[4e] Adventures in the Planes - IC

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Zyrr's theory about spider summoning and priestesses appears to be correct. While even from this distance he can see the elaborate dresses and holy garbs of priestesses in and around the giant constructs, none of the spiders (either summoned or natural) that make up the drow army have even touched the massive trees or stepped underneath them. Many of the nearby trees that have survived the burning are covered in thick strands of webs, but the silver boughs remain clear of any sign of spiders.

From where Pavick is, it's impossible to see exactly how the Spiders function or are controlled. The thick steel and adamantine plating covering the outside of the creatures looks to be as solid as any golem or construct he's ever seen. However, there do appear to be certain hatches that the Drow are slipping in and out of that occationally allow the wizard to catch brief glimpses of arcane light pouring out from inside. However the creatures are controlled, it's safe to assume that you'd need to be inside of one to do it.

[Mando Knight]

"If the gnomes are freed now, I'm afraid that what will most likely happen is that they will die at the hands of the Fomorians, perhaps more horridly than if they labored until our armies could free them for certain. Zyrr, the crater is more or less what I had pictured. I'd like it to be guided away from the ground level portions of the city and towards the army as much as possible, though."

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick sighs and tucks his flute away again. "I know. There isn't a good way to go about it. I could save some now, but you're right many would die. If we wait until later, more will get killed before your army reaches them. Damned if we do, damned if we don't. Just damn, damn, damn. Let's at least try not to drop any giant spiders on the slaves, can we? We should get going before they really get up. I'd say make our way in quick and quiet as we can. I know we aren't all sneaky, but at least trying will get us farther than just rushing the spider."

[Orsik Vondal]

"Right. Let's do this. Low and silent." Ash changes his armor to the color of the darkness and smoke filling the air. "If we can get on the spider's belly, we may have a chance to go unnoticed as it ascends the tree."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

OOC: Before y'all start sneaking, is anyone using any spells, rituals, utility powers, etc?

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan starts to sing, just loud enough for everyone to hear, and soon they're moving much quicker.

Spoiler

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Traveler's chant

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

As Lucan begins his song, Pavick grabs a book out of his bag. He sits cross legged on the ground as he runs his finger down a long index listing the rituals he knows. "Overland flight? Good but takes too long and will liketly get us noticed. Telepathic Bond? Useful, but probably unlikely to help too directly with the task at hand. Glib Limerick? An old favorite, but hopefully unneeded. Ghost Walk? Now we're getting closer. But too easily broken by our own actions. Portal Jump? We're still too far away for that to work well. Aha! Seeming. Seems perfect! Only a few minutes to complete and likely to draw fewer eyes to us, even if we are spotted."

Pavick few components out of his bag and begins moving around the group making grand gestures with his arms and speaking words of power as he walks the groups perimeter. On the first cycle around the group he smears a large dallop of a black greasy substance on the back of each person's hand, probably best not to ask what, wizards will use anything. On the second pass, he pauses next to each person and waves his hand over the substance. It seems to slowly seep away from the hand and spread across the entire body leaving the flesh black as night. Finally on the third pass, he tosses a large handful of powder from a pouch labelled "MIMIC" over each person's head. The dust hangs heavily in the air for a few moments as a tingling sensation crawls across each person's features altering them anywhere from very slightly (in Zyrr's case) to almost completely (for Ash and himself). When the cloud finally clears, the illusion is complete. Instead of a mixed group clearly recognizable as enemies of the drow, now the party appeared as a small band of drow soldiers.

"There we go. That should help some, I would think," he says. "Now even if we're seen WE won't be seen. Might keep suspicions off us for a little extra time. Just don't get too far from me. Any farther than... about that tree there, and the illusion will be broken from you. I know a few other things that might also help, but we'd better get moving before we get left behind."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

OOC: Ok, the stealth check was originally a hard DC, but thanks to Pavick's ridiculous spell, it's getting bumped down to an easy DC (any increases that would have come from taking the time to cast the ritual are negated by Lucan's ritual.

I'll need everyone to roll me a stealth check, target DC is 19.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan ghosts along silently, his menagerie close behind, his clothes blending into the leafy background. His companions are also doing exceptionally well at moving quietly. Even if they aren't quite as invisible as Lucan, no one who does see them will think anything of a party of drow joining the war.

[Toric]

((My Thuranni Silence paragon path feature grants a +3 bonus to any of our allies that are not trained in Stealth. As for my own Stealth check, Stealth - (1d20+24)[26].)

It's an interesting change for Zyrr, having his form altered by somebody other than him. "I have to hand it to you, Pavick." he says once the gnome is done with the group. [color="Purple]"You have an eye for detail. You even shaped their hands properly."[/COLOR]

Once the group moves out, Zyrr practically disappears, the only sign of his presence being an unusually thick shadow projecting from a scorched tree, a boulder, or even Yuri.

[dariathalon]

Pavick - Gnome Wizard

Pavick bows at Zyrr's recognition of his work. "It was nothing really. I have come to realize that all reality is merely illusion, albeit a very persistent one. It is merely a matter of twisting that illusion to one's whims and anything can happen."

Pavick takes a moment to examine his handywork once the smoke clears, and then joins the others flitting in and out of cover on their way to the constructs.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Pavick's illusion settles onto the party, Lucan's chat takes hold and you find your feet moving faster. The journey to the edge of the drow camp doesn't take long, but you find it hard to breath as each step kicks up a small cloud of ash and soot. The only repreave from the dust is where the land is covered in thick layers of spiderwebs, where the monstrosities of the underdark scuttle around to feast on humanoid sized creatures wrapped in webbing. The thick strands prevent you from being able to see the identities of the creatures being eaten, but perhaps that is for the best.

Stepping into the drow encampment is akin to stepping into hell for Aramil and Eltain. The monstrosity and blasphemy of Lolth is fully exposed as priestesses of the spider-queen parade about ordering the land salted and desecrated, fey prisoners flayed and tortured, art and sacred objects from temples to Corellon, Melora and Sehanine burned on eight-sided alters made of bloodstone. The priestesses look to be reveling in it even as the soldiers prepare for the assault upon the city.

Still, the chaos of the camp and the illusions of Pavick react well together, and before long you have made it to the silver trees of Senalisse. Despite the destruction and chaos around you, there is still a small peace that falls over you as you step beneath the shimmering boughs. Here the ground hasn't burned, and no spiderwebs tug at your feet. However, you barely have a moment to enjoy the brief respite before your attention is drawn to the two massive constructs climbing the trees around you. From here, you can see a number of thick adamantine doors and hatches leading into the heart of the metal beasts. Several long exhaust tubes jut out the back, issuing an acrid black smoke. Across the backs of the creatures, enchanted adamantine plates protect the construct from the bolts of energy and arrows that occasionally rain down from the treetops above.

[Mando Knight]

Aramil points to one of the spider machines, his face even more utterly grim than it had been at the start of the mission. "Take that one. Do not hesitate to kill these defilers."

[Orsik Vondal]

A smirk plays at the corner of Ash's mouth. "I like the way you think, General."

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Just as the spider begins moving, you're able to climb into a small door at the base of the creature and step inside.

Inside, the noise immediately overwhelms you as Grinding gears and crackling magical energy drown out all the sounds of the outside world. The floor underneath you spins as gravity seems to re-orient itself underneath you as the mechanical beast continues it's journey high into the treetops above. The wall and floor seem to be made of solid adamantine, but all of you can feel the magical energy pulsating throughout the entire creature.

From where you are, there are no drow immediately apparent, but around a few corners you can make out shadows that indicate that there are several very nearby.

MAP:

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OOC: Ok, we're not in combat yet, but I assume it will start soon. I'm going to go ahead and show y'all the full map, but more details (and creatures) will appear as you come within line-of-sight.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard
AC 35 Fort 30 Ref 30 Will 37 HP 128/128

Lucan readies his bow and his armor, and prepares to shoot, ready to riddle the first drow he sees with arrows.

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Minor
Draw bow

Minor
Change Impostor's armor to armor

Standard
Use Twin strike on first drow who enters my line of sight
Attack v AC - (1d20+28)[29]
Damage - (2d10+9)[16]
Attack v AC - (1d20+18)[37]
Damage - (2d10+9)[13]

[Orsik Vondal]

Asheroth Durant
AC 38 FORT 34 REF 30 WILL 37
HP 134 Surges 12

Ash concentrates for a moment and his flaming blade materializes in his hand. At the same moment his dark clothes phase out and his ember-red armor appears. He sets his feet ready to charge the unfortunate drow that comes into range first.

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Minor action: Conjure Blade of Annihilation

Minor action: Change Imposter's Armor to normal

Ready Standard: Charge and use
Soul Eater - vs. AC (1d20+30)[38]
On hit deal (2d12+28)[43] fire damage, and Ash has a +2 to hit the same target next turn.

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain's breath catches in his throat as he once again feels the touch of his god and once again a surge of near-delirious joy wells up in him and fills every inch of his being. He longs to say something worthy, something eloquent and poetic, but all he can manage to get out through the emotions whirling through his soul is a barely audible whisper.

"Thank you."

He gives a last longing look at Arvandor as the teleportation circle activates, vowing to himself that he'll be back here again someday.

-----

When the group arrives, the destruction and horror that have taken over the woods around Senalisse nearly bring Eltain to his knees. Even as the others plan he finds himself standing paralyzed by a mixture of anguish and rage, and only Pavick's poking him to help with the ritual casting shakes him from his silence. He vows to himself that this will not stand; that the blight will be cleansed from this land and it will be made new again.

He makes an initially odd sight disguised as a drow with his armor so obviously marking him a Paladin of Corellon, but a quick change of his armor to more suitable drow clothing leaves him suddenly oddly inconspicuous, and as the party travels he even manages to out-sneak Zyrr, moving through the ruined landscape and drow encampments as little more than the shadow of a shadow; all anyone who does see him notices is yet another anonymous, nameless drow male, as common as cobwebs and about as interesting.

Once the party gets inside the spider, he looks about cautiously, seeing if he can sense any hidden defenders or feel out perhaps the locations of any magical traps or the magic operating the construct.

Spoiler

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Eltain is looking to see if he spots anyone(Unlikely) or can sense anything that feels like a magical trap or the powersource/control center of the spider.
Perception: (1d20+11)[17]
Arcana: (1d20+28)[43]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Lucan and Asheroth immediately prepare themselves for battle, Eltain cautiously peers ahead.

From his current vantage point, it's difficult to see exactly what lies ahead, but the power source that seems to be fueling the construct is one of the most massive ones that Eltain has ever witnessed. The sparks of blue energy seem reminiscent of some of the studying he did on the elemental chaos and the Abyss. It's impossible to know for certain without examining it, but Eltain suspects that whatever is powering this creature is fueling energy directly from the Abyss, most likely the demonweb pits themselves.


As you peer ahead you can feel the spider gaining speed as it moves up the trees.

[Toric]

Zyrr note's Eltain's silence, and keeps it in mind when they enter the spider itself.

"Okay." he whispers to the others. "If this thing is compartmentalized the way I think it is, with these workers climbing around making sure it operates properly, a few stealthy scouts could do a lot of damage before anybody notices. Or rather, one with some backup." He looks to the paladin. "My idea is that you come with me, but stay hidden and stay out of my way as I work my craft. Once I kill a worker, help me shove him out the nearest opening. Best case scenario, it all goes smoothly and we meet back here with five or so fewer drow to fight. Moderate case: one guy doesn't go down easy, I need you to step in and gut him before he can sound an alarm. Worst case: Full alert, and the two of us make for a distraction while the others rush the head of the spider." His eyes scan the group. "Thoughts? Questions? Comments on my sanity?"

Spoiler

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Stealth - (1d20+24)[39] for if/when it is required.

[Nai_Calus]

"I don't know how stealthy I'll manage to be; but I can certainly get your back. And we can try to lie our way out of things if worst comes to worse." He ponders. "Be careful, though, everyone. The power source for this thing is immense. I think it might actually be drawing power straight from the Abyss. This is bad business all around." He waits until Zyrr is ready to move out and then keeps back a fair distance, ready to rush in at the first sign of danger, and also ready to spin a covering lie if need be.

Spoiler

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Stealth: (1d20+13)[15]
Bluff: (1d20+18)[31]

[Mando Knight]

Aramil nods and points towards the room to his right.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

Moving softly, Zyrr ducks into the nearby room without making a sound. In the far corner, Three drow sit fixated on a sparking contraction that appears to be connected to one of the constructs' legs. The trio of drow appear to be fixated on their task, and do not notice as Zyrr slips in, but as Zyrr turns to shut the metal door behind him closed, Eltain steps through the door at the perfectly wrong time, sending a loud *clang* through the room as the door connects with the Paladin's armor. The three drow whirl around, and immediately begin sounding a battle cry as they raise their weapons defensively.

Across the hallway, another drow worker steps out to see what the commotion was, only to have two arrows from Lucan fired at him. The first arrow goes wide and bounces down the hallway, drawing the attention of the other drow guard in the center room who had seemed oblivious to the earlier shout of warning. The second arrow rips through the Drow's throat, even as one of his allies steps through the doorway behind him.

In a burst of flame, Asheroth charges forward and drops the drow where he stands, but in the room he can see still another drow working the mechanical leg on this side of the spider.

Down in the Hallway, the drow guard from the center room steps out cautiously to examine the stray arrow Lucan had sent bouncing down the hallway, and when his eyes spot the invaders he turns and gives another cry of warning to the middle section, even as he readies his blade.

Init:
Zyrr
Asheroth
Lucan
Eltain
Aramil
Pavick

Drow

MAP:

Spoiler

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[Orsik Vondal]

Ash gives a wink to the drow working the mechanism in the small room and closes the door. Then he turns his attention to the drow that just appeared from the hallway.

"Defilers," Ash breathes. "You shall pay for your trespass."

He removes the drow from his blade then charges the unfortunate dark elf in front of him.

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Minor action: Shut the door.

Standard action: Charge to L7 and use Soul Eater on the drow in K8.
(1d20+30)[38] vs. AC; on a hit deal (2d12+28)[47] fire/necrotic damage. Ash gets a +2 to hit the same target until EONT. Though I suspect he's a minion.

If he dies, Move action: Shift into K8 and peek around the corner.

[Hzurr]

DM Post

As Asheroth charges down into the hallway to strike down the Drow soldier, he spies another drow on each end of the hallway, maintaining the mechanical legs who turn and stare at him in shock. Peaking around the corner, Asheroth can see at least 5 drow wizards in archmage robes maintaining and channeling the torrents of power that spark across the room. Several of them had been eying the doorway suspiciously as Asheroth peaks his head around, and a shout rises as the Tiefling's head pokes around.

[DSCrankshaw]

Lucan - Half-elf Bard
AC 35 Fort 30 Ref 30 Will 37 HP 128/128


Lucan steps forward, Yuri at his side, and begins to channel his unicorn's revolutionary propaganda, his voice resonating with his magic, "Good news, brothers! The revolution has begun! Even now our generals are staging a coup to overthrow the oppressive matriarchy. No longer shall we be slaves to the priestesses. Join us! Males of the drow, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains! But if you wish to remain slaves, I warn you: do not impede the revolution. Else your blood shall water the tree of liberty!" He raises his bow, ready to shoot the first drow to attack.

"Long live the revolution!" Yuri chimes in.

Spoiler

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Move
Move to M6
Yuri moves to N7

Minor
Speech
Use Words of Friendship
Diplomacy - (1d20+30)[35] Envoy re-roll 39

Standard
Use Twin strike on first drow who shows aggression
Attack v AC - (1d20+28)[32]
Damage - (2d10+9)[26]
Attack v AC - (1d20+28)[48]
Damage - (2d10+9)[17] Critical 56 damage
+2 for CA if he's adjacent to Yuri
5 damage to anyone providing cover to a target I hit

[Nai_Calus]

Eltain raises an eyebrow at Lucan's sudden conversion to his cause, astonished that the bard actually got to it before he did, but he's not one to delay.

"Death to the priestesses! Down with the Spider Bitch! Join us, my brothers! Let us cast off the chains of the matriarchy that would have us crawling to do their bidding! Our martial prowess and magical skill are more than a match for them! Lolth wants us to be a bunch of squabbling factions, waging war against each other as much as our enemies, but no more! We males must stand up and fight for our freedom! We must work together to reclaim our pride and the ultimate prize: The surface lands that are our birthright! With us in power, not the females! Who's with me?!"

[spoiler]
Diplomacy: (1d20+26)[28]
Ready an action to attack whoever attacks me first, using Eldritch Strike to push them away.
[/roll]

[Hzurr]

DM Post

OOC: Could I get a religion or history check from Zyrr, Eltain, & Lucan?

[Hzurr]

As Lucan, echoed by Eltain, request the drow soldiers to join them as "brothers in arms" one of the drow stares at them wide eyed, but the other two briefly make eye-contact with each other before returning their gaze to the invaders who just entered.

However, even as they grip their swords, Eltain notices that one of the pair very subtly makes a fist with his thumb poking out between his pinky and ring fingers. At first Eltain dismisses it as a nervous tick of the drow, until he recalls that that gesture is used as the sign of the del-kaine'toh, a secret society of drow anarchists.

[Toric]

Zyrr 106/106, 55 Bloodied. 8/8 Surges Remaining.
AC 34; Fort 27; Ref 37; Will 32

Blade drawn, Zyrr casually looks over the three drow in the room, then back to Eltain. "Well, it looks like three against one. I think you can handle those odds." He claps Eltain on the shoulder and calmly walks out the door. He then sees Asheroth peering around the opening of one door, hears the murmur drow elders around the corner, and makes a decision to dash the other direction and slap the wall to fill the T-intersection with obscuring shadowsmoke. Thus concealed, he whispers to the guard around the corner: "Today's victory belongs to the del-kaine'toh, brother. You deal with the kneeler operating the leg. My friends and I will see to the mages. Now is the time to show the females what unshackled males are capable of!"

He watches elf for a moment, waiting to see his response as a loyalist or mutineer before making the choice of whether or not to stab him.

Spoiler

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First, using a move action to move to R8.
Second, using a minor action to use Cloud of Darkness, which creates a burst 1 of darkness around R8. Third, Bluff - (1d20+21)[31] or Diplomacy (subtract 5 from the previous number if Diplomacy is more appropriate) to recruit the drow at S9. If he doesn't join our glorious revolution, and the recruitment attempt does not take an action to perform, I'm stabbing him with a melee basic attack.

Attack - (1d20+32)[48] versus Reflex.
Damage - (1d4+17)[21] + 24 Sneak Attack