Madness in Crawling Flesh IC 2

[Lateral]

Madness in Crawling Flesh

https://pre00.deviantart.net/54c4/th/pre/f/2015/179/0/d/mountains_of_madness_by_solfar-d8z2gmd.jpg
First Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?489622-Madness-in-Crawling-Flesh-IC)


You hack through the door with little difficulty and step through the now-open doorway. As you do, the illithid steps forward and points at you.

"SO!" The illithid speaks, his voice booming outward as if amplified by magic. "You've FINALLY ARRIVED. You've done well to make it this far... BUT YOU'LL GO NO FURTHER PAST THIS POINT! Welcome, intruders... to THE PIT! NONE OF YOU WILL BE MAKING IT OUT OF HERE ALIVE!"



Character
Initiative


Hyacinth
MAX((1d20+24)[30],(1d20+24)[39])


Quincy
(1d20+5)[22]


Mal
(1d20+4)[16]


Razia
(1d20+5)[14] plus (2d6)[7]


Enemies
(1d20+16)[18]

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth glances at Razia, then back at the illithid musclehead, giving it one of his most disdainful looks—and when a 1400-year-old inspired disdains you, it stuns weaker minds. Alas, the illithid does not cower merely from a gaze, so Hyacinth turns his attention to a more immediate problem. He delivers a slashing cut to the troll that doesn't even scratch its hide, then a touch delivering a small dose of charnel energy, and finally tries the same trick he used on the umber hulk, attempting to curl his whip around its leg and throw it off balance.

Swift: Activate wand of protective interposition, trading places with Razia. She gets +2 sacred bonus to AC and saves for one round; he gets +2 to one attack in this round.
Full-Round: Full attack the mountain troll

First attack, a 50 (rolled in Discord) misses.
Second attack (touch), a 42, hits. It is affected by sickening grasp, DC 32.
Third attack (trip): (1d20+23)[40] (using protective interposition bonus); Strength check: (1d20+20)[28]

[Mahrke]

<We'll butcher your pets...but you? Why fight?> The mental communication has the note a purr to it, <Come give me a kiss, my meaty, muscly, mind flayer. I'll make you feel better than a thrall ever could.> She cooes psychically, her eyes flashing with crimson magic as she flicks them toward the distant illithid while charging, dipping into a whirl of steely death in an attempt to disembowel the giant.

Swift: Smoldering Gaze on buff-ithid
Effect: Will (DC 31) or for [roll0] rounds may only take move actions, and must move towards Razia to carress and fawn over her. If a successful save is made, is sickened with love for the same amount of time. Mind-Affecting.
Full-Round: Charge the hill giant
Effects: Pounce, Power Attack (-4 attack, +8 damage), GMW (+4 attack/damage), Heroism (+2 attack), Charge (+2 attack), Temporary Negative Level (-1 attack)

Thirst 1: Attack of [roll1], dealing [roll2] slashing damage, [roll3] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 1: Attack of [roll4], dealing [roll5] + [roll6] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll7] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 2: Attack of [roll8], dealing [roll9] slashing damage, [roll10] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 2: Attack of [roll11], dealing [roll12] + [roll13] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll14] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 3: Attack of [roll15], dealing [roll16] slashing damage, [roll17] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 3: Attack of [roll18], dealing [roll19] + [roll20] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll21] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.

Thirst Conductive (Vampiric Touch): On the first Thirst attack to hit, deal [roll22] negative energy damage as long as [roll23] overcomes SR. Razia gains that much temp HP.
Mercy Conductive (Vampiric Touch): On the first Mercy attack to hit, deal [roll24] negative energy damage as long as [roll25] overcomes SR. Razia gains that much temp HP.



<Ugh. Illithid's strong of mind...strong enough to shrug off -every- effect of my gaze.>

[stack]

<I could make a wall, slow the others down a bit. Quincy mentally queries those in front.

[Mahrke]

Razia exhales sharply, noting the lack of real damage done by blade on flesh. <Do it.>

[stack]

Quincy calls forth a wall of truesilver, a lattice winding from the walls, floor, and ceiling, quickly solidifying to isolate the giant. The far face may be covered with text questioning the ithillids parentage, diet, and hygiene, but Quincy's allies can't see that side. create 1 SP, concentration

10 ft x 10 ft x 1' = small object

assuming roughly 20' ceiling, 30' length, = 6 small objects to cover the gap. 19 small objects (CL=19), so 3" thick (a bit left to over to fill in the gaps)

mithril hardness 15, HP 90

stretches across the neck, arcing just behind the giant

[Lateral]

Hyacinth's whip strike saps a bit of the mountain troll's vitality, but fails to bring it down to the earth. Razia strikes the giant's skin repeatedly, but its toughened hide and mighty muscles deflect all of her mightiest blows; her seductive prowess likewise seems to not even hinder the mind flayer, who retorts with a mighty laugh. "DO I LOOK LIKE A FOOL TO YOU, WENCH OF MABAR?! I am GABARRHEAL THE MIGHTY! Your wiles and mind tricks may work on the WEAKEST OF OUR KIND, but MY MIND IS AN IMPENETRABLE FORTRESS! Now, you WORMS, PREPARE YOUR—"

Quincy's wall shoots up suddenly, interrupting Gabarrheal's rant. Unfortunately, the reprieve is brief; in a few moments, a large chunk of the wall is vaporized, and Gabarrheal reappears on the other side of the hole. "Ah, that's more like it. Now, as I was saying: PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR A GLADIATORIAL DEATHMATCH! TO BATTLE, MY MINIONS! LEAVE NONE OF THESE WRETCHES STANDING! The flayer assumes a waiting combat stance, as its three minions begin to retaliate.

The mountain troll, being the nearest to you, is the first to strike; it roars, takes one lumbering step forward and swings its clubs in wide, vicious arcs at Hyacinth. As it does, it glowers at him, impressing upon him the full terror of his might.

The next to move is the mass of tentacles at the rear of the room. It slides into view through the hole in Quincy's barrier, standing a good distance behind the illithid; it thrashes about, swinging its tentacles in surprisingly controlled arcs; for a brief second, it seems like nothing's happening, until you notice the whistling noise of bladed objects cutting through air. A stream of pitch-black shurikens come sailing out from over the illithid's shoulder, gliding on air currents around every obstacle until they pass through the doorway on the other side and slice at Mal's bloated girth "generously-proportioned abdomen."

Finally, the armored combatant makes their move. Leaping across the steps, they smoothly navigate around the room, dashing through the hole in the wall to Razia. They circle around her in an arc, swiftly sliding their blade out of its sheath for a horizontal slash as they do so, before snapping the blade right back into the scabbard a moment later. Coming to rest opposite the troll, they draw their blade again for three flowing slashes aimed at Razia; in the process, you're all able to get a full glimpse of the warrior's rather unusual blade. It is, as it seemed in the sheath, sized like a bastard sword; however, it has two separate blades. One is pitch-black, and seems to swirl with shadowy patterns. The other side is a brilliant shining white; it is this end that the warrior uses to cut Razia, bypassing the unholy toughness of skin her demonic nature provides her.

You catch a snippet of telepathy between the illithid and the armored warrior. <The front one. She's a fiend. You like killing fiends, right?>
Mountain troll 5' steps east, full attacks, and initiates Taunting Laugh.
[roll0] for [roll1] and trip: [roll2]
[roll3] for [roll4] and trip: [roll5]
[roll6] for [roll7] and trip: [roll8]
[roll9] for [roll10] and trip: [roll11]
[roll12] for [roll13] and trip: [roll14]
If at least two hit, DC 33 Fort save or be nauseated for one round. Also it attempts to demoralize Hyacinth, and if any of its attacks hits, it gets to attempt again.
Intimidate: [roll15]
Intimidate: [roll16]
And a third demoralize attempt, which if you fail you're also flat-footed for one round.
[roll17]

Bufflithid moves southeast and manifests Quickened Synchronicity, immediately manifesting Psionic Disintegrate on the wall. It then uses its standard to ready an action. What action? Who knows?!

Darktentacles 5' steps southeast and full attacks Mal with shurikens. Yes. Every miss adds a cumulative +4 to hit,and the shots cluster for DR.
[roll18] for [roll19] damage.
[roll20] for [roll21] damage.
[roll22] for [roll23] damage.
[roll24] for [roll25] damage.
[roll26] for [roll27] damage.
[roll28] for [roll29] damage.
[roll30] for [roll31] damage.
[roll32] for [roll33] damage.
[roll34] for [roll35] damage.
[roll36] for [roll37] damage.
[roll38] for [roll39] damage.
[roll40] for [roll41] damage.
[roll42] for [roll43] damage.
[roll44] for [roll45] damage.
The armored soldier activates Snowflake Wardance, declares smite on Razia, moves south of Razia, making a free attack on her as they do so, and initiates rapid current, making three attacks on Razia, the first two of which do +3d6 damage. Also if any confirm you're fatigued for five rounds, or exhausted if twice, because that weapon is Sapping, which was why it was funny you picked that. And all confirmed crits get a free disarm attempt.
[roll46] for [roll47] plus [roll48] +5 nonlethal
[roll49] for [roll50] plus [roll51] +5 nonlethal
[roll52] for [roll53] plus [roll54] +5 nonlethal
[roll55] for [roll56] plus [roll57] +5 nonlethal
If any hit, all after that one get +4 to attack and damage. Oh, and their crit range is 13-20, so have fun with that.

[Mahrke]

Pain...and memories. Memories of a life not so distant as holy blade bites her. Memories of hatred, and anger. Memories too of regret. She doesn't have time for nostalgia, though, and when the armored foe seeks to rip Thirst from her grip, she tightens upon it and brings it clashing against the monochrome blade, ringing angrily, the sword itself seeming to rage at its contact with purity. Mercy strikes out on her other side, Razia's gaze not moving from the armored one as she drives her blade along the greatclub to slash at the giant's fingers and free the weapon from his grasp, the behemoths retaliation scattering sparks from her magical protection.

The fight is going badly. Foes seek those without toughened flesh, and Razia's muscles ache, sapped by the very power she wields. But she was inured to it. She lived every day with that dull, diminishing ache. She sheathes Thirst, dashing away from the giant to join her allies, before she begins jaggedly etching an arcane rune with her now-free hand, and gesturing at her foe. The charging illithid, meanwhile, is thwarted with a glance, as massive luminsecent red wings of force sprout from Razia's back as slam down around the gathered four to protect from his punch, before disappating.

"Your road is your own." She says gravely, finishing her spell with a recitation of verse from her self-made prayer.

Move: Tumble 2 east. Sheath Thirst.
Swift: Wings of Cover
Standard: Greater Dispel Magic (CL check of [roll0]+[roll1], targeted on the armored man. Casting Defensively.

[Lateral]

Seeing you begin your spell, the mind flayer leaps into action. Barreling forward, it somehow manages to thread its way through the doorway, around the giant troll, and over to wear you are... only to have its fist met by your force barrier, as you complete your spell and wash away the bands around the armored knight's mind.

"Gnnh... eh? Wh... what's... going on?" His voice is deep and husky, but tinged with the sort of croaking quality that indicates he hasn't spoken much at all for at least a few months.

Punching the sphere. [roll0] for [roll1] damage

[Mahrke]

Razia stares death at the illithid as a spiderweb of cracks appears in her magical shield. "I'm a succubus that just freed your from a charm spell.
Ironic, I know. You owe it to me to at least kill the illithid before you decide to finish smiting me. Good taste in swords, by the way."

[Lateral]

"Err... right. Sure. Killing the bastard who stuck me in a fighting pit for the last six months. Yeah, I can do that." The warrior takes a fighting stance, his hand on the hilt of his sheathed blade, and faces directly towards the illithid on the other side of the invisible barrier, a scowl on his face.

[stack]

Quincy lets his now damaged wall dissipate, then mimes the ithillid speaking with his hand, waggling fingers for tentacles, "Blah blah blah, I am a sartorially challenged squid-face. That's nice." He quips as he launches a ball of transformative energy between the giant and ithillid, which explodes in a burst of magic.

stop concentration
alter material (1 SP) + mass alter (1 SP) + distant alteration + fleshcraft (1SP) + altering burst (20 ft radius)(1 SP)

targeting the giant, the ithillid, and the darktentacles (I expect at least 2 of the 3 to save or be immune) Need to check the map to see what I can get inside a 40' diameter, think I can JUST hit all three, though they wouldn't be fully contained. Just the giant and ithillid if they have to be fully contained in the radius

burning lore for CL 25, fortitude save 30

CON burn [roll0] low bad (rolled 2 in old thread)

turning them into paper, of course. Duration is 25 rounds.

[Khosan]

Mal winces, clutching at the cluster of shuriken lodged in his stomach, "Doh, ho ho ho...Any deeper and you might've hit my pancreas. I don't think I need to tell you, that little organ of mine is quite the hard worker!" He raises a claw, swipes left, then right while mumbling a divine incantation, raising two walls of stone from the ground which shut out the tentacled thing, "I'd love to collect you, but you'll just have to wait."

Standard: Mal casts Wall of Stone, enclosing the spaces outlined in Discord
Move: Mal begins the Aggressive Flanking tactic, so free flanking as long as you threaten

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth retches. <Did you have to put that image in my mind?> he demands of Razia.

The elimination of three enemies puts him in position he much prefers, with only one enemy to focus on. He pushes off from the ground and brings his whip down on the illithid, trying to yank it off its feet.

Five-foot step: Northeast and up.
Full attack:

[roll0] Trip [roll1]
[roll2] Trip [roll3] or [roll4] plus [roll5] sneak attack plus Gloom Strike (http://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/drow-of-the-underdark--93/gloom-strike--3446/index.html)
[roll6] Trip [roll7] or [roll8] plus [roll9] sneak attack plus Gloom Strike (http://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/drow-of-the-underdark--93/gloom-strike--3446/index.html)
(Trip until he falls, then normal attacks. First successful hit applies Sickening Grasp.)

[Lateral]

Quincy's spell passes over the giant, instantly flash-freezing its expression of dull surprise as it is transformed into a wood-pulp replica of itself. Hyacinth's whip strikes the illithid three times, but only catches on the third; still, you manage to drag it to the ground. Mal walls off the posterior section of the room, sealing the darktentacles within.

Unfortunately, that wall only serves to make the room more cramped. A moment later, the darktentacles reappears, teleporting within the space left in the anterior. A split second later, the paladin hunches over and cries out. "Aaaargh! N...no! NO! NOT AGAIN!" He takes a gauntleted fist and begins hitting his helmet, punctuating his yelling. "GET! THE HELL! OUT OF! MY BRAIN!" This seems to work, as he rises again, seemingly unaffected.

Gabarrheal, still lying on the ground, turns its head towards the paper troll. "HEY! I DON'T PAY YOU TO SLACK OFF! I mean, I don't pay you, but STILL!" As he speaks, the bottom of the troll begins to turn back into flesh... until Quincy intervenes, cutting off the illithid's magic. "UGH! FINE!" It blinks and disappears, reappearing (still on its back) behind the troll statue, and leaps to its feet.

The paladin grips his sword. "You don't get to run away, you facehugging bastard. You die now." He dives forward, runs straight for the darktentacles, and springs upwards, vaulting twenty feet in the air over it (and delivering a quick downward slash as he does so), before landing on the other side next to the illithid. His blade flashes out of its scabbard, swinging in a black arc and making a single stroke with the force of a dozen blades. The illithid makes an attempt to stop the blade by grabbing it with its bare palm, attempting to crush the blade in its grip, but the sword stroke is too swift for it to stop. The blade cuts right through the illithid's hand and bisects it, sending its head and shoulders flying towards the wall while its torso and legs fall backwards to the floor.

From Gabarrheal, to the darktentacles: <Mind control him. We don't have time for this.> Then, a moment later, when he shrugs it off: <DYRRN DAMN IT! We might be in trouble here.>
The darktentacles teleports as a swift action to this side of the barrier, and manifests psionic dominate on the paladin. DC 30. He succeeds on the save, luckily for you.

The giant is a papier-mâché sculpture.

The illithid attempts to dispel (manifesting defensively), gets countered by Quincy, then manifests dimension hop as a swift and stands up as a move.

The paladin declares smite on the bufflithid, jumps over the darktentacles, taking a swing at it in the process (and avoiding AoO), and initiates silver crown strike on the illithid. Full attack as a standard, and if any crit successfully, they all do. All attacks with the dark side of the blade. Increased Multiplier applied.
[roll0] for [roll1]

(1d20+44)[63] for [roll2]
[roll3] for [roll4]
[roll5] for [roll6]
[roll7] for [roll8]

[Mahrke]

Razia's blade glow with ghostly energy, and she mauls the darktentacles with a flurry of sword-strokes.

Swift: Wraithstrike
Full-Round: Charge the dark tentacles
Effects: Pounce, Power Attack (-4 attack, +8 damage), GMW (+4 attack/damage), Heroism (+2 attack), Charge (+2 attack), Temporary Negative Level (-1 attack), Sadism/Masochism (+1 attack)

Thirst 1 (Improv 8): Attack of [roll0], dealing [roll1] slashing damage, [roll2] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 1 (Improv 8): Attack of [roll3], dealing [roll4] + [roll5] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll6] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 2 (Smite): Attack of [roll7], dealing [roll8] slashing damage, [roll9] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 2 (Smite): Attack of [roll10], dealing [roll11] + [roll12] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll13] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 3: Attack of [roll14], dealing [roll15] slashing damage, [roll16] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 3 (Smite): Attack of [roll17], dealing [roll18] + [roll19] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll20] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.

Thirst Conductive (Vampiric Touch): On the first Thirst attack to hit, deal [roll21] negative energy damage as long as [roll22] overcomes SR. Razia gains that much temp HP.

[Lateral]

Your blows rain down on the darktentacles, and in short order it's sprawled out on the ground, unmoving.

The battle over, the armored warrior turns and looks at you. His hand is on his sheathed blade, but he doesn't appear to be making a move, instead standing straight ahead and looking at Razia. "So. You're a demon, but you saved my ass. Explain."

[Mahrke]

Razia sheathes thirst, approaching the darktentacles. She grasps mercy in both hands, plunging it into the beast, and stretchin her hand towards Mal, who is inundated by the creatures black blood. Demonically imbued, it heals the dragon's wounds. As she does this, she looks to the paladin. "My name is Razia Blackthorn. I am an admittedly unconventional paladin of freedom and mercy." As if to punctuate the point, she jerks her sword from the now-dead abberation at her feet. "Mercy for those that deserve it. We are here to put an end to a threat that has taken from us lovers, allies, and friends, and brought untold misery to innocents." Razia wipes the blade on a corner of a tunic near-soaked with the stuff, before sheathing it. She approaches the armored-one, offering a hand, and putting on a soft, somewhat melancholy smile. "I've given you my name. I think you owe me yours."

[Lateral]

He looks at you oddly, then sighs and takes his hand off his blade. "Sethan d'Deneith. And you have my thanks, Miss Blackthorn. Your reputation precedes you, although I wasn't expecting... this."

[Mahrke]

Razia claps him on the shoulder. "And now that you know my secret, I'll have to kill you." She says grimly, before turning and proceeding towards the entrance to the room. "You're a mercenary, then? Your freedom is your fee, Sethan. What can you tell us about this place? I sense a group of humanoids to the northeast; are they prisoners?"

Razia looks to her companions, and then to the still-paper troll, frowning. "I don't really want to kill it, but I don't want to fight it again, either. Any ideas?"

[Khosan]

"Trolls are in fairly high demand as test subjects. They're quite resilient, as you know, nigh immortal. Unfortunately I haven't a cage for him. I could still transport him in this chest," he wiggles the chest strapped to his back, the remains of the roper from the previous combat being used as an impromptu set of straps to hold it in place, "though I'm uncertain if it could hold the troll in place. The other option would be to repeatedly, violently, beat the stuffing out of it to render it completely immobile and harmless. Until it regenerates."

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth shrugs. "Just half-encase it in stone," he suggests. "Shouldn't be any more difficult for Quincy than transforming it in the first place. We can come back and talk some sense into it."

[Mahrke]

Razia contemplates the troll with a frown. She draws her guitar from within her cloak, and thrums a string, gesturing to the paper giant and intoning a word of arcane power. A sphere of magical force springs to life around the thing. "We can come back to deal with it. For now, we should deal with the rest of this...place."

[Lateral]

Sethan nods and steps forwards. "I've been here a while, and I've seen a decent chunk of the place. They never took me in front of the brain, or anything, but I think I can draw you up a broad floor plan for most of it."

[stack]

Quincy gives the newcomer a bow, flourishing his hat, "Quincy d'Cannith, at your service." He straightens, "Sethan d'Deneith, the one-man army? Pleasure to make your acquaintance! Any other famous or infamous captives about?"

[Khosan]

"Ah, where are my manners? Malthaliax the Learned. If you're in need of a map, I've a few books here. I can repair them later." Mal, digs into his backpack and removes an oversized tome, tossing it gently through the doorway to land with a heavy thump at Sethan's feet.

[Mahrke]

Razia blinks at dictionary-like book tossed casually their way, before fishing around in her cloak to pull forth a small leather satchel. She withdraws a jet tin, offering it to the paladin. "Kohl. It should serve for a quick map."

[Lateral]

Sethan picks up the tome from the ground, opens to the last page, and begins to draw with the kohl. All right, so. I mostly know about the stuff back the way you came in. You guys came up through the slime room, yeah? One of those gross slime monsters came through here a bit ago, that's how they knew you were coming. From that entrance to the mess hall, the first door on the right leads to the slave kennels. It's a fairly long tunnel to get there, and they've got a colony of chokers holed up right outside in front of their guard post, so we'll have to be careful. The second door on the right leads to the back entrance and the pit where they're keeping all of the people they haven't had a chance to enthrall yet. Down that other door there—" he gestures to the door you came in— "there's the main barracks, with the armory adjacent to it, just past the room with the well in it. That's as far as they ever took me, but there's one big metal door that I think leads to a vault of some kind; I assume the other path probably leads to their brain, but I've got no idea what else would be down there."

Map in Discord.

[Mahrke]

Razia nods as Sethan goes over the map. "We need to save the prisoners and slaves first. Hopefully Arabella is with them." She draws a quick pentacle in the air, intoning a few sharp, demonic words. A hellish portal wrenches open, a slime-dripping, emaciated humanoid falls through as if thrown, to land on the ground before Razia. She gestures to the doorway to the room, even as she begins to walk. "Guard. If anyone approaches, warn me."

With that, the succubus begins towards the exit, but stumbles coming over the threshold. She leans against the opening, a hand going to her ribs, where she'd been struck by the mercenary. "...It's been a while since someone took a holy sword to me." She grumbles, her eyes flicking to the glittering dragon. "Mal, do you still have a Heal left for the day?"

[Khosan]

"Five, in fact. Well, up to five. Would've been six, but that wall cost me one. C'est la vie." Mal backs away from the doorway, popping a jam roly-poly into his mouth, "If you'd be so kind to come out here, I'll see to healing you posthaste. I'm afraid it would take, ha, quite a lot of effort to get me through that little door!" He holds out his bag of sweets, "I've some profiteroles that are simply heavenly if that'll get you to move a little faster!"

[Mahrke]

"I'm covered in mold spores, bleeding from every orifice, and you want me to eat a profiterole? I hate profiteroles. Do you know how many profiteroles I've had to eat in my lifetime? They serve them at -every- fancy party the nobility throws, and you can't -not- eat them when you're playing a bubbly, giggly high society tart. No, no profiteroles. Healing." She says sarcastically, making her way through the door to stand beside the rotund, jolly beast. She chants a soft spell as she does so, readying herself for the road before her.

[Khosan]

"Hmm, that probably rules out mille-feuille, macarons, vol-au-vents and...honestly, half of my favorites. Hmph," Mal places his pastry pack on the ground, sorting through with one hand while casting the requested Heal spell with the other, "Worry not, I've a foodstuff for every occasion from all corners of the globe! Could I interest you in...a pair of kız memesi? Maybe a fa gao? I've some roti tissue if you'd prefer something on the lighter side."

[Mahrke]

Razia takes in a longer, deeper relaxed breath as the healing energy restores strength where holy energy had sown weakness in the outsides. Still, blood seems to seep in its steady current from the succubus, unhindered by restorative magic. She plants a hand on the dragon's claw digging around in his fanny. "Look,
if you help find Arabella and clear this place out, I promise you I will indulge you, as a fellow bon vivant, your every desire. Cordials and cream-puffs for -days-. But that comes after. Focus." She emphasizes the last word, before releasing the dragon's claw and proceeding onwards, towards the slaves held to the north.

[Khosan]

Mal is surprisingly quick to catch Razia's collar, pulling her back and craning his neck down to her level, "Perhaps we need to clarify some things, hm?" He smiles, putting his arm around her shoulder, "I've just had several close brushes with death. Once by potential encephalectomy, twice now by having my stomach bashed in. Now, it is my choice that I continue to put myself at risk in such a fashion as I consider the benefits, namely the advancement of my career, to be worth it. However," the dragon pulls her in tighter, pushing his scaly, crystalline face up against hers, "You seem to have interpreted this and, I presume, my jovial demeanor as grounds to order me around. To clarify, I am being polite, a courtesy you have yet to offer me and am here still by choice. I am not your lackey to be ordered around simply because you've a pretty face and some cause to fight for. I will move at my own pace and do as I please, because I control my destiny, not you." Mal releases the relatively small demon, still smiling as brightly as ever.

[Mahrke]

There is an urge to pull away at first; a deep-seated hatred of dragons burned into racial memory a thousand, thousand years ago. It is swallowed like so many other urges. "You don't understand. I need to save her!" She interrupts, pulling away. But when she finds the dragon keeps his hold, and offers his reproach, her visage turns at first to a scowl, and then a frown.

She closes her eyes, a breath taken as she puts a gentle palm upon the side of the serpent's long neck. "I know you're not involved in this. I'm sorry for...treating you as if you'd signed up to dive into danger. You do choose your own destiny." There is a pause. Haste was important. She could feel the wait of the minute hand on her shoulders, bearing down on her with each moment that slipped by. She looks the dragon in his viridian eyes. "Near two weeks ago we...well, the two of us now." Her eyes flick to Quincy as she nods to him. "Were tasked with clearing out a band of cultists. We didn't see the signs. We were deceived, and even after learning this, I didn't take it seriously. I had to watch..." A pause to settle her feelings, "One of them took control of the person I loved most. The person responsible for giving me real meaning. She attacked me. It wasn't a Charm spell...we couldn't remove it, and the last thing I have to remember her by is her, frightened in my arms as we turned her to stone, because we couldn't stop the thing consuming her."

Another pause. "The woman that cast the spell to...'save' her, was Arabella. It was days ago that she was taken from right beside me. I didn't get to see her. Just hear her as she was teleported away and that thing I drove my swords into in the tower above knocked her unconscious and broke our link. Now I'm hoping to find more than just a corpse, or twisted, fleshwarped thrall." Razia closes her eyes, and tips head forward until brow leans against the scaled hide of scholar. "I've been quick, abrasive, because I don't know if a wasted moment is the difference between a still-sane Arabella, or one of those things in cages we saw...I'm sorry." She looks up, again. "But please. I need your help. As far as you'll take it. I'll repay you however I can, but I fear we have little time in this place."

[Khosan]

"Much better." The kindly dragon pats his little demonic compatriot on the head, "I believe I understand where you're coming from now. Quite the tragedy." He ruffles her neatly kempt hair into a tangle of red, "Chin up, little one. As it is frequently said, the night is always darkest before the dawn and I cannot imagine much darker circumstances than this. Unless something ate my brain, but I wouldn't be able to imagine anything then! Ha!" With a slight rumbling of the cavern around him, Mal saunters on, "No time to waste then! Let us proceed."

[Mahrke]

Razia blinks, scampering after the dragon. "Just so we're clear, I'm a four hundred year-old demon!" She insists impotently, dragging a hand through her ruffled locks.

[Khosan]

"Of course you are, deary," he says with all the intonation of a grandfather whose grandchild just insisted it was, in fact, a lizard, "You very much remind me of some of the younger students back home. Everything's dreadfully important, life or death. There's a difference in the magnitude of issues, of course, a pubescent crush pales in comparison, but you hit many of the same notes."

[Lateral]

You head up through the northeast door, following Sethan's surprisingly detailed map, and soon arrive at the pit.

The first thing you notice is the smell. The overpowering stench of death, sweat, and excrement pours out of the hole, sending you into fits of retching. Peering over the edge, it's a gruesome sight. Dozens of humans, dwarves, halflings, and khoravar, clothes ragged or nonexistent, bodies caked with filth huddling together in a dark, cramped, putrid, waste-filled pit. The edges are smooth, offering no way to climb up, and the top is lined with downward-pointing stone spikes.

DC 15 Fort or sickened.

[Mahrke]

Razia chalks the bubbling desire to jam pastries down the dragon's throat until he dies up to instinctual racial hatred. She attempts to swallow it, but it is all but forgotten as the come upon the pit. Horrid, monstrous, and sadistic, it reminded Razia of home. The paladin steps back, whispering a spell and dragging a clawed hand through her hair. The motion wipes away her more worrying features: no more horns, wings, seeping blood or demonic tattoos. Instead, she seems the battle-worn knight she claims herself to be.

Razia approaches the edge of the pit, kneeling. "Calvary's arrived. Let's see about getting you lot out of here." She offers a small, reassuring smile as she looks down. "Stay calm." She says, before looking over her shoulder. "Anything you can do about this Quincy?"

[stack]

Quincy chokes back bile as he assesses the situation. "Ladder would be simplest, but I suspect they may not all be in a condition to climb one easily. Stairs it is." He touches a hand to the top of the stone, chanting softly. The stone melts and flows into new forms, a staircase emerging where there was a smooth wall.
1 SP for forge to affect a huge object's worth of stone. If that isn't enough, cast it twice.

If 2 forge's isn't enough, then he will create instead, spending 3 sp (for a colossal object, no concentration)

fort [roll0]

[Lateral]

Quincy’s staircase winds down the side of the pit, until it touched the floor in front of the crowded mass of people. Those nearest begin to tentatively, nervously ascend the stairs; a few around the pit attempt to push and shove ther way to the front, but most are too weak to do even that, merely shuffling aimlessly towards the new exit. A few, those who have evidently been stuck down there the longest, can’t even find the strength to stand as the mob shuffles around them.

”Dol Arrah, this is even worse than I thought.” You can’t see his expression behind the visored helm, but Sethan’s voice is tinged with anger and pity. ”These people need medical attention immediately.”

[Mahrke]

Razia 's eyes flick towards the north-western exit from the room, "Sethan, you said that leads to the surface. How far? Could we get these people out via that tunnel? Is there anything dangerous in the way?"

[Lateral]

Sethan shakes his head. ”It’s a short tunnel, and they’ve pulled all the guards inside to handle us. Should be safe.”

[Mahrke]

Razia nods, "If we can get them above ground, I can make enough food and water for them. Healing too, once they're fed...not much to do about the disease for now, though, unless one of you have something." She looks to her companions; if she hears no other suggestions, she begins organizing the survivors to make the trip up, attempting to help any unable to make it under their own power.

[stack]

Quincy lends a hand to those that need it. "I would do more to help move them, but today has been rather draining. Since we don't look to be stopping I would rather not exhaust my resources just yet."

[Lateral]

Sethan, moving startlingly quickly for a person clad in such heavy armor, begins hauling people out of the pit directly. He repeatedly jumps down to the bottom, slings one of the victims over his shoulder, then leaps back up to the pit’s edge.

[Mahrke]

Seeing that Quincy and Sethan have everything well in hand, Razia heads up the tunnel leading to fresh air and freedom.

[Lateral]

You head up the corridor and into the tunnel headed upwards. After only a dozen yards or so, the tunnel ends at a ladder made of metal rungs driven into the rock; you push aside the metal cover at the top, and the bright light of midday pours through the hole. Stepping out, you find yourself on a small outcropping of rock, a couple hundred feet away from the ruined tower.

It takes a few minutes, but you manage to shepherd all of the people in the pit outside.

[Mahrke]

Once outside, and assured that no threats lurk -too- closely, Razia doffs her cloak. With its absence, her blue-and-white leathers turn to a simple black tunic that leaves navel showing. The billowy cloth is snapped a few times in both hands, before cast into the air where it grows rapidly, tenting across unseen poles until a round blue-and-white pavillion. Razia pulls a flap aside, to reveal the entire, now decorated with chairs, and tables laden with a feast fit for royalty. Wine, water, and juice and tea are in great supply alongside baskets of fruit, meat, cheeses and crusty breads, grilled vegetables, hearty soups, and various pies and tarts. "I know you're tired, and hungry." She calls to them. "Just take it slow. Don't eat quickly, or you'll kill yourselves. Help feed those too weak for it. There'll be plenty, and we'll make sure you're taken care of." Razia ushes the starved wretches in, patting them gently on the shoulder and offering a reassuring, motherly smile.

[Lateral]

The throng, oddly enough for a group of starving people, actually listen to Razia. Sethan helps distribute food, and before long everyone has something in their stomachs. Not much, but enough to stave off starvation without being dangerous.

[Mahrke]

Once the throng has supped enough to stave off the hunger pains, Razia stands in the center of the pavillion and clasps her holy symbol. She closes her eyes, and a faint, heavily radiance blossoms from the caduceus, soothing the wounds of those around her.

Channel Energy 3 times: 7 healing to all within 30'

[Lateral]

Your healing magic washes over the crowd, alleviating their pains. In moments, their conditions have improved significantly.

Sethan approaches you after you complete the healing. "I think they should be all right for now, but we should try to get them to a hospital. Do you have a way to transport these people? If we can get them to Vedykar, I can pull some strings with the House, get some space in one of the Jorasco healing centers."

[Mahrke]

Razia's eyes flick at first to the gathered survivors, then to Quincy. "What do ya think?"

[stack]

Quincy does some quick math. "Tight berths, but we can get them in." Sylph, my girl, please come here, we have some refugees that need a ride to more hospitable environs.

[Lateral]

<Will do. Just a heads-up, your guest is having a bit of a meltdown. She found out about that illithid you brought on board, and she didn’t take it well. I’ve confined her to her quarters. You may want to have a talk with her.> Sylph sounds more bemused than concerned.

[stack]

"Sylph is on her way, though it will be a half an hour or so. Razia, did you not warn our guest about the ithillid you stowed on my ship? She found out and is rather cross. I'm leaving smoothing that out to you." Quincy gives the query with a raised eyebrow, slightly amused.

[Mahrke]

Razia massages a temple. "Fantastic. She's not gonna like having Sylph head back this way either, but there's nothing to be done about it. Sethan!" Her gaze flicks to the paladin, "I need you to stay here and guard the survivors until Sylph arrives. We need to find the other group of slaves at the very least, and I don't want to leave them alone." She waves to the tent.

[Lateral]

Sethan nods. "I'll keep an eye on things out here.
We're in a pretty open space, I should be able to see anything coming."

[Mahrke]

"Call if you spot anything." With that, Razia turns on her heel, moving to enter the underground once again. "Anyone have a bright idea for clearing out chokers?"

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth has been standing, stalk still, listening. There should be a hum coming from the next room, an alien whining like eldritch mosquitoes. That's what aberration minds are supposed to feel like. But instead, silence.

He breaks his focus when Razia returns. <I'm not entirely certain they're in there. I can't feel any minds, and I was looking carefully.> He glances back toward the tunnel exit. <How much should we trust him?>

[stack]

"Oh, Sylph, there will be a stranger watching the refugees for us, we still have work to do. Play nice.'

for chokers [roll0]

Responding the the question on chokers, he shrugs, "Hitting things until they die seems popular. I am running low myself, would like to have something in reserve for a major foe."

[Mahrke]

"He killed the illithid. Proof enough for me to trust him for the moment. He was giving us old information, it's possible the illithids have pulled the chokers back, looking to fight us together." Razia muses, "I don't sense them either."

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth purses his lips at Razia's explanation, but nods and gestures for her to proceed.

[Lateral]

You sally forth back into the tunnel, leaving Sethan behind to guard the puny humans. Going back down the eastern path, you find only an empty corridor, tapering off and curving to the right. The silence in the room is deafening.

I'm gonna need you all to roll a DC 50 Will save or be deafened by this silence.

[Mahrke]

Razia continues east (and then south), making an effort to stay near her companions in case the unseen befalls them.

[Lateral]

You press on, and at first, it seems like Sethan was wrong about the chokers. You begin to approach the bend in the hallway, and that's when a dozen shadow-cloaked chokers pop right off of the walls. They reach out, their impossibly long tentacles grasping at your necks.

All of the chokers pop out of the wall and make touch attacks to initiate grapple.

Choker 1 (vs. Mal): [roll0] touch, [roll1] grapple, [roll2] constrict.
Choker 2 (vs. Mal): [roll3] touch, [roll4] grapple, [roll5] constrict.
Choker 3 (vs. Mal): [roll6] touch, [roll7] grapple, [roll8] constrict.
Choker 4 (vs. Mal): [roll9] touch, [roll10] grapple, [roll11] constrict.
Choker 5 (vs. Quincy): [roll12] touch, [roll13] grapple, [roll14] constrict.
Choker 6 (vs. Quincy): [roll15] touch, [roll16] grapple, [roll17] constrict.
Choker 7 (vs. Hyacinth): [roll18] touch, [roll19] grapple, [roll20] constrict.
Choker 8 (vs. Hyacinth): [roll21] touch, [roll22] grapple, [roll23] constrict.
Choker 9 (vs. Hyacinth): [roll24] touch, [roll25] grapple, [roll26] constrict.
Choker 10 (vs. Razia): [roll27] touch, [roll28] grapple, [roll29] constrict.
Choker 11 (vs. Razia): [roll30] touch, [roll31] grapple, [roll32] constrict.
Choker 12 (vs. Razia): [roll33] touch, [roll34] grapple, [roll35] constrict.

If you're successfully grappled by any, you can't breathe. Each round grappled counts as 4 rounds suffocation.

Initiative!


Character
Initiative


Hyacinth
MAX([roll36],[roll37])


Quincy
[roll38]


Mal
[roll39]


Razia
[roll40] plus [roll41]


Enemies
[roll42]

[Jeff the Green]

Three chokers immediately latch on to Hyacinth's throat, but, unlike the others, it's not exceedingly uncomfortable. He hasn't needed to breathe for more than a millennium and the actual force is absorbed by one of his spells. He quickly tries to escape with magic stored in his sandals, but the magic is throttled by his throttlers. He curses mentally, because he isn't able to force air past his vocal cords, but then contorts himself into several nigh-impossible shapes to slip out of the chokers' grasps. White hot pain streaks up his limbs and nearly blinds him as he bends joints in ways they aren't supposed to, but as soon as he drops to the floor he straightens and dashes out of the room.

Swift: Anklets of translocation out of grapple. Fizzles.
Standard: Escape Artist to escape from grapple. 47, rolled in Discord
Move: Move 50' out of the area of the map or as far as he can go, tumbling at full speed.

[Lateral]

Hyacinth manages to wriggle out of the chokers' grip, but they immediately chase you down, scrambling across the walls with startling dexterity. The rest focus mostly on Mal and Razia, although the one that grabbed Quincy maintains its grip. Four attempt to keep Mal's bulk held down on the ground, while another four reach for Razia— and yank her around the corner at the end of the room, bringing her face-to-face with the thoon hulk waiting in the next room. It rushes at her, swinging its massive hand-axes right at her immobilized skull.

Attempts to pin Mal. Rolled in Discord, success. Three more attacks, Grapple checks for damage:
[roll0] vs. [roll1] for [roll2]
[roll3] vs. [roll4] for [roll5]
[roll6] vs. [roll7] for [roll8]
Attempts to grab Mal. Once it succeeds, Grapple checks for damage.
[roll9] touch and [roll10] grapple and [roll11]
[roll12] touch and [roll13] grapple and [roll14]
[roll15] touch and [roll16] grapple and [roll17]
[roll18] touch and [roll19] grapple and [roll20]
Attempts to grab Mal. Once it succeeds, Grapple checks for damage.
[roll21] touch and [roll22] grapple and [roll23]
[roll24] touch and [roll25] grapple and [roll26]
[roll27] touch and [roll28] grapple and [roll29]
[roll30] touch and [roll31] grapple and [roll32]
All Grapple checks for damage vs. Mal.
[roll33] grapple and [roll34]
[roll35] grapple and [roll36]
[roll37] grapple and [roll38]
[roll39] grapple and [roll40]
Skitters across the wall. Attacks Razia, with Earth Strike. Hits, grapples (rolled Discord). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
Attempts to pin. Succeeds.
Pins Quincy, then grapple checks for damage.
[roll41] grapple to pin
[roll42] grapple and [roll43]
[roll44] grapple and [roll45]
[roll46] grapple and [roll47]
Chases after Hyacinth, trying to grab. Once it succeeds, pin. Constrict damage can't hurt you.
[roll48] touch and [roll49] grapple
[roll50] touch and [roll51] grapple
[roll52] touch and [roll53] grapple
Chases after Hyacinth, trying to grab. Once it succeeds, pin (if not already). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
[roll54] touch and [roll55] grapple
[roll56] touch and [roll57] grapple
[roll58] touch and [roll59] grapple
Chases after Hyacinth, trying to grab. Once it succeeds, pin (if not already). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
[roll60] touch and [roll61] grapple
[roll62] touch and [roll63] grapple
[roll64] touch and [roll65] grapple
Attacks Razia, with Earth Strike. Hits, grapples (rolled Discord). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
Attacks Razia, with Earth Strike. Misses.
Attacks Razia again. Hits, grapples (rolled Discord). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
Attacks Razia, with Earth Strike. Hits, grapples (rolled Discord). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
The construct pounces at Razia.
[roll66] for [roll67]
[roll68] for [roll69]

[Jeff the Green]

<Fine,> Hyacinth spits at the chokers. He can't, unfortunately, make their ears bleed with the volume of his telepathy, but he can at least cause an annoying frission. <Let's do it this way.> He mentally reaches to one of the spells wrapped around his body and tugs at one strand. It dissolves quickly, and he drops to the ground once again. His whip jumps to his hand once again and lashes at one of the damned creatures.

Swift: Discharge heart of water. I get freedom of movement for 18 rounds.
Full-round: Escape from grapple (requires two attempts, rolled in Discord), then attack. [roll0] (touch). Sickening grasp DC 32, plus dazed DC 28 (bladeweave).

[Khosan]

The beefy behemoth - who prior to this surprise venture into the world of bondage, had simply been humming, minding his own business - falls to the ground with a colossal THUD, shaking the cavern around them as he's caught in not one, not two, not three but FOUR ropers wrapping him up in their sticky strands and pulling his legs out from under him. He spends a few seconds writhing around, causing a few more miniature earthquakes which seem to startle the ropers into slightly releasing their death grip. Mal manages to choke out, "Bloody ropes," just before sinking his teeth and claws into what some might consider the most disturbing form of spaghetti known to man.

Many rolls made in Discord. Mal breaks the pin on his first attempt, then proceeds to perform whatever backwards logic created the grappling attack rules:

Attacking Choker 1:
Bite Attack: 1d20+28 [39] for [roll0]
Tail Attack: 1d20+19 [25] for [roll1]
Claw Attack: 1d20+14 [31] for [roll2]
Claw Attack: 1d20+9 [27]for [roll3]

[Mahrke]

Razia takes the first assault of the grasping monsters well enough, fighting against them willfully, but she's little match against so many. Born to the ground and dragged further into the cave, she's rendered helpless by pili-studded graspers wrapped around legs, arms, throat; she gasps for breath that will not come. For all their trying, though, they can't bring harm to the demon; neither cold iron nor the purity of the devout do they possess, and even the rage of the thoon hulk fails to do more than rattle her as a solid blow bounces off the hard-headed demoness.

In an instant though, she's gone, the chokers finding only air as the world around Razia turns bleached and hazy. The demoness gasps, drawing in an insubstantial breath. She closes her eyes, focusing for the moment and reaching out to Hyacinth. <I'm ethereal. I'll help soon, don't let them drag you; there is a hulk further in.>

Swift: Resilient Reservoir activation
Standard: Ethereal Jaunt (auto success)
Move: Martial Flexibility (Any Veiled Moon)

[stack]

Unable to speak, Quincy works a hand free to make a ride feature at the choker inconveniencing him so rudely.

[Lateral]

Mal manages to wriggle out of their grasp enough to take a bite out of one of the chokers' arms, but it maintains its grasp regardless. Hyacinth's whip strikes one of the chokers, and although it turns slightly paler, it's still able to strike back as the three attempt to grab him and pin him down again. The choker grabbing Quincy tightens its grip, while the four that had been grabbing Razia lie in wait for her return.

Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll0] vs. [roll1]
[roll2] vs. [roll3] (for [roll4] if pinned already)
[roll5] vs. [roll6] (for [roll7] if pinned already)
[roll8] vs. [roll9] (for [roll10] if pinned already)
Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll11] vs. [roll12] (for [roll13] if pinned already)
[roll14] vs. [roll15] (for [roll16] if pinned already)
[roll17] vs. [roll18] (for [roll19] if pinned already)
[roll20] vs. [roll21] (for [roll22] if pinned already)
Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll23] vs. [roll24] (for [roll25] if pinned already)
[roll26] vs. [roll27] (for [roll28] if pinned already)
[roll29] vs. [roll30] (for [roll31] if pinned already)
[roll32] vs. [roll33] (for [roll34] if pinned already)
Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll35] vs. [roll36] (for [roll37] if pinned already)
[roll38] vs. [roll39] (for [roll40] if pinned already)
[roll41] vs. [roll42] (for [roll43] if pinned already)
[roll44] vs. [roll45] (for [roll46] if pinned already)
Readies action.
Grapple checks for damage.
[roll47] grapple for [roll48]
[roll49] grapple for [roll50]
[roll51] grapple for [roll52]
[roll53] grapple for [roll54]
Sickened. Trying to grab again. Once it succeeds, pin. Constrict damage can't hurt you.
[roll55] touch and [roll56] grapple
[roll57] touch and [roll58] grapple
[roll59] touch and [roll60] grapple
[roll61] touch and [roll62] grapple
Trying to grab again. Once it succeeds, pin (if not already). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
[roll63] touch and [roll64] grapple
[roll65] touch and [roll66] grapple
[roll67] touch and [roll68] grapple
[roll69] touch and [roll70] grapple
Chases after Hyacinth, trying to grab. Once it succeeds, pin (if not already). Constrict damage can't hurt you.
[roll71] touch and [roll72] grapple
[roll73] touch and [roll74] grapple
[roll75] touch and [roll76] grapple
[roll77] touch and [roll78] grapple
Readies action.
Readies action.
Readies action.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth manages to wriggle his way out of the chokers' grasp once more, this time with a little bit of time to spare before they renew their attacks. He zips around the corner, his whirlwind tail kicking up dust, until he reaches Quincy. A touch bestows the same magic as he himself has been using to escape the chokers, and then he flicks his whip at one of the ones currently strangling the poor captain.

Standard: Escape Artist check, autosuccess with IP.
Move: Tumble to just NW of Quincy.
Cunning Surge: Burn psionic divination slot to cast freedom of movement on Quincy. CL [roll0]
Swift: Manifest quickened wither, defensively, augmented to 11 pp. Attack is 37 touch, rolled in Discord because I'm exhausted. One of the chokers grabbing Quincy. Sickening Grasp DC 32, then bladeweave DC 28, then 10 Strength damage because I'm exhausted, Fort DC 30 half.

[Mahrke]

Razia continues her quick moment of meditation; a preparation for techniques she's scarce trained in, thinking back to sparring bouts with the greats. They are scarcely a blink in the context of an immortal lifespan, but their aggregate leaves her as proficient as any master, if but for a moment. She opens her eyes, and gestures with palms forward, dismissing her innate power to return to the material.

Mostly. The technique leave behind a fraction of the self, and when Razia reappears, it is as a being not wholly -there-. Her eyes flick to Quincy, and a dark utterance spills from her lips, bestowing freedom upon the sky pirate as she stride towards him.

Move: Martial Flexibility (Martial Study: Ghostwalk)
Swift: Initiate Ghostwalk
Effect: Become Incorporeal for one round.
Standard: Dismiss Ethereal Jaunt
Free: 5' step North
-END TURN-
Immediate: Liberating Command
Target: Quincy
Effect: Make an Escape Artist check as a free action with a +20 bonus.

[stack]

Quincy easily stepping free form the monster's grasp with the aid of his ally's spell, Quincy gives a tight smile. "My Turn."
Transformative energies leap out from under Mal, striking at all the surrounding chokers.
change material 1 sp, fleshcraft 1SP, altering burst (20' radius) 1 SP

centered on Mal but only affecting selected targets (should hit 1, 2, 3, 4, 6)

burning lore to boost CL/DC [roll0] low bad

fortitude DC 30 or become a very dense, rich chocolate cake, duration 25 rounds (so tempted to make it permanent)

craft (cake) check for quality [roll1]

[Khosan]

Mal, suddenly very excited about what could be in his mouth, continues his flailing, biting and scratching with renewed vigor.

Broke out of the pin in Discord, continuing to 'full attack'

[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
[roll4] for [roll5]
[roll6] for [roll7]

[Lateral]

As soon as Razia reappears, the chokers surrounding her whip out their tentacles... only to meet air, as they pass right through her incorporeal form. Quincy's spell is released effectively despite the turbulent battlefield, and as the wave of magic passes over them, several of the nearby chokers turn almost instantly into a dense, rich fudge cake statue of themselves. The eight remaining chokers divide up into pairs; of the three that followed Hyacinth, one hangs on the wall of the tunnel to the northeast and casts its arm at Mal, while the other two dive through the rock to rejoin their comrades and strike out at Hyacinth and Quincy. Another pair remains by Razia, waiting for her to become solid again. The construct, unable to reach Razia normally, pushes into the breach, striking out with its arm despite its precarious position between the rocks.

Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll0] vs. [roll1]
[roll2] vs. [roll3] (for [roll4] if pinned already)
[roll5] vs. [roll6] (for [roll7] if pinned already)
[roll8] vs. [roll9] (for [roll10] if pinned already)
Is cake.
Is cake.
Is cake.
Readies action.
Is cake.
Trying to grab Quincy. Once it succeeds, pin, then damage.
[roll11] touch and [roll12] grapple
[roll13] touch and [roll14] grapple
[roll15] touch and [roll16] grapple for [roll17] (only if both previous succeed)
Trying to grab Mal. Once it succeeds, pin (if not already), then damage.
[roll18] touch and [roll19] grapple vs. [roll20]
[roll21] touch and [roll22] grapple vs. [roll23] for [roll24] (only if pinned)
[roll25] touch and [roll26] grapple vs. [roll27] for [roll28] (only if pinned)
Trying to grab Hyacinth. Once it succeeds, pin.
[roll29] touch and [roll30] grapple
[roll31] touch and [roll32] grapple
[roll33] touch and [roll34] grapple
Trying to grab Quincy. Once it succeeds, pin (if 7 fails), then constrict.
[roll35] touch and [roll36] grapple
[roll37] touch and [roll38] grapple for [roll39] (if already pinned)
[roll40] touch and [roll41] grapple for [roll42] (if already pinned)
[roll43] touch and [roll44] grapple for [roll45] (if already pinned)
Trying to grab Hyacinth. Once it succeeds, pin.
[roll46] touch and [roll47] grapple
[roll48] touch and [roll49] grapple
[roll50] touch and [roll51] grapple
Readies action.
The construct squeezes into the space and takes a swing at Razia.
[roll52] for [roll53]

[Mahrke]

Clever girls... <Hyacinth, get me out, I can't cast before I'm all the way material again!>

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth frowns at Razia. It's not a position he relishes being in, but Razia is the only one currently free. He manages to wriggle his way out of the choker's grasp, delivering a parting lash on his way out, and then prepares to swap places with Razia before the chokers can nab her.

Full-round: Escape from grapple (in Discord), last attack goes to 11. [roll0] touch, plus Sickening Grasp DC 32 and bladeweave DC 28.
Swift: Quickened synchronicity. As soon as Razia materializes, use wand of benign transposition.

[Mahrke]

Granted a moment of respite, it is all Razia needs to wage an offensive of the chokers. She rushes forward, back into danger but now equipped to face it, chanting the spell as she tips past the guard of writhing limbs to shower the creatures in corruscating bolts of red energy from ethereal wings.

Move: Tumble to the square just east of Choker 10
Standard: Arcane Fusion (Wings of Flurry, Improvisation)
Targets: Chokers 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12, and the Construct
Effect: Chokers make a DC 28 Ref save. Failure takes [roll0] force damage and dazed for one round. Success is half damage and no daze. Razia gains Improvisation.

[Lateral]

Your wings of force severely beat several of the chokers. When they strike at the construct, however, they seem to bounce off its barrier, the impact force almost charging the hulk up— it begins to vibrate violently, storing energy, until it is released in a burst of force energy that seems suspiciously similar to Razia's own.

The construct spends an immediate action to reflect the spell. Razia's the only one in the AoE. Make a DC 28 Reflex save or take [roll0] force damage. Failure means you're dazed. EAT IT.

[stack]

Quincy slips the monster's grasps with the aid of Hyacinth's spell, then repeats his previous incantation toward the mass of chokers.forgot my phone so I can't check the map. Defensive casting is risky, but why not give it a shot?

3 SP (-2 for soulfire feat) for a burst that should get several. 2 con burn. Try to pass the burn off to a non-cake choker (preferably one shaken or otherwise debuffed) Will DC 24 prevents it

defensive casting [roll0] vs 37 (15+CL 22) (AP if needed [roll1])

Fort DC is 29

edit - result is a fizzle, 1 SP lost, 2 CON burn to choker on failed save, 2 to Quincy is the save succeeds

[Khosan]

Still not free and tantalizingly close to a mouthful of chocolate, Mal continues to struggle.

Mal struggles to get out of the grapple, failing twice and succeeding on the third attempt. Sacrifices both wing buffets and a claw attack to do so.

[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
[roll4] for [roll5]

[Lateral]

Mal's flailing about does little, and Quincy's attempt at a spell merely results in some sad sparks, although you do manage to channel the energy from the spell into one of the chokers before it burns your life. Hyacinth's whip flicks out as you break free of the creatures grabbing you, and for a moment it appears that you've struck true— but it's only an illusion, as shadows bend around the creature and seem to place it slightly further to the left than it really is, and your whip catches nothing but air.

Most of the chokers are struck by Razia's wings and too distracted to retaliate, but one manages to dodge all of the force-strikes and lashes out at you with its tentacles.

Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll0] vs. [roll1]
[roll2] vs. [roll3] (for [roll4] if pinned already)
[roll5] vs. [roll6] (for [roll7] if pinned already)
[roll8] vs. [roll9] (for [roll10] if pinned already)

Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll11] vs. [roll12] (for [roll13] if pinned already)
[roll14] vs. [roll15] (for [roll16] if pinned already)
[roll17] vs. [roll18] (for [roll19] if pinned already)
[roll20] vs. [roll21] (for [roll22] if pinned already)

Attack Razia, attempt to grapple, then pin. You're still immune to their tentacle damage.
[roll23] touch and [roll24] grapple
[roll25] touch and [roll26] grapple
[roll27] touch and [roll28] grapple
[roll29] touch and [roll30] grapple

[Mahrke]

Razia raises a shielding forearm against the attacks of the lucky chokers, raising with it the protective energies of her sphere of force to rebuff the creature's probing limbs. <If you break me out, I can hit them again.> Razia shoots to the undead.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth hears Razia's request and turns to face her. Stretching out his whip arm, he triggers the wand inside again, swapping the two fighters, then immediately creates a ripple in space to put him outside of Razia's sphere and as far from marauding constructs as possible.

Standard: Wand of benign transposition, targeting Razia.
Swift: *Dimension hop* to just southeast of the western door.

[Mahrke]

Razia readies herself for the moment of teleportation, immediately jetting between the chokers with a little corkscrew of wings, unleashing another crimson volley upon the chokers.

Move: Tumble SE of Choker 7
Standard: Wings of Flurry
Targets: Chokers 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12
Effect: Deal [roll0] force damage to all chokers and daze them for one round. Reflex (DC 28) halves damage and negates daze.

[stack]

Quincy takes a guarded posture, unwilling to risk another spell failure.total defense

[Khosan]

Six seconds later, the struggle to acquire more chocolate continues.

Broke out of the grapple in Discord, expending one wing attack in the process and full attacking Choker 1.

[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
[roll4] for [roll5]
[roll6] for [roll7]
[roll8] for [roll9]

[Lateral]

Mal fails to acquire more chocolate.

Razia, on the other hand, beats several of the chokers into a greenish paste. The survivors attempt to retaliate, but once her force barrier goes up again, they redirect their attacks toward Quincy instead.
Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll0] vs. [roll1]
[roll2] vs. [roll3] (for [roll4] if pinned already)
[roll5] vs. [roll6] (for [roll7] if pinned already)
[roll8] vs. [roll9] (for [roll10] if pinned already)

Attempts to pin Mal, then grapple for damage.
[roll11] vs. [roll12] (for [roll13] if pinned already)
[roll14] vs. [roll15] (for [roll16] if pinned already)
[roll17] vs. [roll18] (for [roll19] if pinned already)
[roll20] vs. [roll21] (for [roll22] if pinned already)

Attacks Razia, redirect to Quincy once the sphere goes up. The usual rigamarole- grapple, then pin, then damage.
[roll23] touch (EFS'd by Razia)
[roll24] touch and [roll25] grapple
[roll26] touch and [roll27] grapple
[roll28] touch and [roll29] grapple (for [roll30] if pinned already)

Attacks Quincy.
[roll31] touch and [roll32] grapple (for [roll33] if pinned already)
[roll34] touch and [roll35] grapple (for [roll36] if pinned already)
[roll37] touch and [roll38] grapple (for [roll39] if pinned already)
[roll40] touch and [roll41] grapple (for [roll42] if pinned already)

Attacks Quincy.
[roll43] touch and [roll44] grapple (for [roll45] if pinned already)
[roll46] touch and [roll47] grapple (for [roll48] if pinned already)
[roll49] touch and [roll50] grapple (for [roll51] if pinned already)
[roll52] touch and [roll53] grapple (for [roll54] if pinned already)

[Khosan]

Not one to be discouraged in the face of adversity, the fatass continues to struggle toward the sweets.

Sacrificed 3 attacks to break out of the pin, two wing attacks and a claw.

[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
[roll4] for [roll5]

[Mahrke]

Razia waits, just long enough for Quincy to free himself with the aid of Hyacinth's magic, before she casts her spell. A puff of smoke transposes demon with human, leaving Quincy safe inside protective bubble, whilst Razia appears in his spot, accompanied by a hail of demonic magic that lashes out at every remaining non-delicious choker.

Standard: Arcane Fusion (Benign Transposition, Wings of Flurry)
Targets: All Remaining Chokers, Quincy (Benign Transposition)
Effect: Each choker must make a DC 28 Ref save or take [roll0] force damage and be dazed. Success halves the damage and negates the daze.

[stack]

Removed from the action temporarily, Quincy makes childish faces at the chokers.only a move left, so what else is there to do?

[Jeff the Green]

Once again Hyacinth switches places with Razia, then flicks his whip out at one of the chokers throttling Mal.

Move: Recover psionic focus.
Standard: Wand of benign transposition, swapping with Razia.
5-foot step: Northeast.
Swift: Quickened wither, augmented to 11 (+6 for quicken), targeting choker 1. [roll0] (touch). Sickening grasp (DC 32), bladeweave (DC 28), [roll1] Strength damage (DC 30 half), [roll2] negative energy sneak attack damage, and Gloom Strike. 1 bad:
[roll3]

[Lateral]

Razia's demonic beatings momentarily distract two of the chokers, and Hyacinth's whip hypnotizes another, but all of the ones left are still standing. The two chokers still aware of what's going on reach out towards Hyacinth, while the hulk— still lodged in the hallway but now able to see Quincy through the force bubble— squeezes through the (relatively) narrow passage into the main room and tries to bisect Quincy with an arm-axe strike, only to meet the force bubble with a deafening CLANG.

Dazed.
Dazed.
Dazed.
Attacks Hyacinth. Grapple, then pin.
[roll0] touch and [roll1] grapple vs. FoM [roll2]
[roll3] touch and [roll4] grapple vs. FoM [roll5]
[roll6] touch and [roll7] grapple vs. FoM [roll8]
[roll9] touch and [roll10] grapple vs. FoM [roll11]
Attacks Hyacinth. Grapple, then pin.
[roll12] touch and [roll13] grapple vs. FoM [roll14]
[roll15] touch and [roll16] grapple vs. FoM [roll17]
[roll18] touch and [roll19] grapple vs. FoM [roll20]
[roll21] touch and [roll22] grapple vs. FoM [roll23]
Construct squeezes through the passage and starts smacking the bubble Quincy's in.
[roll24] for [roll25] damage.

[Mahrke]

Razia launches forward, off the wall, to spring to her previous position and again unleash a volley of force. She glances towards the hungry dragon, bestowing freedom with a word.

Move: Move to previous position.
Standard: Wings of Flurry
Targets: All chokers
Effect: [roll0] force damage and daze. DC 28 ref halves and negates daze.
Swift: Liberating Command
Target: Mal
Effect: Can make Escape Artist with +20 immediately.

[Khosan]

Having absolutely no skill when it comes to nimbly squeezing out of tight spots, the flailing bulk fails to accomplish anything in regards to slipping his non-consentual cuddler's bonds. Instead, he opts to tear into the last remaining choker, hopefully killing it once and for all.

Mal full attacks Choker #1.

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

[stack]

Quincy chants, sending tremors through the floor under the wall of force, the floor buckling and warping to try to crush the hulk.
animate object, going with concentration so only 1 SP, burning lore to get the boost to colossal [roll0] low bad

N Colossal construct
Init -2 Senses darkvision 60, low-light vision; Perception -5

DEFENSE

AC 18, touch 0, flat-footed 18 (-2 Dex, +18 natural, -8 size)
hp 151 (13d10+80 size)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will -1
Defensive Abilities hardness 5 Immune Construct Traits

OFFENSE

Speed 30 ft.
Melee slam +23 (2d8+27)

STATISTICS

Str 46, Dex 6, Con -, Int -, Wis 1, Cha 1
Base Atk +13 CMB +39 CMD 47
SQ 6 construction points
Immobile +2

grapple 1 CP, constrict 1 SP
extra attack x 6

floor attacks
1 [roll1]
damage [roll2]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll3] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll4]

2 [roll5]
damage [roll6]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll7] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll8]

3 [roll9]
damage [roll10]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll11] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll12]

4 [roll13]
damage [roll14]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll15] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll16]

5 [roll17]
damage [roll18]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll19] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll20]

6 [roll21]
damage [roll22]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll23] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll24]

7 [roll25]
damage [roll26]
grapple (str + BAB + size) [roll27] (if I applied the right size bonus...)
Constrict damage damage [roll28]

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth spares a glance at the illithids' construct. Penned out by the force bubbles and battered by the floor, it's no immediate threat and, in any case, not particularly vulnerable to what he can bring to bear right now anyway. Thus, he focuses on keeping the remaining choker neutralized. He reaches out and grabs Razia, triggering a boost from a wand to whirl her and swap places, then uses that momentum to dance to one side and follow through with his whip.

Swift: Wand of protective interposition. Trade places with Razia. Hyacinth gets +2 to one attack this round and Razia gets +2 sacred AC and saves for one round.
5-foot step: East.
Full-round action Full attack the last choker.

[roll0] (touch), Sickening Grasp (DC 32), bladeweave (DC 28) and trip [roll1]
[roll2] (touch, with protective interposition), Sickening Grasp (DC 32), bladeweave (DC 28) and trip [roll3]
[roll4] (touch), Sickening Grasp (DC 32), bladeweave (DC 28) and trip [roll5]

Sickening Grasp and bladeweave only apply to the first hit.

[Lateral]

The last remaining choker takes a look at its dead or be-caked comrades, then looks at the rest of you, then dives into the wall and disappears. The hulk continues flailing at the force sphere until it gives way, then attempts to grab Quincy with its mouth-tentacles.

Brave Sir Choker bravely runs away.
Big guy slashy slashy. Force sphere, then Quincy.
[roll0] for [roll1] and trip [roll2]
[roll3] for [roll4] and trip [roll5]
[roll6] for [roll7] and grapple [roll8]
[roll9] for [roll10] and grapple [roll11]
[roll12] for [roll13] and grapple [roll14]
[roll15] for [roll16] and grapple [roll17]

[Mahrke]

Razia launched herself at the construct. No time to pursue the retreating choker, no matter how much is nettled her that the thing might be able to get the drop on them later. She was focused on the thing before them, and, moreso, the vulnerable mage it had torn into.

Swift: Wraithstrike
Full-Round: Charge the contruct
Effects: Pounce, Power Attack (-4 attack, +8 damage), GMW (+4 attack/damage), Heroism (+2 attack), Charge (+2 attack), Temporary Negative Level (-1 attack), Sadism/Masochism (+1 attack)

Thirst 1 (Improv 8): Attack of [roll0], dealing [roll1] slashing damage, [roll2] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 1 (Improv 8): Attack of [roll3], dealing [roll4] + [roll5] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll6] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 2 (Smite): Attack of [roll7], dealing [roll8] slashing damage, [roll9] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 2 (Smite): Attack of [roll10], dealing [roll11] + [roll12] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll13] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 3 (Improv 8): Attack of [roll14], dealing [roll15] slashing damage, [roll16] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 3 (Smite): Attack of [roll17], dealing [roll18] + [roll19] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll20] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.

Thirst Conductive (Energy Drain): On the first Thirst attack to hit, inflict one temporary negative level.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth once again swaps places with Quincy, trying to give him enough breathing room to take the hulk down.

Just using the wand of benign transposition.

[Khosan]

"Finally!" Mal gasps for breath, pulling himself free from the tangle of cake and sticky strands, "Now about this fellow..." The behemoth saunters up behind the others, offering a quick word of divine power that grants them additional speed before himself tearing into the construct with his teeth.

Move Action: Mal moves to within biting range, 15'.
Standard Action: Mal defensively casts Mass Snake's Swiftness, auto-passing on the Concentration check.
Immediate Action: Mal bites the construct, [roll0] for [roll1]

[Jeff the Green]

Quickened by Mal's spell, Hyacinth lashes out at the construct's legs, trying to bring it to the ground.

Trip: [roll0] [roll1] + 5 = 32

[Mahrke]

Razia flickers, the movement made quicker by spell, Mercy slicing down to strike at their foe once more.

Snake's Swiftness Attack (improv 7, Debtor's Smite): Attack of [roll0], dealing [roll1] + [roll2] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll3] fire damage, 2 bleed damage, and causes the target to take 8 damage at the end of each turn for two turns.

[Lateral]

Razia's storm of blades tears at the construct's flesh, leaving it barely able to stand; at Mal's spurring, your final sword stroke separates its head from its shoulders.

Everyone gains 1750 XP.

[Mahrke]

Razia approaches, setting a hand on Quincy, and looking to the dragon. "I can heal you both. No living things to leech, though." No one that deserves it, at least. Her thoughts slide back to an earlier era. One where using one of the weakened survivors would have been her first inclination. "Do you have another spell left for me?"

[stack]

"That was amusing. Let's do it again next never." Quincy sags a bit, bruised and winded.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth, not needing to breathe, is neither huffing nor puffing, but he is far more weary than he's been in a while and he doesn't bother hiding it. "I can't disagree," he says.

[Khosan]

"Seeing as I spent the last minute or so being so unkindly manhandled and have cast no spells since last I healed you, yes, I've plenty for you, me and little Quincy here." Mal proceeds to heal himself and Razia.

[Mahrke]

Razia draws blood from her veins to heal Quincy and Hyacinth, before accepting the restorative light of Malthaliax's healing. Once the chokers have been sufficiently dealt with, she proceeds towards the southeast exit to the room, glancing over her shoulders. A sensing of readiness, before she proceeds into the next room.

Improvisation

[Lateral]

You head off towards the southeast, and as you approach the doors you can hear the loud clacking of steel striking rock. Busting your way through, you find several humanoid laborers— apparently better-fed than the pit-dwellers you rescued, but all with somewhat blank expressions on their faces— striking the rock with picks and carting away rubble, evidently in order to expand the cave complex. Apparently nobody saw fit to inform the thralls about your incursion.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth narrows his eyes, watching the slaves, looking for the tiniest hints that their wills were replaced by their illithid masters'. <They've been charmed,> he reports to his companions.

[stack]

<Something that can be removed normally, or a deeper, more powerful effect do you think? Quincy replies, pausing his initial impulse to simply attempt to break the effect.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth goes silent for a moment as he peers into the ethereal. <I think it can be removed normally. It looks like spellwork.>

[stack]

<Alright, let's get them grouped together...> Quincy takes a moment to estimate the distances between and movement patterns of the slaves.if its possible to catch them all inside a 20' radius, improved counterspell (2 SP)


check [roll0] (MSB + 2 for trait)

Prerequisites: Casting class feature, Counterspell, Magic Skill Bonus 10 or higher.

Benefit: When using the Counterspell feat against a creature or object, you may spend an additional spell point to target an additional 1 magical effect on the target per 5 caster levels. Alternatively, you may spend an additional spell point to affect multiple effects in a 20-ft burst. Roll one MSB check and apply that check to each creature in the area, as if targeted by the basic Counterspell feat. Objects that are the target of magical effects are also targeted by this ability, but magic items are not.

For each ongoing effect that targets an area and whose point of origin is within the counterspell area, apply your MSB check to end that effect. If a magical effect overlaps the counterspell area but is not centered within it, apply your MSB check to end that effect, but only within the overlapping area.

If an object or creature within the area of effect is the result of ongoing magic (such as a summoned monster or companion, or an object created through the Creation sphere), apply the MSB check against the spell or effect that summoned them, causing them to disappear (or return to their home plane) if successful.

[Lateral]

Alfred's spell washes over the workers. They all stand up a little straighter, blink slightly, look around— some notice you, but hurriedly avert their gaze— and go back to work.

The magic is gone.

[Mahrke]

Razia's eyes flick to Quincy, and then to the workers. "Did it work?" A query, verified with a spell shortly after. She rolls her shoulders a bit, and approaches, touching on of the workers gently on their shoulder. "You are done. Your work complete." She says in silky tone. "The passage above. Take it. Celebrate. Return to your families." She moves through them, using a gentle touch, and a softly spoken, tantalizing lie to break a spell that isn't a spell. "You are free."

Bluff: [roll0]+[roll1]

[Khosan]

Mal, quite confident in his alternative offer, holds up his snack pack, "I have cake!"

[Lateral]

As Razia begins to speak, they all turn and start paying her rapt attention. Enthralled by her words, but frozen by harsh conditioning, they seem almost unable to move, paralyzed by indecision

It's Mal's offer of cake that puts them over the edge. They drop their picks, one by one, and steps forwards towards the corpulent dragon, hands outstretched.

[Mahrke]

Razia's features crack. A smile. An honest laugh. She shakes her head, looking to the dragon. "What's the old saying? The fastest way to a man's heart?" Her eyes flick to the nearby door. "If our mercenary is right, this'll dead-end. There are a few still holed up. Ideas for approach? I feel as if they've cottoned on to my ethereal wiles."

[Jeff the Green]

"The fastest way through a man's heart is actually with a knife," Hyacinth corrects Razia, "starting just underneath the left side of the ribcage, reaching up underneath it to sever the large vessels connected to it.

"What? The ancient Sarlonans were into human sacrifice. That's part of why it was easy to overthrow the existing powers and install ourselves."

He clears his throat. "Anyway, I can send a magical sensor ahead of us, but I'm low on spells. Otherwise, and I cannot believe I'm suggesting this, a full-on assault is probably our best bet."

[Mahrke]

"Well, if Hyacinth is suggesting it, you know we don't have many options." She growls, drawing her sword before kicking through the door to the north and striding in to the slave pits.

[Khosan]

Mal nods enthusiastically, handing out all kinds of pastries to the weary masses, "He's quite right. Straight through the rib cage between the fifth and eighth thoracic vertebrae, just to the left of the sternum. If all you want to do is stop the heart, a jolt of electricity can be sufficient and is substantially cleaner.". The jolly dragon pats one of the smaller slaves on the head as they nervously waddle away with a handful of carrot cake.

[Jeff the Green]

"That's the most direct way," Hyacinth says clinically, "but breaking through the ribs takes time. The quickest way is to enter right about where the liver is and reach up into the rib cage."

[Lateral]

As the thralls file past Mal and out the door, you head up into the corridor to the thralls' quarters. Though... calling them "quarters" would be awfully generous. "Kennels," as Sethan's map indicates, is really a more accurate term. There are dozens more thralls in here, the ones not currently working; while their living situations are significantly cleaner than the pit the fresh arrivals were kept in, they're still basically pits, about waist-high and with only a small hole for "waste removal" in the back. Slop troughs line the front of the pits, the remains of their most recent meal— some kind of thick stew, made from potatoes, cave fungi, and some suspicious-looking meat— still clinging to the bottom. The thralls here look much like the ones toiling outside— they appear to be significantly better-fed than the pit-dwellers, but their eyes are dull and kind of lifeless. They've obviously been here a long time, and seen some unspeakable things.

[Mahrke]

"Are they charmed?" The succubus asks, striding into the room and approaching the little divots in the ground. She begins knocking over the slop troughs, and clearing a way out for the prisoners. "This reminds me of home. Not a good memory." She mumbles, looking over the captives. No Arabella. Were they too late?

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth shakes his head. "Not these ones."

[Khosan]

"Hmm," Mal muses, stroking his chin, "I could arrange transportation for them to my college. They've some of the best facilities available for dealing with any manner of ailment, physical, magical or otherwise. We'll need restraints for them, unfortunately. Thralls have a nasty habit of acting in ways that run counter to their survival.

[Mahrke]

Razia approaches each of the broken slaves in turn. Some she grasps upon the shoulder. Other she cups a cheek. All are given human contact, both in an effort to gauge the severity of their mental wounds, and to snap them out of whatever hold the illithids had upon them. "You're free to go. Your work is done here.
There are friends above ground. Food. Water. You can rest."

<I don't like restraining them. Not until they've proven their danger. They have no weapons.> Razia thinks to her companions.

Bluff (improv): [roll0]

[Lateral]

Much like the last group, the thralls follow the sound of Razia's voice, climbing out of their pits and shuffling out the door.

[Mahrke]

With the prisoners secured, there is but one way to proceed; south from the makeshift arena. There is, however, the nagging issue of a certain troll.

Razia approaches the bubbled giant, setting hands on hips. She stares at the creature coolly.

[Lateral]

The troll glowers hatefully at you and bangs against the force bubble, unable to do anything.

[Mahrke]

Razia moves to door, weaving a spell of runes in the air before her. She readies herself, drawing Thirst. "Illithids beyond. Let's burn them down quick."

Razia's thoughts reach out to the troll. Her internal voice is authoritative and clear. <What is your name, big one?>

Circe's Urgent Pact (Goodbye Sephiz, Hello Nashnilee ([roll0] + [roll1] v. DC 35), Improvisation

[Lateral]

You go through the door and enter the next tunnel. You can see the well up ahead, but it appears to be unguarded; the path stretches off to the right, where you can sense illithid brains, though they're still just out of view.

Take your surprise round, then I'll roll initiative if they aren't all dead.

<GRAAAHH! GOG WILL SMASH LITTLE BRAIN VOICE!>

[Mahrke]

Razia doesn't peer out from behind her corner. She closes her eyes, focusing on the minds further on. She wills forth the magic, a red glow that disappears with her.

~

She appears in the midst of the clustered illithids, the spell already brought to bear. A lucent barrage of red energy from wide bat-like wings, seeking to shatter these illithids as she had their kin. Her voice thrums in their skulls. <Run.>


<Gog is weak. Turned to paper. Trapped. Alive only because I will it.> The words aren't kind. Each stressed word amplified by Lilicantha's enhanced telepathy, <Bang on your cage Gog. It is mine. Strong where you are weak.> Not quite taunting in tone. No, an impression of hopelessness. Cruel, maybe...but Razia had lived long. Soft words were but one tool to convince and connive. She'd tread the higher road, but hadn't forgotten techniques honed in centuries before.

Swift: Greater teleport into the midst of the cluster.
Standard: Arcane Fusion (True Casting, Wings of Flurry)
Targets: All dem baddies.
Effect: Deal [roll0] force damage and daze for one round. Reflex (DC 28) for half damage and negates daze. SR bypass of [roll1]

[Lateral]

Your wings bash the illithid's brains in and severely beat the umber hulks, leaving them broken— but not quite dead— on the ground.

Unfortunately, as you teleport in, you realize that your assessment of the tactical situation was slightly off. In addition to the umber hulks and mind flayers you sensed on mindsight, a construct, made of pure amethyst crystal, keeps watch at the front of the room. It turns mechanically at the sound of your voice.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth darts around the corner to follow Razia, but then backpedals as he sees the psion-killer. A foul word escapes his mouth and he relays the relevant information to his allies as he tries to figure out what to do. <That,> he tells them, <is a psion-killer. As the name suggests, it's particularly adept at killing psionicists. Unfortunately, it's as good at fighting casters. It can dispel magic at will and is immune to just about any spell or power that affects it directly. Quincy, we may want our weapons changed to adamantine this time.>

Not entirely satisfied with the plan he came up with in that time, Hyacinth nonetheless presses onward.

Move: Move to 20' due NE of the golem.

[Khosan]

Malthaliax moves up in front of Hyacinth, squeezing through corridors in a way that uncomfortably resembles the biological process of passing waste, starring a great green mess, "Ah, what a specimen. Like a purple me."

[Lateral]

Character
Initiative


Hyacinth
MAX([roll0],[roll1])


Quincy
[roll2]


Mal
[roll3]


Razia
[roll4] plus [roll5]


Enemies
[roll6]

[Jeff the Green]

Realizing that the others were going to react to the golem's attacks far too late, Hyacinth shifts tracks and lashes out at the construct's legs, trying to bring it to the ground.

Full attack:

Touch [roll0], trip [roll1]
Touch [roll2], trip [roll3]
Touch [roll4], trip [roll5]

[Lateral]

Hyacinth succeeds in bringing the construct down to the ground, and it falls flat on its face. However, his subsequent lashings can't seem to scratch its tough crystalline body, and it soon stands up, still staring at Razia. It opens its mouth, and begins to emit a wail akin to a dogwhistle— so high-pitched you can barely hear it, but you can feel it begin to tear away at your magic. At the same time, it raises its arms and the crystals on its forelimbs break off, flying in a razor-sharp storm in Razia's direction.

Construct provokes from Mal and Hyacinth. Razia takes [roll0] slashing damage. The umber hulks do as well, which means they're all actually dead. Whomp whomp. Mal and Hyacinth are in range of dispel, rolls in Discord.

[Khosan]

Mal crunches into the construct's shoulder as it rises, not getting much purchase but still leaving spiderwebs of cracks during the construct's small moment of distraction. "Definitely not a rock-candy golem, I'll tell you that much. If only!" The great dragon inhales deeply, unleashing a cave-quaking "Ha!" rather than, as some might expect of an emerald dragon, a bone-breaking pressure wave. Still, his positivity proves quite infectious.

Standard Action: Fierce Shout, everyone gets a +11 bonus to weapon damage rolls on their first attack each round for 6 rounds.
Move Action: Mal activates the Aggressive Flanking tactic. Free flanking for all.

[Jeff the Green]

Quincy is behind Mal, thank goodness, but still winces at the volume of the dragon's laugh. He blinks a couple times, then slips past Mal and the golem both. <I'm going to speed things up for you,> he tells Razia. <be ready to take advantage of it.>

Move: Move to 30' south of Mal's SW square, tumbling at full speed.
Standard: Ready action to cast extended Sakkratar's triple strike on him, Mal, and Razia. For two rounds, they make two additional attacks at their highest BAB on a full attack.

[Mahrke]

Razia hunches behind a shoulder as shards slash through her shield and embed themselves into her flesh. Sporting a new collection of bloody wounds, she wraps all four hands around the pommel of her (once more) blackened sword, and dashes at the construct, using her wings to propel her faster and launch nearly half-a-dozen magically-sped, wide, over-handed attacks at the crystalline automaton.

Swift: Wraithstrike
Full-Round: Charge the Construct
Effects: Pounce, Power Attack (-4 attack, +12 damage), GMW (+4 attack/damage), Heroism (+2 attack), Charge (+2 attack), Sadism/Masochism (+1 attack), Agressive Flanking (+2 attack)

Thirst 1 (ineffective smite): Attack of [roll0], dealing [roll1] slashing damage, [roll2] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 2: Attack of [roll3], dealing [roll4] slashing damage, [roll5] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 3: Attack of [roll6], dealing [roll7] slashing damage, [roll8] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 4 (improv): Attack of [roll9], dealing [roll10] slashing damage, [roll11] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 5 (improv): Attack of [roll12], dealing [roll13] slashing damage, [roll14] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.

Thirst Conductive (Vampiric Touch): On the first Thirst attack to hit, deal [roll15] negative energy damage as long as [roll16] overcomes SR. Razia gains that much temp HP. If it's even vulnerable.

[Lateral]

Razia, hastened by Hyacinth's spell, rains thunderous blows down upon the golem. Her blade tears through the construct's crystalline hide— which shatters on impact, being as brittle as it is hard, and slivers of razor-sharp crystal spraying over Razia's toughened demonic skin.

Nevertheless, her final strike is the mightiest, bisecting the construct from shoulder to hip. Its halves fall to the floor and explode, sending crystal shards flying across the room in every direction.

Razia takes [roll0] slashing damage from the explosion on the first hit, [roll1] on the second, [roll2] on the third, [roll3] on the fourth. On the final attack,
the explosion deals [roll4] slashing damage to everyone within 20 feet, which I believe is everyone but Quincy; Reflex DC 30 half for everyone but Razia.

[stack]

Quincy kicks golem shards out of the way as he walks up to the others. "Bit of a mess, yeah?"down to 7 sp after dispel

[Mahrke]

Razia grabs a particularly large chunk of the fallen golen, prying it from her stomach with a sickening squelch, a wince betraying the pain of the gesture as she casts it to the ground. "A bit." She says, sarcastic. She's looking a bit worse for the wear, but not unusually so; the demoness, afterall, has a habit of spilling more blood than her body ought contain. She strides diligently to the north of the room, and does a little dancing twirl before using the same over-handed motion she used against the golem, to hew through the hinges of the entrance and deliver a sharp kick to have it fall inwards. "Options for mending our wounds?" She asks aloud.

[Khosan]

"I've two Heals left for the day. One should be sufficient." Mal cranes his neck down, getting a closer look at Razia's shredded stomach as he munches on some actual rock candy, "Have you considered the toll this is taking on your body? We've conducted studies that found that repeated applications of healing magic and particularly more potent spells could have adverse mental and physical health effects later on in life. Food for thought!" With a small chuckle, Mal lifts himself back up as high as the ceiling allows, tapping his little demon companion on the head and transferring the requested healing energy.

[Lateral]

You bust open the door to the armory. Along the walls are racks of spears, all of which appear to be of a fairly low quality— comparable to what the umber hulks you fought on the way in used. In an alcove on the right side from the entrance, piles of leather and hide armor in various sizes from humanoid to giant litter the ground, as well as several large, sealed barrels. At the far end of the room stands a massive stone statue: an ulitharid standing on a pedestal, one arm outstretched, its two long tentacles resting on the necks of two prostrate human thralls.

[stack]

Seeing the statue, Quincy shakes his head."Tsk, that won't do at all." Quincy climbs up the statue and runs his finger across the ulitharid's face, stone flaking away to leave a humorous mustache.careful application of the destroy option of the alter ability of the creation sphere, no SP "That's better."

[Mahrke]

Razia chants a soft spell, and lets her vision slip into the intangible spectrum of magic as she speaks. A hand rubs over the knitted flesh. "A lot of succubi in those studies, then?" She remarks with a raised eyebrow. "Regardless, I do what needs to be done. The status quo for demons; burn down the future for success today."

She approaches the statue, reaching out with her mind to sense the surrounding minds, patting Quincy on the shoulder. "Good try."


Detect Magic and Minsight.

[Mahrke]

Razia turns sharply, heading for the door. "We should head to the vault. Hyacinth,
do you need healing?" She pauses her exit of the room, looking the man over.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth looks down at his chest where a large crystal missile has lodged itself in what would be a living man's liver. "Yes, I do," he says, slightly amusedly, "but I can survive a while yet."

He yanks the shard out of his body and though the wound doesn't close it doesn't gush blood either. He approaches the vault door and examines it closely, first magically, then visually, and finally laying his hands upon it to peer through it.

[stack]

Quincy gives the statue an annoyed scowl before climbing down. "If I wasn't so worn out..."

[Lateral]

The entrance to the vault is barred by a massive door, wrought from mithral and steel. The front is decorated with an etching of an elder brain, in its tank, flanked by illithids. The brain's tendrils reach towards the top, where a large conical inlet of significant depth— nearly three feet— runs into the door.

On the inside of the hole, you can see carved markings. They look like qualith inscriptions, but it's hard to tell for sure unless you're willing to touch them and see if they're legible.

Detect magic shows strong Abjuration and moderate Transmutation, and you can't see behind the door.

[Mahrke]

Razia touches the conical inlet to the door, running her palm along smooth mithril and marring its pristine condition with faintest red. She takes but a moment to ponder, before returning to the armory, kneeling and running palms along the base, back, side of the statues. It's clear she's in a hurry, but is practiced enough that the haste doesn't make her sloppy as she searches the statue. "It doesn't make sense, this room. They knew we were coming. Why not arm the human thralls and use them as fodder? Why decorate an armory with a statue like this?"


<Tired?> The voice from inside his brain thrums. <Given up on struggling? It is because you are weak. Pounds of muscle. Leathery hide. I'm sure you've bested your kin, but you are -weak- where it counts. Do you know how you were beaten? Rendered irrelevant?>
The voice isn't taunting. Matter-of-fact. Simple.
Perception (searching statue, improv): [roll0]+[roll1]

[Lateral]

You notice several odd things about the statue. On the sides of each thrall's head, there are four long grooves— very difficult to see, since they're fit tightly to the surrounding stone, but there's probably a mechanism in there that moves part of the head. The ulitharid has a strange marking on its forehead— four lines of varying depth, etched into the rock— and its mouth tentacles have ring-shaped cuts at the base, similar to the grooves on the statue. There are also small indentations on the jaw, which appears to be slightly more worn than the surrounding stone.
<PFAH! GOG STILL ALIVE! THEREFORE GOG NOT DEFEATED! GOG WILL WAIT. GOG WILL WAIT FOR BUBBLE TO BREAK, AND THEN GOG WILL SMASH YOU!>

[Mahrke]

Razia gestures at the small cuts, both upon the ulitharid's head and tentacles. "It's something. Here and here. Markings." She gestures to the thralls. "And fitted stone there. A mechanism?" She presses her fingers beneath the statue's jaw, rubbing against the more worn stone. "An activation? Or maybe just worn from movement..."

She tips her head back behind them, frowning. "The troll is...unswayed. We'll need to put it down." Her gaze, cold, flicks to Hyacinth. "I can use his blood to heal you."

[Khosan]

"Not many succubi in that study, no." Mal shrugs, smile creeping across his crystalline face, "We do have a number of succubi bodies we've used in unrelated studies. It's quite difficult to keep live subjects - I assume you can figure out why! Poor little lonely researchers! They do mean well, but hormones sometimes get the better of them." The dragon giggles in a very un-dragonlike fashion, "In any case, you clearly differ psychologically from others of your kind. Consider the effects this takes on your psyche - You may be able to handle it now, but repeated evisceration is never good for one's mental state." He nods sagely, as if it were some great, heretofore unknown wisdom, and pats Razia gently on the head again.


"I could pry the statue up, if you'd like. Mechanisms aren't my specialty, but I imagine that might do something."

[stack]

"Can you describe the grooves in more detail?"

(Assuming yes)
"Could they be tentacle grooves? Makes sense; design it for easy use with our host's unique anatomy. Hmm. Anyone have a trained octopus handy?"

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth curses at his gloves failure to penetrate the door, but turns to the statues at Razia's description. "That's Qualith," he says. "It's a written record of telepathic communication. Give me a moment; I can read it."

He returns to the statue and reaches up, running long, spidery fingers over the grooves. His mouth curls up into a vicious grin. "Apparently Xinnwuvyr didn't think much of his underlings. He says that the key to the vault is in the statue, and that they should find someone competent if they can't remember how to open it."

[Mahrke]

Razia tosses Thirst in her palm a bit, "Good thing we have a skeleton key, then." She settles the point against the side of the ulitharid's abdomen, and gives a short, sharp stab at the stone, testing its durability. With the stone successfully chipped, she takes a step back, twirls her sword, and then begins make long, quick four-handed slashes, peeling away the left side of the statue.

[Lateral]

You hack away at the statue, and pretty soon you can see a hint of metal glinting through the stone. A few more heavy-handed slashes and the rock falls away, revealing the key— a three-foot-long cone, six inches at the base, forged from adamantine and inlaid with faintly glowing qualith symbols.

Those symbols appear to match up with the ones you saw in the keyhole of the door.

[Mahrke]

Razia sheathes Thirst and picks up the key, turning it in her palms. She glances at the rest of the motley crew. "This looks about right." She remarks, heading once more for the vault door, hesitating for only a moment before she fits the conical key into its lock.

[Lateral]

You insert the key into the lock. Immediately, the door begins shifting— the designs on the front begin sliding around, and you can hear loud scraping noises coming from somewhere within. The key sinks into the door and disappears from view. Eventually, the door resolves into a new form— the etching is now of solely an elder brain, facing downwards and taking up the bulk of the door, and there is now an opening at the bottom, just wide enough to fit through.

[Mahrke]

Razia slips past the door, a spell tumbling past her lips as she advances into the vault.

Improvisation

[Lateral]

The second you cross the threshhold, the front end of the door closes down behind you. The rest swiftly follows suit, pushing you out the other side.

[Mahrke]

There is a moment's pause, and then Razia's thoughts sound. <Can't teleport out. It pushed me through to the other side. There's a path and a door at the end. Investigating, be on guard.>

~

Razia proceeds down the narrow path on the other side of the door, Thirst drawn.

[stack]

Quincy sees the door lose behind Razia faster than he can react. "The key...it ate the key. Seems like a bad sign. uhm, we need to break the door?" He asks, uncertain.

[Lateral]

You head on down the path to the left. After about a hundred feet, you arrive at another door— this one simple, unornamented, carved from oak... and unlocked.

[Mahrke]

Razia gently pushes the door open, entering with a frown.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth pinches the bridge of his nose. <I should have expected something like that,> he apologizes. <Let's work on ways to remove it, yes. There's an abjuration and a transmutation aura surrounding it. Or at least there were, when I checked. He relaxes his eyes and shifts his vision into the magical spectrum again.>

Detect magic again.

[stack]

"Want I should try to make the door a more portable shape? Getting tired, but I should be able to manage that unless someone went a bit overboard with enchanting the household fixtures." Quincy queries, stepping away form the door to give his ally a clear view.

[Lateral]

The door leads into a smallish room, only about fifteen feet around, and filled with a macabre assortment of magical artifacts and gruesome oddities. Some really gross stuff in there— blood symbols written into mutilated chunks of flesh and bone, iron rods covered in arcane runes, crystal growths that vibrate with magical energies of a particularly unpleasant nature— but you're probably ignoring all that, because in the corner of the room is Arabella, perfectly preserved in a prison of lavender crystal.

[Mahrke]

Razia's thoughts sound in Hyacinth's head. <I've found her...the one I came to save. Crystal prison, lavendar. She's enchanted with moderate metacreativity. Ideas for what it is?> A pause. <I can't see her mind. She was an artificer, if that matters.> Razia approaches, close enough to bring the point of her sword to the crystal prison and drag it along the surface, testing its hardness.

[Lateral]

You perform a scratch test on the crystal, and find that your adamantine sword is more than capable of scraping it away.

But... getting closer, you get a better look at the crystal, and at Arabella. It's difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins. Her tissue has crystallized, almost like a fly in amber. She's either dead or in stasis, and either way, breaking the crystal is likely to result in shattering her as well.

[Jeff the Green]

<Sounds like a power called, aptly enough, crystallize,> Hyacinth responds. <It does exactly what it sounds like, and is very hard to get rid of. It could also be someone playing silly buggers with one of the creation powers, but that doesn't seem likely.>

[Mahrke]

Razia frowns. Her eyes roam the other contents of the room. Gory, defiled, works of insanity. She didn't have the reflexive distaste for it all. No gut instinct told her this was -wrong-. Just...tools. Magic that, like her heritage, was often wielded for ill. She had to believe it could be wielded for better purposes as well. She looks at her sword, the blade still dripping vicious, darkened blood, supped from its most recent victim.

She approaches the wall, and stabs into the steel with Thirst, hacking out a divot to test the depth of the metal as she reaches out with more detail. <That makes senses. It looks like she is crystallizing. Her skin...long-term, is this dangerous? It can be undone?> A pause. <Please tell me Quincy can transmute that door open?>

[Jeff the Green]

<Once you reverse it, it's truly reversed,> Hyacinth assures Razia. <No lingering effects. It's just stasis. The problem is that there's no lucky shots involved in reversing it. You have to be stronger than the manifester who changed her.>

<The door's a simpler matter,> he continues. <Our flamboyant captain is tired, but pretty confident he can change it. What do you feel like this time? Papier mache? Origami? Pudding?>

[Lateral]

From your cuts, it appears that the iron coating on the wall is only about an inch thick. Past that, it's all the same stone as the rest of the caverns.

[Mahrke]

<Surprise me.> The reply is flat as she inspects the wall, taking the time to sheath her sword. <Scratch that. Something easy to carry. That door is made out of mithril and adamantine, yeah? Worth a pretty penny if we make off with it.>

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth turns to Quincy. "I think she's ready to come out now," he informs him. "Can you turn the door into something light and easy to abscond with?"

[stack]

Just changing shape, rather save the effort it would take to change the material." He lays a hand on the door and chants as nothing happens.using soulfire feat + burning lore, 2 Con burn, pays for the 1 SP cost, CL25 forge + potent alteration

A more drained Quincy curses. "Warded powerfully. I can try again."

[stack]

"Here goes nothing."[roll0]The mithril and pretty much everything but any adamantine parts flows away from the door, forming into spheres with inset handles, dropping to the floor and rolling until they find their balance.

[Lateral]

Quincy's second attempt does it. The wall quickly warps into a number of convenient, easy-to-carry spheres, leaving only the adamantine key, which quickly drops to the floor with a loud CLANG.

In the distance, you can hear a faint thud, as that of a door slamming shut.

You hear a loud clanging noise in the background, followed a moment later by the door behind you slamming shut. Before you have a chance to react, a figure jumps out of the shadows— a short one, with eyes you've seen before... in the Ghallanda enclave in Regalport. This is the third time Aliss has engaged a member of your group in combat, and both previous times, she stole someone dear to you. This is the first time you've fought her yourself. She drives her open hands into your abdomen, striking at pressure points you didn't know you had, and you can feel the strength starting to drain from your muscles. If you can't push through it... you may end up just like Arabella yourself.

[roll0] touch for no damage and a DC 37 Fort save vs. paralysis. [roll1] for the same thing.

[Lateral]

Character
Initiative


Hyacinth
MAX([roll0],[roll1])


Quincy
[roll2]


Mal
[roll3]


Razia
[roll4] plus [roll5]


Enemies
[roll6]

[Lateral]

Aliss curses under her breath as she sees you resist her first strike. She quickly follows up with a flurry of similar strikes, aiming at points all over your body.

[roll0] touch.
[roll1] touch.
[roll2] touch.
[roll3] touch.

The first one that hits applies a -8 STR penalty and makes you exhausted (total -14 STR, -6 DEX). Any further that hit force a DC 35 (not 37) Fort save vs. paralysis. If you're paralyzed before the last one, any after you're paralyzed are not touch attacks and do damage I'll roll in Discord.

[Mahrke]

Razia grits her teeth, enduring the assault that seems to turn blood to ice. Weakness saps at her muscles, makes her slower. Enfeebled. "You would have gotten me two years ago Aliss." She speaks softly, her ruby eyes affixed upon her foe. "I'd be on the floor, helpless. Helpless like Holly was. Arabella." A flick of her eyes to the crystalline figure as she draws Mercy into an open hand. Another step back. Smaller daggers unsheath into her waiting palms, all four arms wielding her weapons of choice. "I was weaker then. Demons aren't flesh and blood...not really. We're feelings made real. Lust. Jealousy. Hatred." Another step, as she circles. "That's all I was, before Holly." She stop her movement. A tenseness. A bowstring pulled taught, ready to snap. "But I'm not going to put you down because I hate you, Aliss. I'm doing this because I love her." In that moment she dashes forward, dipping low, before rising, sword-points first, to hew her fated antagonist.

~

Razia reaches out across the distance as buys time, monologuing with Aliss as only a former villain could. <Aliss is here. Paralyzing touch, dangerous. Door closed, probably locked or warded. Hurry.>

Free: 10' step to the north (Tumble: [roll0] + AP if needed [roll1] v. DC 40)
Full Round: Full Attack Aliss
Effects: GMW (+4 attack/damage), Heroism (+2 attack), Temporary Negative Level (-1 attack)

Thirst 1 (Improv 6): Attack of [roll2], dealing [roll3] slashing damage, [roll4] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 1 (Improv 6): Attack of [roll5], dealing [roll6] + [roll7] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll8] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Right Short Sword (Improv 6): Attack of [roll9], dealing [roll10] slashing damage, [roll11] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Right Short Sword (Improv 6): Attack of [roll12], dealing [roll13] slashing damage, [roll14] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 2 (Smite): Attack of [roll15], dealing [roll16] slashing damage, [roll17] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 2 (Smite): Attack of [roll18], dealing [roll19] + [roll20] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll21] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Thirst 3: Attack of [roll22], dealing [roll23] slashing damage, [roll24] fire damage, one negative level, and inflicting 2 bleed.
Mercy 3: Attack of [roll25], dealing [roll26] + [roll27] nonlethal slashing damage, [roll28] fire damage, and inflicting 2 bleed.

Thirst Conductive (Energy Drain): On the first Thirst attack to hit, inflict a negative level.

Four-Weapon Rend: If all four weapons hit with at least one attack, inflict an additional [roll29] damage.

[Lateral]

Aliss deftly bobs and weaves around your first two strikes. Your second strike with Thirst, well-aimed and charged with holy power, nearly catches her— but with an expertly timed tumble, she ducks under the blade, slipping just out of reach. As she does so, a wry smile spreads across her face. "You know, I knew from the beginning that you'd be the most trouble. 'S why I went after your little girlfriend first, and your other little girlfriend second. Still, you're even sturdier than I thought."

[Mahrke]

Razia lunges to extend her reach as much as she can, but swipes only at empty air. It wasn't enough, the halfling hopping too far back. Razia lurches back in an attempt to avoid retaliation as she speaks. "Trying to isolate me, then? Bad news, Aliss; I -still- have friends." She grins viciously. "Was Xinnwuvyr -your- friend, Aliss? Did you depend on him?"

[stack]

Quincy rushes don the hallway, but cannot bring the door in range in time to act.double move, 60' total. It would be in create range, but not alter range.

[Khosan]

Mal barrels down the hallway, taking another deep breath and unleashing a barrage of...nothing. Hypersonic sound waves aren't known for their high visibility, though the intense pressure does have some rather significant effects on the surroundings - rocks are blown aside, cracks form in the ceiling and walls, the echo is almost deafening and you can still feel the ground rumbling for a few seconds after.

Move Action: Mal moves to the door
Standard Action: Mal breathes at the door dealing [roll0]

[Lateral]

The intense pressure of Mal's sonic breath weapon propagates towards the door at, well, the speed of sound. You hear a loud "WHUD", bits of rock from the floor and ceiling fly everywhere... but the door still stands, seemingly unharmed.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth, a bit slow on the uptake this time, zips around the corner and down the hall, stopping at the door. "How did you miss with a shout?" he asks Mal.

Double move to right at the door.

[Lateral]

"...Heh." A small chuckle escapes the side of Aliss's lips. "Sorry, you're not gonna get a rise out of me that easily. Xinnwuvyr was a rash fool, he deserved what he got. His fault we're even in this mess, y'know. Employing you people was his idea. Didn't work out that well for us, I'll admit." She skips forward a bit, closing to within spitting distance, and looks up at you, her smile souring."All the more reason why I need to eliminate you now." Her fists begin flying again— no surgical strikes to the pressure points this time, just powerful, driving blows.

5' step in, full attack.
[roll0] for [roll1]
[roll2] for [roll3]
[roll4] for [roll5]
[roll6] for [roll7]

Her attacks bypass your DR.

[Mahrke]

Razia endures the blows, each sending off shattered sparks of magic as they breach her mystic shields. She can feel ribs crack. She hops back, her short-swords clattering to the ground. "Going easy on me?" She spits, blood spilling from her lips. "I think I know the -real- reason you went for Holly and Arabella." She almost purrs, grinning, locking the halfling's eyes with her own fiery embers. "You have a chance, you know. You could beg for forgiveness. Drop to your knees, and maybe I'd show you what its like, -love-. A night with me. Were you jealous of that bar-girl? Is that what set all this off?" She taunts, slipping Mercy into it's sheath. "I could give your life meaning, little infiltrator. Passion. I could fill your void, Aliss."

~

<She hits hard. Mind like a diamond, too, but not entirely immune. Can you break the ****ing door down already and stop with the knocking?> She mentally shouts at her allies.

Free: 5' step away
Swift: Smoldering Gaze
Effect: Make a Will save (DC 31) or be forced to move towards Razia, carressing and fawning over her for [roll0] rounds. Success reduces to sickened for duration.
Move: Monologue
Standard: Ready Arcane Fusion v. approach
Spells: Improvisation, Wings of Flurry
Targets: Self (Improvisation), Door (Wings), Aliss (Wings)
Effect: Gain Improvisation buff. Inflict 85 force damage to Aliss and Door and daze. Reflex (DC 28) halves damage and negates daze.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth reaches to open the door, but is stopped several inches from it. He reaches out to try to disrupt it, but it is too powerful for him to force through. <There's a force barrier, and I can't remove it,> he tells Razia, chagrin plainly audible. <You said your teleportation had failed?>

[Mahrke]

<Yes.> She replies.

[stack]

Quincy closes, peering through the dust Mal's shout kicked up. "A door is no stronger than the wall it is attached to. The stone appears to have taken damage, so...Let's see..." He eyes up the stone and begins a chant.forge on the stone to make it into spheres, hopefully enough will roll off that the door will fall on its own.

1 SP, huge object's worth of material

[Khosan]

"In much the same way as one might miss the handle!" The pudgy dragon retorts just before he forces himself through the new passages his little human friend opened for him.

Emerging on the other side, Mal immediately tends to Razia's wounds.

Move Action: Mal moves behind Razia
Standard Action: Mal casts Heal on Razia
Swift Action: Mal begins his Aggressive Flanking tactic

[Lateral]

"What, seriously? For a succubus, you sure aren't great at picking a mark. I mean, you know I stole this body, right? I don't even have—"

Aliss's comeback is interrupted by the walls peeling away around the door, and by Mal diving through the breach. She swears under her breath. "Damn, you're here already? Thought I'd have more time." In an instant, she dives to the side, nimbly dodging the wings that erupt from Razia's back, and jabs her open hands into Razia's and Hyacinth's spines before leaping backwards and dashing down the hall.

Dodge-roll around, touch attacks to Razia and Hyacinth, dash up the hall.

Razia: [roll0] touch for DC 35 Fort or paralyzed.
Hyacinth: [roll1] touch for DC 35 Fort or paralyzed.

[Mahrke]

Razia dips from throwing her shower or arcane energy into another spell. Familiar, defensive. She raises a hand, as if bracing to block the halfling's blow. The air crackles with luminescent force...but her attacks still land. Razia flinches, her eyes flicking to Hyacinth for a moment, before she smiles.

She's encased the trio in a half-globe of shielding energy, cutting off Aliss' escape. "Going somewhere?"

[Lateral]

Aliss bumps into the barrier, but quickly rolls back into a fighting stance, dusting herself off. Her smile has disappeared. "Well, if this is how you want to play it... fine. Let's go."

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth gives the née-halfling a predatory grin. "Glad we could finally meet, Aliss," he says. "I believe you're familiar with a friend of mine, Ivello. You and Xynny killed him." He channels arcane power from his body through his whip, which lashes out Aliss's ankles.

Standard: Cast calcific touch. [roll0] touch plus Sickening Grasp (DC 32), [roll1] Dexterity damage, [roll2] sneak attack damage, Gloom Strike (http://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/drow-of-the-underdark--93/gloom-strike--3446/index.html), and slowed 1 round (Fort DC 30 negates slow).
Move: It's Behind You (vestige ability). Teleport into other square adjacent to Aliss. Unless her Perception beats [roll3], she's flat-footed to my next attack.
Swift: Quickened synchronicity.
Standard: Cast touch of Vecna. [roll4] touch (using IP) plus Sickening Grasp (DC 32), [roll6] damage, [roll7] sneak attack damage, shaken 1 round, Gloom Strike (http://dnd.arkalseif.info/feats/drow-of-the-underdark--93/gloom-strike--3446/index.html), and paralyzed (Fort DC 31 negates

[Lateral]

On the first strike, Aliss catches the whip and pulls, stepping sideways while dragging you to the ground in her former space. The second whip strike, however, smacks her right in the face, and her body immediately goes rigid.

[Mahrke]

Razia drops Thirst, drawing Mercy in a smooth stroke as she looms over the halfling, clasping it in all four hands, point down. "I want you to remember this moment, Aliss. You had a chance to end this. To bend the knee and beg for forgiveness." Her voice is cold as she plunges the blade down, stabbing into the flesh of the halfling. It shimmers with a radiant, passing into her body without drawing blood, depriving her of strength and consciousness with a sapping, holy energy.

She pulls back the blood, eyes flicking to Hyacinth as her shield begins to crumble into shimmering magical particulate, dismissed. "They shouldn't have ****ed with the people we love." She says solemnly, before turning her gaze to Arabella. "We should get her to the others. And deal with the troll."

[stack]

Quincy leans a hand against the tunnel wall to steady himself. "Think there are many more?"

[Mahrke]

"Hard to say." Razia replies, picking up Thirst and sheathing it along with Mercy. She gives the unconscious infiltrator a sharp kick in the ribs, before approaching Arabella, whilst looking at Quincy. "How are you? Hurt?" She asks, her eyes searching the sky pirate. "Someone give me a hand with her. We should get her above ground. We'll put down the troll; I can use it for healing. We can foray into the area Sethan hasn't seen, but as far as I'm concerned we have what we came for."

[Khosan]

"Ahh, no need to put the poor troll to the sword. I've worked with trolls! Lovely test subjects. With proper incentives, they're quite willing to participate in much more than you'd think! Give me a moment to talk to the little chap. I'm confident I can bring him around." Mal cheerily explains as he hoists the unconcious halfling into the chest on his back, "This one will, I'm sure, cause quite the stir back at the college! Illithids are rare enough, but this little fellow - Ah! Parasites can be so difficult to track down."

[stack]

Quincy waves Razia off, "Not hurt, just been over-exerting myself a bit. Nothing a good night's sleep won't fix."

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth curls his whip around his waist again and fastens it. "I'm in roughly the same place," he says. "Even after healing, I have enough spells for one fight."

[Mahrke]

There is a pause. Long, as Razia looks over her companions. "We shouldn't risk it. Come, let's get Arabella out. Mal, you have that much time to move that troll into 'unthreatening' territory. We'll talk about Aliss on the ship, but you aren't the only one that wants her for study; the twelve think they might be able to research a cure for Holly with the infiltrator in their hands. I'll send the Babau in to scout the next room, but if there's something that can threaten us, we're running. Agreed?" With that, she begins to search for good handholds to heft up the crystallized artificer.

Razia reaches out to the demon she summoned with her thoughts. <The room to the south. Scout it. If you see anything that might be even -remotely- hostile you need to teleport out and tell me about it.>

[Lateral]

You head back outside, Arabella and the unconscious infiltrator in tow. Mal pacifies the giant troll with some well-placed compliments and several large caramels from his bag of goodies, and although Sethan gives you some confused looks when you bring it up, everything goes smoothly until Sylph shows up.

"Someone called for a ride?"

Your babau doesn't come back.

[stack]

Quincy cracks a smile as Sylph draws near. "Going to have a full load. Daring rescue and all that. Think its time to get away from here."

[Mahrke]

"Demon didn't come back, so I'm inclined to agree. We're officially retreating for now." Razia says to Quincy, beginning to assist in the process of boarding.

[Lateral]

You pack up to leave, and start boarding the thralls. As soon as you step aboard, though, Gersi steps out, looking agitated, and begins yelling. "We had a deal! I lead you here, and then your ship takes me far, far away! What are we doing back here? I—" She glances downwards, seeing the paralyzed infiltrator lying rigid on the ground, and immediately goes pale. "Y...you're not bringing... her... aboard, are you?"

[Jeff the Green]

"Relax, Gersi," Hyacinth says soothingly. "Not only is she unlikely to be waking up anytime soon, even if she does she won't be moving. Ever, at least unless she gets treatment. You're familiar with The Shadow's grasp?
She's not a threat to anyone, least of all you."

[Lateral]

Gersi stares at you for a moment, then sighs. "...Is that so? Well, I suppose she ought to be harmless enough now. But still, what about Xinnwuvyr? Did you... execute it, or should I resume my panic attack?"

[Jeff the Green]

A very brief moment of surprise flickers across Hyacinth's face, almost instantly replaced by a studied neutral mask. <You didn't tell her he's on board?> he asks Razia.

[Mahrke]

<I didn't think it was wise to ignite a problem like that while we were down below.> Razia conspicuously doesn't join in the conversation, instead moving to grab the paralyzed halfling and ferry her to the extradimensional door belowdeck.

[Jeff the Green]

Hyacinth glares at the retreating demon before turning back to Gersi. "Before I specify exactly what we did with him," he asks her, "humor me for just a moment. You can cast detect magic, right?" When she responds affirmatively he uncoils his belt. "Would you please verify for yourself what this whip lets me do?"

[Lateral]

She rolls her eyes, but stares at the belt for a few seconds. "...Right. That whip drains mental power. So what?"

[Jeff the Green]

"So, if, hypothetically, I beat Xinnwuvyr within an inch of its life," Hyacinth suggests, "it wouldn't have more than a fraction of its abilities. And if Razia were to drink all but the dregs of its soul, Quincy were to create a prison that didn't allow it to either move or see, and I further manifested wither on it several times, it'd be similarly unable to hurt you, even if we brought it aboard half an hour ago and even if Razia conveniently forgot to tell you."

[Lateral]

Gersi's eye twitches a little bit. "You..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Y'know what, let's just get the **** out of here."

[stack]

Quincy nods in agreement. "Its the second oddest crew I have shipped with, but they get things done."

Once everyone is aboard, he stands on the deck, hand on the (purely decorative) wheel. "Sylph, let us be away!"

[Lateral]

You finish boarding the thralls, storing them belowdecks and setting up basic facilities to avoid the spread of disease. While Mal leads Gog into the brig with a trail of troll-mouth-sized gumdrops, Razia secures the two most dangerous prisoners in her extradimensional space, and soon you're just about ready to leave.

Before you set sail, Sethan walks up to Razia, and grabs her by the arm. "Wait. We need to talk."
Tell me everything Razia does to Xinnwuvyr and Aliss.

[Mahrke]

Razia spends her time meticulously shackling the halfling. Wrists, ankles, throat. Splayed upon her bed; an honored guest.
She casts her spell, channeling yet another demon from beyond. Xinnwuvyr is taken care of next, flesh infused with all manner of delirium-inducing drug until the illithid is but a whisper of it's former self. A few stabs of Mercy leaves both of her prisoners thrust deeper into unconsciousness. Finally, an application of her charms ensnares the insensate monsters.

Drug Xinn with Dragon's Blood (CHA), Dreamlily (WIS), Baccaran (STR), Harlot Sweets (INT), Serpent's Kiss (DEX), Luhix (ALL, bad side effect, can't use except for maintenance), until all his ability scores are below 8. He's probably addicted to all these now.

Charm Monster until failed saves on both.

Shackle Aliss to bed.

More nonlethal damage.

Razia stops short, a frown creasing her lips. She'd been losing herself in work...seeing to everything that needed seeing to. Eager to have time uninterrupted...time without responsibility to -indulge- with her prisoner, thinking of the choicest examples from the 'old life' with a ravenousness. But the paladin. The mercenary. With the innocents out of danger, and mission complete, had her turned sights to 'solving' the problem of Razia?

"We have time, now. What's on your mind?" Her reply is cordial, but her gaze is searching.

[Lateral]

"Look. I did some thinking, and... it'd be hypocritical of me to doubt you now, just because of your fiendish blood." He removes his helmet, revealing his face— thin, lightly scarred, and incredibly pale, with icy blue eyes that lock a piercing gaze onto yours. "So, then, all that's left is the simple fact that you broke that creature's hold on my mind. Which means... " He plants his sword in the ground and gets down on one knee. "Razia Blackthorn... I owe you a life debt. When we've finished here, I'll have to return to Graywall, to resume my service to my House, but call upon me for aid at any time. I'll come running."

[Mahrke]

Surprise. Whether it is due to his proclamation of service, or his obviously inhuman heritage is anyone's guess...but internally Razia wonders at how she'd managed to find herself entangled with no less than FOUR undead in the past two weeks.

Razia stays silent for a moment, before shaking her head, offering a hand to the dhampir. "Debt. I've spent a long time tricking mortals into believing they owed me a 'debt'." If he takes her hand, she helps him to a stand. "But that's not me now. You don't owe me a thing." She claps him on the shoulder. She smiles, placid. It was...nice. The sort of feeling she got from Holly. Acceptance. A large part of what led her down this path; a void filled. "Though...f you wanted to do me a favor...I wouldn't ask you to come with us. I have a feeling Quincy and I at least have a bit of a road ahead. But, by all accounts, you could have beaten me back there. If I was a little slower. A little less lucky. I'd appreciate it if you spent some time teaching me. I'm a quick study, I promise."

[Lateral]

Sethan looks up at you, and blinks a couple of times. "...Huh. Well, fair enough, I suppose. Once we get these people to Vedykar and I report in with with the House, I should be able to stick around for a bit. I saw what you did to that tentacle monster, though— you're plenty skilled with a blade. Had you struck first at me, I think I'd be saying the same of you." He stands to his feet, dusts himself off a bit, and flashes you a warm smile. "Still, I think I could show you a thing or two."

[Mahrke]

"Most of my skill with a sword comes from days fighting devils and paladins. Blows meant to slaughter. Learning to disarm...useful, I think. Besides, I have it in my head to forge a sword, and learning to draw and sheathe like you do..." She shrugs.

Unless Sethan has anything else to say, Razia makes her way to her room, and sets about identifying all of the goodies she'd stashed from the tower armory.

[Lateral]

"Ah, now that I can certainly help with." Sethan puts his helm back on, and turns to leave. "Listen, I'm gonna head to Vedykar on my own. It'll be faster if I make preparations with House Jorasco before you arrive." With that, he crouches down towards the ground, coiling his body— and then rockets away, leaping at such incredible speeds that the shockwave produced nearly knocks you off your feet.


Sylph takes off, heading towards the southwest, and as she speeds away from the ruins of the tower you all breathe a collective sigh of relief. Taking a well-earned rest, you arrive at Vedykar the following afternoon, all fresh and ready to go.

Anything you want to do in the meantime, go ahead. You're also all officially level 14 now.

[Mahrke]

Privacy. Razia had spent too much time helping the wretches from the caves. Listening. Comforting. She'd taken care of everything; Sylph's hold had a big chest piled high with all the loot they'd gotten. She changes clothes, doffing the bloody leathers (cleaned with a simple spell),
to don something more comfortable and lacy. She straddles the unconscious half, and lets herself just soak in the halfling beneath her. The one who took everything from her. The unrepentant, more-than-a-villain creature. She deserved this. She was evil. Excuses she tells to herself when the niggling, intrusive thought that Holly wouldn't let her do this pops in.

She heals the infiltrator. Enough for consciousness...though of course the paralysis lingers. <Hello, Aliss. Comfortable?>

Her hands slide against the smooth stone, lingering for a moment over the collarbone of the woman. No heartbeat.
No breath. She'd fix that, whatever it took. She'd have her back. "We've got her. Aliss. Our best shot at fixing this..." There is a pause. She leans foward, resting her brow against the statue's. "We came out okay. Arabella's not dead...she's crystal, though. Kind of poetic,
I suppose. You two can share stories about what mineral is more comfortable. Hah." She manages a little smile, before draping her arms around the thing,
recounting their skirmishes with the illithids, nonconsensual pastry-ing, the hundred-or-so salves they'd saved, and the paladin with an unlikely heritage.

Razia secretly loved the bazaar. It wasn't something she mentioned often, but open markets...there was so very much to interest her. Observing the conflicts of merchants and consumers, the loved ones out together, the pickpockets and nobility, commoners and artisans,
all packed into a little microcosm that faciliated action. It satiated some deep need within the succubus to see that chaotic whirl.

She spends some time browsing, but with mission in mind, and a little help from friendly smile and low-cut chemise, she secures the best deals for heavily enchanted equipment that, frankly, she imagined few would actually want to buy, leaving the enterprising merchants to bear the burden of all the ill-gotten gains of the illithids that none of their little cadre had found interest in.

Razia: 38.72k
Quincy: 23.75k, Orange Ioun Stone
Hyacinth: 26,250
Mal: 23,250, Ring of Enduring Arcana
Unclaimed: That Book

~Near Vedykar~

"I don't think we should go back immediately." Razia says after hastily swallowing a bite of sandwich. She'd propped against the wall, leaning as she eats, a book open in one hand. "They'll be ready for us, and anything important will be gone. At best we're getting rid of a trap. I'm inclined to wait...Kacper might still reform. I just...have a hard time imagining an explosion actually killing him. I guess I wouldn't put anything past Mordain though..."" Her eyes flick up, to the dragon. "I don't know how far you planned to go with us. I'd say we could use your help, but you're hardly involved with this. Even once they illithids are routed out, I'm worried about their greater plan. I don't like that Mordain made off with the madstone...he was obviously trying to -harness- something.

[Khosan]

Mal scratches his chin as he eases himself down into his human form, "Well...As I mentioned before, illithid remains are something of a rarity. While I've plenty of bodies to send back home with good ol' Gog downstairs," the now rotund but still quite large man thumbs towards his quarters, "I could always use more. And while your little parasite's already been claimed, I've a good feeling we'll encounter more. And the possibility of an elder brain! I'd've loved to collect that one, but I don't think it was in the cards." Mal claps his hands together excitedly, "Oh, I just delight in the thought! I'll gladly come with you, if only to observe."

"Also, did you say Kacper? You don't mean the Kacper, did you?" He drums his lower lip, "If only! I would've liked to have met him. According to our records, he passed through Io'lokar about a century ago, submitted himself for study. I don't believe anything came of it, but a fascinating creature all the same."

[Mahrke]

"-The- Kacper. Absolutely insufferable, but decidedly effective. Trust me, you were better off missing that particular gem." Razia muses, "I'm glad you're coming with us, though. I don't think we would have made it to Arabella without the healing."

[stack]

Quincy takes time to give Mal a tour of Sylph, after proper introductions. He hesitates slightly before showing the galley, but, well, a guest is a guest. He can always conjure more food anyhow.

[Mahrke]

Razia teleports down from the ship when they are close enough, wearing her less fearsome, more human visage. Her first stop is any House Jorasco enclave in the town, seeking Sethan, and anyone aware of their arrival.

[Lateral]

You strike out into Vedykar. Despite it being the largest city in southern Khorvaire, you have very little trouble finding House Jorasco; the facility here being the House's headquarters in Khorvaire, the way to it is very clearly marked. Administrative offices and medical facilities sprawl outwards from the in a rather leisurely fashion; apparently the stiff, structured Karrnathi style of architecture didn't appeal much to the Jorasco halflings.

You find Sethan in a rather large care ward, one filled with House healers, nonmagical nurses, and conspicuously empty beds. He sees you walk in, and runs up to greet you. "Great, you're here. I've worked things out with the House, they're gonna take care of those thralls." He turns his head and waves to the nurses, who rush over to the group and follow you out the door. "Let's get going, we have a lot of work to do."


With the House workers' assistance, it only takes a couple hours to get everyone in Sylph's hold over to the enclave. Once you're finished, Sethan comes over to your group. "All right, looks like they've got these people all set up here. So... what now?"

[Mahrke]

"We're headed to Regalport to bring Rygar up to speed. He's expecting a prize, but I'm afraid our captive illithids have better uses." Razia folds her arms over her bust, scanning the crowd as the various physicians, healers, and attendants tends to them. "Before I fill you in, though, I need to know what -you- know. What did you see why you were down there? What were they -doing-? Why Mordain? Did you ever hear them talk about their feud with Aboleths, or an entity known as Zlortharkis? Did you ever see Zorlan D'Cannith in their presence?" Her rapid fire questions come with a tone of ease; less an interrogation, more leading questions to help the man begin what surely must have been a difficult recollection.

[stack]

Quincy helps in settling the passengers. "While Razia is off, there anywhere we can find news? Other than a tavern, which is my first plan. I suppose we haven't been gone long so there might not be much to hear. Feels like months though."

[Lateral]

"Whoa, whoa, slow down." Sethan holds up his hands. "I don't know anything about their plans. My memories of the last few months are... a bit foggy, but I don't think they ever brought me, or any of the other humanoids, anywhere they were discussing plans. Aside from Gabarrheal—" there's a sudden venom in his voice— "the only illithids I ever heard actually having a conversation were grunts. I don't know anything about any aboleths, or anyone called Mordain. And... Zorlan d'Cannith?" His eyes harden. "I definitely didn't see him in there, but are you saying that he had something to do with those illithids? Because that's a serious accusation."

He turns to Quincy. "And I'm afraid I don't actually know this city that well. I don't come this way all that often— I'm normally stationed in Greywall, on the border of Breland and Droaam. That said, this is a large city, you can probably find someone selling newspapers on any major street corner."

[Mahrke]

"Gabarrheal? Oh, the...showman." She frowns, "To be clear, I'm not leveling any -accusations- at Zorlan. Just trying to get a few answers." There is a pause. Razia sometimes felt it hard to empathize. Harder in recent days. Harder without someone to guide her. Still, she tries, "Are you alright, Sethan? We've gotten help for these people, but you were there too."

[Lateral]

"Nah, don't worry about me." He waves his hand nonchalantly. "Not like I've never been tortured before. The House is giving me some time off to recover, I'll be just fine. Focus your worries on these people, and maybe the elder brain."

He grabs himself a seat, turning a chair around to rest his arms on its back. "So, what's the story with you and those illithids, then? How'd you find their lair, and what were they doing?"

[Mahrke]

Razia sits across from Sethan, frowning "It's been too long since I just sat down and had a drink. I'm sure you feel the same." She says with a shrug. From her cloak, she draws a crystal vessel, sloshing with amber liquid, and a squat glass. She pushes it towards Sethan before drawing forth a second glass and tipping some of the drink into either.

"The short of it? I came to Regalport two weeks ago with my traveling companion, lover, and mentor. A skarn. Holly." She swirls the liquid about in her glass a bit, before tipping it to her lips and letting the Brandy warm her tongue. A swallow. "She's responsible for what I am now. We were tasked with evicting a cult. We were deceived. The cultists weren't harming anyone. The illithids wanted a magical beacon planted, and tricked us. We were beginning to uncover the duplicity...but I was too blind to see the danger. The infiltrator, Aliss, she did something to Holly. Caught her by surprise. Took control of her, but not via spell. Afflicted her with some sort of...disease? A cancer, if anything. Arabella, the one in crystal, turned her to stone to stop it...and that's how she stays. A statue. A stasis until I can find a way to cure her. We've been pursuing them since. We got too close. Aliss, again. -Again- I wasn't careful enough. She paralyzed Arabella and teleported her away. She was able to send me a brief description telepathically before they knocked her out."

Razia's frown falters. A grin, cocky. "Twice bested by that halfling. But no more. Now she's mine. I'm going to get answers out of her, and then hand her over to the Twelve. Maybe they can figure something out if they dissect her..." The frown returns. "That's the short version." She says quietly. "I can't fill you in on everything. Too many secrets trusted to me. Feel free to ask, though."

[Lateral]

Sethan chuckles a little bit, the first laugh you've heard escaping his lips since you rescued him. He scoops up the glass of brandy and stares at it for a moment. "You know... I haven't had a good drink in almost three years. Even before the last few months, I was always either on duty or in the field, where there's no such thing as a good drink. Under the circumstances, though... I think I'll indulge myself." He lowers the glass to his mouth and takes a long, stiff drink— in the manner of a man who doesn't quite care what's going down his throat, as long as it contains alcohol.

He listens to your story intently. When you finish, he stares at you with a troubled expression. "...I see. So you've captured the one who transformed her, then." He sighs and looks you dead in the eyes. "Razia... you saved my life, and I'm grateful. Still, from what you're saying... this Holly must have been very important to you. You say you've captured the one who transformed her? Revenge can take you down a... a very dark path. Please... for your own sake, try not to get carried away."

[Mahrke]

Razia stares at her drink, before shrugging, and swallowing the remnants. She looks Sethan in the eyes. "She's not a person, Sethan. She's not even a monster. She's a parasite. A disease that's spread into an epidemic. Is it a dark path if I take a tincture for flu?" She sets the glass down. "I'd like to start training as soon as you have time. I want to be ready when we face the brain. I hated Aliss, but she is not the mastermind."

[Jeff the Green]

While Razia speaks with Sethan, Hyacinth seeks out Zeraphineia. "Have you calmed down enough to talk with me? Civilly?" he asks the Alhoon. "I'm sorry we neglected to mention Xinnwuvyr. Razia didn't think we had time to deal with your reaction and assure you he was safely contained and I... get lost in my anger sometimes. I was too busy thrashing him to think of you."

Diplomacy: [roll0]