Way of the Wicked [GM's Battle Book]

[lostsole31]

R6T8: Leonidas rolls over to a safe area before struggling to stand. “Give ‘em hell, Kel!” he shouts before bending over in a coughing fit.

R6T7: Kel smiles at the encouragement. Her left knee is blocked by a shield, but that was really the setup for her fist that crits PG11 right in the forehead for 10, dropping him on top of PG10's body. It seems that Kel performs well - or at least appears to do so - when encouraged or directed.

R6T3: Amadeus, one critically wounded, sickened guard remaining. But he knows there is nowhere to fall back to, and he knows better than to surrender. What do you do?

Bile on deck, PG6 in the hole ..

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Heroes gain +1 morale bonus to attack until R6T3.
Bile: 22. Body of the night stance. Bow dropped, dagger in hand. PRONE!!! DISABLED!!!
PG11: 21. (-7:22). Bow dropped. Sword and shield. SHAKEN til R7T3!!! SICKENED til R9T22!!! DYING!!!CONFUSED til R7T7!!!
PG6: 18. (8:22). Bow dropped. Sword and shield . SICKENED til R9T22!!!
Ved: 14.
PG10: 11. (-6:22). Sword & shield. DYING!!!
Zepsus: 9. Longsword enhanced by +1 til R11T9. Smite Good vs. PG10! READIED to attack any enemy that comes in reach!!!
* SICKENED by all the blood until R8T9, unless someone does a Heal DC 20 on him.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Grumblejack: 8.5.
Leonidas: 8. Mage armor for 37 min. Sword in hand.
Donovan: 4. Mage armor for 37 min. Sword dropped. STABLE!!!
Kel: 7. Veil in her hand. Mage armor for 1 hour.
Amadeus: 3. Black seraph's glare stance. +3 AC bonus until next round. +4 thp til next round.

DEAD
PG1. PG9.

[lostsole31]

R6T3: "You should have stayed cowering in the corner," Amadeus taunts the last remaining guard. "I might have forgotten about your pathetic existence then." With that he looks to the guard as if the man is already dead and lashes out to make that vision a reality. The man weakly holds out his shield arm to block, but Amadeus simply cuts his shield arm off at the upper arm, killing the man instantly in a spray of blood.

End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T22: Bile, you are prone, disabled, and your weapons are dropped all around you. You don't see any active enemies. What do you do?

Ved on deck, Zepsus in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Heroes gain +1 morale bonus to attack until R6T3.
Bile: 22. Body of the night stance. Bow dropped, dagger in hand. PRONE!!! DISABLED!!!
PG11: 21. (-7:22). Bow dropped. Sword and shield. SHAKEN til R7T3!!! SICKENED til R9T22!!! DYING!!!CONFUSED til R7T7!!!
Ved: 14.
PG10: 11. (-6:22). Sword & shield. DYING!!!
Zepsus: 9. Longsword enhanced by +1 til R11T9. Smite Good vs. PG10! READIED to attack any enemy that comes in reach!!!
* SICKENED by all the blood until R8T9, unless someone does a Heal DC 20 on him.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Grumblejack: 8.5.
Leonidas: 8. Mage armor for 37 min. Sword in hand.
Donovan: 4. Mage armor for 37 min. Sword dropped. STABLE!!!
Kel: 7. Veil in her hand. Mage armor for 1 hour.
Amadeus: 3. Black seraph's glare stance. +3 AC bonus until next round. +4 thp til next round.

DEAD
PG1. PG6. PG9.

[lostsole31]

R7T22: Bile stands up and totters over to Grumblejack. "Damn, these guards are well trained. Do you have any more healing, Grumblejack? I got one more channel, but I rather want to save it for when I can affect enemies as well. If they hadn't been drained from it, more of us would have gone down."

Grumblejack nods his head in reply to Bile.

R7T14: Ved, nocks an arrow, and cautiously goes through the open door (because there is nowhere to stand otherwise). Doing so, he notices the chests on the floor around the beds. "Keys!" he shouts. Looking into the room more carefully, he quickly counts the chests, then assesses the dead guards, you can immediately see him evaluating the situation. "There is at least one more guard somewhere, assigned to this barracks. Bile, you said you have one more channeling. I can probably get Donovan back on his feet then I'm tapped for healing. Does anyone else have any healing abilities?"

Spoiler: OOC

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That's all he had time to say/ do.

R7T9: Zepsus is quickly doing exactly what Ved suggests. Zep takes out the key he had and goes into the guardroom to a chest.

R7T8.5: Grumblejack presses his clammy finger against Bile's forehead, giving him 10 healing. "No more for you," he says. "Only enough for Kel, Zep, and self."

R7T8: Leonidas, what do you do?

Kel on deck, Amadeus in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Heroes gain +1 morale bonus to attack until R6T3.
Bile: 22. Body of the night stance. Bow dropped, dagger in hand.
PG11: 21. (-8:22). Bow dropped. Sword and shield. SHAKEN til R7T3!!! SICKENED til R9T22!!! DYING!!!CONFUSED til R7T7!!!
Ved: 14.
PG10: 11. (-6:22). Sword & shield. STABLE!!!
Zepsus: 9. Longsword enhanced by +1 til R11T9. Smite Good vs. PG10!
* SICKENED by all the blood until R8T9, unless someone does a Heal DC 20 on him.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Grumblejack: 8.5.
Leonidas: 8. Mage armor for 37 min. Sword in hand.
Donovan: 4. Mage armor for 37 min. Sword dropped. STABLE!!!
Kel: 7. Veil in her hand. Mage armor for 1 hour.
Amadeus: 3. Black seraph's glare stance. +3 AC bonus until next round. +4 thp til next round.

DEAD
PG1. PG6. PG9.

[lostsole31]

Surprise Round ...

There is a clattering of booted chainmail running across the stone floor as a man is heard shouting, "Die, Fiend!" as a longsword delivered with the momentum of a charge hits Ved in the head for 9, dropping the arcanist.

Begin Round One ...

R1T23: Leonidas, your mage armor still has a little over 20 minutes to go. You see the portly Sergeant Tomas Blackerley standing over a fallen Ved. What do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes.
Donovan: 20.
Amadeus: 19.
Zepsus: 17.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11.
Ved: 7. DYING!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. Challenge vs. Ved Taruush (+3 damage, -2 AC vs. others.). Charged. Challenge vs. Ved.

[lostsole31]

R1T23: Leonidas smiles grimly at the sight of the hated jailer. He drops his trident as he loads an arrow and fires, the arrow barely skimming off his target's chainmail.

R1T20: Donovan, what do you do? You were last changing clothes, so you don't have any weapons out and your shield is not readied.

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Donovan: 20.
Amadeus: 19.
Zepsus: 17.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11.
Ved: 7. DYING!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. Challenge vs. Ved Taruush (+3 damage, -2 AC vs. others.). Charged. Challenge vs. Ved.

[lostsole31]

R1T20: Donovan tries to summon forth the fires of hell once again, and finds easy success as he lets forth a gout of flame that hits the corrupt sergeant in the left foot for 10 fire.

R1T19: Amadeus, what do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Donovan: 20.
Amadeus: 19.
Zepsus: 17.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11.
Ved: 7. DYING!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. Challenge vs. Ved Taruush (+3 damage, -2 AC vs. others.). Charged. Challenge vs. Ved.

[lostsole31]

R1T19: Seeing that the corrupt Sergeant had the gall to actually remain in the prison with them, Amadeus laughs. "Blackerly, you roach!" Amadeus calls out as he moves towards the man readying his mace, "I sincerely appreciate how easy you made it to find you!"

With that Amadeus's eyes grow hard as he sends his mace in a terrible two-handed blow at the Sergeant, who deflects it enough with his sword that it glances off the chainmail of his arm.

R1T17: Zepsus, you had a bow in hand previously as you were acting as internal overwatch and didn't futz with changing into a guard's uniform. What do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Donovan: 20.
Amadeus: 19.
Zepsus: 17. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11.
Ved: 7. DYING!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. Charged.

[lostsole31]

R1T17: Zepsus looks on with little emotion, save a small sneer as he sees Ved's body. He summons the eldritch once again, raising sword and shield. His opening attack is made carefully, but there is a wild strength just beneath the surface of the tiefling, as he calls back to the others, "If things go south, do not crowd the doorway, it only gives him the advantage." Meanwhile, Blackerly is taken off his feet and knocked onto his back through expert body positioning.

R1T12: Kel is just foolish enough to squeeze past the small part of the doorway that is open. Incredibly dangerous, but just as Zepsus made a textbook perfect legsweep, Kel likewise does a perfect jump past her two comrades, the little bit of doorway, and beyond, and even coming around a little more to try to get some flanking going (with Amadeus).

R1T11: Bile, what do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Donovan: 20.
Amadeus: 19.
Zepsus: 17. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11.
Ved: 7. DYING!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. Charged. PRONE!!!

[lostsole31]

R1T11: Seeing battle joined, the unholy cleric focuses his Ki once more to make his body one with the night, feeling his ki move through he's body, he's ready to spring into action. Bile tumbles into the room after Kel, trying to follow her athletic grace with his own fluid movements. The tiefling moves like a dancer, skipping around from one foot to the next while flowing from one position to the next in order to make himself more difficult to hit. He's hoping that the prone man will have a more difficult time striking him. Once past their jailer he pulls out his rapier and stabs down in a surprisingly swift set of movements. It is one of the most powerful moves Bile has ever made .... because he nails Blackerley into place .... thrusting his rapier into stone past the sergeant's body for 21!

R1T7: Ved, roll a stabilization check.

R1T6: Grumblejack moves in, taking a weak AOO attempt as he does so. As he moves, he hobbles along, saying, "Blackerley, you poisoned me," and as Grumblejack says this his posture becomes more erect and he no longer walks as one who might be suffering from an ailment, and his speech becomes a lot clearer and more focused, as something far more than the dumb brute he appears to be. "But it as it turns out, I am immune to poison, and I was only waiting for this chance. You prattling dolt, you are mine."

R1T4: Blackerley tries to extricate himself from Bile's rapier, but fails. Weakly, he says, "Now, wait a minute, guys. The rest of the boys are waiting by the gatehouse, looking to end you with a hail of arrows. You need me!"

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T23: Leonidas, bow is in hand, trident on the ground. Blackerley is prone and nailed to the ground by Bile's rapier. What do you do?

Donovan on deck, Amadeus in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Donovan: 20.
Amadeus: 19.
Zepsus: 17. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11. It takes a SA to remove his rapier.
Ved: 7. DYING!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. Charged. PRONE!!! Nailed in place, but can remove rapier with a DC 15 STR check (SA).

[lostsole31]

R2T23: “You got ‘sumptin you can use to save your ass, Blackerly, it’s now or never!” says Leonidas wickedly as he picks up his trident and saunters up to the group.

R2T19: Amadeus coordinates with Kel to end Blackerly should he be in the midst of trapping them somehow. Drawing his shield to protect himself, Amadeus says, "Choose what may be your last words carefully Blackerly."

R2T18: Seeing Falco... Er... Amadeus ready his shield, Donovan will follow suit and get his shield and sword in place.

R2T17: Zepsus, what do you do?

Kel on deck, Bile in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Amadeus: 19.
Donovan: 18.
Zepsus: 17. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11. It takes a SA to remove his rapier.
Ved: 7. STABLE!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. PRONE!!! Nailed in place, but can remove rapier with a DC 15 STR check (SA).

[lostsole31]

R2T17: Zepsus will, after having knocked Blackerley to the ground, look at him in disgust. "If it were up to me, I would give you no quarter, old man; but, I think it is only fair that the one here who has the most anger towards you should decide your fate, and that is the big man there. You can answer to him," Zep growls, as he readies his sword again, aiming to continue his unbalancing attacks with the intention of sending Blackerley at Grumble's feet, should the old man try to get away.

Then he speaks, "Grumblejack, kill this man now. Otherwise, we need to keep moving."

R2T12: Kel was simply going to attack him with Amadeus' setup, but with Zepsus' words, she simply readies to hit him.

R2T11: Bile, what do you do? Do you wait for the sergeant to answer Leonidas? Do you wait for Grumblejack to make his decision based on Zepsus having left it to him? Do you withdraw your sword or leave it pinning the sergeant to the ground?

Grumblejack on deck, Blackerley in the hole, Kel readied with a hand strike....

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Amadeus: 19.
Donovan: 18.
Zepsus: 17. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11. It takes a SA to remove his rapier.
Ved: 7. STABLE!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. PRONE!!! Nailed in place, but can remove rapier with a DC 15 STR check (SA).

[lostsole31]

R2T11: "Don't kill him now! We still have over a dozen guards to deal with. If this corrupt jailer can help us get past them, I say it's well worth to let him live a bit longer. But you got to speak sense or your life will be short." Bile keeps his rapier steady in place to pin the man while talking, looking first to Zepsus then to Grumblejack, holding off his free hand to ward them off before finally back at Blackerley to hopefully make him talk.

R2T6: Grumblejack smiles at Bile - even more wicked-looking now that he appears less of a dumb brute, and more a diabolic one. "Sergeant Blackerley, it has come to our attention from the papers in your office that you desire gold above all. Allow me to help you, sir. Let me tend to your body, for you are too clever a potential servant to slaughter needlessly."

With this, Grumblejack goes to put his finger on Sergeant Blackerley's forehead. You have each seen him do this before for each you. He claims he can only heal once a day to each person, but it seems that he might not be limited to how many people that may include. For his part, though bestial, his words are soothing and Blackerley does indeed calm down, closing his eyes as Grumblejack's forefinger is placed atop his head. The sergeant does not fight the magic, but allows it. Having touched his crown, Grumblejack removes his digit from the sergeant. Blackerley's wounds have not healed. A second passes when he opens his eyes to realize nothing----but then, something. Tomas has a strange look on his face, and begins to seize, desperately trying to pull the sword away. But it is over in a second when he is paralyzed with a rictus of terror.

No, paralyzed is the wrong word. Petrified? But even that would describe the scene incorrectly, for Blackerley hasn't turned to stone. He has turned to solid gold.

Combat Ends ...

Grumblejack says, "Place the papers with the evidence about him. By the time he returns to flesh, he will be doomed." He looks to Bile, whose rapier is now good and truly stuck, and shrugs. "You can get another, I'm sure."

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 22 minutes. Dropped trident.
Amadeus: 19.
Donovan: 18.
Zepsus: 17. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 12. Mage armor for 45 minutes.
Bile: 11. It takes a SA to remove his rapier.
Ved: 7. STABLE!!!
Grumblejack: 6.
Sgt. Tomas Blackerley: 4. PRONE!!! Nailed in place, but can remove rapier with a DC 15 STR check (SA).

[lostsole31]

Begin Round One ....

R1T23: Luckily, the head of the line is the first to go. Leonidas, there is a guard just above you at the top of the stairs. What do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18.
Zepsus: 14. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7.
Prison Guard: 6. (22:22).
Amadeus: 3.
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R1T23: With the guard directly in front of him, Leonidas has nowhere to go and shoots the guard in the lower right arm for 4.

R1T18: Bile, you are at the back of the train of people and battle has begun, so you are now alert and agile, but with nowhere to go you are delaying for now.

R1T14: Zepsus, just in front of Leonidas is a guard that he shot in the swordarm with a bow. However, there doesn't appear to be anyway to get past him. You can shoot him as you have a bow in hand, but you do have to deal with the fact that trying to shoot a guard in melee over the head of a friendly is a "Hail, Mitra!" pass if ever there was one. What do you do?

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Bow in hand.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7.
Prison Guard: 6. (22:22).
Amadeus: 3.
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

Addendum: Leonidas then falls back all the way behind Bile.

R1T14: Zepsus twists his face into a snarl, stepping up one step with his shield held in the enemy's face. He will jab his sword from under the shield, hoping to pierce the man while he is unable to defend himself (missing), but Zepsus will take all possible precautions to hold the line, and make sure the guard doesn't turn towards attacking someone else.

R1T8: Seeing Leonidas fall back, Kel knows she has room to move forward and gets up behind Zepsus.

R1T7: The guard counters Zepsus with his own clanging of sword-on-shield, shield on sword.

R1T3: Amadeus, what do you do?

Donovan on deck, Leonidas in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. FD.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor cast on self.
Prison Guard: 6. (17:22).
Amadeus: 3.
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R1T3: Amadeus and Donovan delay ...

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T23: Leonidas delays .... (what else can he do)?

R2T14: "You Ignorant fool. I gave you a chance to get hurt, and run away; so you choose to actually fight me?," Zepsus laughs, and taunts, while completely changing his fighting style, as if the scene amused him in some way. He takes a step back with his back foot gracefully, while raising his shield to defend himself, then, draws the mans balance down towards the void of the spiral, and finally, his maneuver is complete, as he begins to climb the stairs once more, plowing into the guard's center of gravity, but finds that the man is readied, and will not be pulled down so easily. He has been taught well, and whether Zepsus would agree or not, this man has seen more battle than the tiefling.

R2T8: Kel calls back, "I'm making an opening!"

Once only so far has Kel's ability to climb really been seen when she was on the prison bars before when the attempt escape was first made with the first fool guard. That was acrobatic, to be sure, but what she does now goes beyond skill at isometrics to the purely preternatural as she climbs onto the wall and goes up high enough so as not to be in Zepsus' square. She climbs just fine in sideway profile, like a spider moving horizontally, and spins quickly to release a kick to the man's head for 5 before recovering her full measure on the wall. The man doesn't go down, at all, but it is a shock that he now has two people squared off against him.

R2T6: If only from the shock of something on the wall, the guard attacks Kel, thinking her too focused on climbing to defend herself, but to his horror she lacks nothing of her normal speed when climbing as his sword clangs on the wall.

Leonidas/ Bile/ Amadeus/ Donovan ... you heard Kel mention she was making an opening. Do you take it?

Otherwise, Zepsus' turn, and Kel on deck ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. DELAYING!!!
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (12:22).
Amadeus: 3. DELAYING!!!
Donovan: 2. DELAYING!!!

[lostsole31]

R2T2: Donovan looks at the other two significantly less wounded party members and steadfastly holds back whilst making a gesture to them to move forward.

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T23: Leonidas moves back up to take the open slot.

R3T14: Zepsus again tries to upend his opponent, and this time he is successful. The man doesn't go crashing downstairs but does go prone at his spot. Zepsus tries to then step past him, but Zepsus has to block a sword attack with his shield and his advance is stopped..

Spoiler: OOC

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So, I rolled that Acro for you, but as you can guess you failed. Just to be sure you understand, please note the following...

1) A prone person still threatens, albeit with attack penalties.
2) When you try to use Acrobatics to go THROUGH a threatened square, it isn't that they get an AOO (he missed), but also that you fail to get by.

It's likely that you knew this and were just banking on a successful Acrobatics with his butt on the floor, but I just want you to know the mechanical score in case you thought otherwise.

R3T8: Kel doesn't try to go through him, but merely over him, and dropping down behind. Now, for the first time since the escape, she enjoys flanking her opponent, but the man's shell of armor protects him where standing does not.

R3T7: Zepsus hears the door open, but isn't at the right angle to see what is happening. But he does hear an old man casting a spell! Zepsus does see Kel as her face gets a little funny, her mouth quivering. She gives a chortle, then a burst laugh, clapping her hands over her mouth. And when she can stand it no longer, Kel erupts into full gales of laughter and falls out of Zepsus' view (meaning she is probably prone now).

R3T6: The guard tries to stand and Zepsus chops down with the sword, but the guard presses against it with his own sword, even using the counter-force to help him back on his feet. He then attacks Zepsus, who temporarily catches the sword in a pinch with sword and shield before the guard withdraws the weapon.

R3T2: Donovan, what do you do?

Leonidas on deck, Zepsus in the hole, Bile/ Amadeus delaying (and may chime in at any time) ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Affected by hideous laughter (DC 19) til R7T7!!!
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (12:22).
Amadeus: 3. DELAYING!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R3T2: Lacking a good tactical understanding of the battle, Donovan delays again ...

End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T23: Leonidas shoots a cold blue ray of energy past Zepsus and at the guard, but it misses.

R4T14: Zepsus manages to trip the guard again, but now waits for the inevitable opening the guard will make when he tries to stand.

R4T8: With great strength of will, Kel throws off the enchantment effect. She is no longer laughing, but she is still prone.

R4T7: From his vantage, Zepsus can just make out an old man stepping out of a doorway, and going to a closed door to the north. He then looks, not at Kel, but at the little bit of Zepsus that is showing partly on the advance up the stairs and he casts a spell that Zepsus does not recognize.

Zepsus, roll a Will save ...

Prison Guard on deck, Leonidas in the hole, Bile/ Amadeus/ Donovan delaying ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (12:22).
Amadeus: 3. DELAYING!!!
Donovan: 2. DELAYING!!!

[lostsole31]

R4T6: Something happens to Zepsus as he is not aware of the guard getting back to his feat as something else happens that only Zepsus could possibly see but is not in his right mind to respond to at this time. The man foolishly gives up his tactical position at the top of the stairs to step away. He hacks at Kel, who kicks the sword attack away.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T23: Leonidas, you no longer have a target as the man moved out of sight, giving up his precious tactical positioning. Meanwhile, Zepsus had a clear chance to smack the guard when he had a chance, but Zepsus is looking kinda dumbfounded right now. What do you do?

Kel on deck, Unknown in the hole, Bile/ Amadeus/ Donovan delaying, and now there is a place to go as there is an opening (though Bile definitely doesn't know this unless someone says something) ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. Affected by lesser confusion til R5T7!!!
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes. PRONE!!!
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (12:22).
Amadeus: 3. DELAYING!!!
Donovan: 2. DELAYING!!!

[lostsole31]

R4T3: Seeing Zepsus just standing there as the guard moves away, Amadeus moves quickly up the stairs to take advantage of the surrendered position. "Useless," Amadeus hisses bitterly at Zep as he moves into position at the top of the stairs and takes his stance. He is not yet able to bring the might of Asmodeus upon the guard, but threatening enough to provide tactical advantage to Kel.

End Round 4, Begin Round 5 ...

R5T23: Leonidas, you no longer have a target as the man moved out of sight, giving up his precious tactical positioning. Meanwhile, Zepsus had a clear chance to smack the guard when he had a chance, but Zepsus is looking kinda dumbfounded right now. What do you do?

Kel on deck, Unknown in the hole, Bile/ Donovan delaying, and now there is a place to go as there is an opening (though Bile definitely doesn't know this unless someone says something) ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. Affected by lesser confusion til R5T7!!!
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes. PRONE!!!
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (12:22).
Amadeus: 3. Black Seraph's Glare active.
Donovan: 2. DELAYING!!!

[lostsole31]

R4T2: Donovan steps forward, and into the room above, too much time spent moving and avoiding friendlies to be able to use his hellfire. The prison guard tried to hack at him, but grazed his armor.

R5T23: Leonidas finds there's nowhere to really move now without the possibility of gettting hit, so checks on Zep. “Hey! You a’right mate?”

R5T14: Zepsus, you are overcome with an unbelievable wrath, having your very competency attacked by the pretty-boy that everyone seems to be looking to for leadership over you. He stalks up the stairs, magic infusing his weapon. At the top his face contorts in rage and he hacks at the flanked Amadeus's left leg for 14. The cut is deep into the Asmodean's hews, nicking his femoral artery and dropping him. Even at his best, such a mighty blow would have lain out Amadeus normally. Zepsus stands there, heaving in his anger, ready to take on all challenges to his person.

R5T8: Having seen the guard hack at Donovan as he went by, Kel kips up to a standing position and steps over to the old man. She gives a roundhouse to his face, but her foot is stopped by an unseen field.

It is at this point, that Zepsus realizes what he has done and is back in his "right mind."

R5T7: The old man steps back a little, smirking at the girl who did not expect his magical defenses. He weaves an incantation with hand and voice that is unknown to those there. "You! Prisoner Lightheart! Run out to the front gate and surrender peaceably. Colby, I have this girl. You take the tiefling."

R5T6: Despite it being a tactically terrible position (putting him in flank with the raging tiefling and the scorned woman), the guard does as commanded and then strikes at Zepsus. He strikes a brilliantly blow against Zepsus' right elbow with a crit that spins him around, doing 10 to the tiefling and causing him to be flat-footed.

R5T3-2: Amadeus, roll a stabilization check.

Donovan, roll a Will saving throw. While you're at it, declare your actions for the round as well in case you throw off the spell.

Leonidas on deck, Zepsus in the hole (bloodrage active, flat-footed), Bile delaying ....

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active. FLAT-FOOTED til R6T6!!!
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (12:22).
Amadeus: 3. DYING!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R5T3-2: Kel is the only one who could see the pure shock on Amadeus' face before pain and blood loss sends him crumpling to the floor unconscious. Though Donovan would very much like to swing at the guard, he finds himself in dire straits. Warden Richter has given him a way out - peaceable surrender - which is far less a messy end right now. And who knows? Maybe he might have another chance to escape later. Surely the warden wouldn't lead him astray. Donovan moves past Zepsus, a confused Leonidas, and a completely clueless Bile as he makes his way down the stairs.

End Round 5, Begin Round 6 ...

R6T23-14: Zepsus clearly has something wrong with him: a split personality, or dualism of mind that renders him so enraged, but also his demeaner maintains something alien; a charisma of force that grows even as he hacks down an ally. It is not out of a lack of control that he says his next words, rather, a sincere warning to those around him (the guards, and allies alike). The tiefling's body language is still in total rage mode, his every muscle perked, active, but also controlled by the relaxed skill of a trained killer.

"The next person who disrespects me will follow that welp to the grave!" Zepsus yells while focusing on his downed ally, unable to stop thinking about the small curse that the man has said a moment ago, but completely able to continue fighting. The blood rushing from his elbow, and the crimson flap of wet skin hanging from it are not a deterant to the tiefling, he is intent to kill.

Leonidas drops his bow and attempts to grapple the traitor, Zepsus. “HAVE YOU LOST YOUR BLOODY MARBLES, YOU WANKER!”

Zepsus adds a quick word to him personally, but his body language hints that Leo is not his primary target, as his bleeding wounds came from the guard. However, when he finishes telling the others not to disrespect him, he adds, "Touch me again and ill electrocute you to death," to Leo.

With the fleeting moment of Zepsus' attack against the party at the command of an unknown spell from the caster in the back giving orders, Zepsus turns his attention back to the guard in front of him who blocks his way.

Utilizing Kel's help, Zepsus hacks at the man, forgoing any sense of grace, or civility. Truly enraged, he is already in an eldritch-empowered bloodlust. The green magic continues to billow out of the air around his sword, enshrouding it in power which, more than ever before, is being pulled out of Zepsus' body with speed rivaling his anger. He tries to press his blade firmly into the guard before him, but being blocked in so obvious is only because his true targets was to counter balance the guard's weight and then redirect his blade to attack his sword hand, cutting it solidly for 12 .... disabling the man.

R6T8: Kel is not about to have this man do a heroic last stand and punches him in the kidney for 7, dropping him, stepping over to Warden Richter and then again attempting a high kick to the face.

R6T7: Warden Richter, whom you all remember when you first came to Branderscar, sighs. "I had hoped to demoralize you and take you alive. But, I see from your treatment of the guard that is now an impossibility. Very well. To the death, Forsaken." He steps away from Kel, and then lets his dagger fly at the still flat-footed Zepsus. The dagger misses, and then returns right back to the warden's hand. That attack alone was enough for Zepsus to right his bearings after the previous blow he suffered from the now bleeding guard.

R6T2: Donovan continues down the stairs.

End Round 6, Begin Round 7 ...

R7T23: His bow dropped, and having been reproached by Zepsus (who, honestly, could have cut him down in Leo's tememerity to attempt to grab him, but didn't), Leonidas saw a dagger com in, bounce off of Zepsus' armor, and then disappear not as if dropped but as if returning. What does Leonidas do?

Zepsus on deck, Kel in the hole, Bile delaying ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active. FLAT-FOOTED til R6T6!!!
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (-10:22). DYING!!!
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R7T23: “Right. Keep focused Leo. The goal is to get out of this place alive. If’n the rest of the group want to fight amongst themselves, so be it. Don’t get involved. Where is the true enemy?” Leonidas says to himself. He shrugs and smiles at Zepsus’ threat and moves into the room at the top of the tower; drawing his trident and threatening the warden’s right.

R7T14: Zepsus, you are currently in bloodrage. What do you do?

Kel on deck, Warden Richter in the hole, Bile delaying ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident in hand.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (-10:22). DYING!!!
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R7T14: Moving on from fighting the melee guard, Zepsus then looks at the caster at the end of the hall, blood dripping from his arm wound for dramatic effect. He raises his sword high, and back, while his shield side shoulder is aimed towards the man as if a tackle was coming. Instead, Zepsus charges with a terrifying alien rage, an otherworldly anger that changes the air of green magic around the tiefling. The aura, usually billowing around him, or covering his sword, now begins to signal the true source of Zepsus's magic, the unholy union of devilry, and death. The green mist stinks like rotting corpses, and as Zepsus charges his foe, a terrifying wail as if from the banshee itself rings out, striking his target automatically. Zepsus, almost unaware of what is happening, or used to it, focuses only on twisting his torso, and following through with a horizontal sword slash that scores a light crit on the old man's left upper arm for 15. The man does manage to pull away a little with trained reflexes, well surviving a hit that would have dropped his younger guards.

R7T8: Kel acrobatically moves to flank with Leonidas and kicks Warden Richter for 5, also in the left upper arm.

R7T7: With a maneuver that shocks many given the man's old age, the warden squirms out of reach to get just inside of the door to the south. The squirrely old guy then pulls out a scroll.

R7T2: Donovan gets down the stairs and goes over to the door that Grumblejack had closed. Grumblejack looks at Donovan, confused, but figuring the badly wounded man is just a coward.

End Round 7, Begin Round 8 ...

R8T23: Leonidas, what do you do?

Zepsus on deck, Kel in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident in hand.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (-11:22). DYING!!!
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R8T23: Leonidas shoots a beam that hits Warden Richter in the lower right arm for 2 cold before heading over to Amadeus.

R8T14: Zepsus, your bloodrage has been active. Warden Richter is now standing just inside the room to the south, just past the doorway (and therefore blocking passage past him). What do you do?

Kel on deck, Warden Richter in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident in hand.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (-11:22). DYING!!!
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

R8T14: Zepsus will march over to the door way and bring his sword down on the man's left knee hard (10), sneering at the coward. "So, this is all Mitra has to offer? Pathetic. Praise Asmodeus."

R8T8: Kel moves right next to Zepsus and gives a right knee to his groin for 5.

R8T7: The warden steps back and reads off the scroll.

Zepsus and Leonidas, roll a Will save ... (not in Discord, unless you see me on, please) ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident in hand.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat.
Prison Guard: 6. (-11:22). DYING!!!
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

[lostsole31]

Too given in to his own anguish, Zepsus barely registers that both Kel and Leonidas were less successful as the soporific effects of the spell scroll (that now disintegrates) laid them low). Both of them drift to the ground ... snoring.

"All alone now, creature. Your Forsaken brethren have all fallen or been run off, now it is just you and me," says the Warden to Zepsus, the latter of whom feels as if a challenge was distinctly laid at his feet. He takes out another scroll.

R8T2: Donovan opens the door to the tower, and heads outside. Donovan sees a pathway and follows that to the back and along the west of the Great Hall.

End Round 8, Begin Round 9 ...

R9T14: Zepsus, what do you do?

Bile delaying, Warden Richter on deck, Donovan in the hole ..

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident in hand.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. BLOODRAGE active.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat. Challenge against Zepsus.
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

DEAD
Prison guard.

[lostsole31]

R9T14: Zepsus, moving as a tactician first, and a murderer second, drops his sword and closes the door. He practically collapses to his knees as his rage leaves him. There, he does the only thing he can with a free hand by grabbing her by the collar to shake her awake.

R9T8: Kel's eyes flutter open and she jumps up. She sees the shut door and the sleeping Leonidas. "Is he dead?"

R9T2: Donovan now double moves. to moves aong the western side of the Great Hall.

End Round 9, Begin Round 10 ...

R10T14: Zepsus, what do you do?

Kel on deck, Bile delaying ....

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident dropped next to him. ASLEEP!!!
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. FATIGUED til R19T14!!! Weapon enhancement ends at beginning of R14T14. Sword dropped by door.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat. Challenge against Zepsus.
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

DEAD
Prison guard.

[lostsole31]

R10T14: "Not yet," Zepsus says, through heavy breaths.

Zepsus will take a second to move over to Leo's sleeping body. He narrows his eyes, and thinks to himself. The eldritch electricity that runs through his body begins to manifest in his hand. Zepsus raises his claw in an uncontrolled rage, fueled by anger, and fatigue; he attempts to charge one last lightning spell before slamming it into Leo to kill him, but in a burst of frustration, Zepsus' hand fails to manifest any magical effect, he merely strains himself, and growls. He seems to come to his senses, panting, and drooling; his elbow bleeding all over Leo, Zepsus resolves to rouse the man awake by shaking him violently."Let's finish this."

R10T8: Kel delays, waiting for Leonidas to get his wits and get ready to help them take down the warden.

R10T2: Donovan continues his odyssey, is at the front (north) of the Great Hall, trotting along the gravel path rather than cutting across the lawn.

End Round 10, Begin Round 11...

R11T23: Leonidas, you awaken. Your trident is on the floor next to you, your bow over at the stairs just below the landing. You are prone. What do you do?

Zepsus on deck, Bile/ Kel delaying ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

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Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped. Trident dropped next to him.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. FATIGUED til R19T14!!! Weapon enhancement ends at beginning of R14T14. Sword dropped by door.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 8. Mage armor for 5 minutes. DELAYING!!!
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat. Challenge against Zepsus.
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

DEAD
Prison guard.

[lostsole31]

R11T23: Leonidas picks up his trident as he gets to his feet. “Wha happened?”

R11T14: Zepsus, definitely weary and wounded to Leonidas, chides him while going to the door, "You displayed your worth in battle, nothing else."

He gasps while picking up his sword, completely exhausted by his stint being enveloped by green power. "I had to save you both. Never say I've never done something for you, eh," he says as his sword, back in his hand, once again glows a faint green hue.

R11T13: Kel opens the door. Seeing nothing, she moves in and looks around, shrugging to Zepsus.

R11T7: An old man's voice is heard in the distance in the room, but too distant for Zepsus to properly hear what was incanted.

R11T2: Donovan breaks out into a flat run to cover more ground, getting to the central walkway that heads north, the walkway being split by a fountain he isn't paying much attention to.

End Round 11, Begin Round 12 ...

R12T23: Leonidas, what do you do?

Zepsus on deck, Kel in the hole ...

Spoiler: Battle Tracker

Show

Leonidas: 23. Mage armor for 5 minutes. Bow dropped.
Bile: 18. DELAYING!!!
Zepsus: 14. Weapon and shield. FATIGUED til R19T14!!! Weapon enhancement ends at beginning of R14T14. Sword dropped by door.
* INGROWN NAIL: -1 on attack rolls until you score a critical hit. A Heal DC 20 check removes this penalty.
Kel: 13. Mage armor for 5 minutes.
Mathias Richter: 7. Mage armor. Expeditious retreat. Challenge against Zepsus. Invisible.
Amadeus: 3. STABLE!!!
Donovan: 2.

DEAD
Prison guard.