Carrion Crown: The Haunting of Harrowstone [IC]

[lostsole31]

R1T6: Hargrimm reaches out to Abrax as he casts a spell and touches Abrax to fully heal him. "I'll take this off your hands," he says with a grimace as he draws his essence and the poison into himself. Then he steps aside to let the experts handle the creatures.

End Round One, Begin Round 2 ...

R2T22: Marius, what do you do?

Wren on deck, Red in the hole ...

[Ason]

Seeing Abrax take a repeated beating from the spiders, Marius draws his shield in anticipation of the melee spreading. The young man again attempts to smash a bug with his hammer, swinging the polearm with an unnatural swiftness born from his fear of another friend falling this week.

Having done all he can for the moment, Marius worriedly calls out to Abrax, "If it's too much, fall back. Mere pest control isn't worth your life."

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Move: draw shield, gaining +1 to AC; 5-foot step
Standard: Temporal Burn maneuver, Attack--(1d20+7)[20], Damage--(1d12+1)[11], extra maneuver damage--(2d6)[7]

Immediate: if bitten by spider at any point between now and next turn, uses Inner Sense counter to gain +2 to one saving throw

[lostsole31]

R2T22: Seeing Abrax take a repeated beating from the spiders, Marius draws his shield in anticipation of the melee spreading. The young man then closes the distance so he may attack. Having done all he can for the moment, Marius worriedly calls out to Abrax, "If it's too much, fall back. Mere pest control isn't worth your life."

R2T16: "Excuse me, pardon me, coming through..." whispers Wren as he touches Marius then Abrax so they don't feel him without knowing its their invisible friend and then have a freakout moment. A second or two later, Green is wracked with pain (10) and Wren appears inside, spider ichor on the tip of his dagger.

R2T15: Red attacks Abrax, but doesn't penetrate his tough hide.

R2T10: Zauberei, what do you do?

Green on deck, Abrax in the hole ...

[Tippnick]

Zauberei will delay

Spoiler: Assessment

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Will assess the creature

[lostsole31]

R2T10: Zauberei steps down behind Marius, screened by the two warriors and with the critters focused on the battle. He looks at them, seeing if he recognizes what they might be.

R2T9: Green suffers 1 bleed. It is too focused on the prey that has been so poisoned, but the bite can't get through the boar-headed man's hide.

R2T8: Abrax, what do you do? You are in a bad way. The poison is no longer furthering to threaten to do more to you, but you are weakened and impaired.

Blue on deck, Hargrimm in the hole (NOW you may roll a Fort save vs. poison) ...

[SwordChucks]

Spoiler: Fortitude Save

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Hargrimm Fort save vs Poison: (1d20+13)[20]

[Kvard51]

Abrax grimaces as he feels the poison leave his system. "Thanks", he says grimly. Dropping into a defensive stance, he again enters an attack routine, striking out at the two insects to his north.

Spoiler: Actions:

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Fighting Defensively (-4 Attack, +3 AC) Flurry of Blows [roll]1d20+4-4[/roll] for roll]1d6[/roll] Bludgeoning Damage + 1d4 Bleed Damage. [roll]1d20+4-4[/roll] for roll]1d6[/roll] Bludgeoning Damage + 1d4 Bleed Damage.

[lostsole31]

R2T8: Abrax grimaces as he feels the poison leave his system. "Thanks", he says grimly. Dropping into a defensive stance, he again enters an attack routine, striking out at the two insects to his north. He manages to solidly tag Red with a quick jab for 5 (+1d4 bleed).

R2T7: Blue attacks Abrax, and even with his defensive fistwork, the creature bites him in his intercostal muscles for 2. Now, without the bond to Hargrimm that gave you some protection no longer in place, you fall prey to the poison of this spider as well.

Spoiler: Staggered

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Staggered: A character staggered by Strength poison is so weakened that she suffers the effects of the staggered condition (except she can take a full-round action if it is purely mental).

It is obvious to everyone that Abrax is now doing even worse than before.

R2T6: Hargrimm, what do you do?

Marius on deck, Wren in the hole ...

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm returns the now purified essence to Abrax and sends a blast of light toward the red spider-thing. "You've been very helpful Abrax, but I can't
cure death."

Spoiler: Combat

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Swift action: Invest Abrax with two essence and the Speed Vivification.
Standard action: Use the Banelight Vortices to make an attack against Red.

Vortex: [roll]1d20+3[roll], (2d8)[9]

[SwordChucks]

Spoiler: Attack roll

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Corrected attack roll because I forgot a /: (1d20+3)[6]

[lostsole31]

R2T6: Hargrimm returns the now purified essence to Abrax and sends a blast of light toward the red spider-thing, which hits the wall of the corridor the group is in, instead. "You've been very helpful Abrax, but I can't cure death."

"Ha!" Wren's voice is heard from inside. "Amateur!"

End Round 2, Begin Round 3 ...

R3T22: Marius, what do you do?

Wren on deck, Red in the hole ...

[Ason]

Marius, now properly shielded, attempts to flatten one of the spiders with his lucerne hammer. Then he backs up slightly to give Abrax greater room to maneuver or fall back, pleading, "An organized retreat beats dragging a poisoned husk, and these spiders aren't even the necromancers we want."

Spoiler: OoC

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Standard: Temporal Burn maneuver, Attack--(1d20+9)[24] vs Green (+2 from flanking with Wren), Damage--(1d12+1)[2], extra maneuver damage--(2d6)[5] (same attack as last round, since he wasn't able to actually attempt it due to action economy limitations, so the maneuver was never spent)

Immediate: if bitten by spider at any point between now and next turn, uses Inner Sense counter to gain +2 to one saving throw

Move: 5-foot step northwest after attacks

[lostsole31]

R3T22: Marius, now properly shielded, completely flattens one of the spiders with his lucerne hammer. Then he backs up slightly to give Abrax greater room to maneuver or fall back, pleading, "An organized retreat beats dragging a poisoned husk, and these spiders aren't even the necromancers we want."

R3T16: With one of the spiders down, Wren goes more into a defensive stance and does a fast jab with his dagger for a crit on Blue for 13 (+1d6 bleed), having nicked whatever passes as a major fluid transfer in such a creature as its life fluid begins to gush out ... a creature that has yet to fall, but will die most assuredly nonetheless.

R3T15: Meanwhile, similarly vexed by Abrax, Red takes 5 bleed. It must be vengeful on some part of its mindlessness, though, for it crits Abrax, biting him in a nerve cluster in his chest for 4 + stunned as the shooting pain from the nerve cluster totally unsettles the aasimar. Luckily, the spider's poison is not a neurotoxin, and doesn't transmit well in that spot.

Wren sees Abrax' distress and yells, "Pull him out!"

R3T10: Zauberei, what do you do?

Abrax on deck, Blue in the hole ...

[Tippnick]

Zauberei reaches out to touch Abrax with a healing spell and then moves out of his way if he needs to reposition

Spoiler: heal and move

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SA: clw on Abrax
(d8+3)[6]
MA: moves to 5 feet to the SW

.

[lostsole31]

R3T10: Zauberei casts a spell and steps forward to touch Abrax to fully heal his current wounds (but not any of his current level of impairment or to affect the poison coursing through his bloodstream).

R3T8: Abrax, you are stunned, so you cannot act. However, the poison is still trying to do its work, and your fit body is likewise trying to fight it off. Roll a Fort save vs. poison!

Blue on deck, Hargrimm in the hole ...

[Kvard51]

Fort save: (1d20+8)[17]

[lostsole31]

R3T8: It is a strange thing ... a mind-monk's training. So many strange meditative practices. Though he cannot think straight from the pain, yet Abrax' autonomic system is working wonderfully at doing what he trained it to do, namely increase efficiency in fighting off foreign matter in his body even without his awareness, and he manages to shut down the poison currently in his system.

R3T7: Blue takes 6 bleed ... and drops!

R3T6: Hargrimm, Abrax is stunned, but appears not to have suffered more deleterious effects of poison from that last bite. What do you do?

Marius on deck, Wren in the hole ...

[SwordChucks]

Hargrimm attempts to pull Abrax out of the doorway. If that's not possible, he circles around the doorway to get a line on a spider that's still standing, and throws a vortex of light.

Spoiler: Combat

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Move action: Become adjacent to Abrax.
Standard action: Reposition Abrax to the south of the doorway.

If that's not possible:
Move action: Move north until a spider becomes visible.
Standard action: Attack the spider with Banelight Vortices.

Possible attack: (1d20+3)[10], (2d8)[16]

[lostsole31]

R3T6: Hargrimm moves to the other side of Zauberei and reaches past Zauberei to pull Abrax out, but doesn't get ahold of him.

End Round 3, Begin Round 4 ...

R4T22: Marius, what do you do?

Wren on deck, Red in the hole ...

[Ason]

Seeing Abrax unable to move and the other two working on pulling him back into the hallway, Marius shifts his posture from offense into defense as he surges forward. He drops his polearm, and drawing a dagger, the young man advances through his allies to take up a position on the other side of Abrax in hopes of distracting any spiders away from him.

Spoiler: Mechanics

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Free Action: drop hammer
Standard Action: Total Defense for +4 to AC
Move Action: draw dagger, move through allies into the room into the closest position near the door; tries to move in ways that avoid an AoO if possible
Immediate Action (if necessary): if forced to make a save anytime before his next turn, uses Inner Sense counter to gain +2 to the first saving throw

[lostsole31]

R4T22: Seeing Abrax unable to move and the other two working on pulling him back into the hallway, Marius shifts his posture from offense into defense as he surges forward. He drops his polearm, and drawing a dagger, the young man advances through his allies to take up a position on the other side of Abrax in hopes of distracting any spiders away from him. The spider does snap at him as he goes by, but Marius' focused defense saves him from being bitten.

R4T16: Wren sees Zauberei right where he was hoping to send Abrax and shakes his head. He maintains his defensive posture, adjusts his dagger grip and then slashes with a crit, enough to put the spider down hard.

The party makes sure the spiders do not pull a horror movie serial killer resurrect.

Combat Ends ...

[SwordChucks]

After the spiders are good and smashed, Hargrimm says "Right. Help me move Abrax into the room and I'll do a check up to see if there are any lasting effects. Was anyone else hurt?"

Spoiler

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I'd like to try to determine the extent of Abrax's injuries and poisoning.
I am sans healer's kits.

[Tippnick]

"Does anyone have any restorative abilities or items?" asks Zauberei.

[Ason]

Marius shakes his head to both Zauberei and Hargrimm's questions, before helping the dwarf haul their injured from out from the carnage. "I'm not skilled enough yet to restore him from total paralysis. I can brew up an extract or two of Ant Haul, however, but those would only temporarily ease his encumbrance and do nothing for any actual damage. Or it could allow us to more easily drag him home, if one of you drinks it."

[Tippnick]

"Let's explore this room and the return to the Professor's help. We can help Abrax tomorrow with a new selection of spells" , suggests Zauberei.

[lostsole31]

Hargrimm, Abrax doesn't actually have any "physical trauma" (i.e. hp damage) as Zauberei had healed him. Zauberei assists Hargrimm in looking over Abrax and checking muscular response and so forth.

Spoiler: Poison Effects Current on Abrax

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Abrax suffers from each of these, listed in order of least to most severe...
* Weakened: A character weakened by Strength poison suffers a –2 penalty on Strength-based attack rolls, damage rolls, skill checks, and ability checks. Her carrying capacity is divided by 3. She is always considered to be carrying at least a medium load.
* Impaired: A character impaired by Strength poison experiences rapid muscle atrophy. She takes an additional –2 penalty on the affected Strength-based rolls, and is always considered to be carrying at least a heavy load.
* Staggered: A character staggered by Strength poison is so weakened that she suffers the effects of the staggered condition (except she can take a full-round action if it is purely mental).

As far as anyone else wounded, Hargrimm and Zauberei both have the most meager wounds (> 90% health), but nobody else is hurt.

"I have a few spells I've learned as a detective for closing wounds and stopping bleeding," says Wren, "but nothing that will help anyone right now."

He thinks for a second, musing. "I have to admit to you, I was in a very bad position not too long ago, when I had to pretend to be a doctor, and I have no training but my spell. Bunch of crazies in the nuthouse I was investigating. Man, I am glad they were dumb, or I would've been 'sacrificed.' After I survived that ordeal, I learned basic wound dressage and battlefield patchwork, but that's it."

The group searches around the chapel that was obviously once devoted to Pharasma. It takes a good 36 minutes to really give it a good search. With Abrax laid out on a cobweb-strewn pew, it is actually Hargrimm and Wren that find a cabinet covered with webs in the northwest wall that still contains a few religious supplies:
(5) vials of holy water
(1) scroll of lesser restoration (Zauberei deciphered it with read magic)
(1) wand of cure light wounds (15 charges)

There is nothing else of note found in this chapel that you have searched thoroughly.

"Well," says Wren, "Zauberei or could read that scroll we just found to ease Abrax' discomfort. But we should still leave after that."

[Tippnick]

Zauberei reads the lesser restoration scroll and casts the spell on Abrax in hopes of getting him more mobile.

[lostsole31]

Abrax, you are no longer suffering the "Staggered condition, but the rest remains.

The scroll disappears.

So, at least Abrax is more mobile, yes, but still relatively incapacitated.

[Ason]

"While I'd prefer to spend more of our day exploring this place," Marius offers once Abrax is slightly more mobile again, "We may need to return home so Abrax can recover, lest other residents here catch us ill-prepared. I hate dawdling like that, given the escalating attacks on Ravengro, but I don't know what else we can do."

[SwordChucks]

"Now that I know the extent of his injuries, a couple applications of this wand should have him up to snuff." Hargrimm offers.

He uses the Wand of Lesser Restoration on Abrax.

Spoiler

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Spending two charges from the wand.