Secret of mana IC thread

[Toliudar]

Coney

As the southern pillar quivers and releases a bolt of electricity towards Coney, her ears slam together like a shield in front of her, blocking the blast entirely.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

as noted in her previous post, Coney uses her immediate action to cast Wings of Cover. She is ready to do the same thing next round.

She sees the shadow-beast leap across the...room? The whatever the dreamspace was, and sees it light into Jahn. Coney grimaces, and unleashes a blast of flame that encompasses the horrifying swordsman and the adjacent pole.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Coney spends a standard action to cast fireball, centred roughly around S8 so as to encompass the beast and the east pillar but not Jahn.
Fire Damage: (10d6)[45], Reflex DC 19 for half.
5' step: east.

[Alhallor]

The zombified rabites keep on spinning, dancing wildly. It seems they don't get out of breath all that easily.

Rina keeps on hacking at her totem pole, not enough breath to respond towards Larimar.

Spoiler: Rina attacks

Show

Attack 1:(1d20+15)[18]
Damage 1: (2d6+7)[14] Fire (4d6)[11]
Attack 2: (1d20+15)[30]
Damage 2: (2d6+7)[9] Fire (4d6)[10]

The totem pole Rina has attacked breaks with a resounding crack and topples over, transforming into petals from different flowers while it falls down.

The shadow beast writhes and twists in impossible angles, when the fireball hits, but it's unscathed afterwards. The totem pole though suffered the brunt of the attack and is heavily burned though still somehow functionable.

The monstrosity raises the Grim Cleaver again and hacks at Jahn, trying to silence him. After that barrage, it's head twists and turns, some shadows sloshing off of it's face like liquid, the resulting dark puddle gurgles and wriggles like a living thing before being absorbed by the monstrosity again.

Spoiler: Attack against Jahn

Show

Attack 1:(1d20+17)[29]
Damage 1: (3d6+16)[28]
Attack 2: (1d20+12)[24]
Damage 2: (3d6+16)[22]
Crit confirmation 1: (1d20+17)[27] crits on a 15
additional Damage1: (3d6+16)[26]
Crit confirmation 2: (1d20+17)[31]
additional damage2: (3d6+16)[27]
Should you suffer from a Crit you get an additional (2d6)[3] Damage once.
And the thing casts something against you, make a Will save against 18 or be silenced.

Spoiler: Spellcraft 17

Show

The Shadow beast casts Silence against Jahn. Yes it has 2 Actions per turn.

The wrong Thaum get's slashed with Ken's weapon and casts again, though even with Larimar giving him a good hit with an arrow, he's still undeterred and points one accusing finger at Larimar. From that finger fly's a contorted twisting green mass, trying to attach itself on Larimar to deny him his life.

Spoiler: Larimar

Show

Despite the description he doesn't need a touch attack. Roll a Fortitude save against 23 if you succeed you still get [ROLL]3d6+11[ROLL] Damage. If you fail you're dead (though that would only wake you up.)

Spoiler: Spellcraft 21

Show

He casts Finger of Death!

The totem poles shake violently again, releasing they're combined elemental might against Ken this time.

Spoiler: Ken

Show

Pole 1 attack(1d20+5)[17]
1 Damage (3d6)[8] Fire damage
Pole 2 attack(1d20+5)[17]
2 Damage (3d6)[9] Ice damage
Pole 3 attack(1d20+5)[9]
3 Damage (3d6)[9] Acid damage

You can all fell some kind of arcane energies collecting letting your hair stand up and small arcane impulses shoot between your hair (or fur).

Spoiler: Map

Show

It's alright.

[Aegis013]

Jahn manages to barely resist the silence effect with the protection provided by Thaum.

He decides that it's time to further empower the team, stepping away from the creature despite its aggression to take a better position to destroy another totem.

"Even in the face of great pain
Our valor never fades
Our Courage will never wane
We'll complete our raid."

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Free (1d20+8)[14] spellcraft

Move: move to O9, provoking an AoO
Swift: Cast Inspirational Boost - Concentration (1d20+12)[22] if needed
Immediate: Activate Badge of Valor
Standard: Inspire Courage for +4

Spoiler: Group Buffs

Show

Dragonfire Inspiration 4d6 - 4 more rounds
Inspire Courage +4 - timer not yet started

Spoiler: Jahn's Status

Show

HP: 69 out of 73 (one attack missed with Thaum's AC buffs)
Steeley 5/5

No status effects

Maneuvers granted next round:
(1d6)[6] Divine Surge
(1d5)[1] Mountain Hammer
(1d4)[1] FoeHammer
(1d3)[1] Battle Leader's Charge

[Ridai]

The protective measures appear to pay off, at least partially. Most fronts remain managable. And then he spots the finger of death. As soon as Larimar starts to collapse, Thaum is already over there, channeling a great deal of mana into the chobin as if to grasp his fleeing dream consciousness and put it back into his dream avatar.

"Breathe deep. Back on your feet," Thaum says with a steady voice, providing direction after the confusion of the dream equivalent of dying and coming back to life immediately. No time to heal all of the "wounds", so a partial recovery will need to do in this instant.

"My doppelgänger possesses death magic," he quickly informs the others, just in case it was unclear what just happened.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Move Move... to wherever Larimar is.

Standard Revivify on Larimar, paying the material cost with 1100gp. No levels, Constitution, or spells are lost, and Larimar is prone and put at -1 HP.

Swift Close wounds on Larimar, healing (4d4+29)[40] HP

[Toliudar]

Coney

The rabite winces as the beast and pillars gang up on Jahn. She great;y admires his fortitude and sang-froid, responding with cheeky verse, seemingly off the cuff.

"Bravo, Jahn! And Rina! Do you know anything about this place? What can we do to help you?"

In the meantime, Coney notes the potential energy building in her fur, Coney thinks about simply pausing to react to the emergent...something. But has no confidence in her ability to even spot the thing when it appears, let alone know how to counter it. So she returns her attention to the great beast. She decides to try to fight darkness with more darness. Her ears weave for a moment and then point them both toward the shadowy beast. A flash of blackness shoots towards him.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Coney is once again prepared to use Wings of Cover if targeted with an attack, negating the first attack against her.

She uses a standard action to cast Enervation on the beast:
Ranged Touch Attack: (1d20+8)[28]
If successful: inflicts (1d4)[2] negative levels.

[Toliudar]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

If you rule that rays can critical hit, here's a crit confirmation for the enervation ray:
(1d20+8)[25]
If successful, it drains another (1d4)[2] levels.

[kinem]

As Larimar falls, Ken is shocked for a moment. "You'll ..." pay for that, he starts to say to the fake Thaum. But that's not a real guy, just a dream figment, while we are spending real resources to deal with the effects. So actually, we will pay for that.

The totem poles attempt to attack him, but their strange attacks don't strike any telling blows, so he decides to worry about them later.

If hurling my sword at un-Thaum didn't get his attention, maybe a more direct approach is called for ...

OOC: Ken casts Wraithstrike and charges at un-Thaum.
Full Power Attack (1d20+19)[29] vs touch AC, damage (2d6+31)[37] + (4d6)[13] fire

[WindStruck]

Larimar can hardly even tell what happened at first. He knew NotThaum was casting some bad spells and was trying to stop him. Only, his arrow didn't seem to do much, and they apparently traded shots. The extremely brief but jolting sense of pain was instantly overridden by numbness and emptiness.

It was as if Larimar blacked out for a few seconds, and now he was on the ground, kind of in pain, and had a dislike of Thaum for some reason... No, wait, that was only his evil twin. No wait, this was a dream! Were they still dreaming??

Larimar was in a weird state between groggy and confuzzled as he clambered to his feet, remembering the strange situation they were already in.. in dreamland, and without able to get his head working properly, he instinctively fires a shot at the big threatening monster.... thing.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

attack: (1d20+22)[35]

damage: (1d6+4)[8] + (1d6)[3] nonlethal

[Alhallor]

I don't know what you're talking about! I bleed here I hurt here, it can't be a dream!

Rina spins around trying to bring down another pole, weakened by Coney's fireball it falls down and crumbles in itself.

Spoiler: Rina attacks

Show

Attack: (1d20+12)[30]
Damage: (2d6+7)[14] Fire (4d6)[8]

The shadow beast get's hit square by the mighty ray, it squeals, some of the coalesing shadow on it's face falling down and revealing an elven face sitting atop the mighty body. It attacks Jahn desperately and withdraws, whining frightened as Larimar's arrow hits it. Now seeming more like a frightened animal than a dangerous beast.

Spoiler: Attack against Jahn

Show

Attack: (1d20+13)[18]
Damage: (3d6+16)[25]
Crit on a 15, Confirmation roll (1d20+13)[23]
Damage: (3d6+16)[25] and additional (2d6)[6] if crit.

Ken brings his sword down and kills the faux-Thaum, he get's a last cruel smile as the green mist surrounding him fly's towards Ken singing his skin, but he coalesces into a dark robe afterwards.

Spoiler: Ken damage

Show

You get 22 Acid Damage.

Spoiler: Spellcraft 25

Show

Faux Thaum was protected by a Acid Sheath. Still dies.

The rabites who had been dancing and spinning now start to sing!

Come on brothers and sisters, let us dance! Let us dance, the dance OF RUIN!

The magic energies that have gathered around before unleash in a powerful arcane explosion, concentrated on the space between the dancing rabites.

Spoiler: Damage towards Larimar, Rina, Thaum, Coney and Jahn

Show

Untyped raw arcane energy damage(10d6)[41] Reflex DC 18 for half

The rabites seem to be unharmed… And start to dance again.

[WindStruck]

Spoiler: ooc

Show

"Well I guess the good thing is, I can only fail that reflex save by rolling a 1.

(1d20)[4]"

Oops, I posted this in IC. Adding spoiler, and will add IC part later.

"Sheesh!" Larimar complains, "Everything in this stupid dream is trying to kill us!"

He takes out one of the exploding pumpkins and hurls it at the group of northwest rabites, specifically targeting the center one.

"Hah, take that!!" he shouts triumphantly before the explosion has even happened.

[kinem]

This is a real nightmare, but at least that fake Thaum is gone! Next up, totems ... Zombies or no, I don't want to think about attacking the rabites if I can help it. Brings up too many memories ,,,

Ken moves towards the others (K11) and attacks the nearest totem pole.

OOC: Attack [roll]1d20+20[roll], damage (2d6+10)[20] + (4d6)[13] fire

[kinem]

Attack (1d20+20)[36]

[Aegis013]

Reflex DC 18 (1d20+7)[14] +7 more from Thaum's buffs. Even though Jahn was able to resist the Rabite's Dance of Ruin, it still hurt a lot.

Jahn charges across the battlefield at the Westmost totem with a loud battlecry, beginning to spin and dance as he moves.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Free Action: Initiate Snowflake Wardance
No swift this turn
Full Round Action: Battle Leader's Charge the Westmost totem, moving to H9.

(1d20+36)[49] to hit
On hit it deals (1d8+9)[16] plus (2d6)[11] plus (4d6)[13] fire +10 Warmaster's Charge (50 total damage)
(1d6)[5] reciprocal damage

Spoiler: Status

Show

Jahn is now at 44 (of 73) HP with 5/5 steeley.
-2 AC until next turn due to charging, effective AC 20 with Thaum's buffs.

Maneuver granted next round.

Spoiler: Buffs

Show

Dragonfire Inspiration 4d6 - 3 more rounds
Inspire Courage +4 - 5 more rounds
Snowflake Wardance - 12 more rounds

[Ridai]

Thaum inhales sharply through clenched teeth as he weathers the explosion. As he charges up his next spell, a quick estimation is made. The group is too scattered, thus a bit of triage has to be done. Tapping into the most potent inner reserves of mana he has left, Thaum wipes away all wounds of most of the party in what can best be described a brief flood wave emanating from him, before throwing another droplet to the distant Rina. For how much mana he is channeling to the Water Temple every day, one would think it would finally make some progress in regards to actually healing, so Thaum would finally regain what is normally intended to heal the living, not edifices.

Spoiler: Actions and active buffs

Show

Thaum made the reflex save

Standard Mass Cure Moderate Wounds on Larimar, Jahn, Coney, and Thaum. Ken is just outside of the range limit and is, to my knowledge, less wounded than Larimar. Rina is way too far away from everyone else.
Healing (5d8+43)[64] HP (excess becomes THP)

Swift Close Wounds on Rina, healing (4d4+29)[42] HP (excess becomes THP).

Thaum's HP: 62/62 (44 THP)

Current buffs on the party: recitation (+3 luck to AC/attacks/saves; Thaum not included), mass conviction (+4 morale to saves), mass shield of faith (+4 deflection to AC; Larimar not included)
Current buffs on Thaum: healing lorecall

[Toliudar]

Coney

Personally hurt by the zombie rabites' seeming betrayal of their species - and perhaps some niggling worry that this was how Rina's mind saw Coney and her brethren - Coney dodges out of the way of the worst of the blast, and is soon bolstered astonishingly by Thaum's healing magics.

Buoyed by a sense of hope and possibility, Coney moves closer to Rina and speaks as forcefully to her as she can. She reinforces the message with magic and her best oratorical flourishes.

"Rina, your friends are here to protect and heal you. It is time for you to wake up!"

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Move action: Move 15' closer to Rina.
Standard action: cast Suggestion on Rina. Will DC 19 to negate.

[Alhallor]

Spoiler: Exploding Pumpkin

Show

(7d6)[23]

Larimar's throw somehow misses and hits the southern rabite which disappears, the firey explosion singes all the rabites, but they seem to be still standing.

Rina practically glows from Thaum's healing energy's, she seems almost untouchable. She snaps at Coney. What are you talking about, I'm not? She falters a bit, she seems to become shining trough, almost unreal for a moment. At the same time the shadow beast howls out a massive gash appearing almost cleaving the thing, Rina stumbles and falls to her knees, looking at Coney, confused and frightened. Am I? Dreaming?

The two remaining poles get slashed by Jahn and Ken, creaking, almost ready to fall down. They shake violently releasing elemental wrath towards Jahn.

Spoiler: Totem attacks against Jahn

Show

touch attack western one (1d20+5)[13]
Damage: (3d6)[17] Fire
touch attack northern one (1d20+5)[8]
Damage: (3d6)[8] Ice

The shadow beast seems small and insignificant it holds up his sword in a defensive position speaking in a hushed and frightened voice, Ken feels a pressure crushing him down.

Spoiler: Spellcraft 18

Show

It casts Shatterfloor on Ken.

Spoiler: Ken damage

Show

(10d4)[27] sonic damage, will save for half, the ground surrounding you has become difficult terrain.

Spoiler: Shadow beast status

Show

It seems to be heavily wounded and is now in a total defense position.

The chaotic rabites stop dancing like one and look towards Coney, they're noses twitching. They all speak in a demonic horrifying voice. "GET HER!"

They all rush towards her, the southwestern one doesn't attack her, because of the damaged floor it seems it can't fully reach her. The others seem to bumrush her but the Illusion is now clearly to see, because some overlap with her and Rina. Still they release some weird substance that burrows itself into Coney and they're rotten teeth try to find her and bite her in two.

Spoiler: Coney

Show

Automatically (3d8)[10] Nonavoidable, next round (3d4)[9]
Attack 1: (1d20+15)[22]
Damage 1: (2d6+6)[12]
Attack 2: (1d20+15)[21]
Damage 2: (2d6+6)[15]
Attack 3: (1d20+15)[19]
Damage 3: (2d6+6)[11]

Spoiler: Map

Show

It looks so convoluted!

[Ridai]

"Back on your feet, Rina. This may be a dream, however it can still inflict harm," Thaum calls over as he sends a small sphere of healing waters to Ken. "Coney, shout when you need mending!" Truth be told, he can hardly see the poor rabite amidst the waves of evil rabites, but he remains vigilant to send healing should it become necessary.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

Standard Cure Serious Wounds on Ken, healing (6d8+39)[67] HP (excess becomes THP)

[kinem]

Yikes! Ken tries to keep on his feet in spite of the strange pressure wave.

OOC: Spellcraft (1d20+16)[36] vs DC 18; Will half (1d20+17)[24] vs DC ??

Despite his distaste for the act, Ken does attempt to slash the oncoming 'undead rabites'.

OOC: AOO (1d20+20)[36], damage (2d6+10)[16] + (4d6)[18] fire

Although confused as to what's going on, Ken keeps on swinging his sword.

OOC: Full attack, vs totem, or undead rabites if it gets taken out.
Attack (1d20+20)[40], damage (2d6+10)[17] + (4d6)[10] fire
Attack (1d20+15)[25], damage (2d6+10)[16] + (4d6)[13] fire

[Aegis013]

Jahn spins, slashing at both the rabites as they pass and the totem. Sweat is dripping from his brow. "How long has it been since we had such a glorious battle, friends? Let's show them what we're made of!" Returning the fire the totem scorched him with his a fiery slash of his own.

Spoiler: Actions

Show

AoO: (1d20+24)[36] against the rabite horde
On hit it deals (1d8+9)[14] plus (2d6)[2] plus (4d6)[11] fire (27 total damage)
(1d6)[1] reciprocal

Swift: Not using a swift
Move: Not using a move action yet
Standard: Mountain Hammer vs. Totem Pole

(1d20+24)[33] to hit
On hit it deals (1d8+9)[14] plus (4d6)[19] plus (4d6)[10] fire, ignoring Hardness and DR. (44 total damage)
(1d6)[5] reciprocal

Spoiler: Status

Show

Jahn is at 73+17 HP, 5/5 Steeley

Spoiler: Buffs

Show

Dragonfire Inspiration 4d6 - 2 more rounds
Inspire Courage +4 - 4 more rounds
Snowflake Wardance - 11 more rounds

[WindStruck]

"Ah, Coney!" Larimar cries with some alarm, as it looks like she is getting bitten apart by like fifty undead rabites. But it was really only four, or so he remembered. Now maybe he might have climbed to the top of a totem pole to try to help her, but it looked like the others were about to completely chop them down, so that was a no go either.

Without many options to help his rabite companion he just complains, "Aw man! Can't someone just dispel those annoying images?"

While saying this, he aims his bow at the big creature that was retreating, and deactivates the merciful component at the last second before firing some shots.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

attack1: (1d20+20)[25]
damage1: (1d6+4)[9]

attack2: (1d20+20)[34]
damage2: (1d6+4)[10]

attack3: (1d20+15)[32]
damage3: (1d6+4)[7]

And if it counts as a magical beast, +2 damage per shot.

[Toliudar]

Coney

Coney whirls as she tries to deal with the onrush of her treacherous kin. Two sets of buck teeth pierce her feathered armour, and if not for the boost from Thaum's previous healing, she would be in very bad shape indeed. But Thaum had saved her again, and now she endeavoured to do the same for Rina. Pushing Rina further, she called out:

"Rina, you were badly hurt, but Thaum can heal you. In order to do that, though, you have to end this. You have to wake up!"

Sadly, while she had a good chance of dispelling the multiple images around her, she would also undo the protections on Ken and herself as well.

Spoiler: ooc

Show

Two of the rabite bites hit, but she's still at around her usual max HP thanks to temporary HP from the previous round.

This round, she again is ready to use an immediate action to use Wings of Cover if targeted next round.

Standard action: defensively (concentration DC 18 (1d20+14)[28]) cast a targeted dispel magic on the rabite cluster SW of her.
5' step NW if she thinks it's not really occupied by a zombie rabite.

[Alhallor]

The combined efforts bring the totem poles down and for a short moment it seems like there is a ripple going through the world itself, everyone flickering like they have gone ethereal for just the blink of an eye.

Coney's words seem to make Rina falter, she drops her weapon and clutches her head. The Mighty shadow beast just seem to have waited to punish her for letting her guard down, it strides toward the elf but get's interrupted by Larimar's arrows. The first is blocked by the raised Sword of the Thing, but the other two arrows Sneak under they're protection and hit it square, the Thing let it's weapon fall down, Growls like a wounded animal and vanishes like a puff of smoke in a gentle breeze.

The undead rabites stand still while also fading away, whispering "failure, failure, failure…"

Rina either seems to have a massive headache or concentrates heavily, you see your surroundings slowly shifting from the flat darkness surrounding you it transforms more to the landscape you saw when you first arrived at the elven isles.

I think I'm okay for now.

Rina stands up a bit sluggish, she needs to collect herself for a few breaths and then says urgently but clearly.

I saw The Thing attacking us. I'm pretty certain that I know what it is. I can't tell you now but I can tell you how you can see it. You have to drink it's blood. I'm sure you can get it somehow, if you're ingest it you will feel sick and drained, maybe have a short breath but it should let you see it for what it is without dying or falling to sleep like me.

She speaks more urgently now, you can almost feel a slight hard to define pull, kinda being sentient about being in the process of waking up.

I don't know how much time I have. I think I may wake up when it's defeated? I'll explain everything to you then, alright?

Spoiler: Heal check against 20

Show

The effects of drinking the blood sound similiar to a poison that affects your constitution (- Con in an amount of ?) with a succesful Heal check they may be a chance of distilling the poison to reduce it's effect but still getting the benefit (would be a heal check against 30).

[WindStruck]

"Huh.. that sounds... " Larimar says, trailing off. He had perhaps done a lot of brave and foolish things, but drinking blood, especially of a monster, wasn't something he ever saw himself doing...

"Um. Supposing that's all true, I wonder if getting you some of that blood would get you out of here?"

[Ridai]

"If the beast's properties indeed function as described, the blood is closer to a vaccine. Preventative, but not curative. Its effects sound like harsh poison, though I may be able to lessen its negative properties. 'May' being the operative word, as chances of achieving this are roughly a coin flip," Thaum comments.

To Rina, he says "Hang on a little while longer. We will do what is within our ability."

[Alhallor]

Rina shakes her head regarding Larimar's suggestion.

I don't know. It may help me but I haven't found out about anything else… The knowledge somehow came to me when I really saw what it was and remembered some other things. I'll tell you everything when I'm awake though.

Rina nods towards Thaum.

Thanks. I'm sure you will.

She also nods towards Ken and Jahn. As I'm sure you will too. Thank you.

The pull becomes harder and more urgent, Rina waves at you and suddenly an intense feeling of dizziness takes a hold of your bodies and while you blink the dreamscape and the real world seem to change between one another, till the real world is the most prominent one and all of you wake up.

You are still in the Position you where before you were asleep and some pink petals are on your heads that fall down when you move, no root that chains you together or a mass of pink flowers that sprouted on you.

Rina is still sleeping but she already seems more relaxed than before, breathing more slower her eyes behind her lids have stopped moving around frantically and she seems more relaxed than before.

How are you Feeling? Asks Lyrona a bit concerned. You were away for one hour. Whatever you did I'm sure it worked somehow.

[Ridai]

Thaum takes a deep breath as he comes out of the nightmarescape. As he readjusts to being awake, one of the pink leaves is pinched off his forehead, examining it. He read about this back in Altena at some point, but never saw one thus far.

"A little winded, but well overall. Rina should be safe for the time being. She also informed us that we need to ingest the beast's blood in order to perceive it." He sits up. Some of the pink leaves are still stuck in the lazy waves of his hair as it follows him up. "How is the situation here at the moment?"

[Toliudar]

Coney

As the Rabite slowly returns to consciousness, she glances around to ensure that her colleagues are all doing the same.

"Marvellously strange."

She ambles over to Rina's sleeping form. Her ears stroke Rina's hair, check her forehead for fever in a gesture that is only nominally medical, but inherently maternal.

"Yes, brave girl. Rest. We will find a way to wake you yet."

[Aegis013]

"Now that we've escaped Rina's nightmare, how will we draw blood from the invisible beast? We could go blindly swinging swords and hope for fortune to favor us with a spray of viscera upon a lucky strike, though I'm quite positive we can come up with a superior plan." Jahn muses aloud.

[WindStruck]

Larimar points out, "Well, when whatever-it-was rammed into the thorny barricades, I am pretty sure I smelled something like blood... Perhaps all we need to do is lure it into doing so again."

[kinem]

Ken says "That's one option, but honestly, I think we should just fight it as best we can without the culinary aspect. Coney's glitterdust gave us a general idea of its location, and I can cast a spell to temporarily give a person the equivalent of training in how to fight blind. If we don't bring it down, well, we should at least be able to draw some blood for plan B. And B is for Blood, naturally.

Ironically, though we do actually know a vampire, he's not around here anyway."