The Winds of Oblivion

[DeathbyFlossing]

Storms steps back alarmed as the corpse reanimates, but after a moment sees the wisdom in this method. They will probably get more than half a dozen questions out of the spirit now, and they might not be as cryptic. Storms moves to assume a position directly behind the corpse, poising his hammer to smash its head if it tries to break free.

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I see that Hellboy reference

[AlphaLuke]

The corpse looks at Zeph disdainfully before spitting seawater at him.

"Tarminilax was a bronze dragon, idiot. Before his mind was freed. Before he looked into the beautiful void and saw the universe in a single, blissful instant."

Sköll looks at the two officers holding him down and sneers with wicked glee. "Hello Kalinda. Long time. Fancy a roll in the hold for old times sake?" The first officer's mouth distorts into a disgusted grimace, but her grip doesn't loosen.

"Greggor! Look at you. C'mon old buddy. It's Sköll! You're friend. You wouldn't hurt your friend, would you?"

Greggor's face is weary stone. "You were my friend, Sköll. No longer. You betrayed me, you did. All of us. We were so close. You were-"

"That's enough, Mr. Gent!" The Captain cuts in. "Do not entertain his childish torments. He is dead, and he was lost to us long before his current condition took root. To reminisce is folly."

Sköll turns to the Captain, but his grissled vissage holds no playful banter for the old salt. Only pure hatred.

"You would have kept me in the dark. All of us, in the dark. But I looked for truth. And I found it. So many have found it. You'll see it too, eventually. When you stop intentionally blinding yourself."

[Pent]

Well he's certainly chatty enough...

"Teach me about the void. What's beautiful about it? It can't be so beautiful that its worth betraying the Apparition."

[AlphaLuke]

The once-man looks to Zeph with eyes that are too wide. A grin that is too sharp.

"The Void. The stars are not gone. They are only waiting. Prepare, for even they look hungrily upon the light. This world, it was betrayed by this lot. This ship. They fight what cannot be fought. Like crabs thinking they can stop the tide. I saw truth, and so I prepare myself and others. The world must be made ready."

[Pent]

Zeph looks around the room briefly. Then he leans down and whispers into Sköll's ear "Have I doomed myself by allying with them, brother? Can you help save me?"

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If this were Kotor it would read as "[Persuade/Lie]".
Bluff check: (1d20+1)[17]

[AlphaLuke]

The Captain looks intrigued by Zeph's gambit, but betrays nothing to his former crewman.

Sköll looks briefly skeptical, but the madness buried in his eyes eventually sees truth in Zeph's lies. He leans in conspiratorially.

"Flee while you can, seeker of truth. The Captain's enthralled to the Oracle's spell. I don't mind telling you that I think he's . . ." he whispers lower, ". . . mad! I escaped. And some others too. Go to one of the black stones and see what is real and what is fantasy. Then, I will call you brother."

[Pent]

Zeph straightens up and moves next to the Captain.

"Captain, I'm suffering from a lot of ignorance about what happened to your old crew mate. Can you help cure my ignorance? Can you tell me what happened before Sköll betrayed you? Who you encountered? Did it relate to a cult worshiping the void? Who is the Oracle? What are the black stones? Was Sköll a man stupid enough to attack a warship alone before he betrayed you? Or has his void cult lobotomized him?"

[AlphaLuke]

The Captain stoically listens to all of Zeph's questions. He gives nothing away while smoking steadily on his pipe. That is, until, Zeph asks, "Was Sköll a man stupid enough to attack a warship alone before he betrayed you?"

With that question, the Captain's eyes widen and he stops puffing. "No. He wasn't."

He moves faster than a dust devil to a speaking tube on the wall. "Doctor! Get Mr. Ironblood up and awake!"

A distant, tinny voice echoes back: Dr. al-Aruni. "Captain? It really would be better if he could rest, sir. He's still - "

"Now!" The Captain roars.

There's a sound of hurried clattering from the other end of the tube. Captain Morales spins on Sköll, wild-eyed. The undead man smiles at his former Captain before simply mouthing one word: "Boom."

The world abruptly becomes light and sound and pain.

Sköll explodes in a fantastic blast of purple fire, sending ichorous chunks flying around the Captain's ready room.

All the officers inside are blown off their feet, and it takes both Zeph and Storms several long seconds to realize what has happened. Their ears ring and deafness very slowly gives way to the sounds of screams, shouts, and additional explosions outside. The Captain is on his feet shouting about something. It's all very muffled. Scraps of flaming paper float gracefully around the cabin, adding a discordant beauty to the horrific scene.

"--- up! G---up! Get up!" The Captain's voice eventually reaches the men's ears as he offers hands to help pull his injured officers to their feet.

[DeathbyFlossing]

Storms realized they were tricked. The attack was a diversion.

...what was it diverting from?

Storms rushes grabs Zeph and rushes toward the deck, crying ”We need to get topside, NOW! I will bet my last copper that was a distraction, or a signal for an ambush!”

[Pent]

Zeph's ears rung. He watched, but not heard, Storms yell something. As his hearing returned he heard more explosions from outside.

He looked around the Captain's quarters and helped anyone else get back on their feet. They were all needed outside to fend off another attack.

[AlphaLuke]

Both Zeph and Storms bear minor injuries from the blast. Mostly scorches and bruises. The dazed effect of the concussion quickly abates.

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Both Zeph and Storms take (1d6)[3] bludgeoning damage and (1d4)[1] fire damage from the blast and are Dazed for one round (already gone).

The crewmen help the officers to their feet. Kalinda & Mournholdt both look rattled, but not seriously injured, their armor taking the brunt of the blast. Alessia and Scar-Eye seem to have avoided the explosion altogether, and nimbly extricate themselves from behind an overturned table. Gent grunts and groans as he is helped up by Mournholdt, while clutching at his side. His shirt and apron are stained with dark blood and his hand gingerly wraps around a large shard of table sticking out of his gut. The gigantic man grunts at the Captain, "S'nothin, sir. Splinter's all."

Captain Morales nods grimly and draws his sword, which promptly lights itself aflame. Then, he kicks open the door to his ready room and leads the charge onto the main deck.

[AlphaLuke]

The scene of chaos on the main deck is overwhelming.

Men and women of the Apparition in Time battle against a veritable horde of beastly creatures only superficially resembling men. Where they should have hands and arms, some bear tentacles; others spindly claws. Some have bulbous eyes while others sport black specks. Still others have no eyes at all, only bare flesh where eyes would be. They fight without handicap, despite their deformity. They wield wickedly curved and barbed blades. Blades that bend backwards or in dizzying spirals. These instruments of death are no less effective for their paradoxical design. They kill men just as easily. The crew puts up a good fight, cutting down their invaders with ferocity and desperation, roaring as cutlasses send wriggling parts to the deck. But the fight is slowly turning toward the advantage of the invaders.

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Initiative please.
Battle Map.

[Pent]

Spoiler: Initiative

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(1d20+7)[26]

Zeph is bewildered. There is no earthly reason for the weapons to have this shape.

Maybe the reason isn't earthly. Its almost definite that the void cult is behind this. Maybe the scientific rules from the void don't follow euclidean geometry....

Theories of explanations for his observations rule his thoughts for a moment before he takes action.

[DeathbyFlossing]

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initiative (1d20)[17]

Storms recoils in horror at the twisted flesh of the attackers, memories of the thing that destroyed his clan flashing through his mind. Horror.

Then anger.

Storms-as-He-Walks squeezes the haft of his hammer as pure ragebegins to boil in his blood.

[DeathbyFlossing]

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initiative for Scar-Eye(1d20+2)[21]

[Pent]

Zeph lifts off. He flies straight up 30 feet to get a better view of the battlefield.

He scans the inhuman invaders.

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Kn Planes (1d20+10)[24]
Kn Arcana (1d20+10)[11]
Kn Religion (1d20+10)[14]

[AlphaLuke]

Zeph takes to the skies and surveys the melee.

The attackers outnumber the crew, but they aren't fighting with any clear plan beyond "kill" and no leader to be seen.

They seem like most of them were once men, elves, or dwarves. Some force or corruption has twisted their bodies and minds into mockeries of life. They wield weapons built by some mad genius, but they are no more or less effective than standard swords or spears. They're simply harder for conventional fighters to predict because of their alien geometry.

Alessia leaps into action, making a stunning and acrobatic flip over the deck to swiftly disembowel one of the closest assailants.

Captain Morales and Kalinda both move to the starboard side and flank one of the monstrosities, working in tandem to attack it from two angles. They make short work of the creature. The Captain shouts to the crew, "Lay into them lads! No quarter!"

Scar-Eye growls, but stays by his master's side, awaiting his command.

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Scar-Eye delays his initiative until right after Storms because he has no commands.
Storms' turn.

[DeathbyFlossing]

Once more, storms reaches into the well of power within himself, speaking an ancient word as he grows to the height of a giant. He finally lets out the fury boiling in his blood, and charges at the three mutants threatening a crewman by the hatch, whistling for Scar-Eye to get the one by the aft starboard cannon.

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standard action to cast the Alter Size Talent to grow to Large size, spending 1 spell point. 3 left. Addiction save (which I just realized I’d been forgetting about) dc 14 (1d20+4)[8]. Move action to move 25 feet south and 5 feet west to square AO19. Handle Animal check (1d20+10)[15] to command Scar-Eye to move to square AM17 and attack the mutant in square AL17.

[DeathbyFlossing]

Scar-Eye sprints into battle and leaps at the mutant his master indicate, teeth flashing.

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Move action to move up to the mutant at AL17. Bite attack(1d20+5)[19] damage (1d6+3)[7]

[AlphaLuke]

The lion tears into the fleshy appendage of the pirate, ripping and snarling. Black blood sprays from the wound, but the foe keeps fighting.

Lictor Mournholdt summons a great black sword and moves with speed up the the poop, where Arcelos and a few others desperately fight to maintain the helm. Gregor Gent follows, a long knife in one hand.

The creatures fight with insane ferocity and several crewmen fall beneath their twisted blades.

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Scar-eye his for 7 damage. Zeph's turn.

[Pent]

Zeph swirls his hands in arcane movement, chanting arcane words. A sphere of pure wind is created on the deck, Zeph calculates the momentum, trajectories, and the best angle to blow one unreal creature off the deck. The winds are his to command. And his command is to rid the Apparition of these illogical impurities.

He then pulls out his crossbow, readying it for use.

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Standard action - Zeph casts Gusting Sphere at AK24 (placed on AL24 on the map).
Bull Rush CMB to push that enemy off the deck: CMB = +6 (caster level) + 2 (str per spell desc) (1d20+8)[17]
nonlethal dmg = (1d6)[6]


Move action to equip his crossbow.

[AlphaLuke]

Zeph's whirling mass of air and debris buffets the monstrous invader, sending it careening off the deck into open air. It screams a shrill and somehow melodic wail as it fall to the water below.

Alessia moves from her slain enemy and leaps up the the narrow gunwale. She runs along it with uncommon ease, like a . . . well, like a cat. She drops down in front of a boarder on the port side of the ship and lays into him with flashing daggers.

Several of the creatures pour down from the forecastle, having slain many of the crewmen at the prow of the ship. They bear down on the few remaining crewmen at the front of the main deck.

The Captain and Kalinda work with a Scar-Eye and their remaining crewman to take down on of the more resilient foes and each move to their own opponent near the middeck. They each score powerful strikes, but earn slashes of their own in the duels.

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Zeph is successful in his bullrush attempt. Combat Map updated. Storms' turn, then Scar-Eye's.

[DeathbyFlossing]

Storms explodes, the rage within him flowing forth through his arms in into his hammer’s swing as he takes a striding swing at the freak’s head, whistling for Scar-Eye to flank it.

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Storms enters Bloodrage. Five foot step and full attack action on the monster in AN21, attack roll (1d20+12)[23], damage (3d6+10)[23]. Also, the size modifier to Str isn’t showing properly in the sheet, at least not on my phone.

[DeathbyFlossing]

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Handle Animal check (1d20+10)[13] to command Scar-Eye to flank the freak.

[DeathbyFlossing]

Scar-Eye runs ups to the freak’s back and takes advantage of its distraction to maul it.

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bite attack (1d20+5)[23] damage (1d6+3)[6]

[AlphaLuke]

Storms-as-he-walks roars a bestial call as his earthbreaker crashes down on the skull of his foe, smashing it into a fine, red pulp.

He whistles an unfamiliar call to Scar-eye and the beast looks quizzically at him for a moment. The lion instead moves toward one of the monstrous men dueling the Captain. His jaws tear a chunk out of his quarry's leg and it falls to the deck flailing.

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Storms kills the baddie he hit, because he was effectively swinging a baby grand piano with those damage dice.

Scar-eye doesn't know the "Flank" trick and you didn't roll high enough to push him with your Handle Animal check. Instead, he's decided to continue with his previous "Attack" command and attacked the nearest obvious enemy, killing it.

Lictor Mournhold whirls in great cleaving arcs, sending severed appendages writhing and wriggling to the deck. Arcelos holds back a ferocious attacker, but sustains a heavy gash to his wing. Gregor Gent sends knives hurtling through the air to land with heavy thumps into the flesh of his targets. Even though he's throwing with only a single hand, the quartermaster moves with a grace that belies his size.

The aberrant men left on the main deck slice down the majority of their opponents and converge on the largest target in view: Storms. They tear into his flesh with hooked and twisted blades, sending thick droplets of blood spilling to the deck.

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A lot of crewmen lost their duels (or were flanked and outnumbered). A whole mess of enemies converge toward the officers and Storms in particular. Storms takes (4d6+12)[24] points of slashing damage and (2d4)[3] points of bleed damage that will hit every turn until it's healed.

Zeph's turn.

[Pent]

Zeph focuses his hands on controlling the Gusting Sphere.

He moves it through three of the enemies sticking their unreal blades into Storms.

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30' of move lets me take the sphere through the enemies in spaces AO20 - AO22.

I don't know how to show this on the map without borking it all up.

non lethal damage roll (1d6)[2]

Also, there was some fire on the deck that the sphere picked up, and now does an additional 2d6 damage.

(2d6)[4]

there was also some discarded knives that got picked up in the sphere. for umm...2d10?

[roll]2d10[roll]

[AlphaLuke]

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Nice try. :)

[Pent]

Zeph focuses his hands on controlling the Gusting Sphere.

He moves it into one of the enemies sticking their unreal blades into Storms.

He summons a blast of air directly underneath another infernal attacker.

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30' of move lets me take the sphere through the enemy at AO22.

I don't know how to show this on the map without borking it all up.

non lethal damage (1d6)[3]

casting air geyser underneath enemy at AP22. Reflex DC 17. (2d6)[6]

[AlphaLuke]

Zeph's sphere of hurricane force wind lifts the writing, gibbering man into the air before slamming him down on the cross grating. He separates into neat chunks that rain into the deck below.

Alessia spins like a dancer, neatly slicing the throat of the creature nearest to her. She then looks to the forecastle and grimaces. Four of the horrible deformed borders have swarmed and cut down the last remaining crewman up there. They turn to leap to the mid-deck, where they would surely overwhelm the officers. Looks to the cannon beneath her, makes a snap decision, and turns it toward the forecastle . . . and fires.

A blazing sphere of angry red light streaks from the barrel of the cannon and detonates with a bang so loud that it deafens Zeph and Storms. The foremast is completely splintered by the point-blank shot and the shrapnel tears through the four horrid creatures like hot daggers through tallow. Nothing remaining on the foredeck moves.

The Captain and Kalinda are both stunned by the explosion and shake their heads to clear their ears. The Captain cuts down two enemies before turning toward Kalinda and shouting something that's lost in the din of battle. Kalinda nods before skewering a foe of her own.

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My sincere apologies for the unannounced sabbatical. I know you both understand what's been going on in my life. Anyway, let's get back to it. This ship still needs saving.

Storm's, you and Scar are up.