire nor Mamellek, however, can place it with any serious accuracy - not with the music distorting everything around them. But it does sound a little like Grilsha.

Where the gowned woman stands, Quire continues to detect the vibrations of two creatures where there should only be one. Meanwhile, Mamellek finds an enormous amount of meat on the banquet table. A small list of what she sees: roast boar, baked chicken, sausages, five different kinds of fish, and an variety of exotic and imported meats. A nearby servant asks if she could be of assistance in food selection.

While Quire and Mamellek talk to the woman, Don gracefully solo-dances his way to the dance floor, successfully getting close to the human woman with the golden dragon mask and the elven man with the tiger mask. With the music and the noise of the crowd, it's hard to hear what the couple are saying to each other. Don catches the words "airship," "password," and "tonight." He also sees the woman hand a small grey pouch to the man, who pockets it without a word. The elf and the human dance for a little longer. The human comments on the coldness of his hands. The elf doesn't reply.

If you touch the woman with the horse mask, make a DC 11 Will save. Success reveals that she's under a glamer. She's also disgused beneath that. Make a DC [roll0] Spot check to learn that she's actually Grilsha.

If you make a DC [roll1] Spot check on the elven man, you learn that he's actually Lucan.

[esorscher]

Don departs, casually, and rounds up the crew. "Let's get out of here. There's an airship leaving tonight, that'll be a better chance at getting him than this place crowded with high-ranking diplomats." He suggests they head to the docks to find a schedule of airship departure times and locations.

[rax]

The woman with the horse mask and the red ballgown turns and contorts her face into a broad, fake smile when Quire and Mamellek approach. "This party sure is lovely, isn't it? The lights and music are magnificent." Her voice sounds somewhat familiar. Neither Quire nor Mamellek, however, can place it with any serious accuracy - not with the music distorting everything around them. But it does sound a little like Grilsha.

Where the gowned woman stands, Quire continues to detect the vibrations of two creatures where there should only be one. Meanwhile, Mamellek finds an enormous amount of meat on the banquet table. A small list of what she sees: roast boar, baked chicken, sausages, five different kinds of fish, and an variety of exotic and imported meats. A nearby servant asks if she could be of assistance in food selection."It's a fine affair indeed, madam. Have you been to one of Lady ir'Krell's balls before? I was hoping to speak to her, but it's damned difficult working out which mask she might be hiding under," Quire replies with a wry smile. "You wouldn't happen to know what costume she might be wearing?" he continues in a joking stage whisper.


Questions and Actions: 1. I've decided to run a bit with my idea to draw out Lucan by unmasking Grilsha. Is it okay to assume that Don hasn't actually approached Quire and Mamellek yet, so that we can at least get in an IC conversational post or two before he leaves the dance floor and takes us to one side?

2. Am I reading the description of what Quire's Scorprion's Sense is picking up correctly - namely that the second creature is, in game terms, standing in the same square as the woman?

[TaiLiu]

"Why, yes," says the woman. "She's wearing a golden dragon mask. She's over there, dancing." She gestures at the dance floor. "The people here sure are lovely. The food here is magnificent." She stops abruptly, as if uncertain of what to say next. "The tiles on the floor sure are shiny."

[esorscher]

Seeing the group's intentions, Don nods and stands over by the buffet table, watching the scene unfold from a short distance while helping himself to a small plate of food, focused on vegetables and fibrous foods.

[rax]

"Why, yes," says the woman. "She's wearing a golden dragon mask. She's over there, dancing." She gestures at the dance floor. "The people here sure are lovely. The food here is magnificent." She stops abruptly, as if uncertain of what to say next. "The tiles on the floor sure are shiny.""Shiny indeed!" Quire laughs. "Thank you, madam, running into you was a stroke of luck. Can I entice you to join myself and my lost little lamb over there for something to eat? I must confess, neither of us is much of a dancer, so we're best off waiting for Lady ir'Krell to finish, in case we embarrass ourselves too much." Quire extends his hand in invitation to the horse-masked woman.

[TaiLiu]

The woman looks at Quire's outstretched hand. She hesitates. Then she offers her hand in return. It is exceedingly obvious that she's nervous about following decorum at this masquerade ball.

"I hear the salad's good," she says. "The vegetables are over there." With her head, she gestures at the area of the table adjacent to the man in the silver mask - Don. "Shall we? But please go slowly. I wouldn't want to trip in my heels."

The woman's Bluff check: [roll0]. Beating it lets you know that she lying about both the salad and her heels.

[rax]

"Delighted, madam," Quire replies and takes her hand. "But I'm a carnivore by nature. Vegetables without meat would be an incomplete meal. My dear!" he calls out to Mamellek. "Would you pick up a nice mixed plate for me as well, and then join us over here by the salad?"


Quire's interacting physically with the woman now, so here goes for the Will save: [roll0]; add another +4 if the spell or ability is mind-affecting.

Sense Motive check: [roll1]

[whoiam]

Under many more normal circumstances, asking Mamellek to fetch him a plate would result in a very hungry Quire getting to watch the crusader eating two portions of whatever was available... but he was her 'date' for the evening, after all. So she'd play nice.

"Seems a waste to exclude half the spread so readily, " Mamellek notes, handing the food (well, one of the plates) over to Quire. "are the veggies supposed to be in fashion this year, or something?"

[TaiLiu]

The horse-masked woman informs Mamellek that eating nothing but salads is the hot new trend for noblewomen.

[rax]

Quire takes the plate from Mamellek and begins piling greens on top. "I think I'm going to need some dressing to go with all this salad," he says. "Which kind would you recommend?" he asks the horse-masked woman. As he does so, he turns and sweeps his free arm expansively over the table, "accidentally" managing to send several delicate glass and porcelain containers full of oily salad dressings flying at the poor woman. Some crash onto the floor, making a slippery mess, but one flies straight into her, emptying its contents all over her!


OOC: Time to cause some chaos! Do I need to roll a skill check or attack roll to manage the above?

I'm hoping that the state of the floor might force the horse-masked woman to make a Balance check to avoid falling down when she gets hit by the container? It would be even better if the dressing also managed to spatter over Mr. Invisible, perhaps revealing him/her/it briefly?

And if none of that works, Quire will leap to the rescue, grabbing the woman to "help" her keep her balance (not really) and just generally compound his error enough that he's likely to smack into the invisible being/thing and possibly also get another Will save to penetrate the woman's disguise?

In all, I'm visualizing a classic slapstick situation here...

[TaiLiu]

The oily salad dressing all over the floor is enough to send her flying, and she lands, rear first, on the ground. The party, and everyone around them, hears the loud clatter of metal against stone. Oddly, it came from the horse-masked woman. Odd, too, that none of the dressing seemed to cling onto her dress - it just went straight through it and disappeared! By her feet is a small brown rock, which emerges from the ground as if it grew straight out of it. It does not move.

"You... You did that on purpose." Gone is the syrupy voice of false kindness and sophistication, and in its place is anger. It sounds just like Grilsha's voice. But the party does not have time to question her, or to investigate the situation. Immediately after she speaks, all the party-goers hear a scream, first from a woman, and then from a group. On the dance floor, the nobles part in fright, clinging to the walls and each other, calling for the guards - and giving the party an unobstructed view of the tiger-masked elf and the dragon-masked woman. The woman is bleeding from a wound in her chest, which she clutches with her right hand. Her left arm supports her as she holds it against a small table for support. The source of the wound appears to be a bloody and ruby-pommeled longsword in the right hand of the elven man. It is the soul blade! And that would mean...

"It was all a trap, Grilsha. Let's go." The hollow voice is Lucan's. Then, wordlessly, the "elf" transforms, costume and sword and all, into a bat. He begins to head for one of the open windows.

Grilsha watches as her brother begins to leave, cusses under her breath, and shouts something in Terran. The brown stone quivers, and then it leaps out of the ground, pulling seven hundred and fifty pounds of other brown stone with it. It lands with an enormous crash, shattering the floor and tiles around it. A quick look at it reveals it to be an eight foot tall monstrosity, with two arms, two feet, and a body made entirely of jagged brown rock. "Put your hands up," says Grilsha to Quire, "or the elemental will crush you." She crawls away from the puddle of dressing and begins to stand up. "There are more around here," she shouts to the huddled nobles, "and I'm not afraid to call on them. Back away!" They do.

Everyone, roll a DC 11 Will save. Success reveals that the woman's not wearing a dress at all, but is instead wearing full plate, all splattered with salad dressing.

Lucan transforms into a bat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/bat.htm). Y'all know what a bat is. Then he flies forty feet towards a window.

Grilsha takes a move action to crawl five feet away from the puddle, and takes another move action to stand. She is lying about having more earth elementals. Bluff: [roll0].

Grilsha has ordered her earth elemental to attack Quire. Beating a DC 11 Knowledge (The Planes) check lets you know that it's an earth elemental. Beating a DC 13 allows you to know that it's a Medium Earth Elemental. Here's a cool picture of it (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG98.jpg).

The earth elemental has a readied action. If Quire doesn't put his hands up when Grilsha orders him to, the earth elemental will attack. Attack roll: [roll1]; damage roll: [roll2].

[roll3] guards will arrive in two rounds.

[rax]

"Guilty as charged," Quire replies with a sardonic grin, raising his hands in the air. "But really, what was I supposed to do? Wearing a full plate harness to a masked ball? That's just an unforgivable affront to fashion!"

"Mamellek, Don! She's lying about there being more elementals. Take her down! I'll deal with the elemental." Standing rock still, he summons the monstrous centipede from its amulet and orders it to attack the elemental. "Look ma, no hands!" he quips, flashing Grilsha another insolent smile. As soon as the centipede engages the elemental, Quire tumbles away, ending up next to a nearby dining table.

Standard action to summon the centipede and set it on the elemental. Doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity, nor should it - or so Quire is gambling - trigger the elemental's readied action.

Move action to Tumble away from the elemental (and Grilsha). It's a DC 15 check, which Quire can't fail. He can move up to 15 feet in this manner, which I'm assuming is enough to reach a dining table - also known as improvised weapon central! :smallbiggrin:

[esorscher]

"Focus! He's getting away!" Don says, hopefully reminding them they are after Lucan, not Grilsha. He fires a ray at the fleeing bat, then heads toward the door.

Cold Missile, 4pp

Fort DC 16 for half
Damage: [roll0]

[rax]

Forgot the centipede's actions...

Assume he's summoned 10 feet from the elemental and Grilsha to take advantage of his reach.


Full round action
Attack the elemental: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

[whoiam]

Honestly, there's nothing Mamellek can do about the bat - she doesn't even have her bow with her, after all, so she's strictly melee-only right now. Useless against a flyer.

Grilsha, on the other hand, she can do something about. In this particular case, reaching around behind herself to grab a tablecloth and throw it over the cleric, to inhibit any attempt at a magic-assisted retreat. Like the last time they caught her...


Move action, grab tablecloth. Standard action, throw over Grilsha.
[roll0] (including the -4 penalty for this being a tablecloth and not a proper net).

If Mamellek hits, Grilsha is Entangled, until she uses a Standard Action to make a DC10 Escape Artist check to remove it. Which ought not to be that easy if she's in her plate... :smallsmile:

Edit: ...Let's hope she doesn't have a ring of deflection to hand...

[TaiLiu]

Grilsha cusses again as Quire successfully gets around her elemental ultimatum. But before she can say or do anything else, Mamellek grabs a tablecloth and tosses it over Grilsha, ensnaring her in it! Tangled in the sheets, Grilsha watches as her brother is blasted with an ice-cold ray of ice. Then, she watches as he flies out the window, Don in hot pursuit.

Grilsha cusses for a third time, and then shouts another command in Terran. With unexpected celerity, the earth elemental whips around and tackles Mamellek, throwing the full weight of his body into it. The ground groans and trembles beneath its weight. Grilsha uses the momentary distraction to grip her silver amulet and speak a low prayer to the Sovereigns. The space around her body glows a bright white before fading into the background, and anyone trying to attack her feels an unnatural discomfort with doing so. Then she toddles away, towards the exit as well, though the tablecloth checks her speed.

Don leaves the building. He sees a pair of gnomish guards running towards it, crossbows already loaded in hand. Lucan is adjacent to the building walls, flying higher and higher, his furry black body already fading into the night sky. He is still well within range of another psionic attack.

While all this is happening, servants have gathered around ir'Krell with bandages and healing potions. The panicking nobles try to leave, but upon seeing Grilsha move towards the exit, they back away and resume their huddled positions, afraid that she'll pull off another deadly trick.

Lucan flies out through the window, and is trying to fly up. He has sustained four points of damage.

Grilsha orders her earth elemental to bull rush Mamellek, casts sanctuary (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/sanctuary.htm) on herself (DC 15 Will to negate), and then moves towards the exit at half-speed. She is entangled (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm#entangled).

The earth elemental charges and attempts to bull rush (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/specialAttacks.htm#bullRush) Mamellek. Make an opposed Strength check versus the elemental's [roll0]. This doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity for Mamellek. If it is successful, it'll push Mamellek back five feet, plus an additional five feet for every five points by which its check result is greater than Mamellek's. This provokes an attack of opportunity for the centipede.

Two guards will arrive in one round.

[rax]

"Hey! That's my magic trick!" Quire calls out as Mamellek snaps the tablecloth around Grilsha. Just then, the elemental turns and charges Mamellek. Grabbing the tablecloth from the table next to him (and managing to send plates and cutlery crashing to the floor in the process) Quire tries to sweep it over the elemental's "head" as it smashes into the crusader.

Move action: Grab a tablecloth.
Standard action: Sweep the tablecloth over the elemental's "head" to inflict the blinded (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/conditionSummary.htm) condition if successful. I'm assuming that this would be a ranged touch attack with a -4 modifier for using an improvised weapon? If so: [roll0]

[rax]

And the centipede gets forgotten again...:smallredface:


Attack of opportunity (I'm reading this as happening whether the bull rush is successful or not): [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Move action: Moves as far as necessary to attack the elemental again. Shouldn't be a problem with a 40 foot move speed.
Standard action: Chomp down on the elemental: [roll2]
Damage: [roll3]

[esorscher]

"There!" Don says, pointing out the bat to the guards. "Bring that bat down!"

He fires another cold missile at the fleeing bat, and continues the chase.

Cold Damage: [roll0], Fort DC 17

[whoiam]

Leaving the Elemental to Quire and the Centipede, Mamellek charges after Grilsha.


Activating the Charging Minotaur strike, Mamellek can charge and bull-rush Grilsha without triggering any AOOs along the way (especially from the elemental that starts in the square next to her).
[roll0] (including +2 bonus as Mamellek's charging)

Charging Minotaur will also add [roll1] Bludgeoning damage if Mamellek successfully bull-rushes Grilsha.

[TaiLiu]

One of the guards ignores Don, running into the building where the nobles are screaming for help. The other stops to take a look at where the psion is pointing and shooting. He squints and looks up at the tiny black body flying higher and higher. "Sir, why are you shooting a bat? Sir?" But Don has already moved on, running out of the courtyard. If Don is right, then there's only one place Lucan and his sister are heading - the ever-visible Trolanport docking tower. In the distance, he can see the tower adjacent to a docked elemental airship. The bound elemental ring shines like red topaz in sunlight, the brightest star in the Trolanport sky tonight. It is impossible to miss.

In the meantime, Quire, Mamellek, and a summoned centipede conspire to make sure that Grilsha misses her ride. Quire successfully blinds the earth elemental, giving Mamellek the opportunity to charge and attempt to slam into the former priest. A mental force prevents Mamellek from finishing her attack, however, and she comes to a screeching halt right next to Grilsha, who is unsuccessfully trying to pull off the tablecloth caught around her limbs and her armour. Grilsha turns around, ready to yell out another command to her elemental, and comes face to face with the lamb-masked crusader. "Who the hell are you?" she screams. "Why is everyone trying to kill me and my brother? Leave me alone, or... Or..." She stops for a moment, looks pass Mamellek to say something in Terran, and then looks back at Mamellek again. "Or the elemental will crush Neya ir'Krell's face!" Although the mask obscures most of her facial features, the whole room can hear the smugness in her voice.

And then the elemental pulls the tablecloth from its face and stomps towards ir'Krell. Amidst the screams and shrieks of the nobles and servants, it lands right next to the wounded diplomat. A gnomish guard, carrying a crossbow, comes in a little too late. He runs towards ir'Krell.

Lucan has sustained three damage. He's flying up eighty feet.

Grilsha expends a standard action to unsuccessfully unentangle herself.
Grilsha's sanctuary spell will last for six more rounds.

The earth elemental takes a standard action to remove the tablecloth from its head, and takes a move action to head towards ir'Krell. This provokes attacks of opportunity.

[roll0] more guards will arrive in three rounds.

[rax]

The elemental rips away the tablecloth and marches towards Lady ir'Krell, ignoring the enemies that surround it. As it does so, the centipede snaps forward, its huge jaws closing around one arm. Clods of earth fly everywhere, but it's not enough to prevent the elemental from closing with its victim.


Attack of opportunity: (1d20+5)[18]
Damage: (2d6+4)[15]

Dice rolled here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=22802842&postcount=47). I rolled them separately because I was originally going to post Quire's actions in the same post, and wanted to adjust the narrative for his actions based on the result. Then I changed my mind...

Making a frustrated clicking sound, the centipede snakes after the elemental and tries to grapple it before striking again.


Move action (if necessary) to close with the elemental.
Standard action: Grapple.
The attempt allows an attack of opportunity from the elemental. Assuming it fails, the grapple attempt takes place:
Melee touch attack to grab elemental: [roll0]
Opposed grapple check to hold elemental (free action): [roll1]
Damage if successful: [roll2] nonlethal damage - grappling rules says damage is as an unarmed strike, which would be 1d6 for a Huge creature
Then moves into the elemental's space.

[rax]

"Capture, not kill, Mistress Grilsha!" Quire calls out in reply. "Though Lucan trying to kill your host could be one reason why everyone's so hostile..." he continues with a smirk.

Just then, Grilsha orders the elemental to attack Lady ir'Krell. Cursing under his breath, Quire flips his dagger from its hidden sheath and circles past the elemental to interpose himself between it and its target, dagger in hand. "Mamellek! I need help! Get Lady ir'Krell away from here!"

Standard action: Draw hidden weapon.
Move action: We haven't established any exact positioning, but Quire's faster than the elemental, so I'm assuming he can move past it far enough away to avoid an AoO and still have move left to close without provoking an AoO at the end of movement.

[esorscher]

"Shoulda just left when I said to," Don says, muttering and cursing under his breath as he turns back to the return to the party, and return to the party.

[whoiam]

Mamellek cannot attack Grilsha... but that doesn't stop her walking around Grilsha (who can't take the presented AOOs without breaking the sanctuary effect) to get into position to block Grilsha's exit. "Why indeed, priest? You just ordered an innocent to be murdered to protect a Vampire. So what if he's your brother? If you know a way to cure him, call the elemental off and tell us. If you don't... It isn't pleasant to hear, but personal isn't the same as important. A moral person wouldn't take civilian lives just to spare themself the pain of loss..."


Mamellek doesn't exactly have Corporal Carrot's 'krisma'... But she's still going to try and get through to Grilsha (instead of attacking the elemental without any weapons or armor).

[roll0]

And hey, at least there's a decent chance that even if she can't get Grilsha to surrender or abandon her brother, she'll get the target of the elemental changed to *her*...

[TaiLiu]

The elemental and the centipede click and clak as the try to fight each other off, the earth trembling beneath their combined weight. After a thrilling wrestling match, the centipede manages to coil itself around the elemental's limbs. It struggles, trying to get out of the centipede's hold to no avail.

Grilsha, of course, sees all of this happening. She looks at Mamellek blocking the exit, looks at her struggling earth elemental, sighs, and says a few soft sentences in Terran. The earth elemental stops struggling. Grilsha turns to the lamb-masked crusader, her voice harder now, though it is less desperate and furious than before: "I recognize your voice now. Don't pretend you give a damn about ir'Krell, or anyone else here. You just want the money! Who hired you?"

Don runs in, just ahead of several gnomish guards, just as Grilsha finishes speaking.

The earth elemental has 15/30 hit points left, plus 7 points of nonlethal damage.

Grilsha's attitude is now Indifferent.

[esorscher]

"She's stalling," Don says to the party. "We're not after her, and the person we are after is getting away. Leave her to the guards; let's get to the airships."