The Tearing of the Weave (IC) Pt 2

[Ghostfoot]

Kilus fires his bow, missing the darting shadar-kai as it melee's with the crocodile. Anthony tosses a javelin his shot thunking into the side of the boat.

Temiryl casts a spell the sorceress suddenly disappearing from sight even as a beam of colour lances out and strikes the shadar-kai. The shadow fey cries out and stumbles as his sight is suddenly stolen from him, the opportunity all that William needs as his spiritual hammer smashes into the fey for 11 damage sending him sprawling motionless to the deck.

On the jetty Halish pulls forth his crossbow, loading it as next to him the lizardman Gathan leaps into the water surging through the dark swamp water towards the boat.

With only the two dusk beasts and Kilus' summoned crocodile left on the boat the shadow beasts snaps and growl at the reptile at the opposite end of the boat but make no move to advance on it.

Spoiler: some rolls

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Shadar-Kai
Will DC16 vs Temiryl blindness
(1d20+8)[13]

Gathan
Swim (1d20+12)[26]

[u-b]

Anthony throws the second javelin at one of dusk beasts and draws another one. "We've won, so don't spend any limited stuff and don't go in melee."

Spoiler

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Cold iron javelin: (1d20+10)[29] for (1d6+5)[10] (incl. +1 know devotion)

[Dexam]

Temiryl was preparing to make a leap onto the vessel, but realises the sense in Anthony's words. So instead she walks invisibly towards the boat, returning her sword to its scabbard and pulling out her longbow; then snaps a shot at the closest duskbeast.

Spoiler: Actions

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Move closer towards the boat, sheathing sword, draw longbow as a free action.

Longbow attack (includes +2 for being invisible): (1d20+11)[24] vs flat-footed.
Damage: (1d8+2)[10] plus skirmish (1d6)[5]

[Dimers]

William nods at Anthony's command, then calls out "Nice shot!" when Temiryl is revealed by her archery. He keeps a wary eye on the figures in the boat -- if it were him in there in place of the shadar-kai, he would've played dead quite a while ago.

Spoiler: Sense Motive?

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Is the shadar-kai faking it? (d20+13)[32]

[Ghostfoot]

Anthony throws a javelin at the beasts on the vessel, hitting one for 10 damage. Temiryl shoots the other with her bow for 15 damage as Halish fires his crossbow the bolt thunking into the deck. The shadowy beasts howl in rage at the attacks, one dropping prone on the deck seeking to evade the attacks while the other, goaded to action, leaps down onto the catwalk above the oar pit, neck snaking out unnaturally and jaws clamping down as it bites at the crocodile for 6 damage. You spy Gathan surfacing near the boat, the lizardman looking for a handhold to haul himself up on deck to attack the two dusk beasts.

Spoiler: some rolls & info

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Halish vs dusk beast
crossbow (1d20+2)[13] damage (1d8)[6]

dusk beast vs crocodile
bite (1d10+10)[15] damage (1d8+2)[6]

Sense Motive? Is the shadar-kai faking it?

As far as you can tell from where you are the shadar-kai seems unconscious or dead.

[Dexam]

Temiryl moves a little further along the edge of the water, nocking another arrow to her bow and snapping a shot at the duskbeast she can see most clearly.

Spoiler: Actions

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Move 10' to activate Skirmish.

Longbow attack: (1d20+9)[22]
Damage: (1d8+2)[4] plus skirmish (1d6)[4]

[u-b]

Anthony throws one more javelin at one of the dusk beasts. So far, so good. "You don't have to get onboard, Gathan! Just make sure they are not going anywhere!"

Spoiler

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Cold iron javelin: (1d20+6)[20] for (1d6+5)[10] (incl. +1 know devotion and -4 melee or prone; the later should not apply if the beast targeted has attacked the crocodile with reach)

[J-H]

Kilus

The crocodile continues to obey Kilus, attacking the enemies while Kilus supports it with his shortbow.

Spoiler

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Shortbow (1d20+8)[23] for (1d6)[3]

Croc tail slap
(1d20+6)[12] for (1d12+6)[13]

[Ghostfoot]

Temiryl lines up a clear shot at the dusk beast as it advances along the catwalk above the oarpit. She shoot and hits it squarely for 8 damage sending it collapsing to the oars below. Anthony and Kilus both pepper the remaining one, hitting for 10 and 3 damage respectively despite it's attempts to seek cover.

As the crocodile moves forward to engage the remaining dusk beast it lashes out seeking to catch the animal by surprise. But the summoned crocodile's thick armoured hide resists the bite and it counters with a mighty tail slap for 13 damage the last remaining foe crumpling in a heap on the foredeck.

Spoiler: rolls

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dusk beast vs croc (readied attack)
bite (1d20+6)[13] damage (1d8+2)[8]

Gathan hauls himself up the side of the boat from the dark waters, the muscular lizardman stalking the deck as he checks the vessel for any further danger and then waves that it is clear.

End combat

[Dexam]

With their foes apparently defeated, Temiryl backs up somewhat and then executes a magically-enhanced leap from the shoreline onto the deck of the boat. Once safely aboard, she moves to the body of the shadar-kai to see if it still lives, and can be taken for questioning.

When the shadar-kai is either confirmed dead, or stabilised and secured, she works with Gathan to manoeuvre the vessel back to the dock as best they can. Once that task is complete Temiryl sets about searching the boat and the bodies for anything of interest or value (besides the boat itself).

Spoiler: OOC

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Jump to get to the boat should succeed given that it's about 15'-20' from shore; but just in case: (1d20+18)[21]
Heal check on the shadar-kai: (1d20+1)[16]

I don't think we're in a rush right now, so I'll take 20 on searching the bodies and boat (Search: 34)

[Ghostfoot]

Temiryl leaps across to the boat, landing dexterously on the deck as the lizardman hauls his bulk up to the deck from the other side. Casting her eyes around swiftly he moves to the battered body of the fey shadar-kai. He still breathes, albeit faintly, and she shifts him to rest more comfortably as she binds him securely.

As to searching the rest of the boat, shattered skeletal remains litter the oar pit where the undead rowers had been. A small door looks like it leads into a cabin under the foredeck should you wish to investigate.

Spoiler: Loot on the shadar-kai

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MW spiked chain
MW mithral chain shirt
composite shortbow (+2 Str)
MW arrows x20
potion vial

[u-b]

Anthony gets onto the boat to recover his javelins. "Well, go ahead and open it? I don't suppose there are more threats down there. At most, a trap. Then, I guess we drag it some way ashore and scout the rest of the place. We aren't in hurry, are we?"

[Dimers]

"We aren't in hurry, are we?"

William shakes his head. "Not exactly. We'll drive ourselves batty if we assume the Sharrans left someone extraordinarily sneaky to carry them word of our breakout into this world. Frankly, I'm sure they never expected opposition to get this far. So if we see nothing, we should believe there truly is nothing to be seen. We shouldn't dally, but we're not racing any hidden Sharran effort."

[Dexam]

Temiryl sets to investigating the door to the cabin, checking for traps. If none are found, she carefully opens the door and enters the cabin to explore within.

"Once we have secured and explored this area, should we go back to the shadow copy of the ruined fortress? We did not get much of a chance to investigate... perhaps there are clues there to lead us to the Ebon Temple? And what of the prisoner?" She gestures at the body of the shadar-kai boatman. "He's alive, if barely so."

Spoiler: OOC

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Take 20 on searching the cabin door for traps & picking the lock (if locked), then search the cabin.

[J-H]

Kilus
Kilus looks around. "How do you propose to keep a prisoner, here in this fell place? We cannot leave anyone behind as a guard, nor can we travel safely with a native captive."

He frowns.
"Perhaps it would have been better to let him die, for now we are responsible for his life."

[u-b]

"I'd rather have Savin drag on carry him along while we examine this place, then we get back to our world, brainwash him, interrogate him, and hand him to Purple Dragons before returning here to board the boat."

[Dimers]

"Perhaps it would have been better to let him die, for now we are responsible for his life."

"A conundrum, but a necessary one. We set ourselves against the sort of person who'd happily watch life drain away," William says. His face and tone convey that he shares Kilus's feeling to a degree, regardless of his words to the contrary.

"I'd rather have Savin drag on carry him along while we examine this place, then we get back to our world, brainwash him, interrogate him, and hand him to Purple Dragons before returning here to board the boat."

William looks up and blinks in surprise at the word brainwash, but says nothing more as Anthony continues. Then he holds up the vial he had been examining and comments, "A moderate potion of curing, I believe. I'm glad our captive didn't get to use it -- we didn't need more fight from him."

[Ghostfoot]

Temiryl checks the door to the cabin, and carefully opens it. Inside, a narrow bed, desk and various personal effects of gothic-like shadow fey design. A small iron coffer decorated with images of wailing demonic visages sits under the desk, and several eight-litre casks of the strange shadowlight oil sit next to it. On the desk a small bone or ivory lyre beautifully crafted with intertwining serpents or drakes coiling about. A small piece of rolled parchment is tied to it with twine.

You toss a rope from the jetty across to the boat, allowing you to draw the boat back with some effort and tie it loosely to the jetty so that all who choose to can board.

The hulking lizardman Gathan looms over the bound fey ferryman, flexing his talons ready to eviscerate him at a moments notice. "We should slay it now" he growls.

Halish stands next to him, glaring down at the unconscious prisoner as he crosses his heavily mailed arms and frowns. "Savin & I could take him back? Through the portal I mean, to our world."

Back at the ruined gatehouse Savin sets about freeing the captive lizardman of Gathan's tribe from the post that it is tethered to.

[Dexam]

Temiryl carefully (and somewhat distastefully) opens the coffer after first closely examining it for any signs of traps. Once the contents of the coffer have been examined, she moves to the lyre to read the note - again, checking carefully for traps. Seeing the lyre delivers a slight pang - at a young age her parents had insisted that she (and her brothers) try to learn a musical instrument; her choice was the lyre. Sadly she had proved rather woeful at it, though fortunately it then lead her to discover that her true talents lay with the Art, rather than the arts.

Perhaps William will find it useful? she muses.

Once the contents of the cabin have been retrieved, she adds them to the belongings taken from the shadar-kai boatmen and casts a spell to detect the presence of magical auras over the lot.

[Ghostfoot]

Temiryl carefully opens the small iron coffer, revealing a few valuables stored inside - a few pouches of coins, a silver comb and a scroll.

Spoiler: Contents of the iron coffer

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• 250gp
• 12pp
• A fine silver comb
• An arcane scroll (blur)

Moving to the parchment tied to the lyre, she unravels it and reads the note written within in the Sylvan tongue, "Play this, and the guardian at Black Tree Bend will subside".

Pondering the note, she then shifts back to the items, searching for magical auras among the shadar-kai's belongings. Not only are the potion and scroll obviously magical, much of his armour and weaponry is also enchanted with magical energies.

Spoiler: subset of items on the shadar-kai that are magical

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• +1 gal-ralan
• +1 spiked chain
• +1 mithral chain shirt
• potion of CMW

Finally she notes a previously overlooked item, an amulet he wears around his neck that bears a skull-like motif. When she scans for magic she finds that not only does the amulet radiate a faint necromantic aura, but so does the whole boat on which you have been battling. To her trained senses the vessel and the amulet seem to be magically linked.

[u-b]

Anthony nods at the account of the loot, but does not yet take or move anything. "If we are done on the boat, let's finish exploring the area. I'd like to have full control of it and to leave no survivors who could report on us or otherwise interfere with our plans."

Spoiler

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The loot is on ths sheet. Anyone taking anything please mark it there.

[Dexam]

Temiryl shows the lyre and note to the others, translating if necessary. "What do you make of this? Music to soothe some guardian, perhaps?"

She then pulls out her brass-rimmed magical lens and affixes it over one before casting her spell a second time. She spends a couple of minutes carefully examining the amulet and boat through the lens, trying to determine exactly how they are linked, and how they might be used to their advantage.

Once she completes her magical examination, she nods in agreement at Anthony. "Secure the area, search for clues about the Ebon Temple, and see where the river takes us. The sooner we're done with this dreary place, the better."

[Dimers]

William nods slowly at Temiryl's recitation of the inscription. "Sounds about right to me. Certainly the lyre has the tune of something to keep for now. You know, it's nice to hear Sylvan here -- as if it opposes the washed-out, half-alive feeling of the place."

[J-H]

Kilus
"Music to soothe a guardian. Perhaps it's some sort of beast or fey? I've heard of music or chants working before. Let's not lose that lyre."

Kilus goes to the recently-liberated prisoners. "We've captured a shadar-kai, but haven't the means or desire to keep a captive with us while we travel. Would you be willing to watch him for us and deliver him to the proper authorities, without killing him?"

Spoiler

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Sense motive to see if they're being honest in their answer. (1d20+3)[19]

[Ghostfoot]

Temiryl spends a few more minutes studying the amulet and inspecting the black-painted keelboat, divining the magical links that tie the two.

Spoiler: The Necreme and it's command amulet

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A character wearing the Necreme's command amulet can issue rowing instructions to up to 4 skeletal rowers chained to it's oars. Directing the rowers requires a move action each round. A character can man the tiller at the same time they direct the rowers.

The skeletons are controlled by the command amulet, and obey rowing instructions from anyone wearing it. To assign an animated skeleton to the boat, anyone with command over the skeleton simply instructs them to obey the wearer of the amulet. They no longer count against the original controllers limit of how many undead they can control.

Unless otherwise commanded, the rowers continue to do the last thing that they were instructed to do. The only instructions that they follow are to row or cease rowing.

Kilus turns his attention to the liberated lizardman. The reptilian doesn't speak his human tongue but the hulking former chieftain Gathan translated. "He s-says others of the tribe have been taken and yet live. They are held at the S-Shadowscales warren, some miles through the swamp. The trail leads there, or the boat stops off there too. We should free those we can, and eradicate the Shadowscales utterly."

The freed lizardman is clearly skittish and eager to depart back to it's people and home. Halish, the Mystran cleric, speaks up "I should get back to the apprentices and make sure they're staying safe. We can take the captive shadow fey with us and keep it under the guard of the Purple Dragons".

[u-b]

Anthony, via Gathan, asks the lizardmen if they know where the trail and/or the boat normally go next after the warren, whether they would agree to man the oars and transport the fellow tribesmen back here from the warren, and what they can say about the remaining inhabitants of this area here, particularly the keep.

[Ghostfoot]

Gathan speaks to the rescued prisoner in a low sibilant draconic. The freed lizardman quiet and deferent to its former chieftain. Agreement is reached that several lizardfolk should be tasked with 'manning the oars' of the necromantic keelboat, their task to assist back to the portal as many of their fellow tribesfolk as can be rescued.

"He says the Shadowscales are led by their great warchief Kossaandar. The humans lair is beyond the warren, at the edge of the swamp.

He also says a shadowy fiend resides in the tower just here. It stalks the grounds in the form of a great cat yet is also a man. I say we should hunt this beast then crush these Shadowscales!"

[Dexam]

"This sounds agreeable to me," says Temiryl. "I, for one, am more than happy to rescue from this place anyone who does not wish to be here. Now," she hefts her bow. "Let us find this cat-man beast, before it finds us!" The elven woman begins heading back to the shadow keep, scouting for any signs of the whereabouts of the cat creature as they travel.

Spoiler: OOC

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Some pre-emptive rolls:

Hide: (1d20+12)[19]
Move Silently: (1d20+12)[32]
Listen: (1d20+13)[20]
Spot: (1d20+13)[31]
Search: (1d20+14)[16]

[Dimers]

William nods in agreement with Temiryl, then follows her -- or tries to -- as she moves through the dimness, keeping a respectable distance so the sound of his armor won't ruin her attempt at stealth.

[u-b]

Anthony joins William. He shines some light around, but not very far given the nature of the place, so he thinks being a charge distance from Temiryl should be about enough not to give away her precise location. Giving away the fact that there are intruders wandering in that particular direction seems quite unavoidable, so he rather expects to be ambushed by a shadowy fiend leopard or something like that.