The Day the Daevan Stood Still [IC]

[lostsole31]

Because people had to sleep in and he day got off to a late start, it is 1600 when Daevan and Sol head out. Of course, neither of the two of them know just how to get there, so they ask around, taking another 3 hours. By the time they get to the Boneyard and slog their way to where they think they need to be, it is about 2000 (8 pm).

The early evening winds have died and a light mist rises from the marsh. Ahead is a flickering globe of light centered around a bit of ship’s rigging protruding from the surface of the water. This can only be the Spar. Dangling from this boom is a single lantern providing the illumination for a group of dark-cloaked humanoids huddled together in the muck beneath.

What do you do?

[meemaas]

Daevan will whisper to Sol. "I'll approach from the right side, you from the left. If they are watching, they will likely only be able to spot one of us. Be careful and don't take any unnecessary risks." Once he's gotten Sol's agreement, he'll start sneaking towards the right side of the approach, keeping an eye on any movement he can see.

[lostsole31]

"Wait, what do you mean, 'approach from the left?'" he asks. "You want me to circle aaaallll the way around the swamp, alone, at night to somehow hope I find may way?"

[meemaas]

"My mind might be a bit fuzzy. For some reason I thought there was more room for us to approach. Let us go together and hope for the best."

[lostsole31]

The two men find that the standing water becomes more water than standing. They soon get to a patch of water that is fully 5' deep. Of course, it turns out Sol is totally non-plussed as he simply floats over the water. It turns out that Daevan, who barely knows the reclusive alchemist, still has yet to learn a lot about the man. Daevan, on the other hand, has his head just above water.

Daevan doesn't have to get too close, though, to realize that the huddled figures under the ghostly light are actually cloaked dummies .... NOT living conspirators of any type.

Sol doesn't seem to notice. What does Daevan do?

[meemaas]

Daevan will hold his hand out to Sol and hiss at him as quietly as he can manage without being heard much further than necessary. "They aren't people. I think we're expected."

[lostsole31]

"What do we do?" asks Sol.

[meemaas]

"I'll go first. Keep an eye out for them attacking and catch them by surprise while they are focused on me." Daevan waits for a confirmation from Sol, and if he gets it, starts ahead of Sol approaching the dummies to spring the ambush.

[lostsole31]

As Daevan slogs over, something happens in his body. Without impacting his ability to hold weapons or slow his land speed, webbing grows lightly between his fingers and toes. While not quickly, Daevan discovers he can effortlessly swim to that location. It is no faster than he could normally swim, given his own enhanced speed, but he now does so with a grace he didn't have before.

He takes a careful look around. He sees two huddle figures hiding above on the swampy earth to the south of him, so he knows when something happens, that is where it is coming from.

Surprise Round ...

S23: Sure enough, the trap is triggered as one of the figures shoots a bow at Daevan, hitting him squarely and obviously, but the arrow merely shattering!

S21: Daevan, just south of you, you see two figures - one of whom just hit you with an effective shortbow arrow. What do you do?

[meemaas]

Daevan will swim up to the shore and climb back onto land, bringing out his claws as he stands up straight, he glares at the two men. "You messed with the wrong man..." He says threateningly, and then lunges his claw into the nearest mans chest.

Spoiler

Show

Move action: Move onto land
Standard action: Claw attack

Attack roll (1d20+7)[22]
Damage (1d6+5)[11]

[lostsole31]

S21: Daevan will swim up to the shore and climb back onto land, bringing out his claws as he stands up straight, he glares at the two men. "You messed with the wrong man," he says threateningly to ... wait, that isn't a man!

S20-15: An arrow comes in from the north, as a third figure is spotted across the way, and it hits Daevan in the lower kidney for 8 mod, a cheap shot if ever there was one. Worse, this ambush sickens Daevan. The one Daevan faces off against bites at Daevan, gnawing against his hide.

S11: Sol flies a little closer.

S9: An arrow flies from a northeastern hillock hit the attacker that shot Daevan from the north, hitting it in the neck for 15.

End Surprise Round, Begin Round One ...

R1T23: W3 makes an incredible show of acrobatics while drawing his dagger, and yet bites Daevan when he gets to the west. He went low, so this guy bites Daevan in his right foot for 5 ... the crunching nature of the bite such that the Daevan feels the entire attack.

R1T21: Daevan, there are two humanoid creatures on this hillock attacking you. W3 has a dagger in one hand and a bow in the other, but bit you with is narrow snout. You are also adjacent to W2, who just has a bow in hand. There seems to be a firefight happening 30' north of you as well, between a third of these icky guys and a white-haired elf on land. What do you do?

W2 on deck, W1 in the hole ...

[meemaas]

Daevan glares at the one that just bit him, and opens his jaw wide to get a vicious bite in on it. He then follows up his attack with both of his claws, aiming to tear the creature to shreds.

Spoiler

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Full Attack

Bite: Attack roll (1d20+7)[24]
Damage (1d8+5)[12]

Claw 1 (1d20+7)[18]
Damage (1d6+5)[10]

Claw 2 (1d20+7)[22]
Damage (1d6+5)[11]

[lostsole31]

R1T21: Daevan glares at the one that just bit him, and opens his jaw wide to get a vicious bite in on its right lower leg, but Daevan feels too sickened to bite through its hide. He then follows up his attack with both of his claws, aiming to tear the creature to shreds. The second claw doesn't get past its hide, but these things are so wildly agile the first claw doesn't come close.

R1T20-15: W2 gets into flanking position and slashes Daevan in the left hand for 4 mod, seemingly skilled with dirty fighting. He snaps with a bite as well, but misses. W1 shoots at the newcomer on the hill, an arrow going past the hill-archer's cheek for 4.

R1T11: Sol flies above the surface of the water to flank with the thing that just slashed Daevan's hand. Taking out a light mace as he does so he swings and misses.

R1T9: The archer on the hill shoots at his opponent, hitting him in the right elbow for 13, causing W1 to let out a piercing cry of pain.

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T23: W3 slashes Daevan across the side of the neck for 7 mod, perfectly returning the blow Daevan had just given him. He then bites Daevan in the chest for for 4 mod, the dirty fighting tactics while flanking taking their toll.

R2T21: Daevan, you are still feeling sickened. What do you do?

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Do you try to figure out what it is you're fighting?

Enemies on deck and in the hole ...

[meemaas]

Spoiler

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I legitimately forgot Daevan had a bunch of knowledges. So yes, roll Knowledge please

Daevan growls a little, these foes have clearly got the upper hand on him, so he starts to fight a little bit more intelligently. Using his claws to slice the space around him, he distorts his positioning to help defend himself against his foes, and then lets out a roar, sending a chill down the spine of the closest foe.

Spoiler

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Swift action: Activate Spatial Bleeding
Standard action: Paranoid Chill on W3

Cause the target to be Shaken and take (2d6)[3] Nonlethal damage. Also it loses any fear immunity unless it passes a Will Save

[lostsole31]

R2T21: Daevan growls a little, these foes have clearly got the upper hand on him, so he starts to fight a little bit more intelligently. Using his claws to slice the space around him, he distorts his positioning to help defend himself against his foes, and then lets out a roar, sending a chill down the spine of the closest foe. W3 seems to be shaken, and takes 3 NL.

When W3 lets out a squeak of barely-suppressed terror, Daevan suddenly has a flash of .... insight? memory? He is underground somewhere, and the smells are strong, but unlike this swamp, it is that of a sewer, and folk like these lead to his death. He is fighting ..... wererats!

R2T20-15: W2 cuts Daevan's upper right arm with his dagger for 9 mod, but then crits Daevan by biting his hand ...

Daevan, here in the IC, roll a Fort save or...

Spoiler: Here's what happens if you fail ...

Show

Hacked Hand
Target suffers maximum damage, loses hand and takes 1d2 Con and Str drain.
Save: A DC 20 Fortitude negates hand loss and ability drain becomes ability damage).
Heal: Regenerate spell.

Spoiler: Here's what happens if you fail ...

Show

d10	Hacked Hand Injury
1-5	Left Hand
6-10	Right Hand

[meemaas]

Spoiler: Fort Save

Show

(1d20+11)[31]

I do not want to lose a hand.

[lostsole31]

R2T20-15: W2 bites deeply into Daevan's left hand for 11 + 1 STR damage + 2 CON damage. W1 shoots and misses his target.

R2T11: Sol swings his light mace at W2 but misses.

R2T9: The mysterious archer shoots W1 in the chest for 13, enough for W1 to fall face first into the water.

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T23: W3, who feels the fear from Daevan's strange power, still commits to attacking. Daevan ducks the dagger, but gets bit in the head for 12.

R3T21: Daevan, you are horribly wounded and sickened. What do you do?

W2 on deck, Sol in the hole ...

[meemaas]

Daevan is definitely hurting, and his history with wererats that had previously led him to a death he does not remember causes him to finally feel fear for his own life. With the tear in space that he has created to distort his location, he tears further into it and leaps through, appearing 25 feet south of where he was, and draws upon Ubro's power to let out a burst of healing energy, primarily to help his own wounds.

Spoiler

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Move action: Use Spatial Leap to move 25 feet south
Standard action: Channel Positive Energy (3d6)[15]

I am aware that it will probably catch one or both enemies in it, but Daevan is desperate and does not wish to die a second time.

[lostsole31]

R3T21: Daevan is definitely hurting, and his history with wererats that had previously led him to a death he does not remember causes him to finally feel fear for his own life. With the tear in space that he has created to distort his location, he tears further into it and leaps through, appearing 25' south of where he was, and draws upon Ubro's power to let out a burst of healing energy, primarily to help his own wounds.

R3T20: W2 turns on the man floating just above the water next to him. The wererat tries to fake him out before biting him, but Sol sees through the ruse so that the bite only grazes his left shoulder for 3 (min).

R3T11: With Daevan out of the way, Sol smiles and tries to concentrate on something, but nothing happens, so he drifts 5' away from the wererat more over the water.

R3T9-6: The distant archer gives something to a bird, and that bird double moves to circle behind Daevan. The bird is flapping and holds a vial of something in its talons, just above and near Daevan!

End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T23: The swampy ground is all difficult terrain, so W3 makes his way all the way down to get to Daevan, but doesn't have enough in him to attack.

R4T21: Daevan, there is a birdy flapping 5' above the ground (as in 5' clearance that you could go under) with a vial of ... something in its talons. You cannot make a 5' free move on this ground because it is muddy/difficult terrain. You are facing off against W3.

Roll a Constitution check.....

[meemaas]

Daevan reaches out and attempts to snag the vial from the bird. After he grabs it or fails, he'll tear another hole in the space near him to move further away from this wererat that chases him.

Spoiler

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First up, Con Check (1d20+5)[25]

Secondly. Use standard action to try to snatch the vial, if that requires a skill check or anything, go ahead and roll it. If I understand, the bird is more than five foot away, but that shouldn't be a problem with Daevan's extra arm reach.

Move action: Spatial Leap further away from W3 to a safe spot (I'll let you judge where)

[lostsole31]

R4T21: Daevan reaches out and snags the vial from the bird flying just above and behind him, but not before the wererat stabs at him, cutting against his thick hide. After Daevan grabs it, he'll tear another hole in the space near him to move further away from this wererat that chases him, appearing on the next jut of land over to the west.

R4T20: W2 is annoyed and drops his short sword, pulls out his bow, and shoots at Sol (missing).

R4T11: Sol hovers in position, takes out a few things from his belt to combined them in a vial and throws it at the one shooting him. It hits the wererat in the left shoulder and erupts for 14 fire!

R4T9: The distant figure to the north shoots at W2 with an arrow, but the creatures is insanely fast and just gets out of the way.

R4T6: The birdie goes back to the distant archer.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T23: Daevan's opponent gives chase, snapping at Daevan with his snout.

R5T21: Daevan, what do you do? You don't know why, but there is a weird, confusing effect coming over you.

Spoiler

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RP-type confusion and sense of displacement, not game condition "confused."

[meemaas]

Daevan will step away from his foe, and then attempt to drink the vial, hoping that its helpful.

[lostsole31]

R5T21: Daevan steps away from his foe, but finds the difficult, sucking mud ground of the swamp doesn't make it easy, and the wererat bites him on the hip for 8. Daevan does step away though, and downs the potion, getting back the exact amount he had just suffered (8).

R5T20: W2 shrieks in anguish and pain and splashes right into the water to attack Sol with his dagger.

R5T11: Sol withdraw up into the air 10' above the water.

R5T9: W2 doesn't realize it, but he just entered a higher kill area of the mysterious archer, but being in the water helped and the arrow skips off the wererat's thick hide.

End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T23: W3 moves up and bites Daevan with a crit, possibly severing one of his intercostal muscles.

Daevan, roll a Fort save vs. DC 20!

[meemaas]

Spoiler

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Fort Save (1d20+10)[13]

/10chars

[lostsole31]

R6T23: It is a brutal bite that does 8 + 1 STR + 1 DEX.

R6T21: Daevan, roll a Concentration check...

[meemaas]

Spoiler

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Rolling Concentration (1d20+10)[15]

[lostsole31]

Perhaps because he is barely alive, Daevan feels a prickliness all about him. He is already in a bit of a lather from the fight, but now he gets the flop sweats. He itches uncontrollably. Annoying to the point of anguish, but then things really happen to him as his already oversized joints are slightly rearranged ... but enough that it causes Daevan excruciating pain. It feels like all of the forward bones of his face break of their own accord, and his face is being pulled ... ripped ... forward. Meanwhile, his knees completely snap underneath him and his legs seem to wrench the wrong way.

Daevan, roll a Will save.

[meemaas]

Spoiler

Show

Rolling a Will Save.
(1d20+6)[18]

[lostsole31]

And at that, Daevan's world goes black ....

[lostsole31]

R6T21: Perhaps because he is barely alive, Daevan feels a prickliness all about him. He is already in a bit of a lather from the fight, but now he gets the flop sweats. He itches uncontrollably. Annoying to the point of anguish, but then things really happen to him as his already oversized joints are slightly rearranged ... but enough that it causes Daevan excruciating pain. It feels like all of the forward bones of his face break of their own accord, and his face is being pulled ... ripped ... forward. Meanwhile, his knees completely snap underneath him and his legs seem to wrench the wrong way.

"Daevan's" world grows black, and something else emerges....

R6T20: W2 shoots at Sol, missing.

R6T11: Sol throws down a small vial at his opponent. It misses, but breaks as it hits the water and a dark energy rushes out to do 1 NE to W2.

R6T9: The distant archer shoots at W2 and misses.

End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T23: W3 stands before Daevan, but no longer seeks his blood. "Brother! I did not know. Come, let us feast on the meat that is here and I will take you back to safety."

He then withdraws from you and moves quickly to the central spur of swampy ground, taking out his bow as he goes.

R7T21: Daevan, youhave a deep, deep hunger for meat. And as wounded as you are you crave it now. Also, the one that was your enemy, you now sense is one of your own. Species survival kicks in, and you are powerless against it as he is not directly challenging you. There is a man flying above the water some distance away. Farther than that, is an archer who has been taking potshots this whole time, having killed at least one of your people.

Spoiler: OOC

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So, you are not a "pack of cool mechanics" to play as you will with the full player agency you might think you are entitled to. Sorry, but that is the way it is with this. Right now, you don't even quite have your full thought process .... powerful cunning, absolutely, but the main thoughts are primal and absolute with no chance to buck it at this time. This is your first "change" .... and you are a slave to it, not a "PC who does what he wants with the cool things."

What do you do?

W2 on deck, Sol in the hole ...