[3.5E] Heretic's Bane Icewind Dale [Archive] - Page 6

mshady

2009-04-11, 12:47 AM

Part 1 of last night's transcript, editted and novelized for posting.

The old priest chuckles bitterly at Sable’s question.

“I understand” he says, and gives a half hearted smile. “Yes, I suppose it tis a matter of time before they come. Indeed, I am surprised you were not accosted on the way here. So few travelers these days, no place to really go and all…” he says and looks wistful as he reflexively strokes his beard.

“It’s a bit… beyond robbery though and past paying off a debt” the priest says, before something occurs to him “I am Harold, by the way! Apologies of an old man for forgetting his name… well, give it at least. I wonder what else I forgot today?”

Johannes looks at Sable and whispers the word ‘senile’ to her with a questioning look, but if Sable sees it she gives no response.

“You see, its past just.. paying them. Our Mayor made a contract with them. If he could not pay, he offered… collateral. Turns out it was the portal and much of the trade through it. When he did not pay… they killed him yes, they wanted the money yes but they also now own that. I believe their leader wears his jaw bone as a torque now around his neck. Clever actually, not sure I’ve seen that before in my travels. Grisly of course.. We call him Jaw Bone sometimes. Oh well, never sign a contract with a mercenary company of devils. I fear there is a parable here in all this... Alas"

With a sweep of the hand about the room, the old priest sighs.

"Here I run a temple to Shaundakul and we are all marooned here" Harold says mournfully.

"Do you have any guess as to their numbers? I'd at least like to know how many we're talking about." Sable says. Her tone is a bit emphatic, trying to direct the priest to things that information she actually wants to know.

“Numbers? More than 50 but… less than a 100 in town? I suppose. They don't all line up to be counted often and some are in the hills I fear some will be here soon to inquire upon what your business is” he says, than turns to Johannes. “I’d have a less interesting answer on your purpose. Looking for a powerful traitor in Sigil? They’re the type to find them and sell that kind of information. At least have the sense to lie about such, I would have understood” he says, chiding Johannes. “I thank ye for the trust though”

Sable listens to the priest’s answer and her hand drops to her rapier for a moment before she moves her hand away again. The answer has certainly made her tense. She settles on simply nodding in response to the priest.

“Enough to make it damned difficult to deal with” she says, not needing time to evaluate the odds.

“More of them than us, in any case…” Wyatt says. The halfling fidgets nervously.

Sable turns to Johannes with intense eyes, her voice emphatic. "We should be leaving here. Now"

“Sounds like a plan to me” Wyatt adds, although Johannes is looking up at Sable, nodding in response. The priest frowns though at their decision.

"Why though? You just arrived, have you not?" he says.

“I thought the why was obvious” she says and chuckles, but does not smile.

“I suppose so” he says and smoothes out his crumpled cassock. “Where could you possibly go? Here’s safer than the hills, I assure ye. Before ye go, one of you asked about my plan? Prayer for deliverance has been mine and await revelation. It is still early, though. Perhaps they will just leave one day? Now I remember once...” the priest says, continuing…

“…What? Uh… nevermind ‘dat. I was… aaah forget it” is all he says. He looks up at Sable and asks her what were they waiting for under his breath.

Sable tips her head and heads for the door. She cracks it open and surveys the courtyard, with Wyatt right behind her.

Johannes looks around and frowns, "Sir, I think we best be on our way and soon. We have to... evaluate things, but your hospitality is appreciated" he says, and nods curtly as Sable returns and grabs his forcefully by his collar and gives him a reminder it was time to leave before he got talking again. He almost yelps in surprise.

“Nice meeting you” Sable says to the priest and tips her head towards him, touching her forehead.

"Uh, yeah. Nice meetin' and alla 'dat, good luck on the open road. I know what it feels like to not have anywhere to go!” he says, momentarily sympathizing with the priests predicament before absconding towards the door.

As the group heads out the door with great haste, the priest watches with a frown on his face.

“Was it something I said?” the priest says. It is the last thing the party hears as they exit…

mshady

2009-04-11, 03:29 AM

As the group heads out the door with great haste, the priest watches with a frown on his face.

The party exits the temple into the courtyard and stands together for a moment as Sable scans the area, looking for any approaching guards.

“So… where to from here?” Wyatt asks, to no one in particular. Sable does not hesitate to give an answer.

"Straight for the hills. I think we've heard as much as we needed” she says curtly and nods by way of affirming the statement.

Wyatt nods and follows in step with Sable and Johannes, deciding to save the wit for later

"Aye, but any ideas what to do about the portal? Maybe we should nose around more?" he says and looks around, less sure of which way to go. “Maybe we could hide out in town somewhere and…”

Sable cuts him off, clearly irritated now. There were reasons she liked to work alone…

"You heard him. There's at least fifty of them” she says, her tone has an edge in it now. “You think they're gonna be scared off by three of us? No way! They're getting together and when they're finished, we won't have anything to show for it except empty pockets” she says, and shakes her head. Empty pockets and getting shaken down by some corrupt guards was not something she intended to allow, purely on principle. "Carmard might have some ideas, but I'm all for getting out of here as quickly as possible. Especially since there's something out there in the hills that they need to be warned about"

“Oh. Well, alright than…” is all the reply Johannes makes, nodding in acceptance now.

Without another word, the group heads out of the courtyard and walks as fast as they can out of town without breaking into a run. Johannes, surprisingly, manages to keep up with the two but his legs ache from the exertion.

“Look, either way we need the rest when we get to the portal” Wyatt finally says as they rush out of the town. The winding road seems deserted. “Umm… it’s like, really empty out here all of a sudden” he says. His little head is on a swivel now, bobbing about looking at every alley and window like a nervous bird.

Sable only nods and presses on, but she picks the pace up to a near jog now. Wyatt keeps up easily, but Johannes does have to break into a jog now. His fine chainmail jingles and swishes under his tabard as the dwarf huffs along.

The trio moves towards the edge of town and see people now. They're in the buildings, watching them pass. No one is out on the road though, or even on a porch to watch. The dusty trail outside of town looms ahead of them as they near the end of the village limits.

"...Sso... anybody gettin' that feelin'..." Wyatt says.

“Yep” Sable says, as she looks around. Her hand is once again on her rapier’s hilt and her eyes are narrowed as her eyes dart around the place.

As they approach the second to last ramshackle looking adobe building, a humanoid figure in plate armor and a black cloak trot out in front of the party and lower their fierce looking halberds in their directions. Spear tips gleam in the bizarre light of the plane as the purple and yellow light from the sky reflect of them.

The trip halt in their tracks, hands on their weapons as well but they do not draw them. The tall male humanoid wearing deep red plate armor strides out ahead of his guards with a drawn sword and points it at them. A shield with unfamiliar heraldry is in his other hand. It takes a moment, but this man is also a tiefling. He has dark, almost ruddy red skin and bright red eyes. Upon his head are a pair of small, curving horns adorned with silver. That probably has some meaning in whatever social hierarchy he hails from, but anthropology was not to be the subject.

"Freeze strangers! You don't belong here. Who are you and what your business is here. Now!" the tiefling demands. His voice is imperious and angry.

Not a good combination…

mshady

2009-04-11, 03:46 AM

"Um” Johannes says at first, thinking than steps out in front of Sable and Wyatt to establish his presence as leader of his own group, much as the tiefling had done. “We're here to trade, sir. What is the meaning of this and who are you?" the dwarf replies, firmly with a bit of indignation and surprise mixed in.

The tiefling clears his throat in an annoyed manner and shakes his head.

"We don't like strangers in this town, you cause to much trouble. Traders and spies especially" the tiefling says, sneering at traders.

"How fortunate that we were just leaving then" Sable says with an edge of sarcasm.

"Well... we won't be causin' any more trouble. 'cause as you can see, we were just on our way out." Wyatt says, and gestures towards the trade road out of town.

The tiefling shakes his head.

"My horns says no” he says and slaps one of the horns on his head. “You came into this town, you’re not going nowhere till I know who you are and where you’re going”

"Sable, Johannes, Wyatt. That way" Sable answers and nods her head towards the rocks outside of town. Her tone is a bit sarcastic here.

“Um” is all Johaness says as Sable takes over the conversation, unsure of where to jump back in.

With an exaggerated turn of his head and cupping a hand over his eye, he looks out of town in the direction that Sable indicated. He smiles and bares his sharp little teeth in a sardonic smile. Residents in the nearby buildings watch the exchange from the inside.

“But, but how can that be? There is nothing out there BUT wasteland! What business could ye possibly have out there?”

"We had come to use the portal into Sigil. We were told that it wasn't available, so now we were leaving" Sable says. Her eyes widen for just a second as she makes her point and matches the tiefling’s glare.

“Um hum!” Johannes says, as he tries to regain the lead in the conversation. “Don’t be such a berk about this. Yes, see we are just travelers but unable to travel. Alas, we must turn back now with great disappointment. Tell me though, last time we passed through here on our long travels. When we were here several months ago, I nay recall meeting ye or your band’s presence. The chant is that ye have set yourselves up as Factols of this town” Johannes says, finally gaining a rhythm in this conversation. His words are calm and his poise shows no sign of his nervousness at the situation.

Johannes rolls a 27 for diplomacy.

The tiefling growls audibly and the faint smell of brimstone wafts from the group of tieflings, but he remains calm. He leans his sword against his shoulder with a clank and looks at Johannes curiously for a moment than speaks.

“Fine” he says sharply. “I am called Krytos and an officer of Blood’s Company. We control this town. All who enter it must pay their respects or belong to us” he says, his tone imperious once again. Clearly this tiefling is a tower of arrogance; reasonable considering they did control the town and had seemingly rolled over any opposition here, as they had no doubt many a time before.

Johannes’ eyes go wide with indignation and shock at the statement as he continues his performance.

"Good sir!” he says with indigence. “I must disagree! We do not ‘belong’ to you just by entering your fief. I thought this was a town of trade? One of many portal towns open to travelling merchants? With such a barmy attitude as yours, no wonder it has been so long since you have seen merchants! Surely some consideration is called for here, don’t you think? Abbathor’s Laws of Acquisition tell us a deal can always be made to the profit of all.”
I]Johannes rolls a 24 for diplomacy.[/I]

Krytos listens to Johannes’ words but says nothing this time. A good sign that he was thinking now..

"I'm listening" Krytos says.

"They own the portal, Joh. If we had used it, we would owe them a fee” Sable points out.

"Ah yes, my friend makes a good point!" he says with a smile. "We'd gladly pay a reasonable fee. I'd even be happy to pay you some for helping to... facilitate our travels here?" Johannes says with a toothy smile and jingles a heavy pouch at his belt.

Johannes rolls a natural 1 for diplomacy this time…

Krytos’ eyes drop to the heavy jingle of Johannes’ bulging point curse and his eyes seem to be evaluating him and the others, nothing their equipment and jewelry now with a greedy little gleam in his eyes. He laughs and bares his sharpened little teeth again. The guards behind him get the idea as well. Definitely not the first time they have done this, Sable thinks.

“A bribe?” Krytos says and scoffs. “Why take a bribe when I can just ransom you back to your caravan, eh? Or just take your gold here and now? Why take a little when I can take alot?” he says and laughs. “We own the portal afterall and THAT be the only way out of here to the Cage. We can keep you here as long as we deign, like the others at that meddlesome priest."

Johannes is taken aback by the sudden reversal and wonders what he said when things seemed to be going so well. He looks over at Sable and whispers to her. His confidence seems to crumble a bit now.

“Umm, any ideas now o’scary body guard of mine?” Johannes says. Sable only nods in reply.

“Now let’s try to be reasonable. How much do you charge for the use of your portal now, then?” Sable says, her tone neutral and businesslike.

The tiefling thinks for a minute as the greedy gears in his mind work for a moment and smiles a fanged smile once again,

"Reasonable you say!?” he says and laughs, amused at the notion. “For 500 gold a piece, I might consider telling you where you go to pay! You seem so insistent on going after all. Don't and the only time you'll see him is from dead eyes from your flayed corpses!" he says, angered and bellowing now. His soldiers eat it up...

The guards behind him break out into a war cry and thrust their halberds forward, step forward and swing the axe blades down wards with painful velocity and follow it up with another war cry and thrust the spear points forward again.

Intimidation Check v, Character Will Save

- Krytos and Company rolls 25 v. Johannes will save to resist of 12.
Success! Johannes wets himself at the tough talk and weapon’s display.

-Krytos and Company rolls 21 v Sable’s roll of 33.
Epic fail! Sable remains unimpressed and thinks “Please! I’ve seen hookers scarier than this bunch…”

Krytos and Company rolls 28 v. Wyatt’s 19.
Success! Wyatt is intimidated by the numbers and size, unsure of his comrades abilities and if he can handle them alone.

Sable looks at her comrades and shakes her head a little and steps towards Krytos and stands at the mid distance between the two groups. Wyatt falls in behind her at first, but decides to stay close to Johannes

“So, one thousand five hundred gold to get the name of the person we should talk to about the portal, you say?”

Krytos steps forward until he is right next to here, standing tall at his full 6 foot height, more than enough to tower over Sable. Not that it phases her in the slightest. He leans in towards her, close enough for her to smell his foul, brimstone breath.

"Yes…” he says, exhaling right into her face. “That’s correct." Sable narrows her eyes briefly, but does not respond.

"That still seems a bit steep..." she says, mostly businesslike but with a hint of defiance in her voice.

The tiefling laughs in reply and looks over his shoulder at his soldiers and shakes his head contemptuously, thinking her a fool.

"You say its too steep. I say it is a bargain at ANY price. I hardly see what choice you have here." Krytos says matter of factly.

Johannes looks at Wyatt, not sure what to expect and fearful about being cut off from the rest he had always relied upon.

"There's a choice in all things, but that isn't what I was speaking of” she says with a raise of an eye brow. “I meant your boss” she says, her last words almost a hiss. The tiefling looks at her, unsure of what she means but says nothing.

Wyatt looks at Johannes, and just throws his hands up a little in a shrug and frowns, not liking this situation either, before looking back toward the exchange at hand.

"Wouldn't he want us to report to him with pockets intact?" Sable says. Krytos was not the only one who knew how these things worked. She knew his game.

Her words must have touched a nerve with the tiefling officer. He glares at her, his eyes blazing at that remark.

"He doesn't need to know about this" he says hotly.

Sable quirks an eyebrow at that and lets out a triumphant snort. She locks eyes with him and flashes a haughty smile.

Krytos steps towards her again and looms over her as the two glare at each other. The tension between the two is intense. It has gone past glares and is now two combatants jockeying for psychological position while measuring the other’s ability.

Sensing the situation is about to explode, the guards roar their infernal war cry once again and rush 20 feet closer, ringing their leader and pointing the spear points in Sable’s direction. She notes that in her peripheral vision but keeps her eyes locked on Krytos.

“You won’t get anything if you kill me” she points out

Krytos grins back, a predatory smile.

"Who says I need you? They can pay just fine" he says and points to Wyatt and Johannes.

Sable shrugs nonchalantly in reply.

“You won’t get the money I’ve left behind then. I'd hardly be able to pay you everything unless you let me go. And I'm hardly likely to do anything but run if you keep pointing those spears at someone who wants to have a conversation with you. It’s… rude.” she says coolly.

“Oh… I’m sure the location can be beaten out of them. Or out of you, before your death of course” Krytos sneers.

“So are we really going to just threaten now?” says, her voice full of contempt at this point.

"No, of course not. You are either going to pay me, or these men here with me are going put you all in chains and torture you until you agree to our terms. Or put you on a spit here and now” Krytos says, anger rising and growing impatient. Tieflings are not noted for patience.

Sable shrugs nonchalantly again, not unlike how Carmard does at times.

"As long as we're clear then on how this will be.."

Krytos gives her a return push with his shield that moves Sable back a couple feet. He does not close the distance this time, giving him room to swing his longsword. Sable’s hand drops to her rapier hilt once again, her fingers dancing upon it in anticipation.

"Um Sable? What are ye doing?" Johannes says nervously as the two glare at each other, on the edge of exchanging blows. Wyatt watches in dismay and has a flashback to being help up in the orc caves very recently. His hands become very twitchy as his fingers tighten around the grip of his mace…

With a deep breath, Sable moves her hand away from her weapon and relaxes her stance. Her hand moves into her satchel and she starts to withdraw a gold trade bar…

“I’m getting…” Sable begins to say.
“Guards..” Krytos speaks at the same time..
“…the money. Don’t get excited”“Attack her!” Krytos cries.

Before Krytos can lift his sword though, he sees not a weapon in Sable’s hand but a small, gleaming bar of gold and his mind races back to what she was saying while he was talking and the tension goes out of his sword arm.

“Hold!” Krytos bellows to his soldiers. “This best not be a trick!” he snarls at Sable.

His words come too late. One of the more enthusiastic guards only hears the order to attack, not to belay and lunges at Sable!

Before Sable can reply or produce more of the gold, a screaming tiefling comes at her and the spear tip of the halberd with the full force of the charging guard behind it flash towards her. She casts the trade bar towards the onrushing tiefling in a golden flash. It clangs off the axe blade and skitters away, deflecting the blade just enough to allow her to twist away from the powerful thrust in a stunning display of dexterity. The spear bites into nothing but air and the tiefling drives a shoulder into Sable’s chest with his momentum, which has no real effect on her. Two more of the guards do not hear the order and come rushing in too. The other three look to Krytos, confused at what is happening.

Having lost control of the situation, Krytos decides to make the best of it. He curses in infernal and yells out, “Attack! Everyone attack! You three soldiers are dead after this!"

Overhead, a bird wings over and heads closer to the commotion...

mshady

2009-04-11, 04:37 PM

Round 1

Sable’s eyes smolder with anger as she glares at Krytos and she coils herself to spring at her foe, who reflexively braces himself against her attack. The other guards similarly brace themselves, not sure what they have gotten themselves into after her display.

It buys her the second she needs. Sable snaps her body into a single back flip and tumbles backwards when she lands, out of reach of Krytos and the halberds. Landing in a crouch, she concentrates and throws her arm out in Krytos’ direction. A globe of darkness suddenly envelopes the area, filling it with a black murk that obscures everything within a 20 feet radius, which includes almost everyone in the skirmish…

Winging downwards in a corkscrewing spiral, the hawk seems to… sparkle for a moment. Not that anyone in the fast developing battle would notice that, their focus narrowed to the fight in front of them. A cloud of green and brown fog appears behind one of the guards with a rumble of energy and boiling smoke. As the summoning fog dissipates, one of the fiendish, stone eating rothe appears out of the mist. It’s red eyes flash with a berserk rage and it paws the ground fiercely just once before hurtling towards the back of one of the guards. With stubby but sharp horns and a skull twice as broad as an avil, it rambles forward in what passes for a howl of rage that sounds like a strained and reedy growl, hardly befitting its size. The guard turns in time to lower his spear point at the onrushing rothe and strikes its skull, but he cannot hold his grip. Instead of using the rothe’s own momentum to drive the spear into its conjured skull, the spear carves a bloody furrow across its head but does no real damage.

This hardly deters the onrushing rothe, who lowers his head at the last moment and connects hard the guard. The sound of its’ battering ram of a head with the solder’s plate mail booms through street and the guard tumbles, clutching his chest and falling to the ground. His helmet rolls off his head and blood streams from his nose, but he is still alive. A hole in his armor also wells with blood as one of the horns pierced it as well.

(G3 takes 11 hp damage, the stone rothe takes 4 hp)

The low flying bird screeches triumphantly…

The second guard (G2) is confused when it turns dark and starts running in a straight line. He charges out of the darkness, seeing Wyatt as he comes out. He continues his charge at Wyatt and attacks, slicing the axe blade down through the air toward the hin. Far too quick on his feet to take a blow from such an unwieldy weapon, however powerful it is, Wyatt is not even in the vicinity as the blade flashes through the air and bites into packed sand and gravel road in a spray of soil. As far as Wyatt was concerned, the guard might as well have been swinging in the opposite direction.

"Hey now! Watch where you're touchin' that thing! This ain’t funny anymore, ya know!” Wyatt says with a laugh.

The sixth guard keeps his head, having not entered the fray yet. He backpedals until he is out of the darkness, and then begins following the edge of the darkness around.

Wyatt takes the opportunity to breaks into a run to his right, and begins running 10 or so feet in front of the guard, holding his hands out as he draws his weapon. When the tiefling raises his halberd to strike at him, Wyatt bounds upwards and strikes the tiefling in one of the only weak spots in a set of plate armor. The mace whistles through the air and connected with the guard right under his arm pit. The force striking the nearly unarmored area is enough to crunch bone and the man's shoulder droops from the blow. Acid blows in the wound and under the armor and sizzles away flesh, leaving a bit of exposed white bone underneath. The tiefling howls in pain and rage, but the blow isn't quite enough to slay him. A strike to the left instead of the right would have been enough shock to damage his heart and kill him.

"Come on, is that all you got tough guy? Eh!?" Wyatt yells defiantly as he scurries back to his starting position, bounding with each step. Johannes gives him an irritated look, not that Wyatt sees it would care if he did.

Krytos struts confidently forward into the inky black chaos, his sword held ready in one hand and his shield in front of him in the other. He walks toward to where his opponents are, unbothered by the darkness around him. Krytos immediately raises his sword high above his head and sweeps it down at Sable. The sword whooshes through the air, the high and sideways slice coming right for exposed neck, but Sable spins out of the way in time and Krytos loses her in the darkness for a moment

The first guard breaks into a run, charging out of the darkness towards the sound of the crushing impact between one of his comrades and the fiendish rothe. Unable to see very well, he ends up just rushing out of the darkness and trying to get his bearings instead.

The fifth guard acts differently, rushing in the darkness with his halberd held sideways to collect anyone in front of him or to his sides.. The spear itself misses, but the fiend slams his shoulder and weapon into Johannes with his full momentum. Johannes can do little more than gawk, as he lacks a weapon to respond with yet. He tries to brace himself and counts on his bulk and wide dwarven stance to hold his position, but is pushed back several feet anyways.

The third guard, already flat on his back from his surprising encounter with the summoned rothe, clamors for his halberd and lunges at it from a prone position. The spear lances into the rothe’s meaty chest, through tough skin and thick muscle before hitting a shoulder blade. While long enough to eviscerate a man sized creature, the serrated spear is too short to reach the creature’s lungs or heart, if a conjured beast has such things.

The fiendish rothe takes an additional 7 pts of damage.

mshady

2009-04-11, 06:21 PM

Round 2

At the near center of her dark cloud, she decides to move out of it and draw her rapier. With an acrobats grace, she throws her shoulders back and over and summersaults backwards. She ends up by Wyatt now, having returned to her comrades. The rapier appears in her hand, its presence announced with a sharp rasp, before she has returned to both. It flashes through the air in a straight thrust aimed at the seam between the breast and back plate of the tiefling. The thin rapier slides in – all the way in. When it bangs against the inside of the armor on the other side, Sable twists the blade and pulls it free. The now red rapier smolders somehow. It takes a moment for the tiefling’s body to catch up with the fact in had been so fatally struck, the rapier piercing a liver and a kidney. It’s weapon drops and it tries to press a hand under the wound but cannot even do that thanks to its thick armor. The tiefling’s knees go out from under it and it lolls on the ground and spasms as its soul departs to parts unknown.

Johannes looks at the tiefling and back at Sable with a look of astonishment.

“Frak…” is all he manages to say.
"Hey, hey, real quick question, how long does it take to beat a moron to death, OOPS, sorry time's up you're dead!" Wyatt chimes in unneccesarily.

The overlarge hawk completes its downward corkscrew and somehow… turns brown suddenly after another series of green sparkles envelop it - some kind of spell? That would be the question someone might ask if they were looking skyward and actually seen the bird.

The fiendish rothe that it summoned completes its work though. It opens its maw wide roars before its head dives downwards. The guard raises his arm up defensively at the last moment and the rothe bites down hard on his armored limb instead. It tosses his back and forth in rag doll fashion as it casts its head side to side before its jaws crunch down hard on the tiefling’s armor. It does not shear through the armor so much as crush the rigid armor and the flesh inside. The pain is just too much and the tiefling passes out, perhaps never to wake again…

Johannes can see some of the action through the murk and has to stifle a laugh as he hears the sound and knows what just transpired.

In Pandemonium, the cows eat YOU! he thinks.

Having been nearly bowled over, Johannes has had quite enough of this, thank you! He pulls a mithril longsword out of its sheath with a rasp, revealing a sword ornate enough to earn the respect of an Elven smith if that was not its origin to begin with. The long blade tapers to a point and is very light in his hands. More of a dilettante, having played at war far more than he had ever been an earnest participant, he was none the less skilled with a sword. His sword work was actually on par with almost anyone in the Patriarchate, although few dwarfs actually fought with them. At least the kind he preferred.

“Ah ha!” he says, and swings at the nearest guard. He swings the blade downward in a flash and reverses it. Now past his foe’s clumsy guard, he takes the sword with both hands more for control than strength and drives the sword straight into the tiefling’s armored back. Sword points do not do much to plate armor though. The force is enough to drive the tip through and even a bit of the blade, but Johannes does not have the strength to drive it through the arming jacket beneath. The force is enough to drive the air from the tieflings lungs, but it gasps and snarls something to Johannes in its own language. Johannes curses it right back in the same language and yanks the sword free with a shriek of metal on metal. At the least, he got his foes attention now…

The sixth guard continues looking around Sable’s sphere of darkness, lining up a charge against Johannes. He holds the halfling in little regard and focuses on the dwarf. Besides, he heard if you shake a dwarf’s beard that money falls out.

His focus elsewhere, he does not notice that Wyatt runs away from his position once again, looping around Johannes. He twirls his mace around his wrist to build momentum and make the angle of the attack less predictable. Instead of going high this time, me goes an underhanded blow right at the tiefling’s groin. He even puts a bit of a hop into the blow. His blow connects, bending the metal groin of the armor inwards and his flanges split the armor. Acid burns from the flanges into and under the armor and the rotten smell of burned flesh assaults his nostrils as he yanks the mace free. The blow was enough to lift the tiefling up on his toes and he plainly shrieks in pain. Placed between a mortar and a pestle, the tieflings pills are thoroughly crushed.

"Lot of good that armor did ya!" Wyatt taunts and back peddles away from his opponent once again, ending up close to where he started this time.

Krytos hears his men screaming and falling while losing track of Sable in the murk, so settles on a tactical retreat. He runs back out of the darkness, yelling to his guards. “Guards! To me! All to me! We need to hold out for help!”

Wyatt yells back at him, “Yeah, you run away, freakin' coward! Come back and fight me like a man, tail-for-brains!"

Johannes and Sable look at Wyatt and shake their heads at that. The first guard runs up to Krytos to protect his officer and probably to curry some favor as the first to heed his orders.

The guard facing Johannes attempts to trip him with his halberd. It sweeps at the dwarf’s stubby legs and he tries to hook one of them out from under him. Already settled into a defensive stance, he proves too hard to trample and stomps at the halberd himself with his heavy boots. He does so with enough force that the guard actually drops his halberd to avoid being pulled off his feet by the dwarf!

mshady

2009-04-12, 02:07 AM

Round 3

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/6800/wayward3.jpg

Sable quickly moves into a flanking position against the sixth guard, the one that Wyatt had just struck. She steps past the one she had mortally wounded moments before with little thought and strikes the tiefling with a fury. Her attack is not a surgical needle strike like her last attack but a vicious chop with all of her strength as she attempts to lop off the crippled tiefling’s head with a blow that would make a jabberwocky fearful. The tiefling has the presence of mind left to turn just in time for Sable’s blow to connect with the armor’s thick protective neck armor that rises above his shoulders and rings the neck, which Sable had hoped to elude. The sword bangs off the armor with an ear splitting ring that leaves its mark on the armor, but little else. For his part, the tiefling looks at his neck protection and is thankful he still has his head attached. Sable frowns at the results, chiding herself for her overconfidence.

Once again, the hawk alights with the magic of a casting. Another cloud of green smoke appears and quickly dissipates, revealing a second fiendish rothe. It spins in place and spots its foe. The red armor of the tieflings only infuriates the rothe as well and the conjured being requires little direction as it breaks into a charge at its wide eyed target. It lowers its head just before the it connects with another shattering impact that propels its target to the ground. Its chest plate is dished in, but part of the blow connected with the tiefling’s head as well. This one keeps his helmet on, but lays on the ground before spitting out blood and teeth fragments. The halberd’s point sticks out of the rothe’s chest. Somehow the tiefling still clutches his weapon with one hand and yanks it free. For his part, Krytos watches in shock as his soldier is bowled down by the rothe.

The first rothe is directed to attack the second soldier, who flanking Krytos to the left. It breaks into a headlong run as well and connects with a bone shattering boom. This time, the halberd point is buried in the animal’s neck but being a summoned creature it feels little and the summoned spirit at its center easily remains.

Rothe 1 does 9 pts and rothe 2 does 10 pts damage.

Johannes feels a better at his own failure to draw blood when he sees that Sable’s attack is shunted aside by the tiefling’s tough armor. He squares off with the tiefling in front of him. Johannes holds out his buckler and chambers his sword by holding it straight and horizontal with his arm drawn back, waiting to drive the sword into the tiefling at first opportunity. Watching the tiefling’s movements, he squints and waits till he sees the cross gripped halberd bob into just the right position. He turns and lashes out with his shield from below and knocks the weapon high and away. The guard has just enough time to realize his vulnerability before Johannes drives his mithril blade straight into his neck, bites around vertebrae and out the other side. He yanks it free in a sheet of blood that splashes on the ground. The guard grasps for his throat and gurgles. He is dead before he hits the ground. Johannes looks at his scarlet stained sword in amazement. He’d never actually killed someone before. Shouldn’t he feel something about that? Now’s not the time, a little voice in his head says…

The sixth soldier, now the only one anywhere near these three unexpectedly lethal intruders and flooded with pain from Wyatt’s blow below the belt, hobbles backwards. He seems to concentrate a moment, something harder than it normally was with the pain he was in, and a cloud of inky blackness appears around himself too. Tieflings too can conjure a globe of darkness naturally, not unlike a drow. Perhaps that says something about the origin of the drow, even?

Taking it as a bit of a personal challenge, Wyatt bounds back towards the sixth guard he earlier maimed to finish off. He bounds forward and stakes out a position from which he launches himself past the enemy whilst swinging his mace and running back through the darkness. The things he could do with a globe of darkness to run back into all the time like this! His blow connects mid hop as he flashes by this foe, even though he has difficulty seeing in the inky blackness that either Sable or the tiefling had laid down. He was not sure who had done what anymore, but it wasn’t slowing him down any! Wyatt successfully swats the tiefling on the side of his head as he goes by, which produces a decidedly pleasant “thunk” when the blow connects. His foe tumbles to the ground, blood running down the side of his face and his helmet nearly split by the mace’s flange.

“Look at 'dat. Caved your skull in, my bat's still dry. No clumps of hair, nothing!" the hin exclaims.

As the situation goes becomes out of hand, Krytos backs off some more and away from the rothe. Lacking the dexterity or the intelligence to focus on anything but their current foes, Krytos moves away from those rothe. He considers trying to cut one of them down with his sword, but he could not get both of them and the other one would almost certainly bowl him over. Never a slouch in sword fights and aggressive by nature, he falls back instead of going forward burns at him beyond belief! His tail snaps about in frustration. He keeps his wits about him though and summons fourth his own globe of darkness on himself.

Wyatt calls it like he sees it and exclaims "Yeah! Run home and tell your momma you got yo' arse handed to ya by a bunch of cows!"

The first guard clears the stars from his vision, more or less, and scrambles to his feet. With luck, he’d be able to chop down at this walking piece of steak that had battered him so and split its skull with his halberd. It was not to be however, as the rothe drew back its head with alarming speed and snapped it back in the guards direction. A horn connects with the side of the tiefling’s helmet and this head trauma was just too much to resist as it knocks tiefling out cold. The two rothe both move on the fallen guard and try to trample him under foot, but whatever his other problems his plate armor holds out against several powerful kicks from the rothe.

“Hey! They’re playing kick the can!” Wyatt proclaims excitedly.

The fourth guard, now out of immediate range of the of the rothe, scrambles to his feet and draws the halberd high over his head and sends it crashing down into the rothe’s exposed flank. It carves a bloody furrow and cuts through to its hip and its left leg goes limp. The rothe moans and howls in pain. While it stumbles, it stays on its feet but it cannot take another blow like that!

mshady

2009-04-12, 02:09 AM

Round 4:

With her own target on the ground now, Sable finally returns to her heart’s desire.

"Krytos!" Sable calls out as she unlimbers her short bow that Johannes at least had seen wreck a terrible toll in battle the day or so before. "Do ye yield or shall I test my marksmanship on you? We came in peace!” she yells out at him.

Sable motions for the others to hold and concentrates for a moment. She blinks and when her eyelids open again, they are orbs of perfect blackness now. It gives her a very disconcerting look, or would have if the others could see very well in the murk of the blackness. Something certainly happened just now, and her three companions certainly know that.

The bird notices the command to hold as well and lands atop the chest of one of the fallen tieflings. It calmly looks at Krytos, its head tipping left and right in curiosity about what he will do next. The two rothe hold their attack as well, but both turn on the remaining guard. Wyatt exchanges his mace for a tanglefoot bag and Johannes sheathes his sword in exchange for his crossbow.

Krytos says nothing in reply, unwilling to give away his position any more than it is in the inky blackness. Time was on his side. Other patrols must have heard or seen the commotion. The barracks would be turned out. Summoners arrive… The things he’d do to any who survived for… humiliating him like this…

Sable’s short bow twangs, sending a shaft speeding towards Krytos’ shield. It hits the metal faced shield dead center with a clang and snaps into splinters.

“That one was a warning, Krytos! Next one’s aimed for your eye! You yield or not? Don’t think I’ll miss you!, she says. The one remaining guard looks towards Krytos and back at Sable, a bit astonished. The two rothe still stand before him. They breath heavily and watch him, pawing at the ground. A bird sits upon one of their shoulders and watches them with eyes more intelligent than a bird should have. Johannes also looks at Sable with a bit of astonishment.

Again, no reply comes from Krytos and Sable shakes her head. She knocks another arrow and waits, counting down to the expiration of her offer. Her black eyes do not move or blink, she just stares ahead at Krytos. Her bow is half drawn now. The arrow sparkles with green energy; only powerful magic radiated power like that…

Krytos gives into his fury and screams back at Sable.

“Suck fiery demon prick, you little bitch!” he screams and makes a run for the nearest alley. Ready in case he made a run for it, Sable’s face goes red with fury. In a fluid motion, Sable draws her bow back and swings her bow with his motion and sends the green arrow streaking through the darkness with perfect accuracy. It stabs through his armor by his spine and just above his hip, scraping past his spine and piercing bowel. A moment later, the arrow explodes in a fountain of acid and Krytos tumbles to the ground.

As his commander shrieks in pain, the surviving soldier drops his halberd and flees down an alley between two scared adobe buildings. A cheer from the surrounding buildings can be heard. None can really see anything, but they recognize the voice and his condition. The blazing green energy of the arrow illuminates Krytos enough to be recognized. The acid sprays out in all directions around him like a mad alchemist’s fountain for indeed that is what it was. It covers the surrounding area and pours into Krytos himself. He flails about on the ground, paralyzed and being consumed. Sable is unphased by the display and walks towards him with another arrow knocked. She wears a look of grim, lethal determination as she strolls towards her fallen foe…

Sable does 38 pts of damage. The fountainhead arrow is active for 4 rounds.

Flailing about on the ground, Krytos shrieks and howls, his words a babble of desperate, incoherent pain like none he has ever known as the acid pours into his body and pools around him, sizzling at his armor as well. Rolling onto his side, he sees Sable’s deliberate approach. Another one of those terrible arrows glows now. He reaches out to her and screams loudly. As she does, first one rothe and than the other dissolve back into nothingness and the bird takes flight again.

“I yield! Please, I yield! Just save me, please!” he screams and begs. Sable continues her walk towards him, unmoved.

“Umm.. whoa” Wyatt says, watching what was unfolding and a bit fearful of the sudden ruthlessness on display. He copes with that though and cups his hand, yelling at the fallen tiefling. “That’s provid’n you live long enough, goat boy!” he says gleefully.

Standing at the edge of the pool, Sable looks down at Krytos with those coal black eyes, utterly devoid of compassion or mercy now.

“You only get one chance from me..... and I’m nobody’s… bitch” she says with enormous contempt.

Krytos looks up at her as the acid continues to flow and proceeds to die terribly as the acid dissolves him inside and out. Only a crater in the packed soil is left. Sable watches it all wordlessly. Johannes and Wyatt appear behind her a pace and say nothing either. With a satisfied nod, she returns her bow to her sheath and her arrow to her quiver. She strides back towards where the fight began and scoops her gold trade bar out of the ground.

Unexpectedly, she walks over to the guard that had been knocked out by one of the rothe. She takes a healing potion off of the fallen tiefling’s belt and uncorks the tin tube and pours it down his throat. She seems almost gentle about it. As he coughs and eyes flash open, she waggles a finger at him when he tries to reach for a knife on his belt. Bending down, she whispers something in his ear and pats him on the head with a smile on her face.

Looking around, she motions for the others to follow her.

“Time to leave, I think”

The trio high tail it out of town as quickly as they can. Some cheers can be heard from the adobe structures as they pass, heading back out into the wasteland and towards the rocks. Horns blare in town. The sounds of armored soldiers rushing towards the site of the battle can be heard. Even the sounds of several animals can be heard. Something like a horse?

High above, the hawk circles. It is joined by another, smaller bird and they both circle over the group once again. They are already clamoring up the rocky path by the time before soldiers start running out towards them. Over a dozen distant figures can be seen running in their direction as they gain elevation, heading for the ridgeline. It would be a mistake to consider it safety though…

So much for a diplomatic outing and doing things the easy way...

mshady

2009-04-12, 02:28 AM

That concludes the transcript and novelization from thursday night. Alot of fun certainly. That was the kind of progress that'd take us weeks normally... Great job to all involved, especially Nox for showing up and playing Krytos and his goons so will.

I think you will all appreciate just how well later...

I'll focus on the other group over the next couple of days, but the townies are free to post as well of course. I'll respond too. They are being pursued, of course.

Also, I posted my roles on halberds in the OOC thread.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5984880#post5984880

I am going to set up a board on Myth-Weavers as well, I think. I think several more people could have made it if the forums were available and maybe we can use that as a "backup". That way I can keep the chat info posted and you can post there in case of long term outage.

mshady

2009-04-13, 01:33 AM

“There’s an old dwarven saying that applies here, Carmard” Buna says blithely.
“Oh?” Carmard replies, his word drawn out to imply some skepticism.

“I came. I saw. I want to go home” she says with a nervous laugh.

“Such wisdom…” Carmard says, and returns his focus scanning the surroundings.

“Aww, and here I thought you’d say something more profound. Like… truth from the mouth of babes” she says, playfully. Carmard grumbles and turns back to her.

“I think you’re too old to qualify to be a ‘babe’ anymore, Arcanii Buna” he says stiffly.

“Oh! So quick with the insults! Ye do know how to hurt a girl’s feel’ns ye grumpy old forkbeard. Now are ye saying I'm too old or too ugly?” Buna says teasingly. Carmard looks at her and does not seem to understand at first, than looks skyward and sighs heavily. Wisely he does not further engage her in banter.

He rolls the tooth he found in his fingers one last time in a contemplative gesture and tucks it into his satchel and turns to the group. Carmard looks back at the way they came and thinks for a moment and shakes his head. He was not going to chance an ambush in the ravines now that they had been discovered. He gives a signal for everyone to pull out their ranged weapons and another to form into a V shaped formation. A rune etched pistol appears in his hands. It has a curved blade mounted underneath it with the silver gleam of Mithril; dwarven lethal practicality at its finest. After surveying the area as the formation shifts around him, he turns to the group and wiggles his fingers and nods. The signal is clear; magic usage is permitted. Whatever Carmard thought they were about to run into, he was not sharing but it concerned him enough to be willing to cut loose with the group’s arsenal of magic without actual seeing it.

The wedge formation moves slowly into the center of the sandy pit. No sound but the soft clank of plate, swish of chainmail and crunching of sand beneath their feet can be heard. At the center, Carmard orders the group to stop and makes a circular motion, indicating that the group form into a circle. His arms splay wide to indicate it to be a loose circle; you only did that when expecting a foe with abilities that could affect a wide area and want to minimize the damage.

The group holds its circle for a couple of minutes, but the time feels much longer than that. The area is surrounded by bone fragments and bits of shattered armor. Nothing happens though. Carmard removes his helmet and looks around with a frown on his face, than motions Kerik and Gore over. Buna trails him. He talks quietly to the minotaurs for a moment, who seem none too pleased by whatever Carmard is suggesting. After a brief discussion, Carmard hands off his helmet to Buna and Gore hefts Carmard atop Kerik. He places his knees on either of the minotaur’s shoulders to steady himself and produces an ornate looking spy glass. He sweeps around the area, ordering the towering minotaur to pivot at his direction. This goes on for a couple minutes before Carmard asks to be set back down. Kerik grumbles about the matter once again, put Carmard pays him no heed. He takes his helmet back from Buna and returns to his place in the formation. Buna lingers for a moment.

“Ya know Kerik, we should get ye a wittle basket to carry on yer back for next time! You two make such a cute couple!” she says, and wisely steps back from the two hulking minotaurs. They both tense at the barb and Kerik growls. It’s a deep, rumbling growl of warning that Buna pays no heed too.

“Oh, don’t you moo at me! Get on back to your spots, things should be starting soon ye old ox” she says and walks off before the two have a chance to respond verbally or otherwise. Kerik kicks at the ground in frustration…

The waiting continues for another few minutes, but still nothing happens. Buna finally asks an obvious question.

“Ye think we scared it off?” she says.
“No” is Carmard’s minimalist reply.
“So we’re going to what? Pitch camp here and stay the night?”
“No...” he says, with exasperation
“So what are we doing?” Buna asks, her tone a bit impatient.

Carmard does not reply. He just looks around the area again in silence while Buna waits for several minutes, refusing to give up.

“Fine... We’re bait in our own trap” he says quietly. “At first I thought it was a dragon. They’re not patient and take wing when surprised. This is a beast. Predator instinct means it is both territorial and selects the weak in a herd. We nay want to get back into the ravines if it can jump them” he says, as he continues to look around the area. A bit of dust blows behind them.

“So….” Buna says inquisitively, trying to pull more out of her leader.

“I’m waiting for it to answer a question” he says primly. “About a dozen in heavy armor were wiped out here recently. It clearly has a taste for flesh. It will either cut off our escape and attack from behind if it’s truly a man killer, or it will attack from the front to drive us off its territory and run a few of us down for dessert. Its waiting now because it nay wants to cover the distance to get to us. It an ambush hunter, I think. It’s trying to wait us out” Carmard explains calmly.

“Moradin’s beard, your explanations always make me feel so much better!” she says drolly.
“Yet you keep asking?” Carmard says, his tone beyond dry now.
“So what if there’s two?”
“Than we kill both of them?”
“Such an optimist, boss”
“Indeed. I am growing impatient though… Don't call me boss.”“Oh, boss?” Buna says.
“Yes. Watch and learn” he says.
Reaching into his ubiquitous satchel, he pulls out a long whistle carved from bone with a rune etched into it and inlaid with gold.

“If ye could turn yer attention to the way we came in, it would be appreciated. Adjust formation to sorted double line, facing forward.” he says matter- of-factly and waits for the group to form a loose line.

Drawing in a deep breath, be blows hard on the whistle but no noise comes out. He keeps blowing on it several more times until the way they came in erupts in a cloud of dust as something comes scrambling down into it.

“Wait for it…” he says calmly and closes his helmet and stuffs his whistle back in the satchel.

In an explosion of dust and motion, a great beast roars out of the cloud.

"Wait for it..."

Many heads swirl about in an erratic motion atop a lean reptilian frame. They all let out a ferocious roar that sounds terrifying and half crazed.

“Oi, that’s a big one…” Carmard says calmly and lowers his pistol at it. “Hydra! Take off its heads!” he bellows. "Glory to the Forge and unleash hell!"
Hydra Init: 10

Initiative rolls pending, or you can roll your own.

(http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hydra1.jpg)

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8099/hydra1.jpg

[IMG]http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/8099/hydra1.th.jpg (http://img4.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hydra1.jpg)

thorgrim29

2009-04-13, 08:50 AM

Init: 23

With a gasp, Thordrek looks at the throwing hammer he has in hand, puts it back in his bandoleer, and casts a spell. A small bolt of electricity forks it's way towards the hydra, where it buries it it's hide, sizzling. For a moment, a small, blue-white link unites the dwarf and his foe.

(+4 bonus on ray attacks against the Hydra for 7 round)

Casting seeking ray:

Ranged touch attack [roll0]
Damage [roll1]

Katasi

2009-04-13, 04:27 PM

As soon as the hydra appears in sight Arum releases his bolt.

[using the readied action]

Strangie

2009-04-13, 04:37 PM

Meanwhile...

Wyatt races ahead of his two scouting partners if his speed allows it (movement speed of 40'), but doesn't go farther than 80 feet or so ahead of them so they don't lose him while they are moving across more even ground, if there is any.

"Oi... just keep runnin'. Carmard might throw a fit about us causin' all this trouble, but with all those guards chasin' us we can catch them in a spot where they can't get back-up. Plus I'd like to see 'em go toe-to-toe with those minotaur friends of ours. Hah!" Wyatt claims as he keeps up the pace, his head ducked down low as his feet never stop moving underneath him.

"Heh, I'm sure they're gettin' bored of waitin' for us, anyway..."

Understatement of the century.

mshady

2009-04-13, 11:33 PM

OOC: Next live chat game will be this friday at 7 PM EST on MSN. I am on MSN as [email protected].

Be there or be square!

mshady

2009-04-14, 12:31 AM

Initiative Listing

24 – Arman Madero
23 – Thordek Torrun
21 – Magnum Rurik
16 – Carmard Grindstaff
16 – Kerik Many Skulls
15 – Buna Soulhammer
14 – Grathalmor Ironfist
12 – Gore Turrock
10 – Pyrohydra 1
8 – Arum Faer Wed
6 – Kelith Firestorm
4 – Nalrak Ironfist

mshady

2009-04-15, 02:47 AM

If you can make the Friday game, please let me know. If I can't get more than half of the players involved, I'll post pone. In the OOC thread, could you mention what times are good?

Also... I want to get at least one round posted up here before the chat, so please post your opening move. Also, please enjoy the hydra. This should hopefully be a really fun encounter!

I say that without an once of sadism. Of course.

Mike

ArmanMadero

2009-04-15, 11:35 PM

Surprise Round

Arman's mouth dropped a little and he gapped at the monster that came from the mountain side. A Hydra... Wonderful....

Arman walked over to Magnum and quickly cast a spell over him, which suddenly made him disappear. "Folaithe ó amharc fiú dul trí rud."He heard Magnum grunt in confusion, and quicky explained. "You are invisible, even if you attack. Use it to your advantage..."

Arman casts Greater Invisibility on Magnum

Round 1

Arman turned away from Magnum and pointed his finger towards the Hydra, casting his fastest spell upon the many headed monster. "Tintreach!"

Arman casts Lightning on the Hydra

mshady

2009-04-17, 01:53 AM

Surprise Round & Readied Actions…

Arman

Arman's mouth dropped a little and he gapped at the monster that came from the mountain side. A Hydra... Wonderful....

Arman walked over to Magnum and quickly cast a spell over him, which suddenly made him disappear. "Folaithe ó amharc fiú dul trí rud."He heard Magnum grunt in confusion, and quicky explained. "You are invisible, even if you attack. Use it to your advantage..."

Arman casts Greater Invisibility on Magnum

Thordek

With a gasp, Thordek looks at the throwing hammer he has in hand and realizes how inadequate the weapon is for the job. He slips it back in his bandoleer, draws up his focused will and projects a spell at the Hydra as it emerges from the cloud of sand and dust.

A small bolt of electricity forks its way towards the hydra. For a moment, a small, blue-white link unites the dwarf and his foe and Thordek pours the magical electricity through the brief link to scorch the creature. He squints to see what effect the spell has and hopes the creature is not resistant to magic, but it does not occur to him how agile the bulky creature was as it tries to side step the spell and he nearly loses it. Through a bit of skill and a lot of luck, he holds ray on target long enough to complete the spell. If the hydra felt any pain from the wound, it didn’t show as it howled in its freakish, wild voice and charged onwards… He figured it was over two tons of hard charging predator and he didn’t want to be there when it arrived… His eyes glance at Carmard and Buna, who stand squarely in its way. The two minotaurs are behind them and he wonders what the cagey Arcanii is planning…

Thordek does 18 pt to the Hydra

Magnum

Seeing the hydra emerge from the cloud of dust and dirt, Magnum’s heart jumps into his throat and he says a quick prayer to Clangeddin to get him through this. He knew very little about what a hydra was. It was said they were multi-headed dragon, but were mere beasts who only died when they lost all of their heads. Considering the size of the hydra and difficulty of hitting it with his small stature, Magnum decides the best way to fight it was with a similar size. Magnum focuses for a moment and feels himself growing bigger and larger as his spell enlarges him and all of his equipment. A giant dwarf might be an oxymoron to some, but it was a very effective way to counter larger opponents, even if it made him clumsier… That he was so massive and veiled as he was by the elf filled him with confidence…

Carmard

His pistol leveled at the distant but charging hydra, Carmard adjusts his aim slightly to compensate for the range and shaking ground caused by the thundering beast. The finely crafted pistol clicks as the hammer strikes the firing cap and a moment later the pistol answers with an ear splitting “bang”. A cloud of white smoke and flame erupts out of the barrel and a ball of lead streaks towards the hydra and tears a bloody hole the size of an apple out of its thigh. The hydra keeps thundering onward, but the bullet’s impact causes it to stumble.

“Turrocks! Throw your axes and charge when I clear out!” Carmard yells. Kerik nods in reply, not that Carmard sees it. He seems to know what Carmard has planned though… Carmard withdraws his fearsome throwing hammer from his belt now and glares at the onrushing hydra and stands his ground with serene defiance...

Carmard does 11 pts to the Hydra

Kerik Many-Skulls

Whatever he lacked in grace, the minotaur made up for in strength. With a throwing axe in his hand the size of anyone else’s battleaxe, he chambers and throws the axe right at the onrushing hydra in a near perfect throw. The range being what it was though, the axe does not quite make it and it bounces off the ground and up right between the hydra’s heads and into the sandy cliff behind the hydra. With a grunt of disgust, Kerik paws at the ground and squares his shoulders…

Buna

Click. Bang. Smoke and fire again! Another bullet streaks out towards the charging hydra. It’s such a big target, Buna can hardly miss... yet somehow does. A furrow of sand explodes out of the ground well short of the hydra. She doesn’t believe it at first and growls in anger. She gives the pistol a whack and unburned smokepowder pours out if it!

“Damned gnomish powder!” she snarls and jams it back into her belt as she moves to the left. Her blackened urgosh appears in her hand now...

Grathalmor Ironfist

The veteran Forgemark had seen his share of battles here and with his original clan, but never came to grips with a hydra before. With his shield leaned against his body, Grathalmor holds a pistol in each hand. He didn’t trust the noisy weapons and they smelled like dragon breath, but he knew they could punch holes in plate armor when nothing else could at range and that was good enough for him. He steadies his aim and fires at the center mass of the roaring hydra. First one pistol than the other fires and his vision is obscured by smoke and terrible smell of the power. He waves his hand through the air to see again and coughs, trying to see if he hit his mark. A bright red hole oozes blood at the bottom of one of the hydra’s necks. He grunts in satisfaction and tosses his pistols clear of the immediate area without regard to having to clean them later. He snatches up his shield and urgosh and prepares for what comes next…

Grathalmor does 9 pts to the Hydra…

Gore

The younger minotaur draws back and throws his own axe. It goes whistling over Carmard’s head, but the Arcanii pays it no mind and Gore didn’t care if he did. The axe lands short of the hydra as well, but bounces right this time and chops into the hydra’s belly. Blood pours from the wound as the axe quickly bounces out, leaving a small river of fluid trailing the creature…

Gore does 11 pts to the Hydra…

Pyrohydra

The hydra feels the sting of its enemies as it rushes towards them. Having already taken enough damage to stagger most creatures, it rumbles onwards bellowing at its foes. Its heads whip about and snap at the air, eager to tear these trespasses asunder. Its wounds quickly stop bleeding and the rapidly coagulating blood is practically transmuted into flesh and hard scale again, if a bit shinier than the rest of the hydra.

For all the damage it’s just taken, it has already regenerated most of it…

Arum

Sitting atop his stationary badger, a small feat in and of itself, Arum felt ready for anything except what came rushing in at them. He takes a moment to steady his nerves and swing his finely made crossbow with the hydra. With a click and a metallic clank the crossbow bolt reaches out towards the fast moving hydra and buries itself in its ribs. Arum frowns when he can see that the fins are still visible, a sign that the lung shot he lined up was more annoyance than mortal…

Arum does 5 pts of damage to the Hydra

Kelith

Kelith curses in surprise and terror at just how large the onrushing creature is, Kelith calls up a Shield of Faith spell to better protect him from those awful, snapping mouths on this multi-headed dragon. Could it get any worse than this? He is filled with a feeling of warmth as the familiar spell sheathes him, giving him a small measure of protection. If this thing had cooked or burned its previous foes and today’s kill, it must be a fire breathing beast and blessed by Kossuth he reasoned; marvelous but something he would prefer to admire from afar… No, this is a test like when I was an initiate. To touch the fires and be unharmed, to be so pure of faith even the cleansing fires could find nothing to purge. How hot was his test today going to be?

Nalrak

The lumbering Talhund of Dumathion held his enormous haul in one hand, its butt braced against the sandy soil and grunted at the sudden appearance of the Hydra.

“Oi, tales will be sung back home ‘bout this one!” he reasons. To his side, his faithful cousin hammers at the hydra with not one but both pistols, scoring once. Nalrak in turn levels his own pistol at the charging hydra, its bulk already filling his visor. With a click and the bang-boom of the pistol firing, a cloud of white smoke again erupts that is beginning to blanket the area. His bulky armor makes it difficult to move about fluidly, so pulling a trigger with your hand encased in a gauntlet of metal was always more luck than skill to him. Indeed, he did jerk the trigger too hard of the little “toy” and it didn’t go anywhere near where he intended. Smoke streams out of the where the blasting cap and hammer were as well and he looks at it curiously. It seems undamaged, but the gun wasn’t supposed to do that, was it?

mshady

2009-04-17, 11:08 AM

Hey everyone, just wanted to confirm that we will be doing an MSN chat at 8:00 PM US EST (-5 GMT). My email address on there is [email protected], so please add me so I can add you to the chat. We'll be resolving the hydra fight with whomever shows (well, unless no one does...).

Look forward to seeing everyone!

Mike

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-04-18, 12:16 PM

Kelith
HP: 70/70
AC: 26

Kelith curses under his breath as he sees the hydra come crashing down the ravine. "Guess it's too late to pull out now. We're in this for the long run."

He immediately starts to chant and as he does his body becomes larger, his nails grow almost into claws, and a hint of fangs can be seen from the smirk on his face. {{casting Animalistic Power, +2 Str/Dex/Con}}

Spells Cast
!st: 1
2nd: 1

{{I went ahead and changed my sheet, just to give you a heads up.}}

mshady

2009-04-19, 03:25 AM

Arman Madero

“Tintreach!” Arman says as he snaps the familiar word off, completing the increasingly powerful spell. His body feels alive, tingling with energy and just as it is about to overwhelm him, he lets the spell go. It leaves him feeling numb, even ill for a moment. Something about this Plane just did not… agree with him.

Arman’s lightning bolt streaks across the distance, low to the ground and aimed at the center of the Hydra’s chest. It’s passage kicks up a spray of dust as it rips through the air with an ear splitting crackle. He can hardly miss either, and the bolt strikes exactly where he intends. It jolts and burns the creature badly, blowing off scale and bits of sizzling flesh…

Arman’s Lightning Bolt does 30 pts

Thordek

The casts animalistic power on himself from his wand. His muscles bulge, his nails grow out and his beard grows shaggy as he is imbued with the spirit of the animal. However strong and fierce this Hydra might be, Thordek was a Levtokuld and intended to fight it up close and personal…

Magnum

Summoning the strength of Clangeddin, Magnum further bolsters himself with divine wrath. His muscles bulge with terrifying strength. His body takes on a slightly silver sheen to it as well from the blessing, not that anyone else can see it but him under the invisibility…

Carmard

Watching the onrushing hydra, Carmard stuffs his pistol back into his belt holster and looks steadily at the monster. Taking another small rune in hand, he goes through the motions of a spell and burns the rune stone bare of energy. Dust roils around his feet and his worn cloak flutters as the spell takes effect and the Arcanii rises high into the air and beyond the Hydra’s reach. Like many senior Arcanii, he prefers to fight from the wing to project spells across the battlefield. It did clear the way for the minotaurs charge as they hydra drew closer.

Kerik

As Carmard clears out of the way, Kerik roars and launches himself into a charge against the hydra now rushing directly at him. That the hydra was five times the minotaur’s own weight hardly seems to deter him. Kerik rushes in with his head low. His two armored horns and the lethal spike atop his helmet are aimed at the center of the hydra’s mass.

“Tempus!” he roar and closes with the minotaur. The hydra slows and snaps at Kerik once, than twice with its enormous jaws. One strikes the minotaur on the shoulder and gets nothing but a mouthful of teeth chipping steel. The second strikes around the minotaur’s neck and its teeth find a weak spot in the armor, finding flesh and drawing significant blood.

None of this phases the minotaur as he squares his shoulders and straightens his neck as he connects with the hydra with a boom and a crack. The two horns and the longer spike atop the minotaur’s helmet dig deep into the hydra, deep into its chest. The hydra’s necks shoot out straight from the impact as the minotaur stops the hydra’s charge, staggering it. All eyes are on Kerik after the impact, hoping his bold charge did not break the minotaur’s neck. Indeed, he does go slack after the impact and is perhaps momentarily unconscious. He drops to his knees as the last of the hydra’s momentum pushes him forward before he awakes and plants his feet into the ground, stopping it cold. With a pained roar, he yanks his horns and spike free of the hydra’s pulverized flesh that causes the creature to shriek in pain once again. The minotaur takes a step back and rises with his wicked sharp Greataxe in his hands. He starts swinging the axe to build momentum for his strike as all twelve of the hydra’s heads loom over him… Kerik looks up at them bravely and… laughs.

Laughs?

The hydra’s mouths glow red and smoke begins billowing from them as fire boils from its insides. Molten saliva sizzles as it hits the ground or scalds Kerik’s plate armor. Blood pours from the hydra’s massive chest, gushing out in time with its pulse…

The Hydra does 15 pts to Kerik on his Attack of Opportunity. Kerik gores the Hydra for a total of 28 points of damage and stops its run.

Buna

The junior Arcanii may not be as powerful as Carmard, but she believed in preparing for the worst in open country like this. As smoke coils from the hydra’s heads, she gets the drift of what the hydra is about to do to the minotaur and knows there is no way he could survive the fury of all twelve of the hydra’s heads engulfing him in a flame that would put even the largest red dragon to shame. She reaches into her spell component pouch and withdraws a chain of rings and proffers them.

“Starterklappe!” Buna snarls and tosses the miniature rings into the air as the rings separate and blow with blue flame. The rings streak towards the hydra’s necks and separate. They enlarge to a size big enough to throttle the hydra and prevent it from breathing the terrible fire that was coming. So much depended on the spell she forgot to breath as she watched the effect. The hydra roars and its necks flail wildly, whipping about with savage fury as the rings bite into its necks… and then they shatter in sprays of blue force energy. Designed to stop things like dragons cold, she knew the spell’s effects well but that was only against creatures with one neck. The spell apparently lacked the strength separately to choke off the hydra…

“No!” she cries out. “No! No! Nooo!” Her voice is frantic. She knew what would come next… and she was standing too close. Buna quickly raises her shield to cover her face and tries to turn her back to the hydra and gain whatever small measure of protection she can from her thick cloak...

Grathalmor

“The legion always holds” Grathalmor reminds himself, thinking back to the words of the leader of the Forgemark, the fierce Barakas of the Jilker Clan. Indeed, that is what Grathalmor decided to do as the Hydra is stopped cold right in front of him but the… simply mad charge by the first minotaur. Shield held to the front, he slams the shield against the hydra’s thickly muscled leg and leans all his weight into it to help prevent it from surging forward once again. He hopes his bravery will bolster his allies who seen him. Grathalmor takes a swing at the hydra’s flank, his urgosh biting deep into its side and cracking the ribs below it as the hydra passes him (Attack of Opportunity – it worked out in chat due to delayed actions and such I don’t recall..)

“The Legion always holds!” he roars. “We hold the line! We die on the line!” Grathalmor finishes. His voice can be heard over the chaos of the roaring hydra by all on the battlefield as he projects his voice with near supernatural clarity through it all.

Grathalmor stands his ground and uses the Bolstering Voice martial maneuver. His allies receive a +2 Will Save and +4 v. Fear..

Gore

With the hydra stopped cold by Kerik, Gore lowers his own massive head and sends himself hurtling towards the stalled hydra. He roars and calls out to Tempus as he does so, the god of war and his tribe’s adoptive patron. Gore’s charge is successful to, as he spears the hydra with his horns. The impact stings the minotaur badly as well, for it feels as if he just charged into a stone wall. Gathering his wits after a moment, he yanks his blood soaked horns and now-bent head spike free of the hydra. His blow lanced through the hydra’s shoulder blades, punching right through the bone. The hydra’s left front leg buckles, but it can still support itself on its other three feet… It was, however, still very much alive despite the buckets of blood pouring from its wounds. It draws in a deep breath and Gore looks up as the heads loom over him and the mouths all glow a furious red…

“Frak…”

Gore does a total of 15 pts to the Hydra

Pyrohydra 1:

“Thusly did the maws of Hell itself open upon them all and they all looked upon a nightmare..”

Still very much alive but enraged at its wounds, the hydra sets about unleashing an inferno not of simply fire but a torrent of combustible bile from deep inside its body. Of the twelve heads, four each cover a wedge of area in front of it instead of unloading everything on the enormous minotaurs or stepping back to create overlapping arcs of fire in its rage. It is perhaps the only thing that saved the minotaurs from certain death, as well as Nalrak and Grathalmor.

Each head sprays a blast of bile at the group in front of it that ignites the moment it hits the air. The spray of fire is a blast of clinging flame that goes out as far as 20 feet from each head. Four of the dwarfs and both minotaurs are enveloped in flame, disappearing in a cloud of stinking, clinging fire. When the flames clear, the victims of the furious fire still stand but strings of bile still burn on them, soaking through gaps and tears in their armor to sting their flesh directly. Beards and clothing smolders and all scream in pain from the hideous burns they have just received. Kerik seems to have taken the worst of it and screams out in pain. The minotaur is still covered in the clinging bile as it smolders on his armor and drips through the gaps in his armor.

Smoke continues to pour from the hydra’s mouth and flaming saliva and bile drip from its slobbering mouths. It looked ready to repeat the blast of flame quite quickly…

Grathalmor: Makes 2 of 4 Reflex saves, takes 30 pts of damage.
Gore: Makes 1 of 4 Reflex saves, takes 35 pts of damage
Thordek: Makes 0 of 4 Reflex saves, takes 46 pts of damage, but splits the damage with Kelith so only takes 23 pts. Kelith’s resistance to fire allows him to shrug off the blast.
Buna: Makes 2 of 4 Reflex saves, takes 24 damage.
Kerik: Makes 0 of 4 Reflex Save 0/4 – Takes 50 pts.
Magnum: Makes 1 of 4 Reflex saves, takes 41 pts.

Arum-Faer-Wed

Distant from the battle as he kept to the flanks of the battle, Arum watches most of his friends and comrades disappear in a flash of terrible fire. He breathed a sigh of tremulous relief that they all still stood, but they were all blackened and burning yet from the blasts. Without any quick options at this range to harm the hydra, the gnome debates on lowering his lance and charging in to drive the iron tipped lumber through its heart but decided the measure was gallant, but more brave than wise. He settles on a reliable stand by and conjures up missiles of blue incandescent force and sends them streaking at the hydra’s already gimped left front leg, hoping to inflict even more pain on the horrific creature. The missiles strike the creature hard and it yelps with pain as flesh and bone are pulverized under the hammer blows of each missile. Scales fly off the creature’s already savaged side and Arum grins with feral glee.

Arum casts magic missiles, does 12 damage.

Kelith

DM Note: In chat, the player assigned to Kelith decided a better option was to have used Shield Other on Thordek at the start of combat as he was the party’s primary fighter, outside of the minotaurs. This change saved Thordek a lot of damage. Worse luck on reflex saves and the fire damage, combined with later damage, could have downed the PC. Sorry…

It was hard for a priest of Kossuth to not to watch the creature as each of its twelve heads became torches, blasting all in front of it with purifying flame and consider the hydra a magnificent beast, blessed by Kossuth’s flame. While he felt some admiration and the burn of its fires from afar as the fires burned Thordek so badly, it reminded him that his role was to protect others from the fires as well.

His eyes dart around the group that the hydra just blasted and he sees that Kerik is clearly the most hurt of the group. Kelith rushes within range and casts a spell to protect him from the divine fires of the hydra, but now he is close enough to be within reach of its jaws. Each mouth was a forest of sharp teeth, perfect for shredding flesh and there were twelve of them. Whatever else he thought about the hydra, he had no wish to be the target of those teeth…

Kelith’s working causes Kerik to glow a faint blue as the spell takes hold. The still flaming strings of bile that cover the minotaur and burn at him are extinguished by the spell. Kelith does not even receive a grunt of acknowledgement or thanks until he realizes that the minotaur is not just screaming in pain from the terrible burns but working himself up into one of his furious rages.

He seen what that minotaur could do in a rage and almost felt pity for the hydra, and jealousy that the big bull might fell it before he could even enter the fray. When the minotaur started swinging that axe, heads fell quickly. That the hydra had twelve of them would not matter for long, he figured…

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-04-19, 03:59 PM

Kelith
HP: 63/63
AC: 25

Now that he's face to face with the beast Kelith steps {{5-ft}} to the side trying to spread himself out from the rest of the group around him, before bringing his spiked chain around aiming to wrap it around the nearest neck of the hydra; thus shearing it off (at best).

[roll0]
[roll1]
{{If I remember correctly, the chain should also have a flame enchantment on it? Not that it might matter.}}
[roll2]

Spells Cast
1st: 1
2nd: 1

{{No problem for last round, glad to be of saving assistance; looks better on my resume ;)}}

mshady

2009-04-20, 09:57 PM

Round 2

Arman Madero

The elf mage watches in horror at the devastation the hydra just caused and is momentarily frozen in inaction. One more blast, and it could kill most of the group and then it would be his turn. He had to do something, and now. Arman reaches for a scroll tube and flips it open. He fumbles for the right scroll and snaps it open with a flick of his wrist and faces the hydra, smoke billowing from its many mouths. Arman launches into his chant and first the writing on the scroll and then the scroll itself combust to ash as he draws its power into his mind and gestures at the hydra. There is little visual trace of the spell, but Arman feels a connection with the creatures mind… except it seems to have several. It is almost like a hive mind of some kind. Whatever it is, it proves to be unexpectedly slippery as he tries to capture its minds with his spell and hold the beast for however long he can. The mental connection snaps and the energy recoils back at. For a moment, it feels like hot pincers are being driven into his skull as the spell fails.

What happened?

Arman casts another Hold Monster scroll at the hydra, but the hydra successfully resists the spell.

Thordek

His beard still smoking and his burns a torture, Thordek pushes that all aside and charges in at the hydra. The monster sees Thordek charging in and swings two of its head at him and lunges at him. Thordek raises his shield and blocks the first strike, but it leaves his arm stinging. The second strike comes high and arcs down right at Thordek’s head. The hydra’s mouth engulfs his helmet and its front row of teeth reach past it and bite into his neck. With a secure grip on Thordek, it shakes, yanks and pulls, trying to wrench his head off with tremendous force. With one last hard pull, there is a snap and the hydra pulls free. Instead of Thordek’s head though, it is only his helmet in the hydra’s mouth. Furious, it spits the helmet out. For his part, Thordek’s head and neck are red with blood from a serious wound. Nonetheless, he continues his charge and swings his axe. With his reduced momentum though, the wound is shallower than he hoped at first until he realizes the axe cut between the hydra’s ribs this time and is into the hydra’s chest cavity. The beast bucks and roars with pain as blood froths from some of its mouths. None the less, he feels in worse shape than the hydra as he becomes dizzy from his wounds…

Thordek takes a 17 hp strike from the hydra. He does 8 pts damage is return

Magnum

A hulking engine of destruction now, Thordek stomps forward at the hydra and swings with all the force he can muster. He aims for one of the hydra’s necks but misses. Instead, his waraxe cleaves between two of the necks and splits the hydra’s shoulder. The blow cuts through sheets of thick muscles before it explodes with a chilling cold that makes the hydra scream in pain. He pulls the axe out, not without some difficulty, and swings again but the hydra slams a neck into Magnum’s arm and his strike is ruined. Probably more accidental than intentional, his second strike’s momentum is ruined.

Magnum does 22 pts of damage with his first blow, his second misses however.

Carmard

Now sixty feet above the ground, the Arcanii could nonetheless feel the heat from the hydra’s blasts but it more stung him than hurt him. With the scene below a chaos, there is little commanding for him to do and as most of his magic is fire based like Buna’s, he has few options but the one he has is potentially effective.

“Entkräften!” Carmard says as he his finishes the spell. A black ray of withering energy leaps from his finger tips and strikes the Hydra square on the back. The beast glows with a sickly grey for a moment, but there seems to be no effect at first. After a couple seconds pass though, the writhing heads of the hydra slow and its remaining front leg lowers, unable to bear all the weight of the maimed foot on the other side.

Carmard casts Ray of Enfeeblement and does -6 Str.

Kerik Many Skulls

Burned, blistered and bleeding from serious wounds already, Kerik barely notices Kelith’s spell. Not does he notice much of all, actually. The minotaur now goes well and truly berserk now! With an overhand blow from his axe, he strikes at the same wound that Magnum caused, chopping away large chunks of flesh and leaving two of the hydra’s heads flopping on the ground and snapping at his feet. The next blow comes in from the side, amputating the hydra’s right leg and dropping the creature on its chest in a sudden shock. The last blow proves fatal as he opens the hydra’s belly with his axe. Blood and gore pour from the wound and the monster rolls on its side and flails desperately. Kerik attacks again, this time driving his spiked gauntlets deep into the hydra’s chest. No one else but he can see the particulars, but hydra roars weakly one last time and its necks go limp. Whatever regenerative abilities the hydra had, without enough blood to stay alive or use to regenerate it is a moot point.

Kerik killed the hydra, dealing a total of 90+ damage to it in one round, most quite redundant…

mshady

2009-04-21, 01:59 AM

Post Combat

Still berserk from pain and rage, Kerik keeps swinging at the hydra with his Greataxe until his fury wanes and his chest heaves with exhaustion. Everyone, even his fellow minotaur, has given the old bull plenty of room in case his blind fury As if just realizing the terrible creature is finally dead, he stands up to his full height and raises his blood axe high and gives a long, victorious roar that echoes through the ravines. He gives the hydra one last vicious kick with his hoof and limps away and sits on the ground. Kerik is quite a sight by now. His armor, equipment and axe are all splashed in blood or blackened with soot. The fire even seems to have warped some of his armor. The bull waves Gore over and the two begin carefully removing the blackened and bloody armor, as well as the remains of the arming jacket below it. Kerik does not look like he is in good shape at all, and he growls in pain from every moment. Patches of hair are burned off on his arms and face from where the hydra’s bile seeped through the joints or the hot metal blistered him. His actual neck wounds are wrapped in rough bandages by Gore, but they quickly soak through until Kerik downs a potion and Gore passes him another healing potion.

Having returned to the ground, Carmard watches that scene and frowns slightly but is more concerned about his dwarves. He looks everyone over and orders everyone who was burned by the hydra out of their armor to clean it up and get some healing. He expressly asks everyone to not use all of their restorative magicks for now outside of helping the badly wounded Thordek, to conserve their spells for later. As things are sorted out, attention returns to the Hydra.

Magnum and Arman Madero are over by the fallen hydra, being through about matters. With his new ice steel axe, Magnum severs each neck and leaves a short stump than presses the axe against the wound until it freezes over. With twelve separate heads, it takes awhile to stretch the necks out and chop them off and its bloody work. Not that Magnum seems to mind. Arman more or less watches in case the thing suddenly leaps to life again; all things considered, not an unreasonable precaution.

" Well... I think that we should head back. There is nothing else here that I can see." Arman says, after he and Magnum finish their butchers work. He bends down and gathers a few scales from the carcass, as well as filling a couple of empty potion tubes with the hydra’s blood. Arum has made his way over and has done the same, along with using a set of pliers to yank some of the teeth out. Buna has joined him, after downing a restorative potion to take the edge off her own wounds. She runs a knife under the scales and pops them off with Arum’s assistance as they throw them by the pound into their handy haversacks. Carmard watches all that with mild disdain as the gnome and dwarf somehow produce a bone saw between the two of them and start taking off a rib, but he says nothing.

Carmard looks to other tasks instead. With the assistance of his two guards, Nalrak and Grathalmor, he ascends the sides of the steep ravine and looks around the area carefully with his spy glass. He takes a few minutes doing this, sweeping the area several times. He has a worn and weary look on his face as he does so. Satisfied there is no more to see, he slides back down and walks back over to the group.

“I see nothing else out there. Nothing moving around us. Not that I can see. Shards, not that ye CAN see. Bah!” he says with disgust and a worried, almost agitated look on his face. “We’ll be lucky if we nay drew attention o’somethin’ else though, or put the town on guard” he says, shaking his head.

Buna is standing close enough to Carmard to hear him and looks up from her bloody work with a smile.

“Ye figure they’ll want to see this thing down in that there town? Grab a head or two and hope fer gratitude, eh?” she says cheerfully. Carmard looks at the hydra in thought and, typically, says nothing for an uncomfortable period of time as he rubs his chin thoughtfully.

"Perhaps" he says. "What does the head of a hydra prove 'hen they can grow some more?"

"Figure if it ain't eatin anybody it's dead right?" Buna replies, a bit confused.

“No" Carmard says patiently. "A hydra’s head proves nothing. They just grow more. They’d need to see um… more of it. Something recognizable” he says and looks at the remains of the hydra with a frown. There’s a lot of hydra there. Arman has left the side of the hydra’s carcass, his nose outraged at the smell of the fallen creature and dabs away flecks of blood with water from his canteen.

"Hopefully Sable was able to find out what’s going on” the elf says. He looks around, noting the bleak landscape aside from the mountains and drumlins with a worried frown on his face. "I certainly don't want to be here much longer..."

The group discusses what do with the hydra’s carcass and hopefully get some benefit out of this unnecessary expedition. Arman suggests taking an organ that could not be regenerated, but Buna and Carmard dismiss that on not being sure if it truly could and not counting on whomever controlled Way Ward to be that familiar with hydra’s anatomy. The heart was out of the question certainly, Kerik had all but ripped it out with his fist, but at least that finally managed to kill it. Someone else suggests having the minotaurs drag at least part of the carcass back, but before Carmard can shoot down that idea the minotaurs reply angrily at that suggestion and put an end to that discussion.

“Oi! An idea!” Arum declares enthusiastically. “There’s a road down that cliff that leads to town, right? Let’s just roll the big stuff down the hill and toss the small bits. Someone’ll notice that, ‘m sure”

Carmard thinks that over for a long moment and everyone waits with varying degrees of patience to come to a conclusion on that idea before he shakes his head.

“Do it” he says firmly. “Quickly though. Get the minotaurs to help ye the grunt work. If yer done butcher’n it, o’course” Carmard says, the last part a bit sourly. Both Buna and Arum grin in reply and set to work, gathering the others and coaxing the minotaurs to help out. Arman lingers a moment, however. He gathers up another couple of loose scales on the ground and puts them into a pouch.

“These could be good for some spells” he says, and offers Carmard some of the scales. The Arcanii looks at the thick scales a bit skeptically and takes them, putting them into his ubiquitous “satchel of many things” he always carries. “Helps to get rid of the evidence” Arman says quietly. “Hopefully that… thing did not have a mate…”

“Yes… a mate. A wise thought. One I had not considered” Carmard says with a sigh. More problems. He runs his hand over his face and it comes back wet from sweat and humidity. Without another word, Carmard walks over and starts helping the others with the carcass. Disposing of over two tons of hydra takes the part the better part of half an hour of hard, largely silent work. Buna especially seems to go at the task with merry abandon, her urgosh chopping away with a steady, wet, twack with each blow.

Not strong enough to be of much assistance, Arum scavenges the bodies of the fallen that lay strewn across the little valley, looking for valuables or any useful information for the group. He manages to find a few things too.

With the task complete, the group stands and looks over the cliff. A couple hundred feet below, the carcass and fragments thereof lay along the roadside.

“So” Thordek says. “We went. We saw. We killed a monster. Now how about we go on with the rest o’our mission?”

“Aye” Arman says in agreement.

“No offense Carmard, but I thought we were supposed to watch out for Johannes and his group? Hopefully they don’t think that anything bad happened to us, or that we left them”

Carmard looks over Arman now. His face is an impassive mask and his eyes unreadable. It makes Arman more uncomfortable than he already was in disagreeing with the senior Arcanii. This was not Tolrin he was speaking to, but a Patriarchate officer of high rank who knew him only a little bit, not necessarily a friend.

“Yes...” Carmard says quietly. He does not appear happy about being reminded of the potential error “We should have stayed closer to our position for Johannes. Without the minotaurs, lives would’ve been lost here. As I am aware. I can see why it wiped out the last group who came here so handedly” he says, a bit thoughtful at that. Arman breathes a sigh of relief.

Buna looks up from her own musings at the cliff’s edge, looking down at the monster’s corpse.

"Aye, we meet up with'em. No tellin' what trouble they get into if we're not there. Those three don't need any help finding it, for sure!" she says.

“Indeed” Carmard says with a weary drawl. “Any o’ye have a sending spell prepared?” Carmard asks the group. There is no immediate reply.

“I know a message spell. But it can only do 25 words and... ” the elf says.

“No, won’t work” Carmard says dismissively. That burns Arman a bit, but he realizes after a moment the dwarf may be right and it did not seem personal.

“I can cast the Sending spell, if you need” Kelith volunteers. Carmard nods and walks over to him and the two consult on what to send the other party. After a minute, the two come to an agreement and Kelith begins casting the spell and quietly saying the words as they are carried away to Johannes. After a minute, Kelith relates a reply back to Carmard.

“Time to leave” Carmard declares quickly. “Arum, keep yer familiar overhead to guide us through this damnable maze. We need to make good time back to our scouts. Things nay went well in town” he says. Carmard seems flustered at that part, his eyes intense.

Katasi

2009-04-21, 02:16 AM

Arum nods at Carmard's suggestion. "He's doing recon above us as we speak." He pauses for a bit. "Say, would any of you know enough about hyrda anatomy to know whether this is a male or a female hydra? Also would any of you complain if I keep one of it's heads?"

mshady

2009-04-22, 12:59 AM

Place holder for response to Arum

mshady

2009-04-22, 01:06 AM

Returning...

Carmard’s group takes the better part of two tense hours to make it back to the rendezvous. The group stops periodically and someone climbs up the ravine wall to look for any kind of pursuit. The prospect that the creature may have had a mate is worrisome, and the prospect of being surprised by another one in even that same size category is a serious concern. Most still nurse painful wounds; that combined with the dust and sand makes it a miserable trip for most. In Thordek’s case, as injured as the Levtokuld was, Kelith uses a powerful curative to take away much of the pain but he’s far from fully healed. He does drink a potion however, and that effectively cures his ills. Buna distributes a few herb soaked poultices to the worst burn victims. Her nimble hands adjust the bandages that Kerik wears and add a couple to Gore as well. Both walk without their armor on. Chaffing metal armor and blisters are a poor combination…

Eventually they return to the original observation point and see Wyatt, Sable and Johannes not far from it. They are each hunkered down in half dug slit trenches and covered with dust, having dug them with their hands or weapons no doubt. Boulders sit in front of their position. Sable and Wyatt occasionally peek around the boulder at the path below them, while Johannes fidgets with his complicated crossbow and brushes dust off it from time to time. Sable is tense and watches the approach intently; Wyatt seems much more lackadaisical.

On path leading up the embankment from the town now lays four bodies, each feathered with multiple arrows; mostly from Sable but some from Wyatt. It looks like Johannes hit one as well. There are blood trails and drag mark where the wounded were dragged off. This would have been the pursuit that came after the scouting party as they fled the town. The town itself is abuzz with activity. Dozens and dozens of red-armored soldiers scramble about. A quarter of catapults, flanked by two repeating ballista, sit at the edge of town. They are being cranked back into position and stones prepared to be loaded. Barrels of flaming oil are being moved in by carts as well. At second glance, a goodly number of stones that little the area actually scattered catapult shots.

Johannes, tasked with “guarding the rear”, is the first to notice the main party’s approach. He stands up out of his hastily dug hole like an inquisitive gopher. The dwarf waves to the approaching party but does not move out from cover to greet them. Carmard approaches the position without changing his stride, simply walking up to the entrenched trio and nodding. He looks down at the town below and frowns deeply. Arman and Buna join his side.

“Interesting” Carmard muses. “The natives nay seem as friendly as we hoped?” he asks rhetorically.

“By Mystra, What happened?" Arman looks in dismay at the Chaos that was in the town below. Wyatt has his short bow out, his buckler still strapped to his left wrist.

“Um, dat's a funny story there, y'know?" Wyatt says sheepishly.

Johannes nods "Aye, ye could say that. I think Sable 'ere could explain best, Carmard... err, sir. Oh yeah, they brought out their catapults and ‘ave been ranging us. Taking their time ‘bout it."

Sable shoots a dirty glance at Johannes before looking at Carmard with a pained expression. Carmard nods and says nothing for a moment. He sighs heavily however and Sable begins to heatedly interject, but he holds up his hand before Sable can speak in her defense.

"Wait, please" Carmard says tonelessly. He walks towards the path and watches the area below with his spy glass and says little. He watches for a few moments and returns back to the group. His mouth twitches in worry lines as he seems to examine several things closely. Finally, he returns to cover and speaks.

“Alright you three…” Carmard says with a slight frown. “What happened in Way Ward?”

Sable rubs the bridge of her nose and cleans a bit of sand from her eye with annoyance.

"Well, those guys in red armor are holding the portal. There's no more than a hundred of them, but the group is split because they have to keep patrols out to keep this beast up in the hills out of the town. No less than fifty, either” she says, her words coming out fast. Thordek snorts at her remark and shakes his head, which draws an annoyed look from Sable.

"Umm, what beast?" Buna says, cringing. Sable continues however, ignoring Buna’s question.

"They killed their employers and took control of the portal. Most of them have halberds, they look like mostly half demons or tieflings. Johannes might know what kind. I was just the guard.” she says, and shoots Johannes a dirty look but makes no mention of the monster. Johannes cringes a bit.

“Um, uh…We only seen tieflings. Others maybe? They um, didn't line up for head count” Johannes stutters out, not quite prepared for the question.

“They also have really soft skulls, apparently!” Wyatt says with joyful sarcasm. Carmard shifts his gaze to the halfing, like a ballista slewing to a new target.

"Soft skulls?" Carmard says quietly "That's relevant how?" he says, his tone icy.

"We had to beat the crap outta 'em!" Wyatt declares brightly. "They were gonna rob us and take us prisoner and all that. There ain't no way through this now but brute force, I think." Wyatt says flippantly and with enthusiasm. It does not endear him to Carmard at all. Suddenly, all eyes turn to Johannes as he starts waving his hands about frantically.

"I see" is Carmard's only reply. Wyatt fidgets uncomfortably.

"Incoming!" Johannes screams and most of the group goes diving for cover. A catapult stone comes tumbling into the position and kicks up a big pile of dust before rolling back down the hill.

"Bunch of annoying..." Sable begins to say as the stone lands with a thump and she is covered in a cloud of dust that leaves her in a coughing fit. Two more come in higher, landing to the right and left of the group by a wide margin. The fourth drops more towards the center of the bracket, amongst the group but hits no one. Gore strides forward and takes that stone and throws it down the cliff. It bounces and thumps all the way down. He grunts with satisfaction and returns to his place.

"They're getting their range. Whatever we decide, it should be soon!” Arman says, almost pleading for expedience.

"Give me that scroll of cloudkill and I'll finish this for them! If you all want to, just back out of range and I'll give them something to worry about." Sable snarls, her tone bloody and heated. She looks at Carmard, a fierce look in her eyes. He shakes his head slightly and earns a petulant frown in reply.

“Aye Carmard, that was probably a ranging shot… err, rock? We should switch positions ‘t the least” Thordek asserts.

Wyatt peers up a bit after the last shot lands and shouts out something foul to the troops below in common. It earns a few smirks from others.

"Y'see!? I ain't playin' catch with one of those boulders, y'know. If we move in close, they'll have to take us on foot. Siege weapon ain't gonna do good when I'm beatin' their freakin' head in." Wyatt says, giving his own tactical assessment.

"Shards, something nay makes sense here..." Buna says quietly. “You three fought off a robbery and they brought out their catapults? Seems… extreme"

“Yes, who uses catapults against half a dozen people, Let alone 3 scouts?" Thordek asks, pulling at his crisped beard.

"Wellllll…” Sable drawls out with mock guilt. “I might have shot the officer in the back with one of my new arrows. On account of him calling me a bitch” she says, with a triumphant smirk that quickly disappears again.

"He turned into a puddle!" Wyatt says and laughs, providing unnecessary color commentary.

"Ah" is all Carmard says, and looks at Sable inquisitively.

"I didn't know it would have that effect. Honestly! How was I to know that the acid would keep coming out?" Sable says with the voice of innocence and a mischievous smile. Carmard returns the smile, which is of great relief to Sable.

"Not a gentlemen to ya, huh lass?" he says, again with a hint of a smirk.

"I offered surrender. He opted not to take it" she says and shrugs indifferently. "I tried to be nice"

"Hurm. Well then, he chose… poorly" Carmard says with a tone of imperial gravitas and shrugs.

"His loss” Wyatt interjects. “Soooo, what're we doin'? Huh?"

“Thinking?” Carmard replies flatly again. “Fall back, a tactical retreat, and consider what’s next so far...”

“What about the portal?” Arman asks.

“Come back with the Forgemark?” Thordek says, jumping in with his own question. Carmard holds up his hand and Buna silences everyone else with a glare.

“Sable, Johannes... was this negotiable before the… altercation in town?" Carmard says calmly.

"Well, they offered to let us pay them for information regarding who to talk to..." Johannes says.

"Why didn't we?"

"Yeah, but their leader lost control of his men. I picked up my trade bars after the fight was over, was trying to in pay them when I had to bean one o’them in the head" Sable says, again with a smirk. “Five hundred gold apiece for us, just for the who to ask ‘bout the portal” That draws a whistle from Buna and a couple of others.

“Probably somethin' to do with their demonic nature, I bet. Ain't surprised, but there ain't much we can do about it now." Wyatt says, contributing something relevant this time.

"Greedy, undisciplined and stubborn but well equipped and good tactics now, at least. Gear’s all worn though, like they have no smith or none in town’ll help’em. Seem cut off to me. Little horns too on their heads.” Johannes says, chipping in what he knows.

"Pfft! That sounds like demons to me, all right. Again..." Thordek says, his tone one of righteous disdain. "They nay need to make a point a frontal assault would be bloody. Them their 'cats are to show they can control this approach too. Why they're not tryin' too hard"

"I don't suppose there be any witnesses? or survivors? Someone who'd back yer story?" Carmard asks, looking at Sable. Wyatt answers for her instead.

"Well, uh we got an applause as we made our exit..." the halfing says, than shrugs. “Not sure what that means. The town people ain't takin' too kindly to their presence, it seems. Maybe it'll stir a rebellion... and not that I saw... One ‘as still on his feet and Sable fed a potion to ‘nother one and said somethin’ to it. Um, no idea what though. Yeah, that’s all I know…” Wyatt says, finally concluding.

"Is there another way into the town? And now that we know who controls the portal... do we know where the portal is and if its guarded at all?" Arman asks, looking for alternatives. Carmard nods, but turns to Thordek.

"Thordek? What do ye think we should do?" Carmard asks, beginning to solicit opinions now.

“Don't know..... On the one hand, those guys are blocking the portal from Faithholme to Sigil, so the Patriarchate will eventually have to take them down. I'm not sure it's the right time though....” Thordek says thoughtfully.

"Why not?"

“Maybe we can look intimidating enough to pass before they get their wits about them? We barely got through our last fight with an army of half fiends.... I'm not saying we couldn't do it, but I'm not sure it's our priority right now. We really have to get that bomb back, and soon” Thordek concludes.

Carmard nods and looks pensive, turning to Arman. "Opinion?"

“Is there another way into the village? What if we were all invisible?" Arman asks optimistically.

“Likely is, but we still have to get to the portal and use it. Can’t veil us all, anyways" Carmard says, shaking his head at the idea.

"... I dunno. They didn't seem too keen on the magic, besides throwing darkness everywhere" Wyatt chimes in.

“I’ll give them darkness...” Sable says well... darkly.

"Such a large group..... even invisible, we'd need a diversion to be sure not to get noticed" Thordek states, also dismissing the idea.

"Hmph. So where’s the portal?" Carmard says, directing his question to Sable.

"The priest of Shaundukal didn't mention that part. Only that it was controlled by the soliders in red armor. Nor did he mention how it was activated." Sable says with a frown.

“Aye, that might be a problem..... I can probably detect the magic, and so can the other magic users, but activate it?" Thordek says, shaking his head. “At least nay quickly. Time matters here…”

"Carmard, What if we tried talking with them again?" Arman asks, again trying to get back into the conversation.

"You're welcome to try, Arman” Sable snorts. “I doubt you'd do worse than we did" Sable says. A little defensively at that! "At this point the only thing that I think would bring them into negotiations is if it was too expensive for them not to. That would involve someone stirring up a lot of trouble, kind of a carrot or the stick thing?" Sable says, and shrugs. “I mention the cloudkill runes?” she says and smiles.

"How could we do that? Maybe destroying the catapults would do it... but do they have other things?" Arman asks Sable.

“They aren’t getting any reinforcements, except outta the hills with the beasts” Sable responds. Carmard raises a hand to ask a question in his own command and stop the rapid fire conversation.

“Why not, eh? They can get reinforcements through the portal, aye?”

"True, but they aren't getting anyone in from Sigil to my knowledge. They've bled the town dry. Why else do that? Nobody in nobody out, that I seen. Johannes said that their armor was all in bad repair. Figure if they had trade going through it wouldn't be that way…" Sable says, than looks down the trail again from behind her boulder.

“You tax them so much and terrorize everyone? Yeah, merchants will just stop coming.” Thordek responds.

The conversation goes on for another minute or so while Carmard listens in detached silence.

"Alright, I've come to some decisions" Carmard says. “Firstly, what happen in the town? Tis no one’s fault but the fiends as I see it. May even work in our favor” he says, nodding with approval at Sable. “Secondly, we’re going to try negotiating again. Since they’re all here and all” Carmard declares. That raises a few eye brows indeed! Sable begins to smile at what she expects him to say.

"I want ye to go down and tell'em to leave, Thordek" he says. “Ask them what it’ll take for them to leave. Tell them we killed their 12 headed hydra. Tell them we threw it off a cliff, in case they had nay noticed it yet, and it was nay a bother at that” Carmard says, his voice stronger with authority now.

"... their... hydra?" Wyatt says. He gulp at the name and description.

"Yes. Apparently they did have a monster in the hills... " Arman answers. “Um, did…” Arman says and smiles, turning to Thordek.

“Take one of these scales, Thordek. Found them on the ground. Figured they might be useful in a spell someday” Arman says with a shrug and hands over a glistening scale to Thordek. The dwarf nods in thanks.

“So, what are we wait’n for?” Wyatt says with a broad grin.

“Eager, aren’t we?” Carmard says and looks at the halfling. Wyatt stops frowning until the dwarf looks away and defiantly smirks again.

“That’s more like Sable there, Carmard. Always eager to do stuff, like melt hearts, spleens, spines, brains....” Thordek says teasingly. It draws a laugh from everyone and a brief, proud smile from Sable. Carmard holds up a hand to silence the group.

"Oh yes, tell them we can make it so they can pass, pay them what they want, whatever. We'll do more if they outright leave. We know their cut off. Or we'll be back in a day and flatten them” Carmard says and gestures towards Carmard. “50 of his brothers, over a hundred o'our kin and all the mercenaries that can be scraped together and we'll be back"

Wyatt raises an eye brow at that and looks at the minotaur. “Hmm…” he mutters contemplatively.

"Oh.. while you're at it... explain ye tried to pay them the first time and what happened. Maybe we can skip the threats and resolve it as a misunderstanding. Either way... we're staging forces outta here to help in Sigil. On general principle, I'm inclined to clear this place out anyways. Get it negotiated. Buna will head back to our portal with the message to start moving forces in. I'll wait here with the rest. Any questions?"

No one asks a question, they just all nod in agreement.

Katasi

2009-04-22, 08:22 PM

Arum listens to the tale of what happened in town and says out loud. "Note to self, don't piss Sable off if you don't bloody well have to." He then nocks another bolt into his crossbow and winds it up, ready to fire in case of trouble.

mshady

2009-04-23, 01:21 AM

Negotiations

Carmard takes one last look down at the town over the ledge and paces back to the group.

“Thordek, take Sable, Wyatt, Johannes, Arman and Magnum down and try to parlay. Oh, and the druid?” Carmard looks around and sees that Jeth is still high in the air. “Well, he seems to like following ye” he says and shrugs. “Should be enough to fight clear ‘case it nay goes so well this time either. Weapon’s sheathed. No peace bond. Wyatt carries the white flag. You lead, but Johannes is as close to a diplomat we have. Nalrak & Grathalmor will stay as my shield bearers and Gore. Kelith to relate any sending spells and Arum. Buna will take Kerik back to our portal to Faitholme and get reinforcements”

"Yes, Arcanii. Sounds like a plan t' me." Thordek nods curtly and salutes Carmard sharply by touching his fist to his breast than extending is arm straight and upwards. This is one of the many kinds of salutes in the Patriarchate. Like all things dwarven, the kind of salute depended on rank, social status, situation, above or below ground and the level of personal respect between the two parties, the degree of respect displayed, if any, being wholly optional. The Patriarchate was especially social and rank conscious, an odd strain of typical dwarven communalism. Carmard returned the salute by touching a balled fist to his forehead, followed by a straight arm salute of his own.

“Yes, Arcanii!” Buna responds with more enthusiasm, although she does not look as thrilled about being a messenger. Her salute and Carmard’s response are similar. Kerik’s only reply is to look down at Carmard and grunt.

Arman however disagrees and shakes his head when told of his assignment.

"Not from me, I don't think" the elf says. Carmard looks at him quizzically and shrugs, debates saying one thing and nods.

“Fine” Carmard says with a small frown that probably conceals deeper feeling. “Arman stays. Arum goes into town. Don’t curse anyone and keep yer badger in check, eh?” Carmard says to the gnome. Arum only nods in agreement to his orders. A “Sammikon” and normally part of Ambassador Prince Tolrin Jilker personal retinue, he was not technically part of the Patriarchate’s system and Tolrin was beyond lax on matters of such protocol among those he dealt with personally. His rank no doubt made bearing the formality required otherwise quite tiresome.

Carmard turns to Sable, Wyatt and Johannes, who still hold their positions.

"I'm hopin' the display ye three put on in town will work in our favor too. From the reaction, it was quite the demonstration" he says tonelessly.

“They couldn’t lay a blade on me” Sable says and grins.

“A shame if they did” Carmard replies.

“After you, Thordek” Sable says, gesturing down the path while still behind her rock. She takes a testing pull on her short bow and reluctantly slings it.

“Well then, let's go people” Thordek says, falling just behind Wyatt. The halfling is madly scrambling for something white in his pack, settling on a set of long woolen underwear that he ties to his walking stick. At a distance, it assuredly looked less ridiculous than it was. The procession starts to head down the treacherous path once again.

Thinking better of his earlier words, Arman Madero falls in with the group below. Buna watches with exasperation and throws up her hands.

“Damned flightly elves…” she mutters and turns away, motioning the reluctant Kerik to follow her.

When Thordek notices the new companion, he too is surprised.

“Glad ye decided to join us” the Levtokuld says. “Make sure yer weapons, wands, whatever, stay sheathed”

Arman grins in response to that.

"My weapons are not noticeable until they hit you... " he says confidently. Sable rolls her eyes at the comment.

"I did that last time and ended up beaning one with a trade bar” she says and shakes her head. “You sure we can't have weapons out? It's sooo much easier”

“No” Thordek replies sternly.

Sable shrugs. “Wyatt could tie that… flag around his mace though. Least one of us will have a weapon out” she says with a smile.

“No” comes the same reply.

The group crunches down the path in silence for a few moments before another question. Arum and his badger bring up the rear. It stops occasionally to sniff at something, much to the gnomes exasperation.

“Will they even know what a white flag means?” Arman asks, perhaps rhetorically.

“As signals go…” Arum calls out from behind as he tries to spur his badger into motion again, “…it’s a pretty universal one” he says.

“So that means I have to stay out front, huh?” Wyatt grumbles.

“I would think so, yes” Thordek says. “They have to see the flag, afterall”

Wyatt looks at Thordek and wonders if a dwarf just made a short joke to him and contemplates the irony of that.

The group now takes a switchback on the winding path, heading downwards again. The pass the quarter of bodies that lay on the ground. Two are tieflings, one a half fiend and another is a pale looking human. Two of the four kills are clearly Sables, judging by the black fletched arrows sticking out of the corpses. One has a crossbow bolt protruding from its bloody neck. A quartet of white fletched arrows from Wyatt stick out of another from various points, but it looks like it was one of Sable’s black arrows that killed the pale looking human judging from the black arrow that was driven deep into the man’s chest through the gap in his armor by the arm pit. That area in particular is a blood path.

Sable whispers to Wyatt as they walk past the scene.
“Your mess” she says to him.
“Is not!” Wyatt rasps in reply.

They continue their walk, drawing closer to the valley floor. They can now plainly see the quartet of catapults, now loaded with barrels of oil ominously and are now being tracked by the two scorpion ballistae. A scorpion is a kind of man portable light ballista with a rate of fire limited only by its crew that throws solid metal bolts. This makes them especially lethal and necessary; wooden bolts would be torn apart by the force.

“I feel like painted bulls-eye” Wyatt mutters, his eyes fixated on the two scorpions. “…this is mak’n me real nervous now” the scout says. He slows a bit and takes a more defensive posture, ready to jump out of the way.

“Aye” Thordek responds to Wyatt’s concerns. “May as well say howdy to’em now”

Thordek steps to the front of the party and takes Wyatt’s banner and waves it through the air a few times before lowering it. No response comes. Thordek looks back up the slope. High above, Carmard stands atop a shield born by Grathalmor and Nalrak, watching the scene through his spy glass. A high ranking Arcanii’s guards are traditionally his shield bearers. The task is considered an honor in the Patriarchate but also a tactical requirement, as it allows the dwarven wizards to see above their troops and throw their terrible spells or relay orders. It also looked damned intimidating. Kelith and Gore flank Carmard as well. No signal comes from Carmard though on what to do now, but the answer seems obvious enough.

Thordek opens his helmet and frowns and cups his hands over his mouth to be better heard.

“Hail!” Thordek shouts. “We are nay here to fight! It’s in your interest to hear us out!”

No response is forthcoming from the soldiers down below and Thordek’s party looks across at them nervously. Not sure if they heard him the first time, Thordek repeats his offer to parlay.

There is a shout from somewhere down below and the scorpions slew directly at Thordek. That would definitely qualify as a response. Thordek looks back up at Carmard. No signal to retreat comes from him, so Thordek shrugs and tries to convey a lack of concern for his own group and the soldiers watching him from below.

“Who speaks for you?” Thordek yells out again

"You're nay gonna try dueling this one too, are ye Thordek?" Johannes says jokingly. The dwarf is clearly nervous.

“Not unless I have to” Thordek says quietly. “I nay exactly enjoyed the last one”

A hand waves down below in what appears to be acknowledgement from a large humanoid atop what appears to be some kind of mount. Thordek squints, trying to make them out and feels the tinge of excitement that progress was being made.

The signal was not for him, however.

With a metallic “chunk” from each scorpion, two solid metal bolts streak towards the group and move faster than anyone can really think about reacting besides Sable and Wyatt, who spring backwards.

The bolts streak in and both dig into the ground 20 feet short of the group. When the dust clears, their metal fins stick out of the ground. Either they were well aimed shots or their shooters had just tried to skip the bolts into the group but failed because of slope. As fresh bolts are slapped in and the scorpion’s bow arms are cranked back into position, Thordek knew that answer would be coming shortly. Either way, he chose to stand his ground.
With the scorpions reloaded and aimed again at the group, Thordek watches to see what happens. With all the advantages of magic, the artillery and the soldiers below were far out of range for any spells that Arman or Arum-Faer-Wed possessed.

Nothing happens for a tense minute, however.

"YOU THERE!" a voice calls out from below. “WHY HAVE YE RETURNED?”

Whomever it was, they cleared sounded angry. Sable frowns at the words, obviously biting off some retort with barely concealed anger.

Arman steps up besides Thordek, which draws a look from the dwarf. The elf halts and cups his hands around his mouth

"We wish to speak with you as well! We are coming down farther, so that we needent shout!" the elf yells. For an elf, he had surprisingly good lungs the dwarfs think. Thordek calls out again as well.

“We return to offer ye a chance. We are trying to pass through. Whether you like it or not! We are offering you a way to stay alive!” Thordek shouts back in response.

There is no response for a couple of minutes. The apparent leader converses with some others before he rides to the fore of the formation and yells out again. His, or her, voice is a deep and thunderous bass that is well accustomed to yelling, no doubt at far closer ranges.

“ARE YOU OFFERING TO PARLAY?” the voice says.

“I am!” Thordek yells back.

“I’m offering to kick your ass if you shoot at me again…” Sable mutters under her breath. She clearly did not appreciate their little show of force.

Johannes steps up and gently nudges Arman aside so he can stand at the front of the group. It’s not an unfriendly gesture.

“Do ye offer safe passage and good conduct under the Neutrality Proclamation of the Lady of Sigil for parlay?” Johannes yells out. Thordek looks at him, a bit surprised but remembers what Carmard said about the dwarf having some diplomatic talent, recent results aside.

The response is a rippling laughter from down below that can be clearly heard.

“I OFFER NO SUCH THING! COME NOW! YOUR WORDS AND DEEDS ARE YOUR ONLY GUARANTEE!” the voice roars back, even louder than before. Which is some accomplishment.

“That’s not good…” Johannes says quietly. “Sure ye want to do this?”

“Didn’t sound like it and yes, we have to. Time” Thordek replies. Johannes nods in understanding. “What else can ye tell me ‘bout that Proclamation?” Thordek asks.

Johannes shrugs sheepishly.

“Made it up” he says with quick laugh. “Wanted to see ‘heir response. They seemed a bunch of goblin brained fools first I met them, they wouldn’t know either way. If the leader there is anything but big and nasty, he’s a demon nay a devil. Devils are all ‘bout formality, strictures and laws. This one nay strikes me as the type. Nay trustworthy t’all. He’ll be compelled to cheat ye simply on the basis of ye giv’n him the chance to. Last chance to turn back…” Johannes says. “With ye either way, but thought ye should know. The hacks from before aside, they’ve gotta be tough” Johannes says and withdraws to the rear of the group.

Thordek frowns at the news and thinks for a moment. Still no signal from Carmard, although he doubted the Arcanii could hear well enough this far away. He was Arcanii though, and nothing surprised him.

“Very well!” Thordek shouts back.

“GOOD!” the voice yells. “COME DOWN AND STAND BEFORE US! KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF YOUR WEAPONS!”

“Understood! Before we do so, be aware there are many more us who are watching this! We can call up an army if you give us cause. Play fair with us and get out of this richer and alive!” Thordek yells back.

Again, he is greeted by rippling laughter.

“WE SEE HOW FEW YOU ARE AND HAVE NO FEAR OF YOU! COME NOW OR YOU’LL NOT CRAWL UP THAT SLOPE ALIVE AGAIN! MY PATIENCE GROWS THIN!”

Thordek nods and looks at the group, than takes he deep breath. He turns back to the group in town and yells again.

“Remember my warning as well! We are coming down now!”

“Hope this goes better than last time…” Johannes mutters in the rear.

Without further word, Thordek leads the group into town.

mshady

2009-04-23, 01:26 AM

One more transcript from the other night. For those of you who couldn't make it, apologize for the delay but we've made some good progrss. These take a little time to write up.

For the group up top, feel free to post whatever you'd like from this point forward.

ArmanMadero

2009-04-23, 10:50 PM

[roll0] Knowledge Planes Check

mshady

2009-04-24, 02:03 AM

How to Lose Friends and Alienate People

“Eh…” Wyatt mopes unenthusiastically, looking at Thordek, into the town and at the large figure standing in front of a loose formation of troops about half a mile away yet. Unable to think of anything snarky to say at this particular moment, he starts marching down the hill. Marching into a stand up fight was not his way of doing things. Nor is introducing himself with his long johns wrapped around a stick.

The group follows Wyatt and matches his pace. Arman trails a bit behind, walking besides Arum. A mage’s place is to the rear of the party to provide support. No one fires on them, but dozens of crossbows are trained on them by the panoply of mercenaries. The tense descent takes another fifteen minutes as the trail winds left and right down the cliff. At spots, carved stone makes a kind of crude walkway. At other spots, one can see where in better times a railing had been installed. It is not a sheer drop, but it is plenty steep and barely climbable by hand.

When the group reaches the bottom of the cliff, they fan out and to not advance much further from it and wait. Over 200 yards away stands the gathered forces of the town of Way Ward. Upon closer inspection, the group can see not only the red armored mercenaries but conscripted town folk armed with a variety of weapons; crude crossbows, clubs, bill hooks, flails and a few swords. Most do not wear much for armor either.

“Well they look happy to be here…” Thordek mutters, gesturing at the townsfolk glumly.

The lone horseman whistles and after a moment, the formation behind him splits and four more riders come out. One holds the reigns of a rider less horse. The five now stand in the middle of the field. Looking more closely at the apparent leaders mount, it becomes clear it is not merely another war horse. Flames fleck from its mane and hooves and smoke curls from its nostrils. The mount’s cropped tail is also highlighted in infernal fire. Intelligent eyes that blaze red dart around the area. Jet black metal barding covers much of the creature. It is adorned with skulls stuck upon spikes, and they are not ornamental skulls. On each shoulder blade of the infernal horse, there is the decaying head of a hydra mounted there.

The rider is a massive humanoid in heavy armor as well. It disguises most of his features, but on foot he would stand as tall as one of the Patriarch’s vaunted minotaur mercenaries. He wears a “pig nosed” helmet shaped like the head of a hound. It has a set of vertical metal horns as well as the fiend’s own thick horns protruding out. The only ways to tell something living instead of an automaton is inside are the blazing red eyes. A blood red cloak hangs off his back and covers the rear of his mount. Various weapons hang from his belts and from the mount as well. His toes are tipped with a long spike as well, something often seen on armored cavalry.

“That’s no horse there Thordek… Whomever and whatever he is, be careful. No mere man is under that armor, nor tames such a mount” Johannes says quietly. “This was a mistake, Carmard should be here. They’ll nay respect him for sending proxies, send us back a head shorter for the effort. Nay good…” Johannes frowns. His eyes don’t leave the armored figure. “The others are his lieutenants; the rider less horse must o’belonged to the one Sable killed, so he was an officer. Krytos ‘as his name. Damn…” Johannes mutters.

“Good” Sable rasps. Arman looks at her and approaches, whispering to her.

“Were they there during the first umm meeting?” she asks. Sable gives Arman an incredulous look and shakes her head. Her fingers drum on her rapier restlessly.

“Nope” she whispers back.

“Wonderful…” comes the reply…

Undaunted at the display of intimidation, Thordek steps forward and addresses the riders.

“I take it you gentlemen speak for the forces occupying this town?” Thordek says with cool sarcasm and mock civility.

The leader opens his helmet and strides forward a few yards himself. His face is covered in black and red scales and two sharp canine teeth protrude from his mouth. Its eyes do indeed blaze with an infernal red glow. A predatory looking smile creeps on to his face as the dwarven group looks upon him with varying reactions.

“Do I speak for the town?” he asks rhetorically and laughs malevolently. “I AM the town!” the fiend man roars, spittle spraying from his mouth.

Post to be continued

Katasi

2009-04-24, 09:29 PM

Arum mutters under his breath low enough that hopefully noone can hear him. "This guy is full of himself. He's pretty tall though. He must be overcompensating for a small prick." He then takes a moment to talk to Baraus. "Don't attack anyone unless they attack us, then be ready to go all out."

mshady

2009-04-26, 03:34 AM

Thordek quirks an eye brow at that remark and Wyatt is wholly at a lack of something pithy to say in reply.

The fearsome horse and rider trot forward and he paces the horse around the group. The horse is difficult to control, snapping its head in the group’s direction. It snorts at them, clouds of smoke billowing in puffs out its nostrils. The rider jerks the beast’s head back sharply each time with great strength, but his mount is strong enough to resist this sometimes. Its’ wild red eyes under the armor glare at them with malevolent intelligence and you all feel a chill as it passes. Some kind of aura, it would seem? The horseman stops in front of the party and scowls down at them.

"Ye came into MY town. Ye murdered my men. Unprovoked! I want to know WHO did that before or this parlay is OVER!" he yells, spittle flying from his mouth.

“Fair enough” Thordek says reasonably. “I am called Thordek. At this moment, I am authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Jilker Patriarchate of Moradin.”

“Never heard of ye” the rider scoffs.

“Have ye not? You must not get out to the Prime often” Thordek says derisively.

“You’re Primes?” the rider says and roars with laughter at that. His lieutenants join in the laughter, seemingly well trained to do so whenever their boss does. “Oh yes, I’ve been there. Slave raids, those black elves in Ched Nesad, a good scourge. The place, it is… a foul pit full of lesser beings. The slum of the Planes! Ye should be ashamed to be from there, berk!”

“Yet you’re here. Seems much better... Such splendid... sand you have here.” Thordek replies back at him, his honor pricked by the rider’s disdain. The fiend snorts at that and glares at Thordek, his eyes blazing in anger. Nerve definitely struck there...

The dwarf and rider eye each other for an intense moment until it is broken when Sable steps forward. She stands besides Thordek with her hands on her hips, and thus closer to her rapier. Delicate hands in supple black leather arming gloves caress the sword’s hilt.

“As to who killed your guards? Well that'd be me. They attacked me before when I tried to pay them to use the portal” Sable says. She is both proud and defiant, looking up and meeting the fiend’s eyes. Their eyes meet and she does not flinch away from the fiend, who sits astride a horse as powerful and foul as she has ever seen and is massively built himself.

Arman breaks the tense silence between Sable and the fiend.

“To whom are we speaking with?” he asks simply, but it is enough to break the glare between the rider and Sable for a moment as he looks at Arman in annoyance. Instead of answering him directly, he nudges his fiendish horse forward a step and glares down at Sable, who cuts a small, small figure in comparison.

“I am Hextros, Amir of Blood Company. Name yourself, little wench!” he snarls down at Sable. Her only response is to cross her arms and give him a cocky grin, refusing to name herself before him. If only to be contrary. That rather annoys the mighty Hextros.

“Not helping…” Johannes rasps to her.

“It seems we are on similar ground as yourself, Amir Hextros, for we have not heard of you either” Arman says, trying to interject himself and deflect this Hextros away from Sable. Hextros spurs his horse to turn and face Thordek.

“That one!” he says, stabbing an armored finger down at her. “Turn the spirited wench over to me for her murders of my soldiers in MY town. Blood repays blood here! Such an affront demands no less”

“That’s nice…” Thordek says, sounding bored with Hextros’ tirade. “If we’re done posturing now, maybe we could get down to business like sensible sentients? To be CLEAR , the lives of my subordinates are the one thing NOT open to negotiation. She was attacked by one of yours seeking a bribe. He lost control of his men. Tragic. Not our fault”

Arman and Johannes nod their head at that and Sable smiles again at that as Thordek stands up to him. Wyatt however frowns, watching the exchange as he keeps his flag help up straight. He has it planted in the ground and does his best to retain a still posture.

mshady

2009-04-26, 03:35 AM

"Lies!” Hextros snarls. “If I came to your Jilker town and killed five of yours, what would YOUR demands be, short beard?"

“Killing five dwarves without any provocation? I nay know for sure. It would assuredly not be pretty though. There WAS provocation though. Be sensible” Thordek says, chiding the fiend in the end.

“Next ye killed four more. I watched that red haired bitch shoot two of mine. One on the ground, calling for aid! Now that’s nice of mine gone. Ye are lucky I only want her, not all three of your bandits”

"The only one that called for aid did so when he was already past aiding. The first shots were for attacking me. The last was for mercy” Sable says, resentful of having to explain that particular point.

“See? Murder is mercy to her, dwarf. Save yourself and turn her over before she does it to ye too. Why you brought her, yes? Ye just could nay get her to come if ye told her. Hextros knows how such matters go” the fiend says, focusing on Thordek again.

“Hey!” Sable says heatedly. “I offered surrender. I even tried to PAY your lieutenant’s ridiculous price. You attack me though, you get what’s coming to you” she finishes, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at the fiend.

“Hmph…” Wyatt mutters to himself, remember exactly what happened. As Arum Faer Wed said, “Don’t piss off Sable unless you have to”. This guy was well on his way to doing that…

Thordek clears his throats and begins to take control of the situation again.

“As I said… I am authorized to negotiate monetary terms for our passage and this incident. NOT blood payment. Especially when they were defending themselves!” Thordek says, more than a bit annoyed himself right now.

“Take the offer and be richer for it. No reason for more bloodshed here. As Thordek said, be sensible. I assure ye, he means what he says about nay wanting us to come back here” Johannes says, his voice calm as he tries to bring things back to a diplomatic tone.

“Ah, but blood is the ONLY worthy currency for a blood debt. Blood and souls…” Hextros says greedily.

“Amongst your kind? Perhaps. Gold is of some interest to ye, as we hear ye are tolling merchants, or worse. We will only offer wereguild for your soldiers and payment to use your portal. We’ve business elsewhere”

“Why not? We were hired by this shat-hole of a town, kill three of those hydras, lost soldiers and they won’t pay us. Deceitful peasants, all of them! We turned this town upside down, pulled their ‘Mayor’ four ways between our horses. Even sold some off as slaves, but they’re too weak and hungry to be worth much even for that!” Hextros says with great exasperation, even disgust at that. A quick glance at some of the conscript shows that they are all a little lean looking. “We captured some hydra though, younger ones. Been living off their neck roasts for months now… Tastes awful but the peasants aren’t worth eating either. I’ve tried!” Hextros says with a laugh.

Johannes goes a bit pale at that remark, clearly appalled at that. Hextros notices that and laughs at that.

“Come now! Even fiendish mercenaries have SOME standards. They may be low, but I DO have them” he says to the dwarves.

“Oh, good. We were wondering…” Johannes replies, shaking his head.

“Well, you have one less hydra to kill or… do whatever with. For we have already killed one of them already for you. Is that blood enough for you?” Arman says, not bothering to conceal a bit of pride in that feat. Wyatt looks at Arman at the mention of the hydra. His eyes go wide at that. So that’s what happened out there, he thinks to himself.

“Impressive” Hextros grunts. He seems to mean it too. “A scout seen something go rolling down the path into town. Bits of it, at any rate”

“Well, the carcass was pretty hard to move in one piece” Thordek replies.

“That, dwarf, would have been even more impressive” Hextros says and laughs out of humor at the remark than mania this time.

The two look at each other for a long moment. The direction the conversation is going to go seems to be at a tipping point.

“Yes, we tax them and hold this town. Yes they broke their contract with us, and that’s something no mercenary can allow. Others may think they can do the same. No one hires the weak. If you’ll not trade us that deadly little woman of yours to be my chattel, slave and concubine maybe…” Hextros says, glancing at Sable, who gives him another cocky little smile. “…other restitution might be acceptable. Know some must be made though for the affront though. The price shall be steep. Lies or not, nine of mine are dead and several maimed.”

Thordek pauses and looks at Hextros, a bit surprised that the fiend knight is suddenly being reasonable… well, more reasonable. The mention of the hydra had changed the trajectory of the conversation.

Click, click, click. Hextros taps his armored fingertips against the black steel of his ‘horses’ barding. Click, click, click as he wait for Thordek’s reply. He glances to Johannes to see if the dwarf has some insights for him, but he only shrugs.

“What kind?” Thordek asks.

“20 pounds of gold or equal value per soldier lost. 100 pounds for my officer. 500 pounds for your pathetic group…” Hextros says. The staggering price is enough to make a dwarf’s very beard stand on end. They were in the practice of hoarding wealth, not giving it away like this when they were not in the wrong. Five pounds of gold was worth 500 gold coins. That was a total of 780 lbs of gold, worth 78,000 in total. More wealth than any of them had seen in their life. A veritable dragon’s horde!

Thordek looks wide eyed at the fiend’s demand. So much for reasonable, yet he continues…

“Oh yes… and the sword that woman used to kill my men” Hextros sneers. He looks down at her with greedy, triumphant eyes. Sable’s hands leap to her sword and she draws it half out of her scabbard and prepares to defend herself – from Hextros and perhaps her friends. No, they’d never do that she decides. She was here to demonstrate strength and they had nothing to hide. Carmard was not like others in her past.

“How about I shove that sword up yer demonic arse? Sideways!” she snarls at him. Her legs tense now as she coils to strike or spring away. Hextros watches her and smiles cruelly at her. He does not reply to her directly, but seems amused in a way a cat might be amused by a mouse that stands its ground against a cat.

Arman closes his eyes briefly, wondering if this was going to be it. He begins to focus his mind, drawing in the all present power of the weave. He can feel Arum beginning to take a deep breath as well, matching the arcane formulas in their minds with the powers around them. Magnum, silent during the whole trip, drops his hand to his axe as well and even Johannes backs away a step. Wyatt actually flashes a crooked grin at that remark, admiring the rebuke for what it was until he realizes just how dangerous the situation just got.

“Sable…” Thordek says calmly. “Please, don’t antagonize him”

“Aye, tis just a sword” Johannes reminds her. “We can replace it. He needs some sort of trophy from ye to save face. Be reasonable”

Sable glares at them both and takes a deep breath. She did not like this idea at all. This was her decision. It was her place to make that call, no one elses.

Thordek takes a deep breath and looks at Sable. Her cringes slightly and shrugs, conveying a non-verbal apology.

“Acceptable, in principle.” he says from between clenched teeth. “Tis too gold to simply carry around, for this I must consult with out leader” Thordek says and points up the cliff. Carmard is still high atop the cliff, standing on his shield born by his two sworn Forgemark guards.

“Fine than. I thought you spoke for your Jilkers. Hand over her sword than, dwarf; consider it a sign of your good faith” Hextros smiles, exposing his white canines before slewing his head in Sable’s direction.

“No” Sable says flatly. There is steel in that answer.

Hextros looks at her, almost pleased with the answer.

“Your leader agreed to give me your sword” he hisses. “Give it here or I have pleasure of taking it from ye” Hextros replies, supremely pleased at the turn of events… almost as if he had planned for this all along.

“The deal was for the sword, not her!” Arman blurts out.

Hextros glances at the elf and snorts contemptuously.

“What she won’t give, so what can I do?” he barks out a laugh. “Let her blood satisfies wereguild for my men and halves the price for the portal. Come now, dwarf. She’s only human. They’re as plentiful as lemures and about as fair. Just get another” he says and shrugs.

“Blood! Blood! Blood!” comes the thunderous roar from the assembled troops behind. They beat their breast plates with mailed fists and thump their halberds into the ground. Hextros turns to face them and removes his helmet. He holds it above his head and spurs his terrible horse into a run as he circles past his lines with his helmet held high to the cheers of his soldiers. The conscripts however just watch, stupefied at the events.

“Blood for blood! That is the way of things! So let there be blood!” Hextros says as his horse trots past the formation of enthusiastic mercenaries. The cheer as he passes, either calling out for blood or his name. Johannes watches and whispers something to Thordek.

For Thordek

“I’m sure of it now… That’s a Nightmare he rides, a evil horse native to Gehanna, The Gray Wastes. Tis the home of the Yugoloth, very powerful mercenaries and prime battlefield o’the Blood Wars. To even survive that, he’s either very good or left it. At most, his Lieutenants are Blood War veterans too. Not the one Sable killed though. I think… Hard to tell for sure… He’s a survivor though. Sable’d be hard pressed against him. If she kills’em? I don’t know what happens than… Could be good, or bad.

mshady

2009-04-26, 03:36 AM

Sable watches the display with cool repose. She checks her panoply of equipment over, ranging from potions and scrolls to small grenades or pouches fixed on her belt. Bending down, she even has the time to pull the laces tight on her boots. Not angry or panicked, her demeanor could only be described as one of deadly focus. Throughout her checks, her eyes never leave Hextros.

After a couple of minutes, Hextros returns to the center of the field before Thordek and the advance party. He stops the horse in front of them, going from a dead run to a complete stop in a spray of sand and gravel. Thordek looks up at him with crossed arms and a scowl, seemingly unimpressed.

“By sword, I thought ye meant the pointy metal thing and nay the person holding it” he says to the fiend.

“I asked for it, you agreed. She won’t give it up though, so take it from her I must. All the better trophy if I kill her for it!” he says and barks out a laugh. “First the blood, than the gold”

“You take her blood. Her meat is mine for the feasting” the… horse says. The voice is deep in an almost almost other worldly way and conveys an almost elemental cruelty. It bars its black lips revealing not the square teeth of a horse sharp, jagged teeth instead. That the horse actually spoke takes everyone back a bit, surprising and unnerving them. The intelligent red eyes of the horse look at them and you cannot help but think that the intent.

By this point, Wyatt has stepped away from the exchange and careful to be nowhere near Sable. He now stands next to Magnum, the hefty cleric of Clangeddin.

“So, 50 gold says Sable kills that there demon in a can. What do ye say, long beard?” he says, looking up at Magnum and jingles a pouch of gold. Magnum gives him a withering look in reply that makes even Wyatt feel small. “Right…”

With a thud and the ringing clatter of metal on metal, Hextros jumps off the horse. He kicks off the clumsy riding spikes on the front of his boots, rolls his shoulders and cracks his neck as he loosens up. That done, he reaches to his back and jerks his sword free from his back scabbard. An enormous two handed curved sword appears in his hands; like a scimitar but much, much larger. Clearly it can only be wielded effectively with two hands. Anyone who knows weapons would name it a falchion and know it as an odd choice for a mounted warrior.

The sword constructed of a blue-green metal and is covered in swirling runes of magic, but no indication of what they do. It is otherwise unadorned. With his free hand, Hextros puts his helmet back upon his head. Far closer to the dwarven lines than his own, Hextros’ remaining Lieutenants close the distance and stand at an equidistance.

“Before I kill you woman, know you’re the only one amongst your group with a backbone. Pity that too will be crushed!” he says, beckoning Sable with a wave of his hand.

Rather than replying directly to Hextros, she looks at Thordek.

“The swords the deal and she won’t give it. Try for something else or let her settle it, Thordek or… do something. I don’t know! What about Carmard? Tell her to give it up!” Johannes says, almost pleading with Thordek to do something.

Hextros rests his sword across his shoulder. His thick armor is as well made as anything dwarven, with hardly a gap to be found and covered in its own runes as well.

“Debase yourself before me and give me that sword or have the courage to use it! My patience is dying quickly with this parlay.” Hextros says with a sneer.

That ends the transcript and novelization from the chat last week. Whew! Please begin regular posting again. Post upcoming for the group upstairs tomorrow. Sorry guys!

As a DM's note, all options are not closed here but all could be treacherous

Katasi

2009-04-26, 04:05 AM

At this point Arum is pissed at the turn of events. You DARE call us spinless, threaten our comrade in arms, and think you will come away from it alive? Well we do not deal with dead men.

As soon as he's done saying this Arum will begin chanting loudly in draconic, moving his hands in and odd fashion. and a celestial dire badger appears in front of him and stands next to him growling at Hextros

[using summon monster 3]

He then shouts out. "By the way, I bet your prick is so tiny because your mother would put out for any little imp that came along! Now let us go through that portal without farther a due or we'll send you back crying to her."

thorgrim29

2009-04-26, 10:53 AM

When the demon had talked about sending for Carmard, Thordrek had nodded and taken some paper and a pen from his bag. After writing furiously, he handed the paper to Arman.

Here, use your message spell, Carmard has to see this five minutes ago.

the message reads, in an hurried hand:

Merc leader insane, huge ego. Passage enornmous. Want's to fight Sable, not sure how long I can keep the situation under control. Assistance requested.
Thordrek

As Arum starts to insult the demons (ie: before he casts), Thordrek takes a few quick steps towards him and grabs his hand, before whispering in a very pissed off tone of voice:

You want to get us all killed you drunken little fool? I've no doubt it'll come to fighting, but at least wait until Carmard and the others are here

Katasi

2009-04-26, 04:44 PM

Arum growls under his breath. "Fine, but noone gets away with what he's done, and if he manage to touch her or any of us he'll have to deal with every spell I've got."

Strangie

2009-04-26, 07:39 PM

Wyatt puts his 'flag' away, not really liking having his long johns get dirty. He certainly didn't like that 'no backbone' comment, as he lowers his hand down toward his mace, just keeping his hand at the ready for the moment.

"I know you could take this guy out, Sable. These guys probably ain't lookin' to fight fair, though. If it comes down to it, we got your back all the way," he says, keeping his buckler up in front of him and parting his feet a little. "What's it gonna be?"

Wyatt's feet skirt on the ground a little, ready to suddenly blast off and get on the move. He watches the situation intently, watching not just Hextros but any other soldiers behind him, making sure something fishy isn't going on. How sorely he wants to crush this man's face in with his bat, if he could reach that high - and he very well could with his manueverability, perhaps - but he waits for Sable to make a move before himself.

ArmanMadero

2009-04-26, 08:31 PM

Arman listened for the most part to the exchange that was going on.

He knew what the black horse was, but was still unsure of what it was doing here. He looked at the mercenary on the horse. How does such a person ride that horse...

Then the horse spoke. He knew what it was. He didn't know it could talk. He grabbed the message that Thordrek had scrawled out and used his message spell to send it quickly to Carmard. He hoped that they would make it down soon. Things were not looking well.

As always, his mind was connected to the Weave around him. Though the Weave was somewhat distorted here, he could still feel it. He readied the spells that he had, but kept them just in his minds reach, not casting anything yet. He had a few questions for Hextros

"We are not denying that some of your men are dead. But they are dead by their own actions. Sable here, tried to pay your men from what I understand, but they had too much bloodlust to stop their attack. Sable was forced to defend herself. Why should we pay you for their foolishness? You were watching the whole time? Why didn't you come to the aid of your men?"

Arman wasn't sure if Hextros would answer him at all, but it was worth trying to difuse the situation from becoming more volitile.

[roll0] Diplomacy Check

mshady

2009-04-27, 02:17 AM

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/9739/nightwish2.jpg
By mshady (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mshady) at 2009-04-27

Hextros looks at Arum and wheels his horse around in his direction. More precisely, the horse wheels itself around in Arum's direction. Both scowl at Arum in unison.

"Silenceee your mole man, bearded ones" the horse hisses from between pointed teeth. It's a damned eerie sound and utterly disconcerting where it comes from. An intelligent malevolence, perhaps more than its own rider, seems to drive that beast. It's fair to say it must be an equal partner in much that is done.

Hextros simply growls in response to the remark at first.

"You dared to kill my men!" he thunders at Arum and turns to Thordek as the dwarf rebukes the gnomish wizard.

"If ye cannot control your soldiers, you represent NOTHING but yourself to me. Enough threats from ye and yours" he snarls. "Maybe your gnome has the right idea. Are we negotating or delaying the inevitable? I'm rarely one to delay my pleasures..." he sneers. Than he looks over to Sable with a far more lecherous look and laughs quietly to himself.

mshady

2009-04-27, 11:56 PM

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/2313/templarironfist.jpg
By mshady (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mshady) at 2009-04-27

Thordek's Perspective

No sooner has Thordek scribbled his dispatch and given it to Arman than the cantankerous gnome, Arum Faer Wed, launch into a bitter diatribe at Hextros in reply to the half-fiend's taunts. Now someone else had bit on his provocations and Thordek's face flashes in anger as much at the problem it causes as either the stupidity or defiance. It's no worse than what Hextros had said, but still... Thordek's heart leaps into his throat though when Arum's gesticulations become more orderly, the very start of a spell. He bolts for the gnome to try and stop him...

Initiative!

Thordek 17
Arum 15

...Thordek manages to snatch one of Arum's hands from the air and lock it into a mailed vice grip strong enough to make the gnome yelp. The other hand covers his mouth, rough enough to make his lips tender but not break any teeth. It's a near thing stopping him. He whispers to him in a very pissed off tone from between clenched teeth.

"You want to get us all killed you drunken little fool? I've no doubt it'll come to fighting, but at least wait until Carmard and the others are here!"

Arum growls under his breath. "Fine, but noone gets away with what he's done, and if he manage to touch her or any of us he'll have to deal with every spell I've got."

Hextros sees Thordek's sudden movement and snaps in his direction and his sword swooshes into a defensive stance in that direction for a moment. His horse snorts a cloud of smoke and paws at the ground in anticipation and it startes even his lieutenants.

After a tense moment, Hextros laughs in a low tone to himself and shakes his head.

"Yes... I see what control you have here" he muses, but his meaning is quite contrary to his words.

mshady

2009-04-28, 12:42 AM

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/862/20332361085.jpg
By mshady (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mshady) at 2009-04-27

Arman watches the exchange between Thordek and Arum in dismay and he wonders if the gnome just tried to get them all killed. It was certainly tense though. People were making mistakes. That was about the time when it occurred to him that he could not actually use a Message spell really only related whispers over an extended spell. When he mentioned that he had one prepared, he assumed others knew the difference between that and a Sending spell… which he did not have prepared.

He casts about for a thought on what exactly to do. A Message spell only enables him to throw a whisper directly at someone without risk of being overheard for a couple of hundred feet. Carmard was far, far too away for that. He looks up into the slowly shifting colors of the most bizarre sky he had ever seen when inspiration strikes him.

Arman watches as the group’s tag along druid flies overhead. Just at the edge of the range of the spell, circling in and out of it. He hoped the druid would know what to do with the message if he heard it or retained the intelligence in his hawkish form to deliver the message. Perhaps Arum’s familiar, Skree, could take a note if needed but he wanted to try this first.

So he decides to get the druid’s attention and reaches back for a side pocket on his old pack. His fingers flip open a cover and reach into a pocket and he withdraws a metallic mirror. He turns his back to Hextros for a moment and tries to get it reflect brightly enough to draw the druid’s attention, but his plan fails. There does not appear to be an actual “sun” here as he knows it back home.

So he just takes the direct approach and waves.

That, surprisingly, does draw the druid’s attention but also more than a few odd looks. The mercenaries all seem to figure out something is up and it ruins the druid’s cover as just another bird. They do not shoot though, thankfully. Not without orders at any rate.

Arman starts into his spell, appropriately whispering the verbal components of the spell. With the spell complete, he reads off Thordek’s message verbatim and hope the druid knows what to do. The tricky part of the spell is aiming it correctly and it was rare enough he used the spell. Directing it into the air at a moving target was a challenge… but he was an elf and was up to it.

He thinks at any rate. The druid circles once more over the group before winging over and beating his ‘wings’ hard and shooting off in Carmard’s direction. Arman can see just well enough to see the bird flare for a landing atop the cliff and smiles. A feeling of great relief comes over him.

Now what?

“Ah, the elf mage does not ride his familiar. Clever use of it...” Hextros says and smiles in a very unfriendly manner. “It comes back, we shoot it down. Good sport, I think!”

Arman just about chokes at that. He had no way to warn off Jeth from returning!

thorgrim29

2009-04-28, 01:00 AM

Thordrek drops the gnome lightly and glances at Arman, who is finishing the message spell. Seeing his small stock of respect from Hextros has run dry, he shakes his head and walks to Sable. He speaks to her, in dwarven.

Well, I'm all out of non violent ideas, it's your call, we can keep stalling and wait for Carmard, or you can fight the giant ego over there. If you do, I'll try to get the others positioned against interference from the other mercenaries. Oh and I'm sure you know you business, but if you could draw it out a bit without it being dangerous for you, it would be appreciated. And be careful, I'm gambling a lot that I'm not sure I'm allowed to gamble on you.

if she says she fights, Thordrek speaks to Hextros:

Very well, if you want blood, Sable here will fight you. But only you, one on one, to the death. You'll have to step off you horse.... thing of course, as it is clearly sentient. And no interference from either side will be allowed, again as a matter of course. If she wins, your forces will let us go, and leave the town. If she looses, we will pay the amount you asked and go on, for now. Agreed?

If she does not want to fight, he continues to stall.

mshady

2009-04-28, 01:26 AM

http://img257.imageshack.us/img257/8264/dwarfsorc.jpg (http://img257.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dwarfsorc.jpg)

On the Ravine

Carmard stands on the shield with his spy glass in hand, watching the proceedings below. He chews on his lip as he sees thing start to break down below. When Hextros dismounts and draws his sword and stands a distant opposite to Sable, he frowns deeply.

“Sable’s going to duel their leader now… Hurm” he says, providing a running commentary on things to Grathalmor, Nalrak, Kelith and Gore. “Too much for her, poor lass…”

Carmard sighs and shakes his head in sadness. He says a prayer under his breath.

“What are they doing down there?” Carmard says in frustration. He lowers his spy glass and looks around.

“Eh?” Carmard says and watches a bird flying at him. It’s a big bird, some kind of hawk actually.

The bird loops around their position, standing on the tip of its wings to bleed off speed and find a safe place to land. It does after a moment and transitions from its looping wing stand to flaring out for a landing. Wings flap and it settles gently to the ground.

After a moment, its form becomes… hazy and it grows in size and stature. Its features melt away into that of the so far eccentric halfling druid tag-along, Jeth. He stands and looks disoriented for a moment and wavers, unsure of his balance and seemingly disoriented. He then has a coughing fit. After a few times, bits of feathers fly from his mouth.

“Uh…” is all Gore can manage to say to that in particular.

He turns and smiles at Carmard and the rest and performs a bow, bending over with his hand on his belt and flourish of his cap with the other.

“A message uh from the elf from the other leader dwarf. Most important! He says… hmm, I forgot” Jeth says sheepishly.

“Best not have...” Carmard growls, already tense.

“No, no! Just the exact wording The Message came by wind somehow. Spooky elf magic!” he says, waving his leather clad arms about at that.

“He says.. ‘Merc leader insane, huge ego. Passage enormous. Wants’ to fight Sable, not sure how long I can keep the situation under control. Assistance requested. Thordrek’.

So… what do we do? Sounds bad. Many of them” Jeth says and starts trying to recall the numbers. His common falters a bit as he speaks; not his first language clearly. It has an odd accent as well, clipped a bit strangely, like animal sounds in a way. It’s hard to describe.

Carmard collapses his spy glass into his hand and dumps it into his satchel.
“We go, that’s what” he says and jumps off the shield. Nalrak and Grathalmor grunt at that, and are clearly relieved to be lightened of their burden. They could both do that for hours and had, but it was still difficult…

Carmard leads the way down the trail immediately. “Get moving!” he barks. “Never should’ve split up! Shards in my balls for that…”

He turns to Kelith as he trots towards the nearby trail.

“Send this to Thordek: “Coming. Offer less. Only have 15. Will barter. End parlay, try to leave. Forgemark will come. Do not let Sable be captured. Delay if possible”

Strangie

2009-04-28, 07:00 AM

"Heh... for some reason, Thordrek, I don't think these guys are willing to play fair," Wyatt says. He didn't like the idea of Sable fighting alone, as tough as she was - all this guy had to do was have everyone fire those giant cannons off at her and it could be all over. He'd get what he want and then it would just be brutal afterward...

"Hopefully this chump's head is just as much of a mace magnet as the rest of 'em, if it comes down to it. I ain't afraid..."

Melody

2009-04-29, 09:23 AM

Sable slips her rapier back into its sheath and pulls out her bow setting a fountain head arrow to the string.

Truestrike
Death Attack/Sneak Attack
Dodge vs. Hextros

"I accept."

The arrow flies..

mshady

2009-04-30, 01:54 AM

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/6200/sablefc4.jpg
By mshady (http://profile.imageshack.us/user/mshady) at 2009-04-29

Surprise Round

Sable’s attack does indeed catch Hextros by surprise; the massive fiend does not have a chance to move at all before she fires. Having concentrated on the attack, she gifts her shot with a touch of magic and aims the awkward arrow at the only gap in Hextros’ armor from a frontal aspect; his neck.

Her aim is just slightly off, however. Instead of being driven right through the center of his throat, it spits the muscle on the side of his throat and bangs to a stop against the inside of the high neck guard of his armor. The powerful acid in the arrow comes to life in a flood that causes Hextros to scream, mad from the pain of it.

“You sneaky bitch!” he roars her as he reflexively covers the wound his hand. Acid sprays from the wound into the air and floods down into his armor, rising several feet into the air. Essentially a wand, the arrow pours fourth a tremendous amount of watery acid. Sable watches to see if she can see the spray of arterial blood, but does not. The smell of sizzling flesh is sickly sweet in her nostrils and his armor is already pocked and sizzling from the green acid.

It occurs to Sable that if he could still yell at her coherently, he would not go down quickly and he might even be resistant to the acid to some degree… Lovely.

Sable achieves a surprise attack against Hextros and does 32 pts dmg to him. Armor damaged as well for -1 AC

The assembled mercenaries groan as the degree of the wound becomes clear. By now, they had all heard what happened to Krytos…

Roll Initiative

Hextros: 13
Sable: 9

Round 1

Hextros

Staggered by the attack, Hextros stumbles backwards a few feet before steadying himself. He reaches up with a mailed fist and snaps the arrow off at the back and snarls in pain than reaches behind his neck and pulls the arrow out of the wound. What’s left of the flesh there yields painfully and he tosses the fragments of the arrow on the ground. The pieces still spray acid out on the ground, rolling around from the energy of the spraying acid. Hence the name of fountainhead arrow… Hextros kicks some sand at the rear fragment, to no effect. Whatever resistance to the acid he had, it was just enough to save him.

The massive fiend draws in a deep breath and shimmers with a translucent blue energy and he places his maw of a hand on the terrible wound on his neck. The bleeding immediately stops and much of the charred flesh returns to a normal color.

Behind him, the mercenaries cheer as their leader shrugs off the wound to the words of “Hextros!” and “Blood!”

“That… really hurt, wench!” Hextros snarls at her. Not a pithy response, but accurate none the less. The fiend strides towards Sable, his long legs covering more ground than she would have expected. He moves 30 feet closer to her, leaving him only 10 feet away from her. Hextros slams the front of his helmet shut with a bang. She looks up into furious red eyes blazing through the eye slits and the face of a ferocious dog with barred teeth.

“Hellhound! Hellhound! Hellhound!” the crowd roars.

Strangie

2009-04-30, 06:58 AM

Wyatt does a double-take at Sable's sneaky maneuver, as a grin spreads over his face a moment later.

"Yeah! You see 'dat? You seein' 'dis!? Knock 'em dead, Sable!" Wyatt cheers for his comrade. Despite the show of support, he keeps his free hand around his mace, just waiting for something to go sour.

thorgrim29

2009-04-30, 09:53 AM

Thordrek barely has time to finish his first sentence before Sable opens up with one of her horrible arrows. Surprised, he reaches into his pack and hangs a few things on his belt for easy reach, then goes give his orders. If anyone (including their allies) interferes with the duel, Wyatt is to help Sable, Thordrek will take care of the war machines, the others will try to stay together and be the anvil to Carmard's hammer.

Strangie

2009-04-30, 06:02 PM

Wyatt nods to Thordrek, pulling out his mace and shifting his position so his buckler was in front of him, preparing to jump in as necessary. He gives his reply... in Dwarven? It sounded odd coming from a halfling, but he spoke the language fluently enough that you could hardly tell the difference. It still had the tinge of a accent, like something between a Brooklyn and an Australian accent, to let you acknowledge it was still the same halfling, but...

"Understood, Thordrek. Sable will not fall as long as I watch her should things go awry. I would prefer it if you sent one other in with me - if they see us attacking their leader, they will surely send more after us, and as skilled as we are, I am not sure if Sable and I can take them all. Perhaps send Magnum in with me, I am sure we will require his clerical magic... hopefully it will hold long enough for the cavalry to arrive..."

Apparently, he was using the language to attempt to hide his communication with his current commander, and he was hoping others who knew the tongue would take the same route - and he hoped that Hextros or anybody else over there did not know Dwarven. As he watched the duel commence, he muttered to himself, in Common.

"C'mon, Sable, give 'em what-for upside his ugly freakin' head... don't make me have to jump in there for ya..."

thorgrim29

2009-04-30, 09:56 PM

I understand your concern, but there's only so many of us. And if things look bad for her, don't interfere unless I say so, we can't handle an all out fight until the other get here, and the longer we can wait for Buna to come back with reinforcements the better anyway.

bchilders

2009-05-01, 04:52 AM

Magnum

Magnum tenses as Sable launches her attack and has a hard time restraining himself from interfering. It is only the firsthand knowledge he has of seeing that Sable is more than capable of fending for himself that keeps him at bay. He does put his hand on the wand o' the heavens in case everything turns sour though.

Strangie

2009-05-01, 11:30 AM

Hey guys, just a quick OOC thing, we managed to resolve the Sable vs. Hextros fight last night. Totally awesome. I can't wait for the novelizing of it so all of you can see. Expect much arrow-slinging and halfling-taunting to go on.

Just so someone doesn't end up posting something that would kinda throw off the order of things. I'm beating Mike to the punch because I can. And I have nothing better to do with my time. Aw yeah!

mshady

2009-05-01, 05:19 PM

Hey everyone. I'll be away till Sunday night. I'll tinker away at the transcript from last night on Sable's duel and the results. They might surprise a few of you.

After that, I want to get the boards hopping here again and everyone included!:)

Mike

ArmanMadero

2009-05-01, 11:24 PM

DOH! i missed it again.... stupid work.. making me all tired and stuff... lol

Melody

2009-05-02, 09:44 PM

((ooc: All I have to say about the fight is bless Strangie's dice roller.))

bchilders

2009-05-04, 03:26 AM

OOC: I can't wait to read about it

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-05-04, 06:19 PM

OOC: Still lurking, just busy with my 6 finals this week and my 4 programs due last week.

mshady

2009-05-05, 09:58 PM

I probably wont have the full thing up till friday. Its a busy time all around it seems. Sorry for the delays. Honestly, just a bit worn out from some life stuff and alot of physically exhausted.

Mike

ArmanMadero

2009-05-07, 08:11 PM

Okily Dokily

thorgrim29

2009-05-07, 11:21 PM

Flanderrrsss

mshady

2009-05-11, 11:25 PM

Sable

Not wanting to be anywhere near Hextros and his terrible sword or chancing that she can outrun the brute, Sable casts about for options mentally in the second or so she has to make a decision. After a moment, she focuses her mind and draws a quick but familiar sign in the air… and vanishes. She has cast an invisibility spell. However good she was with her sword, and she was very, very good indeed, crossing swords with someone three times her size, massively strong and some kind of fiend was not a winning proposition for her. Instead, she pulls out her rapier with only the faintest whisper of steel. Sable moves soundlessly in a diagonal path. Her eyes never leave Hextros. She watches how he moves to try to find a gap in his thick armor or at least a weak point at a joint, but not finding any. His armor reminds him of the mass of steel that the group’s paladin, Hjalmar, liked to wear… mainly because it looked impervious. The only weak spot she could see was around the neck and head still…. A tough shot indeed.

From the sidelines, Arum cheers for Sable and says something utterly filthy about what the fiend can do with himself and how. It’s bad enough that both other members of the group and Hextros at least give the gnome a glance. Most gnomes invent things. Arum Faer Wed was more an inventor of foul language.

Roll Initiative

Hextros 21
Sable 18

If Hextros was surprised by Sable’s sudden disappearance, it was impossible to tell under his thick armor but he certainly looks left and right. His sword follows his head as it turns, as he scans the area warily. The fiend growls at first as the seconds tick by since Sable’s disappearance.

“Sneaky, sneaky little woman!” he growls. “Either you’re a coward or clever one! We’ll see…” he says menacingly.

Arum reaches down and picks up a small adobe fragment, tossing it into an area where Hextros is not looking. It lands in a thud and a puff of dust, causing Hextros to snap his head and sword in the direction of the fragment.

“The later, wool-for-brain!” Arum shouts from the sidelines. Hextros snarls in response to Arum and begins scanning the area again, looking for any disturbed dust or signs of foot prints as Sable moves about.

"Hide all ye like, but ye can't kill me!" he says and thumps his chest. He tenses for a moment though and draws in a deep breath. The half fiend shimmers again for a moment and is enveloped in a translucent blue haze. A moment later, he begins to grow in size, enormously. He now stands 12 feet high and laughs with a bit of mania as he looks around now.

"Heh. Now he's just got a fatter head!” Wyatt points out, verbally and with a small, blunt tipped finger.

Map 1

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/2995/duel1.jpg

Sable watches Hextros from under her veil of invisibility. Even if he just made himself a larger target for her, it occurs to her that what happens after she pulls the sword out of him might be far too much for her to handle. After a moment, her mind processes another revelation that is far more disturbing. Hextros could not possibly be a mage, it was odd enough the dwarfs seemed to be able to do that. He did not seem to be a priest either. The visual tell-tales of both kinds of magic were something she was long accustomed to seeing. This kind of translucent blue green energy from whatever magic he just worked reminded her of Raltise though. Could Hextros be some kind of psion as well as being a massive individual in his own right? Very dangerous.

As she is thinking this through, Hextros grunts again draws in a deep breath once again. His body glows a deep blue and the energy seems to solidify around his body

Some kind of defensive ward now? Wonderful… Sable thinks to herself.

Taking a look at the sword in her hand under her veil, she frowns and thinks better of that idea. For now at least…. She gingerly unlimbers her short bow instead and reaches her hand into her new quiver. No mere quiver but a small extra planar space that put whatever arrow she was looking for into her hand by command of her will alone… it certainly had an odd, cold feeling whenever she did it.

A long shaft a green crystal appears in her hand. The fletching are some kind of green feather and the tip is short metal tip with a piece of ballast behind it. All the better to stick nose down in the ground to spray acid all over the area. Sable had better uses for her precious fountainhead arrows, though. Only the most accomplished of archers could do what she intended with it, or ones with a little assistance. Fortunately, she could manage both…

Nothing else happens as Sable continues her study. Her sudden disappearance though finally unsettled Hextros enough to make him fall back towards his Nightmare. It was hard not to smile at that until she realized Hextros was not entirely an idiot. He had seen what one arrow did and felt another… If she missed her shot, he was close enough to his own lines a missed shot would land amongst them and provoke this duel into a violent confrontation with Carmard still far away. For anyone without supreme confidence, a head shot for example would be wholly out of the question…

I. Don’t. Miss Sable reminded herself…

Sable focuses her will and imbues her bow with a minor spell and another quickly that focuses her own eyes and mind to find the precise weakness in his armor he was looking. She calmly pulls the bow up and draws back, holding the string by two fingers. Calmly she anchors the bow to her nose and looks down the arrow shaft at her foe, adjusts her stance slightly and sends the heavy arrow flying. It warbles through the air rather than hisses, but she could not have imagined a more perfect show, which effectively what she was doing anyways.

Sable rolls a 19, resulting in a 30 to hit and a 37 for critical confirmation!

Hextros takes the shot hard. The arrow is driven through a gap between his chin and harness, into the chainmail coil underneath. It splits the chain and slashes Hextros’ thick neck deeply before clanking into the back of his neck guard. A splash of blood oozes from the chain in the moment before the arrow flashes to life in a blaze of runic magic. Acid froths out of the arrow, far beyond the capacity of the arrow itself to hold within the arrow’s shaft. The acid streams down into Hextros’ armor, sprays into the air and sizzles against his helmet as Hextros screams in agony. The fiend actually smokes as the acid scours his armor and burns his arming jacket below…

“Oh! Lookit ‘dat!” Wyatt calls out, hopping up and down in excitement.

The arrow itself does 26 damage and the acid does 17 for the first round.
Hextros screams in rage and pain once again as the acid geysers all over him. It boils on his armor and metal is deformed. Some of it loses its shape and the fine, articulating armor is bent and deformed, and some acid drips in ropes off of him. An enormous figure thanks to his magic, he is a giant writhing in pain.

Hextros slams his hand down on the shaft and snaps off the fountainhead arrow, leaving the tip but sending the shaft to the ground in a spray of acid. His armor is burned and pocked by the acid. While the physical damage to the armor is not great, the finely crafted articulated armor simply does not move as well when it has been before it warped and pitted. He kicks the shaft away from him. The tip continues to boil away, sending a stream of watery acid pouring down underneath his armor and adding to the accumulated damage from the previous. However acid resistant his hide is, there is only so much damage he can take.

Able to see Sable now, he has to choose between rushing in to attack her or using some sort of curative, Hextros opts to go for a potion this time. He pulls out a potion and drinks it down. Staggered from the damage before, the potion seems to relieve a great deal of his pain. The hulking fiend roars something unintelligible back at Sable and moves in her direction now.

Sable drops her free to her rapier as the fiend approaches and squares herself to face the threat. She crouches down, makes a quick but complex sign and just disappears again. Under the cloak of invisibility again, she moves towards the south again and begins studying Hextros.

Hextros snarls as Sable disappears once again. "Stand and fight, coward!" The lumbering fiend is clearly frustrated as Sable disappears again.

"Watch out, he's gettin' cranky now." Wyatt hollers out, taunting the wounded warrior.

Hextros looks at Wyatt for a moment and snarls, he swings his massive head back to the center of the fight. He draws in another deep breath and a cloud of gray smoke starts roiling around his fist. Tendrils of black energy swirl around it and a sense of general wrongness of it can be felt. Hextros raises it high and his troops roar at the sight and they cheer his name. He casts his fist out to the area directly ahead of him and a cloud of unholy miasma fills the area…

Right where Sable stands...

mshady

2009-05-13, 02:05 AM

A cloud of inky gray and black smoke billows from the center of where the cloud lands, expanding to a 20 ft radius and enveloping the invisible Sable. The blighting spell feels like a thick fog, chilling the skin and sapping Sable’s vitality, but only to a point. Like many spells based on a divine or planar alignment, the farther her beliefs were from the polar opposite of the spell’s alignment, the less effect it had on a person. What could have been a devastating spell to weaker and more extreme believers only inconvenienced Sable. It did not feel good at all, but not as bad as it could have been. Getting her free hand to cover her mouth and nose before the spell had fully formed had also helped spare her of course…

The cloud lingers and Hextros stomps towards the center of it, but as he does so the magic that had enlarged him to a giant’s size faded and he returned to a more normal size. In one hand, Hextros still holds his wicked looking falchion. In the other, he holds a rod carved to look like a dragon or a hydra’s head. The red, ruby eyes of it smolder and its mouth smokes. A worrying item for the fiend to produce, as it occurs to Sable what the bastard’s strategy was… He was going to hold the center and blanket the rest of the area with fireballs or some such. That was the only thing that rod could be. A normal wand of fireballs only had one red crystal at the center of them; this one had two, making up the ‘dragon’s’ eyes, and who knows what that could mean,… she did know that in a confined space, there were only so many places she could go and so many fireballs she could dodge… That would put her on the run. Not good…

Sable falls back, leaving the cloud of vileness that Hextros had projected. If he could produce something like that naturally, she certainly did not want to get closer to him. That was the only way to counter what he appeared set to do, however.

Of course, there as another way too…

Sable back peddles and knocks another fountain head arrow while still under her veil. She imbues the arrow once again with her focused will. Not that it is a hard shot. The still-massive fiend only stands 25 feet away from her….

The now-damaged armor from the previous acid has a few more gaps in it now and he is not holding his helmet down as tightly, exposing his neck a little bit more. That wasn’t where she was going to aim though…

Sable rolls a 51 to hit! Confirms critical with a 50

The arrow flies and strikes Hextros behind the ear guard of his helmet, splitting the plate and striking upwards at his cheek bone. The acid pours into the inside of the helmet, bathing the left side of his face in acid. The arrow sticks out of the helmet and the fiend roars in pain. He tears the smoking helmet off his head with his free hand and flings it away. It lands near Wyatt, who steps back from it gingerly. The Halfling takes his mace and strikes the helmet, sending it away from the group before the now broken arrow can spray the group in acid.

The lack of the previously present helmet now fully reveals his face. What was once a chiseled face, perhaps handsome if severe for whatever his race was exactly. It is now horribly burned and scarred, the scales are scoured and blood runs from it. Worst of all, one of his wild red eyes has been burned away by acid. His left eye, once wild and red, is now burned away, leaving a gruesome lump. He staggers about for a moment and tears off a gauntlet and holds his hand over his face, continuing to scream. The remaining acid on his face still sizzles and burns

Its bad enough to cause some in the dwarven party to wince even…

thorgrim29

2009-05-14, 09:54 PM

Thordrek stares at the duel, mouth slightly open in astonishment, then remembers where he is and looks around to see how the mercs are taking their leader's humiliation.

mshady

2009-05-15, 01:17 AM

“Damn…” Johannes mutters, and looks away.
"Well I see that acid actually improved your looks you ugly soon of a bitch!" Arum yells at him.

The mercenaries have now fallen silent as well. No more cheering their leader’s name or their company. They know what will come next now and watch Hextros with hard eyes, with little forgiveness for the defeat.

"You blinded me, ye infernal bitch! How many more of those do ye have!" Hextros roars. “You haven’t killed me yet!” he roars and pounds his fist against his scoured breast plate with a bang.

"Yield and you won't find out” Sable says. Her voice is quiet. Cold. Ice.

The fiend looks at her through his one good eye and reaches for a potion off his belt and drinks it down, emptying the last drop and casting it aside. He looks back towards his soldiers and back at the now visible Sable and grips his sword with both hands now. Tightly enough that the pommel creaks and his knuckles crack. His chest heaves and slows as the fiend batters down the overwhelming pain…

Arum growls in response to Hextros going for the potion and says "Hey, none of that you bastard!" The gnome lifts his crossbow bolt up and draws it back with a clank before laying a bolt on to the stock. Johannes looks at him, his face going a bit pale and shakes his head at him. Arum glances in his direction, but does not otherwise react. He was not looking for an excuse, but to protect a comrade in case the fiend did something else. It does at least get Hextros’ attention and he gives the gnome a quick, one-eyed glare. His head slews back in Sable’s direction as the miasmic gray and black cloud of smoke wisps around the area and then he nods in her direction. His sword tip lowers visibly and he removes a hand from the sword. He seems quite angry still and his chest heaves from wounds, pain and exertion,

“Parlay!” he snarls at Sable. He jams his falchion into the ground and leans on it. His free hand covers his burned eye.

Sable nods in response with a slight tip of her head.

“Parlay it is” Sable says. She lowers her own bow and holds the fiend with a stern, wordless gaze. She stalks back to her own lines and stands behind Thordek. Her chest heaves from the tension and exertion, magical and physical and her face is streaked in sweat. The humidity, strain and the spell she walked into certainly had an effect on her. Not bad, but not pleasant...

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-05-15, 01:37 AM

{{I believe, if my glance-back-a-page memory is still intact, I am indeed heading down to the battlegrounds with Carmard?}}

mshady

2009-05-15, 09:13 AM

OOC: You are, yup.

mshady

2009-05-16, 11:42 AM

Sable stands with the group and next to Arum now, heedless of her proximity to his fierce but taciturn little badger. For once, it did not snarl when someone drew close. Even an overgrown old badger knows it is best not to draw the attention of an apex predator.

Arum grins wickedly at Hextros and throws his head back in a bark of a laugh.

"Wow, look who finally grew a brain! Ah he he!" he says towards Hextros. “You too, hairy…” he adds, patting the badger’s mane. His smile is broad.

“Sable! That was simply freakin’ amazing!” Wyatt says, jumping up and down excitedly as if wearing springs on his feet. Apparently Halflings bounce when they are excited; or thrown hard. One would expect the later happens to Wyatt occasionally.

"You took my eye! Damn you..." Hextros mutters. His scaly palm is still pressed over his eye as blood oozes out of it. His voice is tense and strained, like one talking through a lot of pain. Which he obviously was… The fiend tosses off his other metal gauntlet and fumbles through a small bag at his hip before withdrawing a mass of roots. He opens his mouth and stuffs in some pieces and begins chewing on them. Even that must have been painful with his scalded cheeks. Likely it is a herbal root that would provide some kind of anesthesia.

“Oh, shut up about the damn eye, else we let her take a couple more orb shaped parts out of your body!” Arum snarls back at him. The fiend looks at him and growls at that, but says nothing. Johannes and Thordek both look at him again. Sable gives him a gentle nudge with her elbow as well.

“You know what a parlay is… right?” Johannes says quietly towards Arum. “Stop being a thug. We won the battle, nay the war here. Shush, you.” He looks at the gnome for a sign of understanding but he may as well have given a speech to a brick for all the reaction he got seemingly. After a moment of silence, Arum says “Fine, fine” and was quiet again.

Nobody says anything for a long moment. Sable watches, not taking her eyes off the fiend except one time when she glanced behind her. Carmard was coming with the rest of the group. They would be here soon.

“The eye can be healed” she says with a quiet in indifference. “Our boss is coming now. I’m just happy you didn’t make him… mad” She punctuates the sentence with a half smile at the last. He snorts at that and continues to chew, waiting in silence. For Carmard or just for the roots to take effect; perhaps both... Hextros grunts through some more pain and waves his Nightmare to join him once again. The infernal horse trots over towards him, head held straight out. A powerful combatant in its own right, alone it could possibly be a tougher opponent than Hextros. Combined with a rider, such a beast was a deadly foe. Tales of black knights on such black steeds charging headlong at an enemy, riding them down and fading away only to charge from another direction were the stuff of, well, nightmares. Hence the name; it had nothing to do with the horse actually being a mare, or a stallion. No one had ever been brave enough to try and geld one.

Slowly and painfully, Hextros remounts his steed. Once atop it, he fumbles through a saddle bag for some bandages. Some he presses against the socket. The rest are wrapped roughly around his head. He also produces a pewter flask and drains it, looking visibly relieved. He casts that aside and watches the rest of the dwarven group scramble down the hill. The fiend must be under the influence of what would be, to anyone else, a stupefying amount of anesthetic drug at this point as he spits out some root and eats some more.

“Your actual leader… he is the one coming down the hill, yes?” Hextros says. His speech seems a little thicker now, and not from a full mouth.

“Indeed he is, sir” Sable says and gestures behind her. “Though, I might rethink the amount of gold you asked for. Between you and me, I’d still ask for a lot but maybe not as much as you were thinking before. I mean… who carries around a hundred pounds of gold? We’d have to be carrying a gold dipped Halfling around” she says. Hextros looks at her for a moment longer than before with curiosity.

“I’ve got a heart of gold. That count? Heh” Wyatt says.
“Too small” Sable replies, smiling a bit at Wyatt’s remark. Even Hextros looks at Wyatt for a moment… and laughs. Laughs? Painfully, but a laugh.

“I’d rather a gold covered gnome, or a courtyard full of’em, but a Halfling will have to do. Could suggest a gnome though…” he says, and glances at Arum. Apparently Hextros found Arum even more obnoxious than Wyatt.

“Well still…” she says, with a bit of a smile. “Well still, you can get paid. The hydras are dead, so your Company has fulfilled its contract. You can move on now”

Hextros shakes his enormous head at that and holds up a finger.

“Another hydra is dead. Not all of them” he corrects. The mention of hydras seems to anger him.

“Take the money and move on, sir. This back of beyond can’t be good money” Sable replies. Her tone is more serious now. A gentle demand. “How many was the contract for? How many are left?”

“Out there?” he says, thinking for a moment through the anesthetic fog. “One maybe? One remains in town as well. We cut the beast for neck roasts and it regenerates more. Keeps us fed, but taste is… beyond foul”

“Kill it and just leave. We’ll deal with the last one in the ravines. Your side o’the contract will be fulfilled and you can move on to greener pastures, so to speak” Sable says, again with the gentle demand. Hextros seems to ponder the metaphor, apparently unfamiliar with it, but gets the point and laughs.

"My side o'the contract?" Hextros laughs as he reaches for another potion. His wounds appear less severe, but the eye socket is a burned and hideous mess still.

Sable winces as she looks at him. “Sorry about that eye” she says. She fishes out a potion with two fingers around the stopper from her bag. She flips it right side up and catches it. The potion is one of her prized curative potions (CSW). She approaches Hextros with it in hand as both the fiend and the nightmare watch her intently. The two look at each other a moment before she passes the potion to him, exchanging an understanding instead of words this time. She briskly returns to the group, retaking her former position. One wisely within arm’s reach of Arum.

bchilders

2009-05-16, 05:33 PM

Magnum

Magnum stood mouth wide open throughout most of the fight and it took several seconds for him to realize it was over before he let out holler in celebration. As the infernal beast starts chewing his roots Magnum moves over to Sable and give her a sturdy pat on the back saying, "I'd take ye on my side of a fight anyday lass."

thorgrim29

2009-05-17, 09:26 AM

Well done Sable... That was beyond amazing... Though I'm not sure I wouldn't have put him of his misery for what he's done here. I guess we'll let Carmard decide

Melody

2009-05-18, 12:19 PM

"Well, Carmard's the boss, and figure if Hextros had lost, someone would have been stepping up to fill in the gap." Sable sighs and runs a hand through her hair, gathering up the strands that have come loose and tucking them behind her ear. "New guys always have something to prove. He sent me in to parlay and I doubt he'd be really pleased about us touching off a full scale blood bath."

She smiles as she hears Thordrek and Magnum's words. "I appreciate it guys, though I doubt I'd have fared as well going toe to toe with Hextros." She nods towards Hextros knowing he can hear her. "You're a very impressive fighter sir. I apologize for not standing still for you, but I wasn't sure if I'd have walked away from it."

mshady

2009-05-19, 09:41 PM

Hextros grunts in response to the compliment. "You're right, you would not be standing" he says. Clearly he was still frustrated about the duel. He shakes his head and contines.

"Nooo... we came to do the job, aye. We are mercenaries. Whatever else, to earn our pay and find new work, we make a contract and keep it" Hextros says.

"You're very honorable, I can see that. Hmm..." Sable says, touching her forefinger to her chin in thought.

"Honor has nothing to do with it” Hextros scoffs. Even his mount finds the statement absurd. Wyatt scratches his head. “Who hires mercenaries they cannot trust to at least be loyal to their coin?”

“Hardly weird” Arum states.

Hextros snorts again. “"They don't pay us, after losing 40 men to these hydras? They're lucky this town still stands!" The last part of the statement he seems particularly heated about.

"This seems too weird, for two people who were just lookin' to slaughter each other..." Wyatt says quietly. Sable smiles down at the halfling in response.

"No need to be rude when you aren't looking to slaughter each other is there?"

"So... “ Wyatt says, turning to Hextros “Why DOES it still stand? I don't get it. I thought this town had no money."

"It doesn't. I looked" he smiles, revealing his fangs once again.

Arum says softly. "Perhaps he is using the people of the town to breed and produce slaves he can sell."

"We're mercenaries. We suffered bloody losses are were paid in dirt for our blood. For Hextros the Bloodhound to have ANY respect left from that, he must be feared. Obviously these brave fool peasants didn't fear me enough. Their Mayor at least...” he grumbles. “By right, I should slaughter this town and enslave the rest, if I could find a buyer" he scoffs at that. "I haven't. Why?"

Arum takes the question-bait. "Why be feared when you can be respected for being kind and trustworthy?"

Sable looks over at Arum with one raised eyebrow. Both Wyatt and Magnum reply with an “Eh?” to the statement. Johannes just tries to hide his face in embarrassment. The answer even shocks Hextros.

"Kind?" he says incredulously, than laughs. The fiend blinks with his one good eye, stunned at the sheer stupidity of that statement.

Sable actually chuckles a bit, again.

“You don't have to answer that. I'll clue him in later.”

"... heh. Mercs aren't paid t'be nice, y'know?” Wyatt adds.

"This is Pandemonium. Are there are other places like it throughout the planes? A benevolent caretaker could have himself a fortune in benefits from building these places up." Arum says, stubbornly continuing.

"He wasn't hired to be a benevolent caretaker. He was hired to kill some hydras. Then he got stiffed on his payments." Sable tries to explain.

"I would know, havin' walked down that road one time too many…" Wyatt adds, with a trace of bitterness. Taking advantage of a midget mercenary was something that had probably occurred to others before.

“Defend’n him now?” Arum says, more surly than before.

“It’s called diplomacy, you arse…” Johannes rasps to him. “She’s trying to be understanding to move forward. Now hush!” Arum looks down at Johannes and merely shrugs.

Arum sighs "I'm aware of that, I'm just trying to find a way to deal with what to do NOW"

Hextros watches that little commotion in the group before continuing. His own group continues to stand behind him in silence. There is a murmur as they talk. The four remaining officers have their horses standing close to each other. They are obviously conferring about something. Hextros casts a glance back that way and frowns as well.

Hextros looks at Arum, than back at Sable. "Your gnome is irritating me greatly. Make. It. Stop" he snarls

“Certainly” Sable says, no doubt agreeing.

“Heh! He called you an it, Arum!”

“Very well” Arum sighs, as his whole group has now turned on him.

Sable leans over to him and speaks in a sotto voice to Arum. “Please be quiet, Arum. Thank you. Why don’t you go tell our boss what happened, so he knows the situation before he makes it down here, alright? He’ll like to know we’re waiting on him to finish negotiations”

Arum thinks it over for a moment, thinks about saying something and resigns to doing as he asked. Wordlessly, he snaps the reins on his badger and turns him around and sends him padding up the hill. The gnome does not look back at all as he begins his ascent. Wyatt watches Arum waltz off, then walks up next to Sable, folding his arms, drumming his fingers on his buckler

Seeing that situation resolves, Hextros grunts to himself and continues. A small victory.

"Yes. Now what would ye do if ye lost so much and were not paid, woman? Ye are a mercenary, are you not?" he asks, before taking another bite of his roots.

Sable thinks for a moment to herself, not answering the question immediately. If she had any conflicting emotions about the answer to that question, there was not so much as an indicative twitch.

"I've been hired by my boss, yes” she pauses for a moment, considering the answer to the rest of the question. Dodge, she decides. "I was told to come down here an parlay, so that's what I did."

"Well, yer not getting the riddle of the situation, woman" Hextros says, with a touch of exasperation.

"The riddle of it?" Sable responds quizzically. Now they were getting somewhere.

"We're not staying here to be... benevolent caretakers” he says and pointedly spits out a wad of chew root on the ground as a sign of his contempt for that particular idea. “We’re not here for the money now. So… WHY ARE WE HERE?”

mshady

2009-05-19, 10:37 PM

"You're staying here because you have one hydra left to kill, minus the one that you're eating?" Sable replies, more guessing at the answer. It was the most obvious one, to her at least.

"If I never see another hydra in my life, I'd be happy for it! Let alone eat one. He reaches into his belt and throws a bag towards the group. At first they look at it, unsure of what it is.

“Try some” he says, with an particularly ugly smile on his face. Magnum reaches down for the bag and examines it, than opens it. Inside are several strips of what can only be Hydra jerky. He tries a good size bite of it, chew it for a few moments and spits it out.

“That’s bloody awful! Tastes like it was pickled in piss!” Magnum proclaims. Hextros laughs. The rest of the group stares for a moment at Magnum as he quickly tries to wash the taste away with a flask of something strong.

"Not here for the cuisine. Alright…” Sable says, more to herself than Hextros. She wracks her brain, trying to sort through any odd knowledge she had picked up over the years about portals and such, which was few and far between. She didn’t operate in those circles. Nonetheless, a thought occurs to her from her own recent travels with the dwarves, particularly getting here in the first place.

Sable rolls a 19 on an untrained check for Planar Knowledge

“Is there some reason you can't use the portal? You don’t know the portal key?"

Hextros nods at that part.

"They deserve each other, I say. Let them eat each other for all I care. No, we're still here because we can't LEAVE"

"Can't leave. 'dat's what I was afraid of..." Wyatt says with a frown. “"Freakin' great. We'll have to get our magic people on it, then, and figure out what's up, then."

“Luckily, we MIGHT all be able to get out of here…” Sable says, with a bit of a smile. Sable recalls that the priest of Shaundakul also mentioned his group of travelers could not leave either and laments that they are all holed up in the area. A priest of Shaundakul, living in a place with a portal, would likely have something to DO with the portal. "So hopefully, we can arrange for us both to journey to Sigil. We could be of great benefit to each other, as we have casters that should be able to make it so we can both journey to Sigil." Sable says with a smiles.

Hextros thinks for a moment and looks back at his own soldiers and officers. He turns back and looks at her, than nods.

“This should’ve been mentioned in the parlay earlier, don’t ya think?” Wyatt says with a sour look.

“"Well, he was shaking us down for a toll earlier. He didn't say he would help us USE the portal. They just would have brought us to it. We’d have to still fix it ourselves."

“"What? 'Oh, pay us a bajillion gold and then you can use our broken portal. Oh wait.' Pah."

“Heh. Indeed” Hextros says with a bark of laugher. “"You are all miserable negotiators! No counter offer to me. No realization I needed to save face in front of my men for a stupid lieutenant's death. Who's stupid enough to accept the first offer like so?"

"Whatever. Who cares at this point. Bottom line, portal is broken, we need to fix it." Wyatt says, his frustration clear.

""If you're not smart enough to ask that, why shouldn't I take ye for every coin ye have? The only thing I cared about was leaving and some way to save face for our losses. I couldn't just let ye march in after killing however many of my men? Ye have to be fearsome to lead such a crew. The sword, or some token to hold up to show my control here 'as all I needed. Bunch of barmey berks ye are.." Hextros scoffs and shakes his head.

Sable chucks at herself and looks at Thordek with a smile. "Well, we didn't ask if it worked. That would have been our own fault. In my defense too, we didn't come to town to kill anyone. Your man tried to rob us."

"Truthful I was. You never asked if it WORKED. Ye just wanted to use it. ..and yes, I figured. He was a useless piece of dung anyways.."

"Well now it's on the table and our boss can work something out I'm sure."

“Indeed” Hextros answers. He looks back at his own soldiers, who stand in place. No longer the discplined block of infantry, they now mill around and watch the distant proceedings with curiosity. One of the officers has a spy glass and watches Hextros and the dwarven group for a bit, before passing it on to another officer. "Sooner would be good..." he says.

mshady

2009-05-19, 11:06 PM

Alone now, Arum decides to think matters over for himself as he heads up to meet Carmard. As a Conjurer and an experienced mage, Arum knew a great deal about portals. There were a lot of reasons for them not to work. The destination portal on the other side may simply be destroyed, making the intact portal useless. That would be bad. The magic itself that empowered the portal may have been weakened, or worse, corrupted. A portal on another Plane that came to the attention of some of the more powerful planar denizens out there could even be usurped, redirected or scrambled as suited their purpose and Pandemonium itself was particularly malleable to a focused will. Or it could simply be out of whatever magic power that fueled it; that would be the easiest problem for him and Carmard to resolve. Perhaps it was intact though, and no one knew how to use it? Or it worked off of a portal key that was lost or stolen? Perhaps the only person who knew how to use it was the late Mayor?

Of course, Carmard had said he had been here before. The Patriarchate must know a great deal about the portal; they seemed to know about most other things. For them to choose a path this blindly as to the working of the portal when they knew how things constantly shifted in Way Ward would be foolish. Something else had been bothering him too. Hextros had said at the start of the parlay that he had actually sold some of the townspeople into slavery. How did he do that if everyone in town was stuck there? The portal must have been working at the time. So what happened after that?

Arum files that particular thought away and resolves to get to Carmard as quickly as he can. He spurs Baurus onward, up the sharp incline. The badger scurries and claws at the loose soil as he goes, obedient to his commands for once.

Is there anything else I’m missing? Arum asks himself.

mshady

2009-05-19, 11:26 PM

Hextros turns his steed to stand parallel, for all his soldiers to see him. He waves in the direction of the officers that are watching him through the single spy glass. They seem surprised by the gesture and seem to hide the spy glass away. Hextros does not actually say anything, but raises his fist high. The nightmare itself snorts a cloud of smoke and stands on its back legs, pawing the air with its front legs. It’s a fierce display. The troops at least take something positive out of it and cheer. The conscripts certainly do not, however. They stand in resolute silence. One soldier standing amongst them strikes one of the peasant warriors across the face for saying something smart, presumably.

There is no other reaction from the officers.

Hextros ends the display and strides back towards the dwarven party.

"Ye may have noticed five lieutenants behind me? If ye think a one of them wanted me to survive this, yer a fool. He who leads is the strongest. I've lead here for 20 of your years. We can... assist... each other, but I require yer submission to me to do or I'll look even weaker to them"

Sable sighs and nods.

“I really liked this sword, too…” she says with a frown. She looks at Hextros and back up in Carmard’s direction. She can see now that Arum has joined up with the Arcanii and the rest of the group and they are on their last leg of the trek down the hill.

Wyatt looks at Sable and shakes his head when mention of her giving up the sword comes up. “This is

"I'll discuss it with my boss, but you make a much better case speaking to me plainly” Sable says in a sotto voice again.

"Hand it over. I show the trophy. We leave. Ye can have it back for all I care. Such swords are... hardly my preference" Hextros says with a snort. Hopefully the girls wielding such swords aren’t either, Sable thinks to herself. “I'd also know yer name"

Sable nods in tentative agreement to the request, but stands her ground.

"I don't see a problem with either, though again I'll have to ask my boss. As for the sword, you’ll give it back AND in one piece as well. I’m nay interested in having it repaired, if you please."

Hextros smirks at that and nods.

"Good. Well fought. I'd ask your price if I could pay it. You have a measure of my respect for that. I hadn't intended to kill ye if I won. Would've hurt greatly, but I was after ransom and position. Pity though, I would've like to match swords 'ather than have my damned eye burned out"

"As big as you are? I'd be rather stupid to stand toe to toe with you."

Hextros nods at that.

“Now, let us wait for your leader”

mshady

2009-05-20, 12:19 AM

Now joining up with Carmard’s group, Arum gives his explanation about what happened down below to Carmard and gives him an abbreviated story of what happened.

"Well… we parlayed with the leader as requested, aye? He had his officers with him and their leader, Hextros, was on a Nightmare. His price for the portal was huge, including wanting Sable as his slave for killing that officer. Him and Sable fought, and Sable nearly killed him before he requested safe parlay. Oi, and he’s some kind of psion too. Like uh… Raltise was? But different….”

“There we found out that there's a reason he's not leaving, and it's not his choice. Based on his claims I'd say he's stuck here because the portal is out, and has been since her took over... but that contradicts what he said early on about having sold off some of the villagers off as slaves. I don't know how he would have gotten them out of here if that was the case."

"Hells, I watched that as we rushed down. Shocked she's still alive from that..." Carmard says, indeed he is surprised.

Carmard continues the jog downhill, with him in the lead. Sweat glistens on his forehead and armor clattered with each step. That they were moving at as fast a pace as they were was quite dangerous actually, considering the treacherous path. The rest try to keep up. Older though he might be, it was clear Carmard was in excellent shape for any age. Despite their martial prowess, dwarves rarely trained for fitness like humans or elves did. Their exhausting military drills were more than enough, in dwarven minds. Considering how Carmard could outpace the others with ease if he wanted to as they huffed along behind, the Arcanii must have had some different ideas.

Being mounted on the sure footed badger was the only way Arum could really keep pace.

"So aye, Sable put one of her acid arrows into his neck.... and his chest.... and his eye."
Carmard laughs at that. "We do well to have her with us, I think. He'll remember meeting her, I'm sure!"

"Better her with us that against us” Arum mutters, still sore at being sent away but at least he was accomplishing something.

"About your contradiction? Has to be cause and effect. They sold some off as slaves, yes? Than they could not leave. Why?"

Arum thinks for a moment. "I hadn't thought of that, I had been assuming that the slaves came after the portal was supposedly down. Perhaps the slaves had the key, or where the key."

“If the slaves had the key, how did they open it, sell them off and come back? Doesn’t make sense. Something changed here…”

Arum nods. "None the less, perhaps the slaves, or who they where, is the missing piece of this puzzle."

"They have to do with the explanation I'm sure, but I doubt they're a part of the riddle itself" Carmard says. That’s the last he says for now as the group continues their jog down the hill.

Carmard and company FINALLY arrive. They are exhausted from their downhill run, dusty and covered with sweat. They all have weapons and shield in hand, if they have a shield of course. Seeing that the situation is stable, Carmard takes a moment to catch his breath before speaking.

Sable, Thordek and Johannes walk up to meet Carmard and the rest. Kelith in particular looks winded from the jog down and is sitting on the sandy ground draining a skin of water, before pouring the rest over his head.

"Arum told me some. We have a bargain here or not?" Carmard asks. He looks closely at Sable, than at the wounded Hextros. The fiend still sits on his horse. The two leaders take a long moment to weigh and measure each other. Carmard returns his gaze to Sable. "Well fought. Wiser than I expected, to show mercy like that. Must’ve confused the hell outta him" He nods at Sable in appreciation.

"Yes. She only just scarred him for life. Ye got a bunch of winners on your side, Carmard, I'll tell ya that." Arum says, the sting from before apparently gone. Carmard grunts in agreement to that.

"The portal isn't working... might be that priest of Shaundakul that did it in anger. He'd also like my sword which he'd give back to boost up his reputation to his men” Sable says. She than whispers something else for Carmard. “Figured I’d bleed on it a little? Let him have it and give back to me later to show that he’s bigger than I am? Or is there something he can do with that blood that means I shouldn’t?” she says.

Carmard nods. "Give him the sword, formal supplication and such. He's no use to us without his troops. Never give someone your blood, hair or otherwise. Many an awful thing one can do with that. Especially amongst on the Planes or by a priest or magus, lass. Should know that" he says with a wink. “How a lot o’necromancy is performed.”

Sable nods at that, standing thoughtfully. "I thought there might be something like that. Very well."

"The Travel God's priest?” Hextros says with a snort. Apparently he heard much of the conversation between Carmard and the rest. “Aye. speak again with him. I think you'll get different answers about matters" Hextros says grimly.

Carmard seems a bit surprised that he was overheard, but shrugs. He takes a drink from his own water skin and adjusts his cloak.

“Time to finish this up, I think” he says. "Had a thought..." Carmard says to himself. The dwarf almost seems to be smiling under his beard.

thorgrim29

2009-05-20, 06:43 AM

Thordrek seems a bit offended, but he knows Hextros is right, accepting the first offer was stupid.

Well, to be fair, you did have a pretty good position of strength over us, besides, I was hired to kill stuff, not negotiate with people who have many times as much experience at it as I.... My boss told me to give you what you wanted, I figured it was his gold to waste. I must say, you seem at least as good at the whole negotiation thing as at fighting.

Well, that is in the past, I hope, now, to your problem. I am no expert of planar magic, but I'm sure we can procure one, one way or the other...

mshady

2009-05-20, 08:54 AM

"Next time, remember... your 'boss' sent you to negotiate, not capitulate. If you had, no fight may have happened" Hextros says, shaking his head. "I expected too much. As a merc, we gain much experience by haggling over prices. Why it burns me all the more, to be taken myself by some peasant captain like I was..."

mshady

2009-05-20, 10:27 AM

"Now, what are the terms for entering the town and access to the portal? Reasonable ones this time" Carmard says to the towering fiend.

Hextros mulls that thought over.

"The sword. A private discussion with your Sable here. Whatever gold ye carry for us both to buy my men's loyalty. You bring us to Sigil" Hextros pronounces.

Carmard shows that he is thinking about the offer, but shakes his head.

"No" he says.

Hextros looks at him with a mix of surprise and genuine anger. "What? You want my other eye too, dwarf?"

"No. We won't pay ye to enter the town. You've been bested in combat and your men attacked us"

Hextros grates his teeth together and glares at Carmard. "Yer a hard-nosed runt, aren’t you? Fine. Make yer own offer"

"Counter offer. To begin with, the sword and its safe, intact, return. You left that part out" Carmard points out.

"I did, did I? Must have forgotten that" Hextros says, and smirks at that. Clearly it was an intentional omission, to test Carmard no doubt.

"Intact..." Sable adds, in her soft voice once again.

"Yes, Sable’s sword plus its intact return. Clean it while you're at it" Carmard adds smugly.

Hextros growls at that, but says nothing.

"... Heh" Wyatt adds.

"You get your private conversation with Sable" Carmard says, adding another term he agrees with. Hextros nods at that. "Next, we won't pay to enter the town. You surrender the town to us" continues Carmard. This time, he looks particularly adamant about the point.

Hextros does not react. Instead he looks at Carmard like the dwarf had sprouted a second head and is at a loss for words.

"You can say something like.. ‘Pah! You can have this place. After all it's not like you want to stay here." Sable says sweetly, trying to calm the situation before it exploded. She doesn’t quite understand what Carmard is doing either; Dwarven pride getting in the way of common sense?

"Dwarf, why would I do THAT?" he says and laughs at the absurd demand.

"Why?" Carmard says, and smiles at him. His eyes narrow. “Because you work for me now" Carmard says flatly, with complete confidence. He looks up at Hextros with a crack of a smile and raises his eyes slightly, inviting the challenge to what he just said. Carmard even takes a step forward towards Hextros.

"Uh oh.." Sable says, recognizing that look. Hextros glares down at the dwarf and says nothing, perhaps out of astonishment.

"We don't pay you. We hire you. You fight with us in Sigil. We pay you for whatever you were owed here, plus a generous sum for future services rendered. See? Reasonable" Carmard says with a smile.

“Damn” Arum mumbles to himself.

"Oh hey! That's the look he gave me when he told me the same thing! ... wait..." Wyatt says. He stops to think a moment and laughs.

"Future services? In Sigil? Plus whats owed here? Hurm" Hextros says, more to himself. Sitting atop his Nightmare, the fiend thinks about it for a long minute. He touches his burned eye. It's still obviously, even frightfully, painful but he seems to be suppressing it well - probably his psionic abilities...

"He's a good boss Hextros. He pays well, and he could pound me into the dirt like a tent peg if he wanted to” Sable adds with a smile.

"You're a surprising little man, I think" Hextros says to Carmard. "Bargained fair and well. My loyalty's to the coin. So long as it flows, your blood doesn't" Hextros says.

Carmard nods to that. "We have a bargain than"

mshady

2009-05-20, 10:28 AM

Okay - that's the end of the chat from the other week. Sorry for the slow posting. This week in particular has been tough as I've been home sick with food poisoning or something and even to the hospital due to dehydration. Good times, but it gave me the time to catch up on stuff.

Regular posting on here may now commence again.

thorgrim29

2009-05-20, 04:55 PM

Thordrek just shakes his head, bemused, as what seemed like a bloddy all out fight to the death turned into a job interview. Uncertain as to what information the Bloodhound can get, yet curious, he questions Carmard

We're taking all of them to Sigil, now? I tought we were supposed to see if we could infiltrate before going all out?

Melody

2009-05-20, 05:36 PM

Sable looks at Carmard appreciatively. "That is an excellent solution. Hextros comes out of it looking good to his men because he's netted them not only a lucrative contract, but a way out of here. Also, he doesn't have to flatten the village on principle, because he can say that it's part of the contract that he lets them go. Everyone will be too busy counting their pay to say anything. Boss, you are one devious dwarf."

Strangie

2009-05-20, 06:56 PM

Wyatt lifts his forearm up, flipping his mace around in his hand idly while he thinks over the situation. "... sounds like we're gonna be preparin' for war in Sigil, heh. Alla 'dese soldiers... ya worked out a pretty good plan 'ere, Carmard, with these guys..." He nods, glancing around at Hextros and the other soldiers. Then he glances at Thordrek for a moment, pausing before turning back to Carmard.

"Yeah, that's right. What're we gonna do for scoutin'? Heh, if you send us off again, will ya not go runnin' off on us to go chase down some vicious monster or other? Good thing I didn't know you guys weren't plannin' on that before or I woulda been worried I wouldn't have an army to come back to! Always gotta hang back and wait for the scout report, y'know."

And then finally, he turns to Sable, casually pointing up at her with a grin. "And you can fight alongside me any day y'know. Now I definitely know Carmard's got himself a buncha winners, heh."

mshady

2009-05-20, 08:08 PM

"Oh" Carmard says, with a devious grin. "I think scouting got a might bit easier, actually. Who'd pay attention to the few of us with all these dangerous brutes around? A solution only our Treasurer would hate!" Carmard laughs slyly at that.

"So aye, we're taking them to Sigil now. The Forgemark I sent Buna to retrieve will occupy Way Ward in our place for a few days while we sort matters in Sigil. Can't rightly keep the place without the citizen's consent, but I reckon after this experience we'll keep a presence here. After we finish in Sigil, I reckon we'll be needed back home, with the battle to come as I suspect that one's going to drag" he says, the last part more to himself. "All of us" he says towards Hextros.

"The Prime? Another contract, that be" Hextros proclaims.

"Aye. Ye have a trip planned or somethin'? Religious holiday com'm up? We'll see when the time comes..." the dwarf says. "Now, ye and Sable best get your business over with regarding that sword ye covet. I'd suggest somewhere mid-field and she walks out to ye than hands it over. After that, figure out how best to break the news to yer troopers. Also, I want ye to send the conscripts over to me. I'd be speak'n to them myself"

"Fine" Hextros says, as he continues to chew the roots. He adjusts the soaked bandage on his eye again and looks down at Sable. "Lets get that first matter over with. Later, I speak with you" the fiend says, before spurring his ferocious horse onwards.

Hextros is once again standing in the middle of the battle field, waiting for Sable's approach.

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-05-23, 01:41 PM

Kelith
Finally catching his breath Kelith makes his way near the debate. Standing to the side he patiently listens as they debate terms back and forth before coming unto an agreement.

As Hextros walks towards the middle of the field once again he keeps a close eye on him; afterall, pride is the one emotion that is hardest for a soldier to let go of, it would be no surprise if there were ulterior motives involved here.

If Sable looks to still be in an injured state he'll cast a charge from his wand of lesser vigor.

Katasi

2009-05-24, 09:49 PM

Arum, deciding to be silent for awhile, just stands back and watches everything going on around him.

ArmanMadero

2009-05-25, 09:30 PM

Arman watched everything and thought about things that were going on. It seemed that the dual took a turn for the better, and in fact, it seemed that Sable and Hextros came to an accord.

Carmard had finally made his way down, and now everyone was thinking about the portal. The broken portal.

Arman wondered when it broke. And he wondered what could ahve caused it. There were multiple ways it could have shut down. Arman thought it may have something to do with the realm they were in, but he also wasn't so sure that this was a large enough chunk of Pandemonium to do it. But then, that was the point of Pandemonium.

He wondered when they would be able to look at the portal.

He also hoped it was fixable.

Until then, Arman watched everything that was going on.

Melody

2009-05-27, 06:21 PM

Sable straps her bow to her back and strides with empty hands out to meet Hextros at midfield. Lifting her voice so that it carries to those on both sides she speaks, "Hextros thou art a mighty warrior with a mighty army!" She pauses as his army roars it's agreement. "It is with no personal shame that I surrender my sword to you." Sotto voice she continues unheard by anyone but Hextros, "to be returned as agreed." She then draws her sword and holding it across her palms presents it to Hextros.

mshady

2009-05-28, 10:59 PM

Hextros watches Sable’s approach grimly. His face is swollen and blistered. What is left of his left eye is hard to look at, even bandaged as it was. For a moment, he swoons in the saddle but recovers quickly enough; those roots must be powerful. Considering his injuries, he should rightly be in shock actually.

Sable steps before him and drops to one knee with her sword held aloft as she says he words, offering her supplication. The massive half-fiend leans down at takes the blade by its center, grasping the razor sharp sword by the blade in his gauntlet. He holds the sword aloft and turns his fierce mount towards the gathered troops. Hextros seems to take a deep breath for a moment. What he says next will be important… The soldiers and officers look at him silently, confused by what is going on after such an extended parlay.

“Comrades!” he yells, his voice a bit hoarse now. “See how they bow down to Hextros! See how I withstood the worse their assassin could do! Without her deadly arrows, she capitulated to me rather than face me with such a… puny sword!” he says with a venomous disdain. He casts the sword down into the bloodied sand by its point. It sticks into the ground and wobbles slightly. There is remarkably little bend in the thin blade. “Hextros accepts not a coward’s trophy, nor has use for such a tooth pick! Her life is spared to suffer such dishonor so she can thus live with the shame of this moment and always remember the day she was defeated Hextros the Blood Hound!”

The soldiers cheer at that one. Even a couple of the officers seem to clap.

He spurs the horse into a slow trot forward and stops, no more than 30 feet from his officers. They watch Hextros with varying degrees of coolness. Some are probably too experience to be moved by the parade ground theatre, or they are simply not impressed and needed to be right now.

“Our foes are twice wise though. Having naught the stones to face us with sword and axe as true warriors! Instead they ply us with their gold! Recognizing our strength to their weakness, these fearful and woeful arrivals here have begged me, begged us to serve their own ends. Of course I spat at them, but dwarves truly must carry sacks of gold between their legs in place of their balls and have paid us ALL handsomely for it. I wouldn’t taste their gold though!”

Many of the soldiers laughed at that, including all of the Company’s officers.

“So we have robbed their leader and this group of every bit of wealth they carry this day! Such is why Hextros always has and always will lead the Blood Company! He bloody well gets you PAID!” Hextros roars and the troops cheer along with him at that.

Loyalty just improved considerbly.

“Today, they pay us every coin promised by these damnable peasants and a rich contract to protect them in Sigil for but a short time. More importantly they surrender their knowledge of this portal, having skulked through here many a time before Hextros caught them by their beards! Make ready to leave this day, for we are off to bloodier ground. Butcher that hydra and pack your belongings. Return to the Block House in six hours time ready to leave. Restrain yourselves for the rapes, murders, fires and blunder we all had planned for our exit, for there be a bonus for leaving the plunder to the dwarves! Now piss off and get to your barracks!” Hextros yells.

The troops roar in agreement back to him and start to disperse. The conscripts start to break up before Hextros spurs his nightmare to go after them. The horse charges out in their direction in a cloud of wispy smoke.

“Not you!” Hextros roars at them. The conscripts freeze in their tracks, terrified of Hextros’ wrath.

He stands high over them, looking down at them with an imperious glare and a healthy dose of contempt.

“Go see the dwarves! Your new masters have something else in mind for all of you. Heh!” Hextros says with a cruel laugh. “What are ye stand’n here for? Run! Run and go see the stumpies, you worthless bloods!”

The hundred of so odd conscripts scramble in the dwarf’s direction and Hextros watches them go. He looks in Carmard’s direction and tips his head slightly before turning back to the group of officers, who yet remain.

“We don’t buy it” says the smallest of the group. “If they bought us though, we care naught” the figure says. Its’ voice is oddly thick and carries a lisp “Lucky she did not kill you. Lucky for you, at least” The officer laughs vilely at that. Hextros glares at him, hate radiating off the fiend in waves.

Two of the other officers grumble in agreement. The tall, thin figure dons its hood again to cover its mask. The three officers snap their reins and trot off away from the group. Hextros quietly converses with the remaining two as the conscripts join the dwarves…

mshady

2009-05-28, 11:30 PM

The conscripts arrive in truly ragged order. Indeed, ragged is a good way to describe how they are equipped. Their role with Blood Company was pretty clear. Simple fodder. Carmard shuddered at the thought of how many they threw into the maws of the area's hydras. The dwarf commander wondered if that was the result of ruthless strategy or collective capital punishment for their shared responsability with their Mayor for not paying the fiends. Certainly they had not formed the conscript force before the issue of payment came to a head, so they could not have been under arms that long..

Several of them showed signs of old burns and scars. Fairly horrific ones. That they were still amongst the living was the mark of a powerful priest.

Mainly composed of tieflings and humans, the bedraggled group stands silent and sullen before the group. Carmard looks them over and thinks for a moment. He was not expecting this gesture, but he comes to a conclusion after a moment.

"Hail! I am called Carmard Grindstaff, Arcanii of the Jilker Patriarchate and I lead this fine company." he says in a calm and pleasant voice. He even smiles at the conscript. Carmard was not fond of smiling.

There is little reaction from the group as they no doubt anticipate what the next cruelty in their recently miserble lives will be.

"You're free" Carmard says to them, again with the smile. "We have no use for you. Ye can go back to your families and homes, but only after we all leave. Provided we CAN leave. Ye be far safer together and under arms in case of reprisals. Take yer families to the Temple of Shaundakul and guard it well"

The conscripted troops look between each other, plainly shocked at Carmard's words, even confused. They smile to each other and they offer words of thanks in half a dozen languages to Carmard and the rest.

"In a few days or weeks, we will send you what aide we can to rebuild. We may even spare some of our own to help ye protect this town and teach ye how to do it better next time. If any of you lead here one day though, know this was the price you pay for dealing with devils. Know that your foolishness just meant we had to deal with devils on your behalf. Nay do that again, I warn ye. We'll not intercede twice for such foolishness" Carmard says, this time his voice grim and firm.

The conscripts look at each other and at him and collectively nod and mutter quite a few things in reaction amongst themselves.

"Now go. Gather your families and things and seek safety. We're nay your saviors till those fiends are gone"

The conscripts need little further encouragement. Several of them bow their heads towards first Carmard, than Sable before breaking into a dead run for town.

"We need to see that priest" Carmard declares. "Those conscripts were hostages against him. We just need to hold this together a little longer, Moradin be praised for that. Dumathionm we ask forgiveness for spending so much of yer treasure to such filth" he shakes his head and visibly relaxes.

"So, open to suggestions on our next course" he says, tired and weary now.

thorgrim29

2009-05-29, 12:48 AM

Well, they’re strong, and the troops are pretty dumb if they bought that bluff, so I say we act according to plan, but keep them in the wings in case we need some cannon fodder, serves them right.

Suggests Thordrek without a hint that sending them to gruesome death would be a bad thing for him.

bchilders

2009-05-29, 01:21 AM

Magnum

Magnum grunts his agreement to Thordrek's words and adds, "A shame Sable took all the fun herself, I would have loved to go a round with the brute and shown him what a little dwarven steel feels like." He mutters a few things after that that are hardly recognizable but you can catch "....no one's catchin me by the beard..." as well as a few more explitives to fill in the gaps.

mshady

2009-05-29, 11:39 AM

"Oh... they're probably not dumb. They bought that bluff 'cause WE bought that bluff. As Hextros said there... he gets them paid. They're mercenaries. Not stupid... just simple motivation" Carmard says with a shrug. "So anyone of ye have any profound ideas or preferences on what ye want to be doing or shalt I just start ordering ye around?" he says, smiling under his black beard.

mshady

2009-05-29, 11:41 AM

Melody

2009-05-29, 12:15 PM

((Looking at the traits and flaws they seem kinda limited to me. Most of the costs are crazy high for a relatively small gain in my opinion. As long as you can think of a good rp hook that is relatively well balanced trait versus flaw run it by Mike even if it isn't officially cannon. Here is the d20 site for them.

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/buildingCharacters/characterFlaws.htm

Here is an outside of cannon link that will give you some other ideas. Remember, traits have to be balanced by flaws and you can't take something that doesn't affect you in some way. This are just some ideas so take them with a grain of salt. Have fun with them!

http://www.roleplaynexus.com/feattraits.html))

Melody

2009-05-29, 12:37 PM

Sable picks her sword up out of the turf after Hextros returns to his army. She slips her hand into the pack behind her and pulls out an oily cloth and wipes the blade clean before resheathing it. "I'd prefer to get rid of them as soon as possible. From the looks of things Hextros might not be in charge very long, and if someone else does seize the reins he'd be looking to prove himself to the troops to earn their respect. If we're gonna use them in Sigil I'd prefer them to be as far from us as possible as a diversion. Less likely to catch a sword in the back that way."

She gives everyone a level look. "Don't believe for a moment that they'll be true to their word if they think they can get away with breaking it. Keep your eyes open and look for that to happen. Right now Hextros is our guy, he knows we can take him and he'll be hesitant to double cross us as long as he's getting paid. If he dies though, all bets are off."

Strangie

2009-05-30, 02:42 AM

Wyatt whirls his bat around his wrist idly.

"Don't worry about it, we know how it goes. I was a mercenary myself you know. Or rather, still am, since... yeah. Anyway. I think we should be getting to checking out this gate, no? The sooner we get our 'friend' under control the better, I'd think."

Katasi

2009-05-30, 09:29 PM

(While I like the idea of traits and flaws for RP purposes, it's kinda hard to add them into my character at this point. I can do it though.)

loopy

2009-06-01, 12:46 PM

OOC Note: Traits and flaws.

I was thinking that all of you should consider adding traits, a flaw maybe and certainly a background to your sheets. Unless someone would prefer otherwise or not do this, I was thinking of just adding my take as a DM on those to your sheets. The idea is not for fine tuning builds, just a little more variance and RP hooks. Thoughts?

Mike

((You know if you or I did that for Johannes, I'd just end up with more inspiration points anyway, so your call. He does have glasses though, so maybe shortsighted without them.))

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-06-01, 06:07 PM

OOC Note: Traits and flaws.

I was thinking that all of you should consider adding traits, a flaw maybe and certainly a background to your sheets. Unless someone would prefer otherwise or not do this, I was thinking of just adding my take as a DM on those to your sheets. The idea is not for fine tuning builds, just a little more variance and RP hooks. Thoughts?

Mike
I'm with Melody on this, personally using just the core traits/flaws it is a little limiting on finding something to fit. I'm sure I could think up something to connect a core flaw with Kelith but it would be nice if we had an expanded list. Just mention what lists are/are not ok.

Katasi

2009-06-01, 07:13 PM

(Arum is Abrasive and Absent Minded. He's also scared of spiders and heights.)

mshady

2009-06-01, 09:12 PM

You're not confined to a list. Come up with something that fits and drop me a PM. I'm pretty open with these things. If it makes sense and fits, go for it.

mshady

2009-06-02, 01:11 AM

Back to business - Please take any other questions to the OOC forum. We should use it more often, myself included!

"The Blood Hound's on my leash now. Hah!" Carmard says with a wry smile. "Ye know, if I had nay seen it in a mirror I would scarce believe I'd be hiring fiendish mercs to serve Moradin. I recall Glorian tell'm me once what an Arcanii's job was, and it also included 'other duties as assigned'. See what the old bitch meant..." Carmard snorts at that.

"So... we need to split up a little 'ere" he declares. "Johannes, take um..." he thinks for a moment, "take Arman, Sable, Wyatt and Kelith. Go see what he knows 'bout that portal.

"This block house, tis where the portal should be. Never had a nose for portals 'nd such, so Arum ye come with me. Magnum, Nalrak, Grathalmor and Gore too. Jeth um..." Carmard looks around before he notices the largely mute druid. "There ye are. Um, circle over the town and keep an eye on things. Buna should be back sometime at the head of a Forgemark formation, shouldn't be hard to see. Lets be 'bout it, lads and lass"

Melody

2009-06-02, 10:55 AM

Well Wyatt, looks like we get to go have another chat with Harold. She follows Johannes, Arman, and Kelith as they head back towards the temple.

thorgrim29

2009-06-02, 06:38 PM

If no one objects, Thordrek will go to the temple as well.

bchilders

2009-06-04, 01:09 AM

Magnum

Magnum thumps the haft of his ax against his palm and them stows it away, ready to get the ball rolling towards their destination.

Looked at the list of traits and the only one that caught me was reckless. I don't really care for the positves and negatives of the traits but if I had to list a few characteristics of Magnum I would say reckless and impatient. In fights he spends much of his time (and spell allocation) towards doing damage, often dropping his shield to increase his damage a little more. He doesn't like diplomacy and then most problems can be solved with an ax, unless obviously dealing with good aligned creatures. And even then the diplomacy bores him. Let me know what you think, if you want to put any numbers to those traits.

Strangie

2009-06-04, 10:34 PM

"Oh yeah. I'm sure he'll be happy to see us again. Eh? Eh? Heh heh...."

He catches up with the others, instinctively and perhaps unintentionally taking point again in the front of the group. His speed helps him easily walk past the more sluggish dwarves and others.

(OOC: 1,400th post! Go me! Go us! Hooah.)

mshady

2009-06-07, 01:24 AM

Thordek joins the group and they collectively head into, proceeding directly to the temple of Shaundakul. By the time they arrive there, it has been a half hour since the end of the duel and shocking hiring of the Blood Company.

The scene they arrive to is very different than the one from before. Up to 20 of the conscript ring the small chapel now. Few carry swords; most are wielding flails, maces and even a few hammers. The lucky ones are poorly armored, wearing leather jerkins. Some have bits of metal tacked on to the leather for extra protection. Most of the conscripts lack any real training, as they stand loosely in a cluster around the chapel. One of the conscripts is wearing some older chain mail and has a two handed sword of fine make leaning across his shoulder. A tiefling with oily black hair streaked with gray, that hangs loosely. He appears to know his business at least and looked to as a leader. As the group approaches, the tiefling steps out from the gaggle.

"Halt ye! Speaketh your intent, forthwith I command ye. Make me not ask ye twice!" the tiefling says boldly and with threat, before breaking into a smile formed from sharp little teeth. "For whilst we may not stoppeth ye, asking twice be rude, it tis. Hah! Harold of Shaundakul be inside and toldeth us all to expect ye but to ask your intent before he alloweth you to enter his dimense. So, why do ye come Primes?"

thorgrim29

2009-06-07, 07:19 AM

We intend to get the Blood Company out of this town, and think he may be able to help us in that endeavor.

Comes the somewhat laconic reply from Thordrek.

ArmanMadero

2009-06-08, 01:13 PM

Arman followed along with Sable, Johannes, Wyatt and Keltih to where the priest was that held the portal. He hoped that they would find out what was wrong with it, he didn't want to stay here any longer than he had to. The whole plane was giving him the creeps, from the ground to the things that ate the ground.

The teifling at the door asked them their business, and Arman let Johannes answer. He was still thinking about all the people that Carmard had just turned back to freedom, and was considering it. He hadn't really been expecting it, but his thoughts of Carmard just went up a notch. He had been expecting them to be told to help them. But, Arman supposed, they really weren't needed were they? They had been paid, and now could go back to their families. Arman wondered how Hextros would take it.

mshady

2009-06-09, 01:36 AM

The tiefling leader nods and beckons the group forward with a hint of a smile on his face. He speaks again in his oddly spoken and accented common...

"Cometh than, thou shalt to see the Harold you shall. Raz I am called, should our saviors careth. We who standeth here are without family of our own. The others gatheth their families with haste to bring here. Keep thy visit short, the Harold thinks your presence may bring trouble. Inside he his" the tiefling says.

Melody

2009-06-09, 12:34 PM

Well Raz, you're likely right. It seems trouble is always cropping up around us. Though it's likely to be leaving with us too, which should be a blessing to you and yours. Sable smiles then looks thoughtful. Well, it will be leaving with us if we can get the portal up and working.

bchilders

2009-06-10, 03:26 AM

Magnum

Magnum heads off toward the portal with Carmard, ready to get on with this whole ordeal and back to the battle they left raging in their own world.

mshady

2009-06-12, 04:25 PM

The Temple - Thordek, Arum, Sable, Wyatt and Johannes

“Yes… ye leaving is most welcome. Grateful we are for the help, but wethinks the Way town safer if both your armies leave. Now,” Raz says and gestures towards the chapel door with his overlarge sword using just one hand, “go see the Harold. Ye speak thy words and take thy leave” the tiefling concludes. He swings his sword back to a resting position laid out across his shoulder and moves a strand of his oil black hair away from his face. The other conscripts say nothing, simply nod in agreement.

Gratitude, like most things here, did not seem to last long but not without reason perhaps.

With nothing else left to say, the group heads inside the chapel in good order. Thordek leads the group and pushes the chapel doors open with both hands, leaning into it with all his weight to open them more swiftly. It also makes for a more dramatic entrance…

The inside of the chapel holds several women and children of various races, tiefling, dark elf, genasi, gith, human and at least one other no one seems familiar with. The walls are damp and covered in fungus and mold, with little effort to stay on top of it. It gives the main chamber an oddly sweet smell. Four of the travelers that had been lounging about the chapel’s courtyard before no longer seem to be lounging at all. Now they stand in green and silver breastplates and chainmail with swords slung over their backs and shields held to their sides. They wear light, open faced helmets for protection that marks them as speed fighters. Initially, hands went to hilts and swords were raised in reaction but they quickly relaxed when they saw the dwarves and Sable.

Sitting up from a chair from behind the temple guards where he was talking to a family, Harold stands up and looks at the newly arrived group. He waves at them and tells his guards to be at ease, than smiles at the newcomers. Harold now wears a rich, red cassock and his once wild gray beard is now tied into a braid. Rings adorn his fingers and a gold chain is draped across his neck with what look like miniature shields across it. He also is wearing a rune covered head band, but its purpose is hard to determine; likely something of his own creation. A thin sword is at his side and dark, wooden quarterstaff is held easily in his hand. A satchel holding a pile of small books and other items sits heavily on his side and the staff seems to help the old man balance. To his side sits a sack as well. Certainly not the garb for a harmless old man in his twilight at a moldering old temple.

“Welcome back,” Harold says with a smile and calm serenity, “I take it ye have some more questions now? How… existential” Harold smiles again. “Come in, talk with an old man. I hear there was a great duel with the Bloodhound and ye battled a hydra? Indulge me with the story of it, if you will”

mshady

2009-06-12, 07:33 PM

The Streets - Carmard, Gore, Magnum, Kelith, Arman, Nalrak and Grathalmor

The group walks straight into the center of town. Past the ramshackle buildings, some crumbling, some held up by beams. People scramble about the town. Some of the conscripts run along the streets with family in tow or looking for them. They pass at least one cluster of former conscripts guarding a roofless stone building while another runs with a child in his arm towards the structure. The sounds of crying children inside the structure can be heard. A donkey loaded down with satchels wanders the streets alone. Three conscripts are rolling over carts to barricade a side street. As the group passes them, they look out from behind their barricade and wave at least before returning to their frantic barricading. At least there was some degree of gratitude, at least…. Towards the north of town, a fire is starting to burn in one of the tenements.

Carmard takes in the scene from atop his shield as Grathalmor and Nalrak carry him through the town, flanked by the others in the group. The Arcanii rarely availed himself of having his two sworn guards carry him, but at times like this it was worth it to be recognized as a leader and a dwarf of status. He stands bent kneed and shifts with each step, trying to maintain his balance; easy for a square, big footed dwarf but nonetheless an effort.

“They be wait’n for the mercenaries to start looting and killin’ before they go. By Moradin, this town’s gone to madness. Not unfounded madness either… Till the Forgemark arrive, nothing can be done to protect them, either. Seems they know that…”Carmard shakes his head.

A piece of masonry flies through the air and strikes Kelith in the shoulder, quite painfully actually. Another piece flies at him, but the priest side steps the masonry piece. It buries itself in the soft ground. The pieces are coming from above, thrown from the roof of one of the tenements.

The group stops for a moment to look. People stand atop a roof a couple of buildings down. Two appear to be armed with crossbows. Proceeding to the “Block House” requires going down this path, the barricades having limited the alternative paths.

"Nay a good place for Kossuth's colors, methinks" Carmard says with a grim laugh at Kelith.

From atop the building, a large earth genasi stands up and throws a broken block the size of a dog down at the group. It heads right for Carmard. The Arcanii does not seem to react immediately, perhaps surprised he was being attacked. He dodges away at the last second, but the block lands right on his back and drives the air from the wizard’s lungs in a huff. He growls in pain and rolls limply off the shield onto the ground. Two more attackers rise. One has a stone. The other a cross bow…

"Death to the Reds!!!" shouts the big genasi, as his comrades ready another attack..

On his back and laying spread eagle on the ground, Carmard seems dazed by the impact. He is conscious but does not move...

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-06-12, 09:05 PM

Kelith

Not being too much of a diplomat Kelith will continue to stay quiet in the back for now.

{{I'm also pretty content with my character as he is, I mean he does have certain traits to him; but I'd rather not have them change his technical stats or anything.}}

edit: I see i was beaten to the punch. Expect this to be edited with my new response.

edit2: I just made a new post.

Melody

2009-06-13, 06:05 PM

"Well Harold, the short version of the story is that after we left you here we got stopped and questioned. The questioning turned into a scuffle and we headed back to meet Carmard in the hills. Carmard's group happened on a hydra, killed it and we all met back up again. Carmard sent us down to negotiate with the bloodguard, which turned into an impromptu duel between myself and Hextros." She stops and takes a breath before continuing on with her explanation. "Hextros decided to parlay and Carmard hired the bloodguard so that we could get them out of here without them looting and burning the town. So now all we need is a way out of here and we'll take the bloodguard through with us and pay them on the other side."

Sable pauses and thinks for a moment. "You might have a hydra left up in those hills. I honestly can't remember how many there were supposed to be with all the excitement." She looks over at Arum and Wyatt, "Am I missing anything?"

thorgrim29

2009-06-14, 01:19 AM

Well, she didn't mention the extent of the damage she did to the Bloodhound up before he "parlayed", serves him right the egomaniacal prick. Also, we have some friends coming over soon. I'm Thordrek by the way, nice to meet you. As I said, when we saw the town was occupied by hostiles, we sent for reinforcements, they should be there within the day or so. And we'd really like the Blood Company to be out of the way when they come here to avoid any unnecessary tension, so any help you might be able to give us in reactivation the Portal to Sigil would be much appreciated.

Strangie

2009-06-14, 01:04 PM

"Heh, yeah, yeah, 'dat was a good show," Wyatt nods with a grin at Thordrek's reply. "Uh, right, uh, no, I think you covered everything... oh right, 'dat portal. We gotta get that thing opened up or we're gonna be stuck. So whadda we gotta do?"

Katasi

2009-06-14, 05:57 PM

Arum bluntly says "We need to get to portal working. Can you help us?

bchilders

2009-06-15, 01:26 AM

Magnum

Magnum steps forward with ax drawn and bellows, "By Clangeddin, we are taking the Hounds out of your city. We have no fight with you unless you start one. Put down your weapons and we'll continue on our way." Magnum steps forward and puts on as intimidating a face as he can, but it is apparent he only has a small hold on his rising anger. He hopes, if not to deter them all together, to at least draw their attention away from the downed Carmard.

mshady

2009-06-15, 01:26 AM

Harold listens to Sable and nods his head, stroking his beard thoughtfully at a couple of points.

"I expected such would happen" he says with a frown. "Tis why I was relieved when your group left. I was not expecting ye to so throughly wipe out that patrol though. Two survived that. I did what I could to save their lives, but no more as my faith did not require it with things the way they are" he states, a bit tired and his voice typically hoarse. "The one said someone forced a potion down him when the dust settled?" Harold asks with a raised eyebrow. "Interesting choice, saving that life. I wonder at why though?"

"For the hydras, I fear the largest remains in the hills. A 14 headed brute, they say. With wings, though they not carry him far, necks like beer barrels and body like a true dragon. The chant is ye may have killed its mate. We called her Red Martha. That leaves only a spawn of theirs in town, an eight headed hydra shackled up in the town square. We've been feeding the town off it for many weeks now. I blame it for the dysentary sweeping the town... Madness to keep it in town like that. Imagine if it got loose?" Harold says with a frown. He grumbles on about something else before turning to Thordek. He listens to him intently before responding.

"Not yet met, have we? Thordek be your name? Strong dwarven name. No, your Sable did not mention how badly hurt Hextros was. He has nay visited me, certainly though it sounds quite grave. I'd know what kind of reinforcements ye have called for though. As for your leader's decision to hire these foul mercenaries away, I commend his wisdom. Truly, he unties the knot of this situation by simply cutting it with a sword. Deep pockets fix many things, but it takes wisdom to know what has value" Harold states, smiling gently at the chance to present some philosophical statement.

Next, Thordek and Arum inquire about accessing the portal; Arum far more bluntly than Thordek. Harold frowns at the directness and rocks back on the balls of his feet, thinking a moment. Several of Harold's guardsmen give Arum a glare as well.

"Can I make the portal work is your true question? Which implies I have sway over its workings? For a priest of Shaundakul to block a travellers way would be sacriledge. It goes against the very teachings of my God" Harold says, his tone now one of indignity.

He does not say anything, stretching a minute into an eternity.

"I'd like to think I'm secure enough in my faith at my age to exercise some... judgement" he says quietly. "As much as my charge is to aid travellers, sometimes a path must be blocked to protect His pilgrims, who know no better but to follow the path"

Harold pauses again, thinking long before speaking once again.

"Answer me this. Am I better off to let ye and them leave and live in fear of their return? Or would I not be better off to await your reinforcements and a guarantee of protection? I have an inclination for waiting, you see. I'm an old and patient man, you see. Hextros and his thugs could not convince me with their bullying, but mayhaps reason who change my inclination?"

Melody

2009-06-15, 11:14 AM

Sir, we came here for a reason. A spirit has escaped and I fear that if it is left to it's own devices it will grow in power enough to be more troublesome than either that hydra or the bloodguard. The longer we delay here the less chance we have in recovering it.

Sable looks at Harold hoping to convey the sincerity of her words with her expression. While I appreciate your desire to wait, I hope you will understand that we need to travel on now. We have done our best to aid you in your time of need. Please do not delay us in ours.

Katasi

2009-06-15, 05:28 PM

Arum returns the guards glares, then stares at the cleric. "I implied nothing. We are short on time and must act quickly, or the very multiverse itself may be in jeopardy and even the gods themselves may be rendered defenceless. We must act while there is still time to prevent that."

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-06-16, 01:39 AM

{{Sorry about the delay in posting, but here's my edit; per se.}}

Stepping up beside Magnum and between Carmard and the Gensei Kelith will activate his cloak's fire shield and slam his spiked chain into the ground in front of him in a display for attention grabbing after Magnum makes his statements.

Almost yelling, he confronts the men around him, "I hope this is your way of showing thanks here!

Surely you don't think it was the Hydras that stood up to the mercenaries and freed your people! I'm sure you are all angry at the mercenaries treatment of you, but I can guarantee you revenge is not the course to take! Instead go home to your families and see to it that you don't fall into the same circumstances again!

The mercenaries are now under our care and will not harm you any longer in fact both them and us will be leaving you soon should the portal allow it; if you keep that revenge boiling inside it will lead to nothing but needless death. As such I have no sympathy for those that raise their hand against their saviors in petty malice and revenge! Make your choice now either peace and life, or revenge and death!

If you choose to fight make no mistake; your hatred, revenge, and life will be consumed in Kossuth's flames!"

mshady

2009-06-18, 12:43 AM

The Mean Streets

A flaming bottle of spirits comes flying at Kelith, landing at his feet and exploding in a spray of flame and glass. Ironically known as Kossuth's Cocktail in some quarters, it served as at least someone's reply to Kelith. With his fire shield up, it does no damage at least....

Carmard lays on the ground and groans. For the moment, he seems out of any potential fight. He lays sprawled out and vulnerable on the ground. Grathalmor grabs his the shield that Carmard was just standing upon and throws it over the Arcanii roughly, giving him some cover.

"Death to the Reds!" the Genasi yells again. The four others yell out in a different language and the genasi throws the block down from high atop the building.

A hundred pounds of adobe block flies through the air, aimed at Kelith. Unfortunately, the aim was off and it strikes Magnum instead. The blow stuns him and knocks him off his feet...

Magnum takes a 15 pt hit from the stone block... Magnum is currently laying prone

Obviously Kelith and Magnum's attempt to de-escalate or clarify who they were fell on deaf ears for some reason...

A quartet of four more poke their heads up from an roof top room now, bottles of flaming cocktails in their hands. From the third floor of the building across the street, three humanoids with crossbows. There are three clanks and the bolts whistle down at the group. They are aimed at the downed Carmard. Two of the bolts bang into the shield that Grathalmor threw over him. The third lances into his leg and the Arcanii grunts in pain...

The two groups in the adjoining buildings shout across at each other. They seem confused for a moment, pointing down at the dwarven group. The seem angry. The big genasi snarls something in a language none in the group understands and points down at the group.

"Death to the Reds! Death to the Reds!" he shouts and points down at the group. He snarls something at the other group. The third group in the next road echos the sentiment and a storm of bolts slash through the air. Two connect with Gore and bang off his armor. Magnum catches one and Nalrak catches two, but none penetrate their thick armor, which is an example of marvellous luck.

Carmard rolls over and gasps for air. He points up at the genasi and yells out..

"Someone! What are they saying!!" Carmard snarls, laying on his side. "It's Abyssal!"

mshady

2009-06-18, 01:44 AM

Tea is for Temple

Harold stands there silently and looks between Sable and Arum. He taps the side of his robe pensively, thinking through things.

“Understand your need for urgency is appreciated when I say this…” Harold says with a sigh “…but I cannot. Ye did not see what they did. First they killed our Mayor… and yes he was a fool and deserved what he got” Harold shrugs. “Then they came and ransacked my temple. They killed, tortured, turned this place upside down. Rape, pillage… it has been a four month nightmare” Harold says, shaking with anger. “Ye know how many times this very chamber was soaked with blood?” he scoffs. “No. You’re bringing reinforcements? We wait till they are here. Or I close that portal the very moment the last of ye walk through it. No reinforcements. Can’t risk them coming back… Sorry, I just can’t” Harold sighs.

"We seem to be at an impasse. For now..." Harold turns and waves at a small boy by a fire place, who reaches for a kettle with some rough looking mittens and hauls it over. "... I think some tea while we wait?"

He watches their reaction for a moment and shakes his head, than sighs. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a large, glittering green orb. It sparkles, catching what little light shines into the room. The other guards in the room look at him, shocked.

"I'm old and tired though. This is the key ye want. You'd be surprised what I went through to hide this, or where" " he chuckles. "A sign of... good faith. To prove I truly have it. Of course... ye could always take it. We'd resist, of course. If its truly worth it to ye to risk us, than I insist. Lets be direct about it. Deal the consequences yourself" he says, his voice full of iron and eyes with absolute resolve at this point.

The four body guards look at Harold and nod slowly. Swords rasp from hilts, but each of the guards do not take their eyes off of the group. There movements are slow and practiced, a kind of reverence to them.

"Or, we could have tea?" he says with a smile, accepting a cup from the young boy and mussing his hair before shooing him away again.

Johannes looks at the guards and back to Harold and shakes his head, muttering.

"Hextros said deal'n with the priest would be fun..."

Note: Roll Diplomacy if you try to negotiate in this situation by addressing Harold. Modifiers in your favor for actually being diplomatic.

To summarize the implications here, if Harold locks the portal down after you leave with the Blood Company the Forgemark Legion will not be able to help on the assault on the Great Foundry. You won't be trapped in Way Ward, but will have to find another way home from Sigil as well.

bchilders

2009-06-18, 03:38 AM

Magnum

After standing up, Magnum points his hand towards the big genasi shouting orders and bellows, "By Clangeddin's ax." As his words ring out a large ax appears in front of the genasi and starts attacking on its own. After his ax starts attacking, Magnum looks to the rest of his group and says, "Let's get movin', we're sitting ducks out here."

Spiritual Weapon attack:[roll0]
Damage:[roll1]

Edit: I'll fix the damage and confirm the crit in the OOC

Katasi

2009-06-18, 02:49 PM

Arum sighs. "You are truly excellent at giving people harsh decisions priest. Let me ask you. What would you do if someone gave you the decision you just gave us?"

ArmanMadero

2009-06-18, 11:54 PM

Arman was stunned by the attacks on them. Surely they could see that they were not a part of the red armored group, even with Kelith.

He wondered at how much this town had declined since Hextros had taken over and how much the people probably wanted rid of them.

Carmard fell and seemed dazed. Grathalmore covers him with a shield in time to deflect two arrows but not a third that goes into his leg. Arman could hear him groaning, and then watched as a large stone missed Kelith, only to strike Magnum.

Arman wasn't sure if he should cast a spell and possibly enrage the mass further, or try and talk with them. And he wasn't sure talking with them would do any good at this point.

Magnum got up from the ground, and with words to his god, summoned a large axe to attack those attacking them. He them said they should move from the streets. Which Arman was wondering what they were doing in the streets anyways. He knew they had to wait for Buna, but wouldn't they be arriving in the portal?

Arman knew that the streets were not safe. That being thought of, he wondered what they could do. Arman held his hands up, trying to placate the mob that was becoming worse.

"Please! We have set free your village from those who would deal harm to you! Ask those who are now returning to their homes and families! We are not here to harm you!" The words coming from Arman sounded very Archaic indeed, and for those who knew it, knew it to be Draconic.

ArmanMadero

2009-06-19, 12:08 AM

[roll0] Diplomacy Check

mshady

2009-06-19, 02:21 AM

Arum sighs. "You are truly excellent at giving people harsh decisions priest. Let me ask you. What would you do if someone gave you the decision you just gave us?"

Harold looks at Arum and takes a sip from the battered metal cup in his hand. He lets the tea warm him and he sighs with relief. His face twists into a frown and he looks at snorts softly, shaking his head.

"You say that I now force you to make... harsh decisions like one who has not had to make them yourself yet now realize how very tough it is" Harold says, his voice raspy with a touch of sarcasm. He shakes his head as he speaks as well.

"How many of these harsh decisions do ye think I have made these last six cycles? Last week, I saw Hextros drag a man through the streets on his damned horse using his entrails as a rope. This temple only survived because I treated them as well as their own.." Harold says, snorting again. "Not as many of them survived my care though. Until I finally ran out of quicksilver" Harold smiles at that. "Harsh decision"

He holds up the glittering portal key on its silver chain and clanks his cup of tea against it softly, setting it spinning.

"I could have just given up the key to the Bloodhound, but as soon as I did they'd butcher the town. So he tortured me with my flock's suffering," Harold says with narrowed eye. "I held on and here and there, they would be one fewer. Our hope was that they would become few enough that they could be overpowered" Harold pauses and takes a sip of his tea again.

"So how harsh is your decision, truly? To answer ye, gnome, I suggest you show some patience and have some tea. I have great gratitude for what ye and yours have done, I cannae risk this place. So... we remain at an impasse"

thorgrim29

2009-06-19, 09:45 AM

The levtokuld had been listening and sipping his tea when he looks up to speak.

Harold, we understand your side of this... dilemma. I have no doubt whatsoever that the blood company deserves death many times over for what they did to your town, to speak nothing of their previous victims. rest assured that I will recommend sending them into the most dangerous situations. But a thought occurs to me. If we leave with them, and you then deactivate the portal, you would reactivate it when our reinforcements come over am I right? If so, it would be in your best interest to let us go now, and wait for the rest of our forces, because there is no way of telling for sure just the small group that we have present here can control the company should they overthrow Hextros.

Finally, this winged hydra, you say this is her last child you have captured?

Knowledge arcana to know about the behavior of hydras regarding their young: [roll0]

thorgrim29

2009-06-19, 09:46 AM

oops, forgot the diplomacy roll:

[roll0]

Melody

2009-06-19, 04:30 PM

Sable accepts a cup of tea and holds it in her hands as she regards Thordrek and Harold. He does have a point. Our forces didn't use the town's portal to get here, so it isn't a problem if you seal it after we leave. Keep it sealed until the reinforcements get here and you won't have to worry about the bloodguard's return.

Sable holds the rim of the cup to her lips apparently savoring the aroma before taking a tiny sip of the hot liquid. The small amount of tea rolls across her tongue for a few moments. (Testing for poison, I'm going to assume she doesn't detect anything. If she does detect anything she'll discreetly spit it back in the cup under the pretext of taking another sip.) Taking another sip she sighs and relaxes.

That hydra is a problem. I'm not really interested in staying here to fight it, perhaps we could induce the reinforcements to do so? We should ask Carmard what he thinks their capabilities are and whether they would be up to the challenge of killing it. Perhaps it will stay put since it's alone now. After all, there should be a lot more for it to eat other than villagers since it is alone. Maybe a warding spell will keep it from the boundaries of the town.

She stares off into the distance for a moment before taking another sip of the tea. We'll ask the druid what he thinks about it. He might have some insight in how the animal might react now.

She refocuses on Harold. So, you open the portal and close it behind us. We can find another way home and you'll be safe. We'll figure out what can be done about the hydra when we have more information. She finishes her tea. Well, shall we get going to meet up with those at the portal? All of us including your guards should go so that you needn't worry about any attacks from us or the bloodguard. Not that you don't trust us of course, but I would want you to feel safe in our company and it would show the villagers that you aren't our hostage.

mshady

2009-06-21, 10:12 AM

"Perhaps you two have a point" Harold says evenly, looking between Sable and Thordek. He sips his tea quietly, savoring the hot beverage for what seems an eternity.

"Ah.." he says, finished with the cup. He sets it aside and frowns slightly. "That brings me to our second point on this matter. What prevents them from simply coming back after they're done serving you? Would I not be better off waiting for your reinforcements? You could exterminate them at that point, something your faith allows I'm sure. Than I open the portal and have no fear of their return. The difference a day or so it will take your forces to arrive makes a profound difference to us, if they're capable of the task"

Strangie

2009-06-21, 10:53 AM

Wyatt, not being much for this sort of thing, glances around behind him as the conversation ensues. He knew diplomacy wasn't his strong suit - sure, he liked talking, but most people ended up angrily flailing their arms and chasing him down, or trying to anyway, for what it's worth - but he decided to keep himself busy, watching around behind the group for anything suspicious that may or may not be going on at the time. He still listened into the conversation and kept track of what was generally being said, but his main focus was to see what was going on around him.

thorgrim29

2009-06-21, 12:27 PM

What's keeping them from coming back? At first glance I don't see why they would, as long as they don't know how we open the portal, they won't risk being stuck here again for a petty bit of revenge when they have the whole multiverse open. But we have to move now, the rank and file doesn't seem to be very bright, but a few of the officers understood what really just happened, and given a chance they'll overthrow Hextros. It is of capital importance they're not given that chance, at least not before we take them to battle and bloody them enough their remnants won't be a threat to even a small town like this one. That is, I assume, Carmard's plan, and would solve everybody's problems rather nicely. In the meantime, I suggest you talk to the townspeople, let them know that in a little while, the fiends will be gone, and that they should stay put until then, we don't want any further complications.

mshady

2009-06-22, 09:48 AM

"I presume your leader is a dwarf as well? Most who make an agreement or a contact tend not to cheat the spirit or the word of such oath. So I doubt that and doubt you all the more for trying to sell me such. Betrayal is not a dwarven trait, but perhaps you are atypical master dwarf? Don't presume Hextros is an idiot too quickly" Harold says with a grimace.

"A twisted narcassist, but a clever brute. Own of his lieutenants is a yugoloth as well. At least one. Ah yes, and he was shamed before his men. If you think that Hextros is not aware you goodly dwarves might try to get his company killed at the first oppurtunity, I think you are a bit dense master dwarf. Or perhaps counting that ye constitutionally will not and plotting against ye. The thought occured to you to try it. I assure you, those six are far, far more conniving then you. Has it occured to you that might be their plan with you? Again, where does that leave me? If you intend to kill them off... wait the rest of the day for your soldiers. Do it here. I assure you, the scene would be... most appreciated" Harold smiles.

The four guards by Harold also laugh at that sentiment. Softly. They do not seem the type to laugh much.

Katasi

2009-06-22, 02:08 PM

Arum thinks for a second. "It would be dangerous, but that would be a fun fight. Time is ticking away before this all doesn't matter anymore though."

mshady

2009-06-22, 02:38 PM

"Ah yes... has it ever occured to ye Hextros merely waits for you to get said key from me and while you are split up and weakened from your battles, will simply unleash his soldiers on ye? All very good reasons not to hand it over till they are gone. I find myself more and more inclined to a second cup of tea" Harold says, and motions the boy with the tea pot full of the unusual leaves back over.

mshady

2009-06-23, 02:05 AM

Can't We All Just... Get Along?

Magnum calls upon the power of Clangeddin in the form of a spiritual weapon that appears 4 stories above him in the form of an ace made of powerful divine magic. It shines silver and gold and appears with the ringing sounds of battle and a cry of battle echoing from Dwarfhome. Magnum concentrates on the axe's movements, whisps of golden energy trailing from his hand to the axe...

The nearly unarmored genasi, already hefting another block of stone over his head to launch down into the street below as the axe suddenly appears in front of him. He finds himself staring straight on at the blazing silver and gold axe and his eyes go wide in terror. He drops the masonry block and it tumbles harmlessly in the street below and tries to recoil away from the axe. The seemingly possessed waraxe fients high, thrusting straight at the genasi's head and he ducks down to avoid the axe...

With the precision of an executioner, the axe falls as well and lops off the genasi's brown head. The head rolls off of the roof and lands below with hardly a noise. The genasi's body falls limply to the ground, blood streaming from the wound. Blood quickly drains from the stump and off the roof, washing the white adobe with crimson red.

Everything in the street simply stops. All eyes are on the silver and gold axe, blazing brightly with its divine energy and the gruesome scene it caused. The axe holds its position for a moment, as the genasi's three companions throw down whatever weapons they are carrying. They run off of the roof, leaping from roof to roof like frightened cats. From the rooftop of the other building where 4 quarrelers have set up, one of them starts yelling in abyssal again. They quickly begin reloading the crossbows as Arman steps forward.

"Please! We have set free your village from those who would deal harm to you! Ask those who are now returning to their homes and families! We are not here to harm you!" The words coming from Arman sounded very Archaic indeed, and for those who knew it, knew it to be Draconic.

The leader of the crossbow team begins gesticulating wildly in Arman's direction as the robed elf begins speaking in a language anyone familar with magic recognized as a mage's tongue.

Unfortunately, no one on that street actually was a mage so they did not understand draconic or what he was saying.

Standing exposed on the street asking for understanding in draconic, Arman finds himself in the crossfire of 7 different crossbowmen. Shooting from an extreme height advantage against an unmoving target, they are easy shots...

With an nearly unanimous clank, light and heavy crossbow bolts fly once more into the street. Without the benefit of heavy armor or protection from any actual spells, four of the seven shots find their mark.

The first shot grazes Arman's hand, zipping past his open right palm and tearing a scarlet tear across it. It splits the flesh around his thumb open before the crossbow bolt catches the massive Gore in his thick leg armor. The bolt hit the armor and crunches in a spray of wood fragments.

Arman takes 3 hp hit

The second shot strikes Arman in the collar bone and sinks into the flesh, lodging in there. It sprouts from his shoulder like some some kind of weed. Blood oozes from the wound. Arman looks in horror at it for a split second before the next shot hits...

Arman takes 7 hp hit

The third shot from the distant light crossbow hits Arman square in the chest. The bolt splits his fine chainmail and drives into his thinly boned elven ribcage, crunching bone. The wound is painful enough to make the wizard scream out in a language absolutely no one understands...

Arman takes a 8 hp hit

The final crossbow bolt is a heavier kind, one intended to bring down armored knights or unusually tough hydras from afar. It strikes Arman's left leg and snaps the femur and lodging deep in the flesh. Suddenly without the use of his leg, Arman tumbles to the ground. Blood sprays from the wound, ebbing and flowing in time with his already rapid heart beat...

Arman takes a 24 hp shot from heavy crossbow. Critical hit. An artery in his leg has been severed and he is bleeding at 3 hp a second... Arman is laying prone and unable to stand. He is alive, but gravely wounded...

Carmard rolls back to hit feet and begins snarling commands out, snatching up the shield to protect himself.

"Hells and Damnation!" he curses fiercely "Everyone back! Get into a building and take cover!" he yells. He gestures at Gore with a free hand and gestures at the adobe building behind them. "Gore! Make me a hole!"

The Arcanii quickly turns on Magnum and Kelith, pointing at them. "Get Arman into a building! Treat'em inside! No one attacks!"

As Carmard finishes snapping out commands, Gore has already reached the building. A massive foot kicks the door down, taking down the frame it was dead bolted to with it. Nalrak and Grathalmor, shields unlimbered, stand in front of Carmard to protect him. The trio begin to fall towards the building behind them.

Hammer now in hand, Carmard launches it at the rooftop where the four crossbowmen are that may have just killed Arman. It hits the masonry just below the crossbowmen and explodes it in a shower of white dust or chunks of adobe. The impact sends them scrambling back, but these attackers do not run - perhaps emboldened by their success.

Arman lays on the ground moaning, his left leg limp and bent at an odd angle...

Strangie

2009-06-23, 09:12 AM

"Feh. If our encounters with 'em so far taught us anythin', it's 'dat the reason they're called Blood Company is 'cause they get covered in blood easily. As in, y'know, their own. And they're not bright enough to come up with some amazing cunning plan - they try and kill us off where we're goin' and they won't have much else goin' for them, and we sure as hell won't go down without a fight. Unless they got connections outside of Way Ward, I suppose... "

Wyatt shrugs, scratching the side of his head and restraightening his headband on his head, tugging on it a bit with two fingers. "I'd just like to get my two feet moving again, to be honest. Standin' around like a bum's makin' me nervous." He has his head turned to the side, seemingly addressing nobody in particular but himself as he glances around over his shoulder.

(OOC: Check OOC thread, making Spot and Listen to try and hear stuff going on around him.)

mshady

2009-06-23, 10:02 AM

Check Fails - You're inside a stone building surronded by other buildings. The town could probably burn down and you wouldn't notice...

Strangie

2009-06-23, 10:56 AM

(Well that stinks. I was hoping we'd be closer to a window or something. Didn't think everything was as bunched up as it was... oh well. Good luck to Carmard and crew. :D)

Wyatt shifts a little, being stuck inside this stone building surrounded by other stone buildings. Almost a claustraphobic feeling, which becomes apparent with his nervous fidgeting. How someone manages to stay sane holed up in such a place for so long is beyond him.

Perhaps being holed up in a cave for so long, except in a much more constrained fashion, might have something to do with that...

Melody

2009-06-23, 11:57 AM

Harold, you just said you can close the portal down behind us after we leave. If you want to do that go ahead, we'll not be coming back this way. The reinforcements will arrive and you can open the portal again whenever you feel safe. As far as the bloodguard goes, there are only two things that can happen.

Sable holds up two fingers. One is they try to doublecross us as soon as the portal is up. Don't think I haven't thought about that possibility, and this is my idea. I'll cover the area with blackness, you get out with everyone in yours and our group but me. I'll cover the area around the portal with a spell that should kill anyone breathing around it. Then we'll deal with whatever is left. It's not an ideal solution, but it keeps them from grabbing you or the portal. You retreat with the key and we provide protection.

She folds down one of the fingers and continues. Two, both groups go through the portal and you close it down behind us. Now the important thing here is that we make sure ALL of the bloodguard go through. We don't want him staging an ambush on the town after we're through. So to make sure we send the bloodguard through first. They might try to ambush us on the other side of the portal, but that would be our problem and not yours. She folds the second finger down and drops her hand to her side.

She sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. As far as I know Carmard has every intention of treating the bloodguard fairly. He's offered money for services, though the services will be dangerous. They'll have a chance to refuse and leave, but that won't be until they are in Sigil and out of here. Once in Sigil they can pick up another contract, hopefully one that takes them a long way from here.

The danger to you and the town is as minimal as we can make it.

Sable looks at Harold seriously for a moment before she continues speaking. The more time we sit around, the more time we give the bloodguard to come up with some form of plan. That plan may be to assassinate Hextros and take his place, or to attack us. The sooner we act the less likely those are a possibility. I'm for acting while the troops are lulled by the gleam of gold and Hextros still fears the death he faced at my hands. The longer we wait the more dangerous it becomes.

Katasi

2009-06-23, 02:59 PM

Arum replies "So slaughtering them might still be an option then?"

thorgrim29

2009-06-25, 10:37 AM

Thordrek's eyes narrow as his honor is put in doubt.

Make no mistake, the treatment I propose is no different then the way many treat mercenaries. And it is only practical. But I guess it is true that if they serve the patriarchate well they should be treated fairly, I just have much doubt about that... The fact remains that while, on the long term, it may seem as if time is on your side, on the short term time passed only means time for them to betray us, their leader, and your town.

bchilders

2009-06-25, 04:37 PM

Magnum

Magnum moves to pick up Arman, making sure to put himself in between his wounded comrade and any more crossbow bolts. Picking him up in his arms Magnum moves quickly to the building recently opened by Gore and pushes his way inside. As soon as he lays his companion down he begins the words of a prayer to stem the flow of blood that is steadily exiting Armans body.

mshady

2009-06-25, 07:56 PM

Positioning Note: Magnum has to move 10 feet to grab Arman and fall back 40 feet. He can only make one move action a round... Going out and dragging Arman back to safety will take 3 rounds.

Magnum rushes in to help out Arman. He is heedless of the danger of rushing in to help a downed fellow in the middle of a cross fire, not even unlimbering his shield.

His charge probably saved Arman's life by choosing to hazard his own. It almost cost him dearly. The distinct "clunk" of heavy crossbows can be heard as they send their lethal, stubby bolts streaking at Magnum at nearly point blank range from one building down, three stories up and from behind barricaded windows.

The first bolt whistles by Magnum as he rushes forward, kicking up a cloud of dust and skipping away.

The second and third bolts do not miss, arriving at almost the same time. The second one stabs through Magnum's thick shoulder armor and painfully cracks a collar bone. His armor was about the only thing that stopped the powerful projectile from sinking up to its fletching in Magnum's burly shoulder and crippling his arm.

Magnum takes 7 pts of damage

The third bolt is driven right through his thick plate, sinking deep into his belly. The wound oozes deep red blood and it staggers him, nearly sending him careening into the downed Arman. His face goes white from the pain, and with every step his rigid armor bounces the bolt around, causing more damage...

Magnum takes 23 points of damage from a critical hit. 1 bleeding per roubd

While the pain floods over Magnum, he slams his mental gates closed and presses forward. A sheet of blood washes the front of his dark armor. Determined to pull the elf back to safety and confident that Clangeddin's blessings would help him survive, Magnum reaches down and grabs Arman by his collar and starts dragging the elf back. His snapped leg trails uselessly, bouncing about at impossible angles and leaving a thick trail of blood...

Melody

2009-06-26, 11:34 AM

Sable stands to leave and catches the back of the chair as the world does a very slow roll around her. Harold, what did you make that tea out of? Wouldn't happen to be a narcotic would it? She shakes her head regretting it almost immediately. I knew it looked like those roots Hextros was chewing on. Sable swears softly in dwarvish and pulls her waterskin out of her pack along with some trail rations. Shoving them into her mouth she swallows them quickly along with copious amounts of water hoping to dilute the narcotics somewhat.

Strangie

2009-06-26, 01:21 PM

"... Narcotics?"

Wyatt's head whirled around immediately upon hearing Sable's statement, his body soon following as his feet twist around, looking up at Sable.

"Are you alright, Sable?" He whips his facing toward Harold, glaring up at him underneath his reddish-brown hair that falls over his eyes. "Did... you just try to drug one of my colleagues, pal?"

mshady

2009-06-26, 04:09 PM

Harold laughs at the accusation, shaking his head slightly.

"Drugging your friend while drugging myself? That's a good one!" Harold laughs at that before breaking into a coughing fit. "It is merely a tea made from the only thing that grows here. Refined it is quite potent, indeed 'dusters' are a plague here. Most of the Blood Company use what they can find, I suspect. Mere boiled roots? A mug will do ye no harm, but it does relax you and numb many pains. Several a day for me! Newcomers might see things start to spin a bit" Harold says with a smile.

"Calm yourself, young gnome. Indeed, try some tea. It will help ye with that"

Johannes looks at the reaction of his group and the incredulous reaction of Harold and the others and thinks for a moment.

"I'll try some" he says, smiling under his short, clipped beard. "Far be it from me to turn down an exotic tea"

Harold nods approvingly and the boy with battered tea kettle returns with some equally battered cups. One is poured for Johannes and the boy looks to see if anyone else wants one.

"I remember 3 months ago, Hextros beat a patient to death with that very tea pot. One of his, not one of ours but I was QUITE upset about what he did to my pot... Actually, was after he had a full pot of the tea. Do limit yourself to one cup, at most two."

Strangie

2009-06-26, 05:31 PM

Wyatt frowns at Harold, raising an eyebrow.

"I dunno. Usually when you see your friends wobble around and freaking out like that it means trouble. It's my job to be paranoid. And no, I don't want any tea. But, uh, thanks. I guess."

...

"And I ain't a gnome, I'm a halfling." He points at Arum. "'dat's a gnome, okay."

He rubs his head, running his fingers through his hair. "I think I need to go outside. I ain't doin' anybody much good here anyway."

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-06-26, 08:55 PM

Kelith
Cursing their luck to be attacked by the people they just saved Kelith will rush over to Arman and do the best he can to mend his leg and other wounds.

[roll0]

{{Sorry for the delay, just moved to a new state for my new job and apparently Comcast makes you wait 3 days for internet and then forces you to pay someone to plug some cable ups at an appointed time (something like a 5 hour window).}}

Katasi

2009-06-26, 10:45 PM

Arum harrumphs "Indeed" he says "Get it right, gnomes are far tougher than those flighty haflings." He goes over to Sable and tries to gently direct her back into the seat. "Best to sit until your head clears"

mshady

2009-06-27, 03:16 AM

Harold looks between the two. He blinks a couple of times, apparently unfocused and smiles.

"Oh... so sorry. You all look the same to me"

Katasi

2009-06-27, 04:23 AM

Arum replies to that with a rude gesture.

Strangie

2009-06-27, 11:30 AM

"Who you callin' flighty?"

Wyatt shakes his head, waving his hand dismissively, turning to walk out the door.

"Whatever. You guys have fun with your parlaying and such. Not my line of business anyway. I'll be at the door enjoying the scenery, or what I can of it anyway." Mumbling to himself, "Gods, just want to get on the move again. Hate bein' all cooped up like 'dis..."

Melody

2009-06-28, 11:13 AM

Sable finishes chewing the overly large mouthful of food and swallows clearing her mouth to talk. It isn't that bad Wyatt, I just wasn't expecting the effects. Now Harold, are you ready to come with us?

ArmanMadero

2009-06-28, 09:47 PM

Arman knew the second his arms were up, that it had been a bad idea.

It was confirmed when the first bolt hit him in his right hand, tearing a gash in the fleshy part of it near his thumb before continuing on to hit Gore. He glanced at his hand in surprise and shock. uh oh...

Grasping his hand to try and stop the bleeding, he looked over to Gore to make sure he was ok.

He had only been thinking of a language that sounded somewhat close to theirs. It never occured to him that they may think him casting a spell. He used elvish for hs spells, but how were they to know that.

They were definately pissed though. When he looked at Gore, he felt another impact, this time in his his shoulder. He was whipped around in time for another bolt to smash into his chest. He shouted something, he wasn't sure what at this point. But it felt good to yell it.

Oh this was definately not good...

Amazingly, he was still standing.

And then he wasn't. In shock he looked towards his feet, where he felt a burning and a pulsing as the great vessel in his leg, started shooting his lifeblood all over. oh crap... Mystra have mercy on my foolish self...

He could still see the bolt sticking out of his leg, along with something white and bloody. His bone? Not good...

He moaned in dismay and feebly tried to reach for one of the healing vials he had in a pouch, but with his right hand gashed and bleeding, and a bolt still sticking from his left shoulder, moving hurt. His breathing came faster, and he knew he was in trouble. His chest hurt where the bolt had struck, and his blood was still pumping from his leg.

A shadow loomed over him and he saw Magnum, who was also starting to look like a porcupine. A hand reached for his collar, and he was being dragged towards someplace. His left leg trailed, every bump and hole it hit, making the leg a little worse. He would see the large pool of blood where he came from, and the trail as he was dragged.

He was losing too much. He started to pray, his breath coming in gasps.

"Mystra, le do thoil cosain mé. Corellon, le do thoil cosain mé. Táim do seirbhíseach, agus mian cúis a dhéanamh stil... Bheith ag obair in aghaidh bithiúnach agus orchóideach, coiméad daoine saor ó eagla agus tíoránach, tacaíocht an dlí agus an tsíocháin gnóthaigh suaimhneas cibé áit dlí coir agus go cothrom cuir i bhfeidhm, agus coisc fior cumhacht agus cothromaigh agus téigh i bhfeidhm ar saibhreas agus deis."

Towards the end it was harder to understand what he was saying, as his breathing was shallow and fast. The blood was no longer pumping out so fast from his leg, but that was because he had lost so much, and there was little left. He feebly again tried for one of the potions in his pouch, but the pain in his leg was causing him to almost black out, and all he could do was twitch.

mshady

2009-06-29, 01:39 AM

"Come with you? But... I haven't even decided to leave." Harold says to Sable. "I'm glad you and the other dwarf there enjoyed your tea. A concoction I am most proud of. Now... what to do?" Harold frowns pensively.

He smooths his robes out once and strokes his chin, reflecting on matters.

"There is a measure of reason in your words though. There... is a risk of their return. I do not believe your leader would misuse them, but I'd be wary as they will assume so. The risk of them staying though is... higher. Your Carmard was kind to release the conscripts, but they are armed and bitter men. The sooner you leave, the better.

I balance that against the inevitability your forces would fight these heinous mercenaries. Even if you lose, they will be weakened enough we may kill what remains. You judge their abilities too lightly based on the actions of some thieves. Of course, that means you turn my town into a war zone.

Fine. I see some reason to your request, but to be clear tis for my reasons and nay yours..." Harold states, a tinge of pride in his voice and his nose upturned slightly "I shalt accompany you. We'll go to that ghastly Block House of theirs, but I warn ye it is also the barracks of these mercenaries. If they plan to kill ye, no better place will there be. Or kill me, which is the outcome I fear. Ah, perhaps it is time for my feet to stop travelling and my soul to start though eh? In the Planes, the difference is less than ye think..."

Harold nods to his guards. They give him a worried look, but return the nod. How or why exactly a priest of Shaudakul, a God of solitary travellers, would come by such an honor guard must be an unusual story, but they are plainly loyal to him.

Without further word, Harold and his entourage exit the chapel. The old priest slings a pack onto his back, and his guards also wear small packs now having retrieved them from a pile near the door.

The doors open to the rippling purple and blue sky of Way Ward and twin columns of smoke from burning tenaments....

"Oh my" is all Harold says, as the group watches for a moment. They begin marching out into the court yard and are greeted by the remaining pilgrims and the tiefling with the greatsword. The group forms a tight cluster around Harold. He reaches out and touches each of them gently and offers them a blessing.

The march to the Block House has begun...

Strangie

2009-06-29, 08:55 AM

"Well 'DAT didn't last long, did it."

Wyatt already has his weapon out as he glances at the scenery ahead of him. "This sucks." He glances toward the tiefling and those ahead of the group.

"Uh, so... what's up?" He manages to say, shuffling back slightly toward the group and bending the knees slightly. "We gonna do this or what?"

Readying an action to move 40' with a move action in case someone attempts to attack from either side - exactly where depends on where everybody is positioned... otherwise, he stays with the group as they move forward, sticking to the front for now until he spots something troublesome.

Melody

2009-06-29, 09:57 AM

Everyone, take up positions around the honor guard. We want them to see Harold is coming because he wants to come, not because we're making him. Joh, you walk with Harold, you'll be better protected in the middle since you aren't much of a fighter. Sable pulls the sap out of her pack and loops it through her belt within easy reach. Thordrek, do you know who got that scroll of cloudkill? I'd like to get it in case we get attacked around the portal. Raz, if you see me drop darkness, keep Harold out of it. Pull him away and we'll find him after the fighting is over. We'd rather do this without fighting, but Tymora knows it doesn't always happen the way I want it to.

Sable pulls a hat out of her pack and puts it on her head with a wink. Suddenly she looks a lot like you might imagine Raz's brother might look if he had one. The hat is now a ribbon tying her greasy black hair into a tail that bounces on her shoulder behind her. Her gear matches those of Harold's honor guard, her rapier is now a short sword, her bow appears to be a crossbow. As she speaks you hear her voice hasn't changed. Just in case they're looking for me specifically after that throwdown with Hextros. She takes up position among Harold's guards. Let's go!

thorgrim29

2009-06-29, 11:40 AM

Cloudkill, cloudkill.... No, I don't know. But if we need cover I still have that iron wall rod Carmard gave me in the orc cave. I was thinking of using it to take care of the war machines earlier, but it's a pretty versatile spell.

He whistles as she puts on her hat

Nice illusion, even with the hat, not everyone can pull it off that well.

Strangie

2009-06-29, 12:48 PM

Wyatt falls back to the honor guard. He constantly shifts back and forth around and in front of them, to keep his legs moving and his skirmish abilities going, twirling his mace around his wrist every couple of seconds.

"I hear ya, I'm with ya. Awright, let's do this."

As he moves, the facing of his upper body doesn't seem to change direction - like his legs and his torso act as two seperate entities, the legs going where ever they want and the upper body facing whichever direction it wants, in a realistic way of course. As he gets up to speed and gets into his skirmish routine, his legs become a constant whirl of motion that dances around the honor guard and other comrades unless they're moving forward, which he moves at angles in the same direction since he's generally faster than most dwarves and other beings.

Some kind of little spaz or something, one might think.

Katasi

2009-06-29, 07:52 PM

Arum speaks up. "I don't have a scroll of cloudkill, but I have a rune for it. Just shout when you want it cast." He says.

mshady

2009-06-30, 01:49 AM

Magnum lumbers along, dragging Arman as quickly as he can. The dwarf is covered in his own blood, as it oozes out of the wound in his belly. What Arman can see has to be much less than what is actually there. Already weakened by the encounter with the hydra and little chance to rest, the indomitable priest cannot take much more punishment...

Kelith arrives at Magnum's side, helping him drag the gravely wounded elf and speeding their retreat. Wearing only his fine chain, Kelith cannot help but feel even more vulnerable in this lethal cross fire. He looks between the empty windows for any other ambushers when he hear a single "clank" from up above.

Magnum has just enough time to turn his head to see a teenage human boy with a crossbow a story above him take aim. The quarrel lunges downward and strikes Magnum hard in the helmet. At such close range, the bolt splits the solid metal plate that protects the side of his head and neck. His eyes go wide from the shock and pain. He sees the boy toss the crossbow and dart out of the room.

The dwarf loses his grip on the fallen wizard's hand and staggers for a moment at the painful wound. Blood runs down his neck, soaking his arming jacket beneath. He claws at the wound, trying to apply pressure under the helmet but is fearful of removing it and causing the bolt's exit to wound him even more.

Three more bolts clank again, this time the lighter clanks of the smaller crossbows. The first bolt strikes Magnum in the breast plate and splits the metal, but having spent its momentum doing so it does not get past the arming jacket beneath. The next bolt hits Magnum's thick and curved shoulder armor. The angle of the cleverly wrought armor sends the bolt spinning off on a harmless arc, leaving a dent in the armor.

The third bolt hits Magnum by the left groin, sinking deep into his meaty leg. The quarrel has struck him right between the gap in his thick leg armor and his hip from the front, shooting the small gap between the protective armor curtain around his waist.

Magnum looks at the wound and looks down the street at the source of the bolts. Both the shooter and the target look at each other and wonder just how much it takes to kill a dwarf.

The question is answered as Magnum goes slack and topples to the ground, laying in a heap in the street. A cheer goes up from the attackers.

Magnum is at -1 hp and bleeding at -2 per round, due to a previous wound

mshady

2009-06-30, 02:09 AM

Standing at the doorway behind the solid shields and masses of Nalrak and Grathalmor, Carmard looks at the bloody scene playing out as his men try to fall back to cover.

First Arman is struck down. Than Magnum and Kelith rush to his aid, but Magnum is pelted by bolt after bolt before finally being felled as well no more than 15 feet from safety. Kelith now stands alone in the street, at the mercy of at least 7 crossbowmen.

Carmard curses himself for not letting his team fall back, trying to avoid killing any of civilians they had so recently saved from the mercenaries. When Magnum had unleashed a spell that so effectively slew the leader of these attackers, and perhaps the only one who had a language common to them, the situation had spiralled out of control.

"Enough of this" Carmard snarls from under his helmet and face mask. "You two, go save the others. I'll cover ye..."

Carmard's two protectors do not hesitate to run out to assist their comrades, tower shields help high to protect them.

The Arcanii looks at the building with the cheering crew of snipers and reaches into his pouch, withdrawing a string of sharp little teeth.

Holding the string between his hands, Carmard concentrates and focuses the powerful magic he is about to unleash. The teeth shine blue and are quickly enveloped in a widening ball of light as he begins his chant.

"Scherben des Silbers. Scherben der Zähne. Ich nenne Viertel das Knäuel, die Turbulenz von Heulenmagie!"

The blue mixes with blacks and grays and starts to swirl in Carmard's hands. Images of translucent blue monsters, their mouthes full of teeth take shape in the vortex. The globe of light howls in fury as the spell nears completion. It is now large enough to obscure Carmard even, yet he somehow controls the magical fury.

With a thought, he sends the ball hurtling towards the top of the building when the crossbowmen cheer and reload. It does not strike them, but halfway up the building and expands...

With a furious howl and snarl of ferocious monsters none but Carmard had heard before, the spell swirls around the middle of the building and expands upwards and downwards. It takes mere moments. The crossbowmen only have time to scream before the cloud of energy and conjured monsters reach the top of the building. Than they abruptly stop...

In a few seconds, the entire building is enveloped in the furious magic. With a creak and a thunder, the adobe building itself crumbles under the spell and than finally crashes earthward. A cloud of white dust and sand blows through the streets in all directions, blanketing the area and providing cover for the retreating dwarven party. The terrible engine of destruction that it was, the tornado of snarling magic, fades away and Carmard frowns at what he had done.

He had saved his own people's lives at the expense of those he meant to protect over a misunderstanding... That did not bode well.

It feels like something Glorian would do Carmard thinks to himself, as the dust and debris roll over his position. He ducks inside the building, coughing as the dust chokes his lungs... Exhaustion from the magic saps his strength momentarily and he leans against the door frame.

mshady

2009-06-30, 02:12 AM

From the vantage point of Harold, his honor guard and the rest of the group a pillar of magic energy rises up and covers a building suddenly in the crowd of adobe tenaments. The spell is accompanied by a banshee's howl. It sounds almost like a tornado has been unleashed within the town, but far more precise and lethal.

Within a few moments, the spell fades and they can hear the rumble and thunder of a building collapsing. A plume of dust rises from the location, three blocks from their current location.

Harold looks at Thordek and than Sable.

"What, praytell, just happened in my town?" he says. His eyes are narrowed and his face is severe and frowning.

thorgrim29

2009-06-30, 08:16 AM

Good question...

spellcraft to identify the spell: [roll0]

Strangie

2009-06-30, 08:54 AM

"Would 'all hell breaking loose' be an adequate description?" Wyatt says, watching the scene as he keeps moving.

"Whatever control anybody had over that situation apparently just dissolved into a pile of magical, sparkly dust. What 'da hell was that crap?"

Katasi

2009-06-30, 11:19 AM

Arum also attempts to identify the spell.

[roll0]

mshady

2009-07-01, 02:18 AM

Grathalmor and Nalrak quickly return from the dust cloud. Grathalmor is dragging Magnum by an arm, but his other hand steadies the crippled cleric's head. The dwarf's abdominal armor is now soaked with blood, and his neck and breast plate is also streaked with it. Dust clings to the blood.

Nalrak carries Arman in his hands, holding the snapped leg steadily. Blood still oozes out of the wound in regular intervals and the elf moans incoherently. Soon, he would lose consciousness and perhaps slip into a coma...

Kelith is not far behind the two, jogging to keep up with the dwarves and looking warily behind the retreating group to make sure the remaining attackers did not try an assault on foot.

Not that it would have ended well for them, he thinks to himself.

His chain is out now, and he swings it to his side to maintain the neccesary momentum to strike. On a good day, if he could see it coming, he could swipe an oncoming arrow or quarrel out of the air. With the street full of a choking cloud of rubble, he had no hope of that but anyone who tried to rush him would regret it.

The two dwarves quickly set down Arman and Magnum. Nalrak looks between the two for a moment, deciding who to treat first. He leans down and casts a small curative spell on Magnum's neck and than his gruesome abdominal wound to stop the bleeding.

A wound from an arrow, quarrel or bullet was much more difficult to treat with magic as it required extracting the missile from the wound and that could be difficult business at times. A crossbow bolt in the neck was one of those. Certainly with such limited magic available to them and remembering Carmard's words about saving what they could for Sigil, healing the same wound twice was out of the question. Appreciating the situation, Grathalmor starts to remove Magnum's armor. A knife appears in his hand and he begins slicing straps that do not come quickly undone, rendering the armor nearly useless until they can be replaced... Nalrak in turn starts fumbling for bandages to wrap around Magnum's neck.

Arman lays on the floor untended for a moment as the dwarves help their own. Carmard catches his breath from the destruction he wrought and quickly moves to the wounded elf's side. He unclips the belt from his satchel and ties it hard around Arman's wound and turns to the door.

"Kelith! Get your arse in here! We're short a priest!" Carmard yells out the door.

Within a moment, Kelith enters the building and tosses his chain aside with a clatter and dives to his knees besides Carmard. He looks at the wound and at Carmard, wide eyed at how bad the leg wound was as blood now just dribbles out of the wound thanks to Carmard's tournequet. The priest of Kossuth quickly assesses the situation...

Kelith rolls a 29 on a heal check (natural 20)

Kelith's studies had included a rigourous course in healing, from bandaging wounds and poultices or the delicate ways to apply the healing available to a cleric. A good course of study for someone's studies involved playing with, and being tested by, fire on a regular basis. Indeed, his degree of skill rather distinguished him in his faith.

Not everything was so simple as using a powerful curative spell to resolve a problem. Rather than going straight to his most powerful spell to cure the leg, he straightens Arman's leg as best he can. Next, he applies a cure light wounds spell to the crippled leg to stop the bleeding. The spell feels hot and Arman moans in discomfort. Any curative spell from a priest like Kossuth always felt like being licked by fire; the more powerful the spell, the more it burned and longer to. Few priests of Kossuth made a living as a healer, but they had their own reasons to know their business.

Carmard looks at the priest, nodding his approval for his steady reaction. Kelith grimaces in reply.

"Kossuth's Cleansing, that's a bad wound. The bolt snapped Arman's bone in his upper thigh, his femur. It has to come out before we can fix the leg. If I heal him up now, we'll have to break the leg later. I can do it and he'd be mobile, though. Can't imagine the pain though..." Kelith says with a frown.

Carmard looks between his two fallen men and out the door, lost in thought once again as he calculated what to do.

To his left, Nalrak continues to bandage up Magnum; more to protect him from infection or disease than stop the bleeding at his point. The big dwarf holds his beard to his chest and leans down to sniff the wound in Magnum's neck and wrinkles his nose.

"Kelith? Ye check the elf's wound for how it smells?" the dwarf asks. Kelith looks at Arman's wounds and shakes his head.

"Why?"

"They be smelling off, lad. I think they done gone and poisoned them. Thought it was blood on the bolts, but some kinda black slime on'em. Tingles when I be touching it"

"Black slime?" Carmard asks Nalrak, than looks at the bolt in Arman's leg as well. His face is a frozen mask and he breathes deeply for a moment.

Than he explodes in a torrent of the foulest dwarven words one is likely to hear and throws his satchel against the wall.

mshady

2009-07-03, 06:34 PM

Thordek’s detachment and Harold’s guards stare out at the skyline of the town. Twin pillars of smoke curl up from the west side of town. The smoke is black and sooty. Distant screams of battle and clang of weapons and armor can be heard. Third plume of smoke is actually a cloud of debris and pulverized adobe. It lingers in the air and the force of the sudden collapse has pushed a cloud of smoke down the street. The cloud is largely dissipated by the time it reaches the party, but it does send Harold into a cough fit as the cloud rolls past their position. One of his honor guard steadies the old man and passes him a flask to drink. When the coughing fit ceases, Harold turns and looks at Thordek and Arum with a sour look on his face. Several people run out of the smoke with a panic stricken look on their face. One of them carries a large and battered crossbow and wears some ragged brigandine armor. He sees Harold and is about to speak when he notices the dwarfs accompanying the group. The tiefling goes from a dead run to a complete stop in a spray of dust before bolting in an opposite direction.

“No one here a day ago could have smited a structure like that” he says slowly. “You brought mages here, yes? If your leader did that, you will find my… debt of gratitude with him is a vanishing thing… It shalt be gone entirely if a summoning takes place”

The old priest does not bother to wait for a reply before he turns and taps his walking stick against the armor of one of his cohorts, indicating they should keep moving.

The Block House is close by, only three blocks away from where they stand. No one in the group says anything during the walk over, but Raz keeps looking at his doppelganger in the form of Sable. His look is either one of fear or amazement at his likeness. The path ahead appears clear at this point.

As they approach the Block House, the group sees that the area surrounding it has been razed to the ground. Ruble piles sit where as many as a dozen of the ramshackle tenements once stood. Some skeletal remains are just visible in a couple of the piles.

The group stops to look across the debris field and a large, squat building made of the same white adobe. A makeshift palisade made from the beams that once held the surrounding buildings together now rings the area. At several places along it, a rope hangs over the fence and the remains of a victim still remain. A handful of skulls dot the top of the palisade as well.

Atop the Block House is a pole with a brilliant red flag and gauntleted fist, but it hangs limply as there is little wind. Crenulations made of debris dot the top of the building, along with four squat turrets. Mounted on top of each of those sits a scorpion. In the center sits of the building sits a catapult. Only the scorpions are currently manned, however… 100 feet in front of them is the body of a man splayed out across the ground with an iron bolt through his abdomen. The bloated body of a horse sits off to the left with two bolts in it.

The message is certainly clear. Approaching is a deadly thing.

Harold pauses and looks over the landscape, looking a bit sad. It is now getting darker out, or what passes for night on this Demi-Plane.

“When they decided to secure the portal, they sent out soldiers with torches and tools to raze the buildings around it. Secure the area and use the debris for battlements, they did. Didn’t even bother to warn the people inside before the fires started, the bastards… The fires started from below, so no one could get out that way.

Well… one tried, but the woman was cut down by Hextros. Most of the rest crossed over to another building, but a few were set apart from others or their neighbors barricaded the windows to keep the neighboring fire out. Those people? We watched them jump to their deaths” Harold says, his voice quivering at the memory.

“They wouldn’t let me help them either. We watched for hours as the fires burned. They made the rest of the town watch. Often Hextros sits atop that roof and just watches the area. I… think he really did it just for a better view. Come… we should get this over with” Harold says and the group moves forward again.

There are sharp “clunks” from the top of the Block House, followed by a whistling that catches everyone by surprise. The scorpions have just greeted the newcomers. Two bolts land just in front of the group. The metal bolts sway in the ground where they land for a moment, even buried up to half their length in the ground.

“I think that’s their way o’saying stop, sir Harold” Johannes says grimly.

“Or its saying the first shots were short.” the old priest replies.

Cautiously, his group fans out but no one advances without any orders. Harold stands in the center of the group as the two scorpions in arc are quickly reloaded and drawn back again.

Harold holds up his hand and he waves a red cloth through the air. The rest of the party wonders what comes next...

mshady

2009-07-03, 07:06 PM

Magnum rolls a 15 on his Fort Save v. Poison - Failed

Arman rolls a 17 on his Fort Sav. Poison - Failed

Melody

2009-07-04, 08:31 AM

Sable looks from Raz to Harold. How should I know what's going on? I've been with you guys the whole time. Alright Arum, I'll let you know if I need it, and thank you. I don't think they'd have shot if the rest of us were here already. Perhaps we should find out what that cloud of dust was about. Her face in it's disguise betrays uncertainty.

Strangie

2009-07-04, 09:06 AM

Wyatt looks ahead toward the Block House, pushing up his hair a little with his buckler hand and frowning.

"Great," he says flatly. "Looks like running out to that fortress is the same as asking for one of those huge bolts down your throat."

Wyatt shakes his head, and glances between Sable and Thordrek. "What happened? 'dis wasn't supposed to be like 'dis, everything's gone to hell. Shoulda figured... well, it's you guys' call, how we doin' this? We gonna check that explosion from earlier?"

Wyatt points a thumb at himself, his mace in his hands pointing straight up in the air. "If you need someone to run out to go check out somethin', send me. I can bet I'm faster and more agile than anybody in this group even without magic aid. Those huge siege weapons will tear any of us apart but the faster we get the hell out of here the better." He remains mobile, though sticks around the group until directed otherwise, just to keep himself ready in case he is targeted, making sure not to put himself in front of someone in the event that he is shot at.

"Your call, pal."

Katasi

2009-07-04, 10:01 AM

Arum growls and spits a profanity. "Well, this is a bad situation! Anyone have any ideas?"

thorgrim29

2009-07-04, 12:33 PM

In deep thoughts, Thordrek rubs the bridge of his nose... He then looks up and starts giving his orders.

Alright... we need to know what's happening, and I'm not going in there with just us, so I say we go see what the disturbance is, and why that tiefling was scared of us. Wyatt, you run liaison, go ahead, report, and come back as soon as you can, we'll meet you on the way to that big magical explosion. There was a lot of power there, and unless Arman had a scroll I don't know about, Carmard probably did it, and he doesn't seem the type to throw such spells lightly, so be ready for trouble. All right people, double time. Harold, you're just going to have to trust us a bit more, and I don't think there's a summoning on the way... if Carmard had that kind of spells he'd have probably used it on that ice devil a few days back.

Melody

2009-07-04, 05:45 PM

Sable nods with Thordrek's words and then looks down at Wyatt. Scream if you need me. I'll get to you.

Strangie

2009-07-04, 10:46 PM

Wyatt nods, pulling out a signal whistle, letting it hang loose around his neck. "Scream? Heh, I have my ways of warning people. Wish me luck, eh?"

With that, he turns and bolts for the area of the explosion, maneuvering between whatever objects he can find to grant himself cover against any ranged attackers and attempts to avoid confrontation if possible.

(EDIT: Edits in spoiler, make sure to notice.)

If he happens to spot someone who may be an enemy, he uses his stealth to try and slip past them instead on his mission to find out what happened to Carmard and co.. He will do this to try to avoid confrontation with enemies on his own. If he somehow gets into a situation where the enemy confronts him, he'll use the whistle to warn the others and retreat back to them as fast as he can. If he finds that he cannot continue without alerting the enemy, he will simply retreat back to his comrades and report the situation.

Also, he has 40' movement speed, and when he moves 40' in any round, he has a total AC of 32; +2 Competence from Skirmish, which he gains from simply moving 10' and +2 Dodge from Expeditious Dodge feat on his base of 28. And yes, he does have Uncanny Dodge, so attacks on him flatfooted are just as useless. Go nubby halfling legs, do your stuff!

Relative checks for stealthing about, if they are required!

Hide: [roll0]
Move Silently: [roll1]

Spot: [roll2]
Listen: [roll3]

mshady

2009-07-06, 12:30 AM

Harold looks at Thordek and seems a bit unimpressed.

"Trust you. Oh yes, most enthusiastically!" he snorts "I'll just forget about the part with your leader leveling a tenament in the middle of town for no apparent reason. I am glad he does not throw such spells around lightly, for he must have been very angry to do so. Nevermind that these damned mercenaries would never take to a building out in town, so it was no doubt occupied by my flock...

I think I will trust you from one of the buildings behind us. You should trust us from a neighboring building till your midget returns with a perfectly good excuse... I certainly do not trust the devils with the over large crossbows, so I say we take a step back and wait" Harold states.

Rebroaching the subject of the demolished building has not sat well with the old priest and his entourage murmurs in agreement.

It is clear Harold has become a very bitter and untrusting man as of late...

Unless someone decides to delay him, Harold and his group fall back 100 feet to the closest tenament. They enter a battered old building that bears a couple of holes and a partially collapsed roof. It does have the benefit of being a story higher than most of the surronding buildings, however.

They quickly station a scout atop of it.

Katasi

2009-07-06, 06:29 AM

Arum growls. "You have 30 seconds to shut up and forget about it or I'll shut you up myself!"

[roll0]

Melody

2009-07-06, 11:20 AM

After Harold speaks, Sable turns and looks at him. Her eyes through the disguise are narrowed with annoyance.

"I don't need your appreciation or undying gratitude. In fact, I don't give a rat's behind whether you like or hate us Harold. We're doing our best for you and your village. Right now that means we get the bloodguard off your back and through that portal. You've done nothing at all to help us for our troubles, which I have so far borne the brunt of. We've been shot at by catapults, attacked by a hydra, and had to duel with an," Sable pauses here obviously at a loss to say what Hextros was, "a half giant, demon, whatever."

She points a finger at the priest. "If," she pauses as she stabs the finger at him for emphasis, "if, Carmard has destroyed a building it is because our people were under attack or to save some of, YOUR," again she stabs the finger at Harold, "villagers." "So please save your condescending tone for someone who isn't trying to help you."

Her tone softens for a moment. "I realize you've been through horrors that nobody should ever have to go through. I realize you've lost people you care about, but taking your frustrations out on us isn't going to help you."

She turns and looks at Arum. "I know you're worried about them. I am too, but let's try not to get frustrated at Harold. He's been through a lot, they all have." She takes a deep breath trying to control her own annoyance. "Joh, stay with Harold, everyone else, let's pick up the pace. They might need our help."

Katasi

2009-07-06, 11:44 AM

Arum growls under his breath. "Fine, let's go."

Strangie

2009-07-06, 07:36 PM

Wyatt leans forward into his sprint, bobbing and weaving his way around to make himself as difficult to target as possible, at least until he spots trouble ahead, which he goes into stealth mode.

"Freakin' Harold..." Wyatt mutters lowly to himself. "Can hear his blubbering all the way out here. Should feel lucky he's even alive..."

If and when he reaches Carmard and crew, he says nothing until he reaches them and is safe.

(EDIT: Bottom part edited, moving to new post.)

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-07-07, 01:40 AM

Kelith

A grim look passes over Kelith's face as he looks over the wounds.

"Poison huh? Not much I can do about that, it was thought of as yet another test of faith in our training and we weren't schooled well in how to counter it. The best I can do for now is patching you up and keeping you from bleeding out to your death."

Kelith will continue to cast healing spells on both victims to mend their more prominent injuries.

Spells Cast
1st-2
2nd-1

mshady

2009-07-07, 09:40 AM

As the group discusses matters with Harold and his entourage, a dark shadow passes over head....

Melody

2009-07-07, 10:36 AM

Sable looks up upon seeing the shadow, "Now what?"

Katasi

2009-07-07, 12:21 PM

Arum looks up as well.

[roll0]

Just in case:

[roll1]
[roll2]

....well I guess the knowledge doesn't matter.... cause I prolly can't spot it anyway.

bchilders

2009-07-07, 03:38 PM

Magnum

All of this is contingent on Magnum waking up as I don't know what the effects of the poison are. Let me know if he is still unconscious or wound know that the wand is not a good idea.

When Kelith applies his healing, Magnum wakes with a scream of pain as all his wounds catch up to him at once. He looks down at his leg and sees all the blood loss and looks around to see if Arman made it to safety, the last thing he remembers was carrying the wizard towards a building for safety. When he spots Arman, he decides he needs to get himself repaired before helping to look after his companion. Magnum checks his bandages and makes sure his wounds have been treated before he reaches in his bags for a wand to speed up the healing process.

Heal:[roll0]
Will cast a few charges of lesser vigor on himself to heal to the point of stability.

mshady

2009-07-08, 01:20 AM

Carmard listens to Kelith as he stands in a darkened corner, listening. His ever present satchel lays against the wall while he threw it. Carmard bears a look of quiet tension as he watches the two priests tend the wounded.

"The slime on those bolts.." Carmard says after observing Nalrak and Kelith work "... it's called Narin's Oil" Carmard says. He does not say any more for a long moment as all eyes turn to him.

"Followers of Shaundakul be the best known users o'it. They normally use it in traps to deter pursuers, and that alone. I know not how they make it, but it is suspended in a blood oil and infused with a touch of necromancy. It slows healing and saps yer strength but good... Works good on trolls and such too, I be told..." Carmard says quietly, shaking his head.

"What do ye mean it be slow'n healing?" Nalrak asks, frowns creasing his face under his brown and gray speckled beard.

"The oil resists healing... ye have to... overcome the oil. Also sticks to flesh, so hard to get off... or out"

"Berronar save us from more o'that foul stuff than...How'd they get it?" Nalrak says and looks at Magnum's wounds as the priest starts to come around...

"Harold" Carmard replies stiffly.
"Huhn?" Nalrak replies, taken aback.
"Aye... we 'ssume he was supplying the rebels. Fer now.." Carmard finishes.

Narin Oil rolls a 1d8 damage every time a positive energy spell is cast, so effectively you have to overcome 1d8 healing each round. You also suffer 1d4str damage.

mshady

2009-07-09, 02:56 PM

Magnum comes around as his co-religionist's spells take effect, stemming the very worst of the damage and bringing the dwarf out of shock. It does not make his wounds any less shocking, however. Nalrak notices the dwarf coming around and steadies his head with a vice like grip that panics Magnum for a moment.

Until he realizes there is still a crossbow quarrel sticking out of the fleshy part of his neck and it burns very badly. His eyes look down to see his belly and that the lower part of his breast plate is covered in blood and another crossbow quarrel sticks out of it. That realization triggers a new agony and a realization that he has been gut shot. Without the aid of a cleric, it was an otherwise fatal wound as his stomach acid ate away at his insides. At least his bandages are okay, though.

Nalrak leans over Magnum and tips his head back skyward and gives him a tight and worried smile. Never one for alot of words, Nalrak conveys his obvious concern but that Magnum would be alright.

"Hate to tell ya this lad, but those bolts have gotta come out. That's gonna hurt. Gett'n the one outta your belly's gonna take some think'n if we want to save yer armor..." Nalrak states quietly.

bchilders

2009-07-09, 04:51 PM

Magnum

"Armor can be replaced, I need these out so I can be of some use," he growls and helps with the removal of the arrows himself. Checking to make sure they are removed to do as little more damage to him as possible, he pulls them out himself if someone else is not there to remove them. As soon as they are out he channels energy through his newly acquired ring and reaches for a few potions to help heal his grievous wounds.

I'll use all 3 charges in the ring for [roll0] - [roll1]

And I'll take a potion of cure serious and cure moderate. I don't know the plusses on either of those so if you wouldn't mind rolling them for me it would be much appreciated.

I know there might be some negative effects for pulling the arrows out but I think it fits Magnum's personality

mshady

2009-07-10, 03:10 AM

Wyatt scurries into the heart of the town once again. He sticks to the sides of the street instead of the center as the dwarves tended to do, ducking into corners, darting into alleys and so on. The street is still obscured with dust and he can hear the fires off to his right.

It takes him a few minutes to get to the area of the devastating spell; longer with the erratic route that Wyatt takes amongst the buildings. When he approaches though, he comes across the barricades thrown across the road. The area seems deserted, mainly. The faint voices of people can be heard, but they sound like non-combatants. Silence was not an expectation. Indeed, silence would probably be a bad sign.

As Wyatt is scrambling over his third barricade, he doesn't quite notice that the level of activity in the area has died off. Always moving means you don't stop and listen very often.

He DOES hear the clunk of three crossbows as he reaches the top of the barricade. It wasn't that danger was unexpected, but he thought he would be up and over faster than anyone had a chance to react if they did not know he was coming. Wyatt drops off the barricade and runs for cover before he feels a burning pain in his arm. He looks over, horrified as he realizes a quarrel in sticking out of his bicep and blood is oozing from the wound.

Wyatt is caught flat footed while scaling a barricade, having failed a wisdom check. While climbing, he looses his dex bonus. Wyatt takes 6 damage from a light crossbow bolt

Someone actually hit me? Even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes, I guess...

Wyatt looks around from the alleyway he stands in and takes a hankerchief and ties it around the wound as a make-shift bandage. He really needed to learn to carry some of those...

Suddenly he realizes just how close he is to the structure and source of the dust cloud. It lays across the street, pieces of lumber stick out of the pile of rubble. It looks like the place had been attacked by dozens of angry beavers, or perhaps Arum's badger and its whole clan. The rubble still glows, shimmering with the faint aura of magical energy.

Someone had leveled that building. Hard and fast. Carmard was the only one in town who could probably do it, unless there was something about that elf was hiding something up his sleeve in the skill department.

Looking over at his arm, he winces and tries to pull the bolt out but he lacks the strength to do it. The pain nauseates him too.

He peers through the dust and looks down the road. Several crossbow quarrels stick out of the ground or an adobe wall of a tenament. Looking up, it looks like someone poured a bucket of red paint down the side of a building. It takes a moment to realize there is a headless body sitting on the edge of the building. His eyes dart around the ground for the missing part on instinct, but he sincerely wishes he did not see that. The eyes were still open. Looking down the street, he can see two identical tower shields laying in the street as well.

This has to be the spot!

He looks around and cannot see where Carmard's party went, or what was left of it. Wyatt takes a deep breath and breaks into a dead run from his hiding place to the next alley way. He does this twice more, and each movement is accompanied by the clunk of a single crossbow reaching out for him. Not even close, this time!

Finally, he is close enough to see a heavily armored dwarf peering out the door way. He recognizes the figure as Carmard's protector, Grathalmor.

As walking is not an option, Wyatt does the only thing he can think of and runs right at the door way.

"Friendly! Friendly! It's Wyatt!! Wyatt!" he yells, as loud as his little lungs allow. Which is quite loud actually, if a bit shrill.

Unfortunately dwarves do not react to things terribly fast, especially surprised ones.

Grathalmor steps out into the doorway just as Wyatt is about to pass through the entry. Wyatt has just enough time to wonder if he was about to loose his head and if that would hurt before a dwarven urgosh comes flying at him...

The next moment, everything goes to black....

Wyatt finds himself looking up, blinking away the stars in his vision. Grathalmor is leaning over him with a grimace on his face.

"Sorry, little fella. Wasn't expectin' anyone with good intent to come rushing for the door. Your nose okay?" the dwarf says, concern on his otherwise chiseled face.

Wyatt touches his nose and a shock wave of pain goes through him and his fingers come back slick with his own blood.

Wyatt has taken an 8 pts of damage from a sub-dual attack, as Grathalmor smacked him across the face with the flat of his axe. Ouch!

Strangie

2009-07-10, 03:30 AM

(OOC: Even if he has Uncanny Dodge, he loses his Dex bonus while climbing? I was pretty sure characters with this ability always maintained their Dex whenever they're flatfooted unless they're physically incapable of moving... I would like some clarification on Uncanny Dodge and will edit this post as necessary.)

Wyatt winces when he looks at his hand with blood on it. His face hurts, and that crossbow bolt isn't hurting any less.

"For getting shot with a crossbow, and then getting beaned in the head by you... yeah, just freakin' dandy. Didn't ya see me? You coulda killed me with that thing there!"

He stands up to his feet, reaching for a potion and downing it to heal his wounds.

Cure Light Wounds: [roll0]

He shakes his head, frowning and looking up at Grathalmore. "You're gonna hafta help me pull this bolt out, it ain't stayin' in. Be gentle now, I bruise easy, heh. And when we're done with that, I got some stuff to talk about. Where's Carmard?"

thorgrim29

2009-07-10, 10:35 AM

As the rest of his command goes towards the explosion at a brisk but safe pace, Thordrek has the components to a few of his more destructive ranged spells ready in his right hand, and his shield is held out.

ArmanMadero

2009-07-12, 11:21 PM

All Arman could do, was lay there. The ground beneath him was cold at times, and other times it felt warm. Was that because he was growing colder?

He could hear everything that was going on around him and though he was breathing fast already, his breath started coming in paniced gasps when he heard about the poison. He tried to become calm, but couldn't.

His hand nearest to the pouch on his side twitched again. So much blood lost...

"Someone... please. There is a potion... in the pouch... for poison... and potions for.... major healing..." The very act of talking was wearing Arman down, and he wasn't sure if anyone was hearing him.

mshady

2009-07-13, 02:09 AM

Wyatt...

Is there a Doctor in the House?

Wyatt looks at the bolt after Grathalmore frowns at the sight of it, wrinkling his nose. His gauntlet hand comes back from touching the bolt with a sticky black oil.

"Ye just have all the luck, don't ya little fella? This is going to hurt. Alot. Prefer if ye don't scream in my ear. It makes me jumpy." the dwarf says. He takes out a wicked looking knife and shows it to Wyatt. The halfling's eyes go wide but a powerful hand holds him down. He turns his head as he feels two more hands as Carmard pins him down.

"I never knew ye for being a surgeon, Grath" Carmard says in a conversational tone, as the two dwarves look at each other over the pinned down halfling.
"I'm not. I did watch Nalrak do this before though"
"Ah, he showed you?" Carmard replies, an eyebrow raised.
"Aye"
"You remember well enough, lad?"
"Tis a little foggy, to be true. Had a few stouts beforehand..."
"Oh. Well, carry on. Nalrak can fix him if ye hit a squirter. Just tie'em off with somethin' till he's ready."
"Aye"

Wyatt has just enough time to try to squirm free when he feels Nalrak's knife start to cut an X around the wound to make pulling it out easier. Carmard presses a hand over his mouth just before Grathalmor pulls the bloody quarrel out. He looks at it to make sure its still straight and wipes it off with a rag and pockets it, than smiles at Carmard. The wound oozes with more blood..

"Good job, lad. Ye got it out and didn't amputate his arm. Try not to use he knife ye eat with though, aye? I'll take care o'the bandage. Keep the souvenir..." Carmard says. When Grathalmor turns away, Carmard shakes his head.

"Sorry. Ye asked him..." Carmard says, combining an apology with a shrug.

Fort Check v. Poison - Wyatt Rolls a 15. Takes 3 strength damage. Wyatt suffers 3 damage from Grathalmor's 'surgery' and retrieval of the quarrel. The poison resists Wyatt's 2 hp CLW.

Forgot to do a roll...

Magnum takes 3 strength damage.
Arman takes 4 strength damage.

Magnum

Laying flat on his back, Magnum's return to consciousness has been an exceptionally painful one. Taking several deep breaths, he holds the last one and clenches his teeth before pulling the first quarrel out of his neck. He plucks it out with little effort, but blood does ooze from the wound. Magnum ignores the blood and looks down at the bolt in his belly. Again the thought that this would be a lethal wound to most others rolls through his mind. He was not like many others. Clangeddin had given him a great blessing, and Haela had given him a bit of luck, for just such situations so he could continue his service to the Silverbeard.

With his armor already undone by a helpful Nalrak, Magnum decides the best course of action. Taking his breast plate in both hands, he slowly lifts it up and it takes the quarrel lodged in the armor with it. The pain is simply incredible and he can feel the blood flow from the wound and terrible agony of what his stomach was doing to his insides.

All eyes turn to Magnum as he grunts, biting off screams of pain as he slowly lifts his battered breast plate.

"Damn..." Nalrak says, as he watches.

Magnum's face is red and a mask of the most extreme agony. Than the quarrel is out. Stained red and bent, the quarrel sticks out of the bloody breast plate. Magnum's gray arming jacket is stain a deep red as well. With an enormous focus of will, Magnum tosses his breast plate aside and summons his fragmented will to unleash the healing power of his recently acquired ring. The ring from Faitholme glows a brilliant gold and amber as its powers are unleased. Magnum first presses his hand, now wrapped in a nimbus of gold, to his neck and his belly. The wounds close and the bleeding ceases, but he feels like the curative spells are far less powerful than what he had hoped...

Magnum takes 4 additional damage from removing the quarrel and bleeding that round....

Strangie

2009-07-13, 02:39 AM

Wyatt twitches and bites his lip to keep himself from screaming, looking at his arm.

"Ow, ow, ow, damnit, damnit, damnit... yeah I KNOW I asked 'em, it had ta be done, y'know? Damn... I feel weak... this black ooze crap, 'dis poison? Damn... I know... my potion did nothin'..."

Wyatt's knees buckle from the strength damage, going down to one knee. He takes his backpack off, setting his bow and arrow quiver down to get rid of some weight.

"I ran all 'da way through town just t'get here... Thordrek and the others are on the way, gradually I assume, but I ain't in no shape to get back to 'em now, Carmard, I ain't got the strength for it... where'd they get this freakin' poison from?"

He turns his head toward Arman when he speaks. "Damn, Arman, what'd they do to you, man... hope someone's listening to him, he said he's got somethin' for poison and healing in there. Not sure how much it would work considering mine didn't..."

He shakes his head, frowning a little. "They're certainly not makin' it easy on us... I'm glad I just made it at all. Anyway, here's my report, Carmard..."

And so, Wyatt takes a seat, relaying what he has heard and learned from his experiences with Harold up until he took off under Thordrek and Sable's orders...

Tharar_Greenleaf

2009-07-13, 05:54 PM

{{Any chance I can do a heal check or just get a recap of how badly wounded they are? Like an HP total or something so I can decide on what spells I want to use to heal them.

Will also be taking that poison potion Arman was talking about and apply it to him.}}

Melody

2009-07-15, 11:16 AM

Sable looks up as the shadow passes over head. "Now what?" She asks as she looks up, catching a glimpse of a tan reptillian underbelly as it clears the space between two buildings. The hydra's multiple heads snake this way and that as they survey the ground below it, its wings outspread to catch the breeze as it soars above the town. "Ah hell, just what we need. I hope it stays clear, we've got enough troubles already."

The hydra is quickly beyond the next building and out of sight. She turns to look at Arum and Thordrek. "I have to tell you I'm worried. I think Wyatt should have signaled us by now. I'm going to check the rooftops to make sure that hydra doesn't circle back. Also, everything and it's cousin around here is carrying a crossbow." She taps her bow, which illusion has made to look like the crossbows they've seen everyone carrying. "If he got taken out by an ambush, it's likely they were using the roofs. Keep heading towards the building. I'll be with you."

She pulls a potion from her pack and drinks it, and then moving to the shadows she vanishes.

Sable drinks a potion of jump, moves to the shadows, and casts her last invisibility spell. She will be moving along the roof tops keeping pace with the remaining party members until they reach their destination, jumping from one roof to the next.

mshady

2009-07-15, 12:10 PM

Kelith rolls a 17 on a healing check. Magnum is still seriously wounded, while Arman is in only moderately wounded. Arman still has two crossbow quarrels in him, including the one that shattered his leg bone. The spell that Kelith cast does not seem as effective as he felt it should have been, probably due to the poison…

Kelith’s powerful healing spell does wonders for Arman’s wounds, immediately stabilizing the elf as he hovered between life and death. It closes several of his wounds, particularly the gruesome leg wound. Due to his severe condition at the time, Kelith had not removed the quarrels beforehand but now was the time to address it.

The one in the elf’s shoulder is simple enough to remove; Kelith can simply pull it out in theory. Seeing how deeply the missile is buried in Arman’s shoulder, Kelith trims the fletchings off with a knife. Next, he unfurls his healing kit. Next to the bandages and ointments, mainly for burns, are a series of tools. There are several small, sharp knives in there that gleam in even the failing light. Mithril bladed scalpels from a gnomish forge in Waterdeep, they had been expensive to come by. Never one to really believe in healing anyone with knives, he nonetheless found them useful on occasion. What he really needed right now was set of tongs to the grip the bolt, however. Kelith looks through the kit and finds what he is looking for, a small tong straight from a dwarven forge. This tong had a circle cut into the front of it to grip a bolt or an arrow, and he called the tool his “gap toothed extractor”. Sitting behind the elf, Kelith uses the tongs to grip the bolt and slowly pulls it out and hopes he does not cause further damage. There was a particular artery in humans that ran through the shoulder and presumably the same with elves that he wanted to avoid. It takes almost half a minute and Arman has to bite off several screams, but the bolt comes out…

Kelith rolls a 23 v. DC20 on his heal check to avoid causing further damage extracting the bolt.

Carmard watches the extraction with his hands folded behind his back. A bolt is still sticking out of his left thigh and blood oozes from the wound.

“Good job, lad. Fine tool box ye brought along as well. I’d like to watch how ye handle the leg, seeing as I still have one in mine. I’ll assist ye here.” Carmard says with a pained smile. He leans down closer to Kelith and says in a low voice “…and I’m not letting Grathalmor anywhere near mine” Carmard says with a quiet chuckle and presumably Kelith does as well.

Carmard sits down next to Arman. In his hand is a stick wrapped in cloth that he offers to the elf to bite down on.

“Yer a brave one, I’ll give ye that elf. Not the wisest, but I’ll take bravery. Thank ye for trying. Now, ye best bite down. This might tickle a little…" he says, giving the worried elf what passes for a smile.

Kelith tosses aside the bloody bolt, still covered in that black slime. It lands in a corner, bent and useless.

Moving on to Arman’s injured left leg, he knows this will be significantly more difficult. Taking a scalpel out of healing kit, he frowns slightly and waves over Grathalmor.

“Can ye hold him?” Kelith asks simply. The dwarf nods a plants one hand on the elf’s chest and another on his leg. Kelith sets the scalpel back down, having found his preferred one, and places a tourniquet on the elf’s leg. Next he reaches for the scalpel again and cuts a very precise X around the wound, cutting deep into the freshly healed flesh. He cuts in several clean strokes each time, careful to avoid an artery. Blood wells from the wound and he dabs it away with bandage after bandage so he can see.

It takes several excruciating minutes, but Kelith opens the wound up enough to be able to get a good grip on the bolt. Before he extracts the bone, he probes both the wound and Arman’s leg, trying to judge the position of the bone. Healing magic certainly did put things back together, but it did not set bones and Kelith was desperate to know the condition of the elf’s bone. He curses when he realizes the shattered bone was indeed mended, but it was impossible for the bone to go back together completely with a crossbow bolt in the way. Instead, the lower part of the bone had been pulled upwards as the elf’s muscles contracted and the bones lay side by side, now bonded together.

Kelith rolls an 18 on a heal check to make the determination. The bone will have to be broken again to set it properly.

Not a soul speaks in the room as Kelith works and Nalrak soon joins him. The dwarf takes over swabbing the blood out of the wound as the elf swoons from the pain. The stubborn elf has yet to pass out from the pain, which would have been a blessing for most. Instead his eyes are rolled up into the back of his head and he froths at the mouth. The adobe floor is torn as his fingers claw the ground.

“I be worried about bone fragments in there” Nalrak says quietly, as he sets aside another bloody rag. “Have to pick’em out somehow before they cause an infection. Reckon he’ll be good a few days, but he’ll have to be cut again to get’em. Leg’ll have to be broken again too… We survive this, best if he saw the Patriarch” the priest says in a quiet voice.

Kelith reaches for the extractor and grips the bolt, slowly trying to extract it with the least possible additional damage…

Kelith rolls a 23 v. DC25 to extract the bolt without causing further injury.

Kelith curses as he feels the bolt catch on something for just a moment and blood squirt out of the wound on to the front of tabard. He had just severed the femoral artery during the extraction. Carmard, Nalrak and Grathalmor all look at Kelith to see what he would do next. For Arman’s part, the elf has finally lapsed into unconsciousness from the pain…

The human priest winces as the blood squirts from the wound once again, but continues to extract the bolt. It is deep enough that he has to pull hard due to the suction, but avoid jerking the bolt out. With the tourniquet on the elf’s leg to slow the bleeding, it gives him more time than normal but it would still bleed as he had to make sure the leg still had circulation. It takes a full minute, but Kelith extracts the bolt and holds up the bloody missile in triumph for all to see with a thin smile on his face. Nalrak tries to soak up what blood he can and Kelith sets aside the bolt and his extractor for his holy symbol and casts a cure minor wounds on the wound to heal the artery.

Taking a break for a moment, Kelith takes a swig from his canteen and wipes the blood off his hands with a clean cloth and some water. Casting a Light spell on a silver rod he pulls from his surgical kit, he hands it to Grathalmor and tells him to hold it over the wound.

With a pair of forceps, Kelith pokes around with the blunt noses instrument as he searching for bone fragments. The process takes several minutes and he finds five small white pieces of bone that he sets aside taken from the hole left by the bolt. He feels like he got most of them, but not all of them. The light from the silver rod also confirms his fears about the bone.

Kelith rolls a 26 on a heal check to remove bone fragments, decreasing Arman’s chance of infection later.

Frowning over the wound, Kelith hears Carmard’s voice. It takes a second to register, but he hears the dwarf finally.

“Close it up, lad. Ye done good. If the worst he gets from all that was a limp for a few days till we get home, Berronar’s blessed him. We’ll brace the leg” Carmard says quietly. His tone is very grim and there is a frown under his beard.

Kelith nods and takes up his holy symbol again. He presses his hand over the wound to localize the healing and calls out a prayer to Kossuth. His hand glows red and gold and the crater in Arman’s leg mends itself together. The sickly sweet smell of burning flesh is very noticeable and the wound is red and puffy. Wisps of steam come from the wound site. For whatever reason, Kossuth blessings were far superior to those from other Gods after such a use in preventing further infection.

Feeling exhausted after nearly an hour of delicate surgery on the elf, Kelith wipes down his tools and repackages his kit before leaning against the wall. He watches the massive minotaur named Gore watch over the door now. He sticks his head out occasionally, looking for more trouble. It was the last thing Kelith remembered before slipping into unconsciousness…

For their part, Carmard and Nalrak finish the clean up. There is a good amount of blood on the floor now. Grathalmor forages around the tenement for several minutes, going room to room looking for something that would make a good splint. He returns with what used to be a broom, now evenly split into two sections. They wrap the leg and splints together for some extra strength and to allow the elf to walk more comfortably.

With that done, Carmard takes some smelling salts from his now retrieved satchel and opens the small vial. He puts it under the elf’s nose and he awakes with a startled scream.

“What happened?” Arman asks, looking around.

"Ye just had surgery for 'n hour on yer leg, without a painkiller. Mayhaps its a lil' tender now. Get up and grab yer gear, we're heading back out into the streets in 5. Places to be, and all" Carmard says, much to Arman's wide eyed amazement.

Wyatt walks over and nudges Carmard.

"That vial for the poison the Elfie mentioned? Ye gonna get that for him?" he asks Carmard.

Carmard looks surprised that he forgot about that and goes into the elf's potion case and removes one with the appropriate label and passes it to the elf.

"Here ya go, lad" Carmard says. He turns to Nalrak and gestures at his own leg and the dwarven priest nods. They begin removing the leg armor and Nalrak begins trying to pull the bolt out. His wound is much more shallow than Arman's, but the dwarf grunts from the pain...

Arman was at 23 hp prior to the surgery and lost 10 during the extraction and from blood loss. He is now at 41 hps and effectively healed of all wounds after Kelith's healing. The Narin's Oil poison is still inhibiting healing.

Arman has a -2 to dex and is limited to 20 feet movement due to his leg injury

mshady

2009-07-15, 12:43 PM

Sable moves into the shadows and casts an invisibility spell. Next, she downs a small red potion that tastes faintly of berries and an unidentifiably foul after taste. The effects surge through her body and she tenses as it takes effect. It felt like something crawling through her body and into her legs. Not an unfamiliar feeling, but a decidedly unpleasant one…

Prepared now, she looks upwards and leaps upwards to a window. She hangs there for a moment with one arm and looks down the street. Her own group follows Harold’s entourage, taking up residence in a separate building. Johannes joins Harold’s group, but it apparently took some argument. Satisfied, she coils her legs and bounds across the street and catches a ledge once more. She repeats this process twice more before a final leap puts her on a roof, crashing through a laundry line of linens and undergarments airing themselves on the roof. She lands in a heap and snarls something considered impolite from a lady in many corners of society.

Coming to her feet, she looks around in the failing light at the rows of roughly evenly spaced buildings. She walks backwards to give her enough running space, paws at the ground with one foot and breaks into a dead run before making an astonishing leap to the next building. She lands and rolls into a summersault before springing back to her feet.

Nothing on this roof she thinks. Sable looks around, trying to move closer to the remaining dust cloud left from the building that was leveled. Now five plumes of smoke curl into the air from the west side of town, but is not sure she wants to know what is going on. A fight between a resistance and the Blood Company? Retaliation against collaborators? The Blood Company plundering the burning the town? A fight between the mercenaries?

While still several blocks away, she sees a faint blue glow in the twilight. The remains of a powerful magic aura, something hopefully Carmard had cast.

If he had cast that though, why hadn’t he made the rendezvous?

Sable bounds over several more roofs and her reminds her of doing the same back home in the city she hailed from. Sometimes moving towards a target, sometimes escaping and sometimes just for the pleasure of doing it. As often as not, she had used a potion such as this but many times she had done it with only her own not inconsiderable gifts. It helped that this place did not have angled roofs and slate shingles.

As she draws closer, she sees that she does not need to jump from roof to roof now. Thick pieces of lumber or ramshackle rope bridges have been constructed between several buildings. She was not why they were constructed, but it certainly made it easy to move around the town unnoticed. Looking down, she notices barricades below. No sign of Wyatt however. She half expected to see the little halfling laying face down somewhere looking like a pin cushion. She saw no sign of her companions. Most of the side roads were barricaded as well. It was impossible for so many to be thrown up in a few hours, so they must have existed before.
She passes another barricade and looks down the row of tenements. The next series are a story taller and require her to bound up them. Hardly a problem, but it would slow her pace down.

Springing to the next building, Sable looks around from a crouched position. One building down, she sees three humanoids standing in the twilight with their back turned. They all appear to be holding the standard issue crossbows around her and dressed in ragged armor and cloaks. Conscripts?

She pauses and looks around. Were there anymore? She had not seen the flying hydra again, but she wondered if that could have been the cause of the fires. It occurs to her that standing on a roof might not be the best place to be if the hydra returned. That was more the crossbowmen’s problem than hers, she figured. If it came back…

A rope bridge connects the two buildings. What does she do?