NKotB: All Hell Breaks Loose

[Ancient]

New Kids on the Block
Chapter 1: All Hell Breaks Loose

So there you were, going about your monstrous lives, when *pop*, you were plucked away from your existences and into a summoning circle.
You found yourself in a huge round cavern, or at least it appears so, slightly damp as underground spaces go, it appears to be hewn from solid rock, has no windows, has no natural light, just eldritch sconces on the walls. This cavern is of exquisite craftsmanship, perfectly round with a smooth domed ceiling, it gives an impression of dwarven construction. Frescos and murals look to have once adorned the walls, now defaced and covered with the graffiti of Chaos.
The floor, once polished black granite, has had an enormous unholy pentagram trenched and engraved into it. This ugly scar ripped into the floor like a jagged wound is filled with blood. The blood of five oxen that were sacrificed at the tip of each of the pentagrams points. Overlooking each of these points, is a shrine of sorts, each a monument to one of the cardinal sins.

• The Shrine of Lust has four cultists dressed only in masks, partaking in some sort of orgy of carnal delights.
• The Shrine of Wrath has two pairs of masked pit fighters chained to each other at the wrist, slashing at each other with razors.
• The Shrine of Greed has four Cultist picking over a pile of trade goods and coins, counting and bickering at each other.
• The Shrine of Gluttony has four morbidly obese people feasting at a table.
• The Shrine of Envy has four richly dressed nobles, drinking wine while sitting in thrones looking at all the other shrines.

In the center is all of this is a High Priest and a Headsman. Presumably, judging by his bloody great axe, the Headsman is the one that decapitated the cattle whose blood fill the pentacle.The High Priest is a tall proud serious human. He is dressed in robes of ebon silk, adorned with gold. His golden mask stares impassively at you as he chants and burns rare herbs and spices in the central shrine.
You, are held in individual circles at the points of the pentacle. You feel yourselves strangely transfixed by the scenes playing out before you, and feel helpless, slothful even.
More robed figures are interspersed chanting, “Grazz’t! Grazz’t! Grazz’t!” in a rhythm that you find placating and soothing. Then you notice the blood in the pentacle, it is pulsing, beating in time with the chanting. The mood and tempo become more and more intense, the pulse quickens, the delights heighten, and soon the domed ceiling gives way to a hellscape of stars on fire. From this, a horned behemoth crawls forward, unnaturally from an impossible angle, one moment it is on the horizon and then the universe twists to put is on the ceiling of the chamber. It approaches, like some great cat slipping up to a pool to drink. The high priest nods to the headsman, who drags up a monster from one of the circles. A quick swipe of a dagger and it’s neck is slit, the life blood filling a huge saucer, milk for an enormous cat to sup. After It drinks, it allows the priest to touch it, and there is a transfer of power. Once, twice, thrice, four more times the sacrifices come, and soon you realize every time the Beast feeds, it loses a finger. Eventually, Beast notices it too. It pauses and stares curiously at its stump of a hand, like a child admiring something it has never seen before.
It glares at the priest, and then its gaze goes to one of the gladiators on the shrine of Wrath. The gladiator seems to enter a frenzy, it drops its razor and headbutts the opponent he is shackled to. Stunned and weakened by blood loss, the opponent staggers back to the limit of the chain, stretching it taunt. The frenzied gladiator kicks him viciously in the side of the head, HARD. The sweet sound of the stunned gladiator’s neck snapping is followed by another powerful roundhouse kick to his chest that SNAPS THE CHAIN and sends his lifeless body flying off the platform. The bloodied broken mess lands in a crumpled heap IN THE BLOOD TRENCH.
The body blocks the flow of blood, and the pentacle abruptly stops pulsing. A horrified look overtakes the High Priest’s face as the chanting stops. The cavern’s abrupt silence is filled with a horrible laughter, whose echoes seem to penetrate your very mind. The black demon takes it’s stump and plunges it into the priest’s chest and then rips in out, the still beating heart of the priest in its newly formed hand. It gently takes the sacrificial dagger out of the Priest’s hands, kisses it, and embeds it into the top of the Priest’s skull. Demonic power flows through weapon and into the priest as random bolts of energy fly out of the standing corpse striking some of the cultists.
The maddening laughter, the bolts, and the death of their leader are too much for the cultists. They break into a panic, and run for the double doors of the chamber. Frantically, they pound on the doors, which seem to be locked. All of a sudden, you realize, that the laughter has stopped, and the black demon is gone. All of a sudden, you realize you are no longer entranced. You take a tentative move towards the circle that has contained you during all of this, and it does not block your way.

YOU. ARE. FREE.

[Ancient]

Here is the basic screen capture of the battlemap:

Spoiler: Summoning Chamber

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[Armonia13]

Center of the Circle, in the High Priest's Head

Blood. The essence that gives all things life. It courses through every being in some shape or form, filling them with power they could never achieve without it. It is intoxicating, the feel, the taste, the strength one gets when imbibing it. And there is so much more in this place....so much more that can feed me.

This was the first thought to come to the newly awakened mind of the sacrificial dagger. Even as its blade still courses with the dark god's power, the taste of the priest's blood consumes all of its focus. As the darkness of inanimacy fades, and the room opens up in its mind's eye, Hoja de Sangre notices the other two standing so close to itself. A shiver goes down its hilt as it tests its new voice for the very first time. "Claim me......". A red mist begins to swirl around the corpse, the center of it seeming to come from the pommel of the dagger. The drider nearby feels a strange sensation, as if the dagger before her is attempting to establish a connection.

Spoiler: OOC

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Standard Action: Blood Control.
Hoja de Sangre attempts to establish Blood Control on Chesstra. DC 15 Fort save if she is unwilling

[Spore]

Tyrol Cheddar the Grate; the Cheesy Grin Cat Cheshire Cat Oracle AC: 15 (19) HP: 24/24 touch: 15, ff: 11 (15), CMD: 13 Conditions: Mage Armor (3h), Moonlight Bridge (30 ft. semicircle) Cheddar shakes the comfortable confusion off that occupied its mind for the last day or so. The cultists caught him, enchanted him and brought him here, but their smile, their fervor were much more insane than anything the young cheshire cat has seen before. Even the antics of his favored fey, the Jester, were comparatively tame when one saw this bloodbath. Tyrol stopped smiling as he saw the gore around him. No elegance, no joke, just honest to demon slaughter. Huddling around him, there were dozens of cultists, and his first action was to protect himself. He meandered, even jumping, and enclosed the northern batch of cultists within a quasi-real veil of of moonlight, of a miasmic ever-shifting sheet of glowing colors, like one caught the northern lights inside two thin sheets of glass. The cat smiled a wide grin into the faces of the now caught cultists. Spoiler Show Move up to the northern cultists (I assume Moonlight Bridge, much as Wall of Force has a range of close, so 25 ft. plus 5 ft. per 2 spell levels), casting Moonlight Bridge as a semicircle encasing the cultists.

[Cassus]

One moment, a pleasant cafe. Then a sudden snap.

Keno regains consciousness lying in a pool of blood. He straightens, finding himself much closer to the ground than he remembers. And he can't feel his legs... or arms... for a moment, his nose itches.

It takes a moment to realize that the semi-reflected image of something pink and gooey does not have a tall, handsome elf in the background. Suddenly, Keno feels very, very naked. More naked than he's ever felt before. And defenseless-- he's surrounded by corpses and monsters, there's a demon lurking around, everyone but him is holding a sword... and his face is gone! His face!

There's nothing for it. Keno inches his way across the ground, subconsciously pulling twisted bits of metal towards him on his way towards shelter. Scraaaape... Scraaape.. He doesn't see it, but the metal lattice forming around him starts to collect the virulent, acid-green fluids dripping endlessly from his brain.

The oddly metal spider-like thing inches towards shelter. Three feet away. No one seems to notice.
Two feet away. Is that a Keeper? Are there devils too? Inch faster!
One foot away. Finding a tailor is going to be a LOT more complicated after this...

Splurch.
The brain heaves itself up off the floor towards the nearest shelter-- the bleeding corpse of the ox on the ground nearby. It burrows into the skull as if the flesh and bone were soft cheese. There is a faint noise as Keno pulls a layer of skull back across his hiding place. A moment's silence. Then...

The ox's eyes open, and green light spills out. More lines of iridescent green flow along its body, pulsing with a new heartbeat. Its muscles ripple, pulse, and swell as the creature rises to its feet as if dragged by invisible strings. Then it continues to rise and swell. In a matter of seconds, it stands larger than any ox has stood before, its body preternaturally decayed and half empty space, its horns practically scraping the ceiling of the cave. It looks around with a furious expression on its bloody muzzle, which opens to release a scream of all the agony of a displaced, nearly-dead elven necromancer who knows he will never taste food again...
"MOOOOOOOO!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Standard: spend 1sp for Active Possession on the ox-corpse on the floor, raising it as a fast zombie with +1 size and a +6 enhancement to Strength/Dex (twisted reanimation, superior reanimation, edited when I saw its cha mod).
Swift: Telekinetic Exoskeleton (Dampening Field) for +5 temp HP.
I'm off to update the statblock post in OOC now [[EDIT: It's done! Some trouble with Trample calculation]]. The only ox-like statblock I could find was the Aurochs, which seems to be the template for herd animals. Please let me know if I should use something else!

[QuadraticGish]

Lyra's mind snapped into attention almost immediately the fog that had clouded it had cleared. She carefully looked around to take in her surroundings. the princess felt her inner rage flare up at the situation- her plan now was entirely in shambles and now she didn't have any idea where she was, how she was going to get home, or how she would explain to her father how made it all the way home.

Granted she was entirely capable of taking care of herself much like any other dragon her age, but the image was important for playing the court.

She took a deep breath and let practicality take the wheel. The dragon walked towards the the closest shrine to her, the shrine of greed, her tail swaying as she approached the cultists who appeared to not have a clue.

"Could any of you intelligent men be of service to me?" she asks, using the sort of meek demeanor she had been playing with in court.

"I am a foreign princess in need of aid. I'm positive that we could create a deal if you were willing to parlay."

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action: Move towards the shrine to the south of her, presuming that it's the shrine of greed since specific shrines aren't defined.
Diplomacy roll(She's essentially trying to recruit them as followers for the Leadership Sphere): (1d20+11)[13]
Also considering her prior situation, I'm considering everything aside from her clothing and tome from her class features to be part of the bonus loot she accumulates.

[Lord Foul]

Chesstra is a flurry of motion, muttering a mantra to cause her psychic energy to flow through her body and mind, increasing her awareness of her immediate surroundings for a combat edge. She doesn't stop there though, grabbing the knife as she steps back from the still standing cultist, animating the priest under her command with a gesture and a spell.

Spoiler

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Swift action enter battle mantra stance, providing +1 insight bonus to AC, move action pick up knife, five foot step action to hopefully be out of the herdsman's reach, standard action lesser animate dead

[CasualViking]

Orlob "Such opportunity! Truly do I see the jiggling extrusion of Jubilex in these events!". Orlob had been in the Temple of Watery Death, praying for Jubilex to deliver more prey, more knowledge. And what a bounty! By Orlob's count, there were four humanoids to the southwest, another group to the east, and sounds promising the presence of even more morsels nearby, just beyond the reach of its more accurate senses. A shiver of power runs through Orlob, as loosens the bonds of space on itself. "Eat the closest things first", its base instincts are screaming. It briefly considers other options, but decides that it should realize present options before pursuing hinted-at opportunities. It appears next to one of the humanoids, and reaches out with a crackling pseudopod. Swift: 1 fervor to Teleport next to a cultist, Standard: Energy Strike attack - (1d20+8)[14], damage - (1d8+7)[8]+electricity - (2d6)[6]+acid - (2d6)[9]+ Paralysis, fort DC 16.

[Ason]

Karashotep's head lurches and swivels until it is firmly upright at last, as she shakes off the dregs of the spell that had gripped her mind. She looks up at where the demon was, resentful that her deliverance came at the hands of a beast of chaos, and then she scans the cultists surrounding the pentagram, eyes glaring red with rage at her would-be executioners.

Surveying the other monsters in the circle, the mummy wonders to herself, "The cloaked figures are my foe, that is clear. But the others? Are they tools for my use, or foes for the slaying as well? Irrelevant: my opening tactic remains unchanged." Resolving on an initial course of action, the mummy then reaches into the linen wrappings on her back and pulls forth a thick, black falchion from its coverings.

Now armed once more, the mummy shambles in its funereal armor toward the nearest cultists as she gives them a final chance to surrender. "Well done, child, unleashing me from my tomb. That earns you pardon for your dead master's indiscretions. I may even spare your life, if you say where we are and why I am there."

Spoiler: OoC

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Swift Action: draw +1 Tomb Blade falchion out from its body wrappings (mummy class feature)

Move Action: move 20' from 18,10 to 15,7

Standard Action: Intimidate check, DC = 10 + cultist HD + cultist: (1d20+17)[23] to demoralize and/or bully cultists into revealing info quickly.

Immediate Action (maybe): Opportunity Attack if opponent ever triggers one: Attack Roll ((1d20+9)[24]); Damage Roll ([roll]2d4+7+1+3[/roll]); power attack but penalty negated by furious focus

[Toliudar]

Weft

Throughout the ceremony, the gold-skinned slender figure next to the stands nearly still. It doesn't even look around as the demon-cat appears, feeds, and then turns on the high priest. The face, mask-like and with huge goggles concealing the top half, reveals little of what the figure might be feeling.

My goodness! How dreadfully inefficient. I mean, say what you will about the baatezu, they have a sense of proportion and precaution. The lack of contingencies in place here is most distressingly - messy.

The chest of the nattily-attired figure barely rose or fell until the priest fell and the imprisoning circles fell away. Its arms reached up gently. One hand grew a complicaed serrated blade, while the other remained delicately hand-like.

Assessment is correct. No backup containment in evidence.

Weft monitored the progress of the pink blob adjacent, which seemed to take over the remains of the slaughtered ox and cause it to expand and explode back to life. Intriguing.

The arm that had begun to form the serrated blade seems to shift again, forming instead a kind of flexible loop into which a weight forms. The loop begins to spin around, slowly at first and then faster and faster.

An attempt at collective re-capture is projected to be 78% probable. Evasive action recommended.

It turns to the quartet of cultists watching the golings-on carefully. Weft's voice, calm and cool as ice wine, emerges from somewhere.

"Please excuse me. I really should go to hell now."

Her legs begin pistoning in a strange and distinctly un-human rhythm, and the golden figure moves to the wall in between the lords of envy and the cultists guarding the doors. Once it reached the wall, three of its limbs formed climbing spikes, and it shimmied up the wall.

Spoiler: OOC

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Swift action: form one of her hands into a sling.
Move action: Move to 39/17, about half way between the cultists at the doors and the lords of envy.
Move action: Climb 20' straight up.

Spoiler: Statblock

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Toliudar
Female, nominally LE (LN Keeper Keeper Racial Class / Psion (Egoist), Level 3/3, Init 3, HP 20/20, DR 1/-, Speed 40' / Climb 20
AC 22, Touch 13, Flat-footed 19, CMD 17, Fort 4, Ref 6, Will 3, CMB +4, Base Attack Bonus 3, Power Points 17/17
Double slings +6/+6 (1d4+1, x2)
Twin Gandasas +4/+4 (2d4+1, x3)
+1 Mithril Chain Shirt (+5 Armor, +3 Dex, +4 Deflect)
Abilities Str 12, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 19, Wis 10, Cha 8
Condition None

[Deadguy]

The woman appeared out of place in this chaos. Her demure figure was naked, yet her hair fell in such a way as to maintain a modesty despite the vulnerable position. The emerald eyes focused as the circle was broken, regaining a sharp brightness. She looked down at her current state before taking in the surroundings.

With a wave of her hand, a fine gown covered what was exposed. While not so gaudy as the trappings of a royal court, the material and design were exquisite in their simple elegance. Her head canted slightly as she recalled all that had just happened and tested the wards with a dainty bare toe that slipped out from the hem of the skirts. Determining if it was safe to move, who held them, and what they were attempting were all important.

Glancing around the chaos, she noted several monsters... and another woman. A princess, according to her own words. But that wasn't important at this moment, the closest monster to her was a hulking brute. It was exactly what she needed. She addressed the twin-heads simultaneously. "It seems we've been captured, but are free. I'm no warrior, but I'll assist you."

As arcane energy wove itself around the giant, altering reality ever so slightly in their favor, the woman couldn't help but giggle. She had either lost her mind or found comedy in the sheer absurdity of her current situation.

Spoiler: OOC: Checks

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⯎ Knowledge: Arcana - (1d20+9)[14]
⯎ Knowledge: Religion - (1d20+9)[10]
⯎ Knowledge: Planes - (1d20+9)[14]

Standard Action: Fortune hex - targeting Gorr-Thrax (reroll 1 ability check / attack / save / skill per round)
Move Action: Cackle hex - extending Fortune

Spoiler: Character Details

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Gisela Sheet Tiefling | Witch Player: Deadguy DEFENSE ⛨ HP 27/27 ⛨ AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15 || CMD 15 Fort 7, Ref 7, Will 9 Speed 30 | Init +9 OFFENSE Base Attack Bonus +3 MELEE ⯎ Dagger STATISTICS Abilities Str 8, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 14 Condition None

[Triskavanski]

The odd fusion between catfolk and gnoll, stood on the catfolk's hands as easily as if they were actually feet. With an odd grace, Vanessess moved the hybrid towards the closest group of cultists, careful to try and avoid as much of the gore under her as she possibly good.

"Ew.. gross. Seriously need to think about proper decoration and the unsanitary conditions that this place is in for crimes against good interior decorating..

"We punish you with Death!

The last word barked out from a technique inherited by Shezra's uncle 'Fool King', a gnoll bard who didn't quit efollow the whole slaughtering thing... usually. The sound rippled the air around the catgoll, dealing damage to everything around them.

Spoiler

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Explosive Ululation (shout)
Prerequisites: Warleader sphere, Diplomacy 1 rank.

You may perform an ear-splitting scream. All targets within the area of effect suffer 1d8 sonic damage, +1d8 per 4 ranks in Diplomacy you possess. In addition, the targets become deafened for 1 round, +1 per 4 ranks in Diplomacy you possess. Targets are allowed a Fortitude save to halve the sonic damage and negate the deafened effect.

You may expend your martial focus when performing an explosive ululation. If you do so, all targets who fail their Fortitude save (as well as unattended objects) are immediately subject to a bull rush combat maneuver performed as a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity, using your ranks in Diplomacy + your Charisma modifier as your CMB. Targets are pushed directly away from you, and you cannot move as part of this maneuver. There is no size limitation on what creatures you may bull rush in this manner.

You may spend a free action to warn your allies before using this effect protecting them from the shout’s effects, but doing so grants all other creatures a +5 circumstance bonus on their saving throw. This is a supernatural effect.

15 foot radias around Shezra takes (1d8)[8] sonic damage. DC 15 for save

[zlefin]

Kob was going through an ordinary day, looking through the shrubs in the forest for berries and useful herbs; hoping that he might find a rabbit or something to make a decent meal. He was a bit hungry of late, after all it's not like others would help him much; and if they found something larger to hunt, he wouldn't get much of a share for whatever his contribution was to catching it. Then it became a far less ordinary day; he was in the middle of some strange ritual, and he could feel his mind numbed by its power, making it hard to concentrate and figure out what was happening. Still, the basics were apparent enough: a blood magic ritual, and he was one of many to be sacrificed. Sacrifice was a decent way to get power, especially for those had little themselves; he'd considered using it himself in the past, but decided the risks were too high with his limited training and information. A decision well demonstrated by the present situation, one mistake in the ritual, and the apparent cult leader was slain by what they were summoning, and the whole ritual is falling apart.

As his faculties return, he makes a quick assessment in his head; how was he summoned, can he reverse it? one of a number of questions he quickly dismisses, first deal with the immediate threat, then think about the various other questions he will have. Trying to ally with the cultists would not go well; even if he could convince them to consider it, they would surely turn on him as soon as they could. Best to kill them all now before they can manage something. The other summoned beings might be threats, but they're not imminent threats and can be addressed later.

Actions: [I can't read the names on the map, so I can't tell where I am, and the map isn't zooming in well on my system]
Kob will move within 30' of the nearest living cultist, then use destructive blast on them, spending a spell point for extra damage. When choosing where to move exactly, he will favor being near the outer walls, and keeping distance from the other summoned folk.

Spoiler: rolls

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to hit, ranged touch
(1d20+1)[17]

damage
(2d6)[12]

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Gorr-Thrax

Gorr-Thrax gives his heads a shake. He appeared to be momentarily confused.

Gorr observes "Dis ain't ma forest. What in the 11 hells.."

Thrax retorts "Seems the demon has given us a tactical distraction. Kill these fools quickly, who ever they are and feed them to the cube thing."

Gorr says "well duh!" Gorr looks over towards the Lady to his right. "Don't worry NICELADY just stay behind me."



Gorr-Thrax prods towards the closest altar and swings his double axe in a loop at the puny humans.

Spoiler: OOC

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Move action : Gorr-Thrax will head 3-4 squares south east, so he can reach 2 enemies.


Standard attack : use maneuver 'swift claws' (make 2 attacks, no TWF penalites)


Use the fortune hex from Gisela on the first attack he makes and switch targets if he is lucky enough to drop one.


Attack 1: Better of (1d20+8)[21] and (1d20+8)[17]
Damage 1: (1d8+4)[10]

Attack 2: (1d20+8)[14]
Damage 2: (1d8+3)[8]


Status:

HP: 37
AC: 21
Stance: Inner Sphere stance
Fortune hex (expended)

[Ancient]

Round 0

Hoja de Sangre

The Drider’s touch feels so alive. Your sense delight at this first connection as you feel the link grow. Now, What to do with it?

Spoiler: OOC

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OOC: You can add an effect with the link, what do you want to do?

Tyrol

You weave beautiful moonlight near the doorway, trapping most of the cultist’s banging on the door. While you could not completely enclose them all, their panic seems to be doing most of the work for you, as they clamor in fear and beat more frantically on the door.

Keno

You claim your new body, and it feels strong. Your scream of triumph seems to make quite an impression. The cultists in the shrine before you clamor in fear.

Lyra

The group before you, the gladiators of Wrath, look like capable warriors, if their heaving well muscled chests are any indication. The largest, a half-orc, the one who kicked his opponent into the circle, glances from side to side and then eyes you up and down.

“Why would we follow you?”

The large youth that was imprisoned next to you moves to the flank and drops one of the gladiators with an eldritch blast. They seem to think the youth is one of yours, and seem to reconsider.

"We listening"

Chesstra

The fallen priest rises under you command, smoking slightly from his previous wounds. The headsman turns his attention to his newly risen “friend”. Meanwhile, the dagger pulses with life in your grasp.

Orlob

Such fragile things, these fleshlings. Your pseudopod caresses the human, and it screams and bleeds in a most satisfying manner before collapsiing, a fitting tribute to Juiblex. A dead thing next to you seems to be assisting.

Karashotep

You begin your parlay with the Gluttons. They mewling, one begins to speak, when the giant cube of protoplasm pops into existence nearby and lashes out at one with a crackling pseudopod. This triggers a rout, to cut one of the cultist down in disgust as it tries desperately to flee.

Spoiler: OOC

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OOC: Consider the Gluttons, well shaken

Weft

You have gained the high ground. The ceiling seems quite solid now, the portal to the Abyss appears closed.

Spoiler: OOC

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Make a perception check please

Gisela

The giant seems to appreciate your gesture, it strides forth and pastes a cultist in a one two combination.

Shezzra/Vanessa

Your ulation seems effective, the cultists around you reel in agony, some more than others, they appear all wounded, some more than others.

Kob

You rush forward as the woman next to you seems to begin a parlay. You unleash a destructive blast that strikes a bare-chested gladiator squarely in the torso. As the sizzling body hits the floor, the remaining gladiators seem to take the lady’s offer more seriously.

Gorr-Thrax

Emboldened by the nice lady’s hex, you stride confidently forward and engage the lead cultist. You first strike lands solidly, but is not quite enough to finish him, judging by the screams. The backswing sends his head skittering across the floor.

END ROUND 0

[Ancient]

Round 1 The Cultists Strike Back?

The Headsman - Hoja and Chesstra

Chesstra commands the freshly slain High Priest to rise, and the mangled corpse eagerly obeys, lurching to its feet with a hissing gasp. The heavily muscled headsman in front of Chesstra (and Hoja) seems to swell with outrage

“BLASPHEMY! THIS IS THE PRICE OF YOUR WEAKNESS, BELLOK!”

The executioner swings his axe with an unnatural ease and splits Chesstra’s newly minted minion in twain.

Team Door Cultists

Startled by the gleaming moonbeam bridge, the mob at the door pounds frantically at the heavy doors. They so some, but little damage.

Team Envy Cultists - Shezra and Tyrol

Harmed by the ear splitting ulation of Shezra, the Envy Cultists run towards the door.

Spoiler: OOC:

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OOC: Shezzra gets 2 and Tyrol get 1 opportunity attacks at the fleeing cultists.

Team Lust Cultists - Gisela and Gorr-Thrax

The scantily clad cultists flee, skirting their adversaries in a circumspect route to the door.

Spoiler: OCC

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OOC: Gorr-Thrax, 1 attack of opportunity

Team Wrath - Lyra and Kob

The Gladiators of Wrath patiently wait to hear Lyra’s proposal, but their nerve is eroding with the general panic.

Team Gluttony - Karashotep and Orlob

The two remaining plump Gluttons cower before you.

Please! Please! Spare us!

Team Avarice - Weft and Keno

The cultist seem strangely concerned that you are going to rob them. Two of them are huddled around the mound of equipment and coins at the shrine, while two go to flank the doom ox. Unfortunately, they misjudge the huge reach of the rotten bovine, and wander too close. A snap of the horns, and a mangled cultist is thrown through the air. The remaining flanker swipes feebly at the carcass, missing.

"GET AWAY! IT'S ALL OURS!"

Spoiler: OOC

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Sorry Keno, I made your AoO for you, had to determine if they would slip past your reach from a sneak attack

END ROUND 1 TEAM CULTISTS, YOUR MOVE!

[Toliudar]

Weft

The gold-skinned figure clambers up on the wall, and then its bones twist and turn in an elegant and hard-to-follow dance that ends with it 'sitting' on the wall, facing out into the room, with its legs splayed like a grasshopper's.

The figure's second hand, which had been gripping the wall, now also forms a loop. Stones drop into the loops from somewhere in the figure's body. Holding its arms out from the wall, the two forearms begin to spin in a distinctly improbable manner, then release their charges toward two of the cultists at the main doors.

Calling down to the, er, newly animate cow below, Weft seeks for appropriate language.

"Ah, excuse me? Mister ox? Perhaps we can work together to clear a path out through those doors."

Spoiler: OOC

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Perception: (1d20+8)[18]

Swift action: form her second hand into a sling.
Full round action: full attack the nearest door-cultist with her slings. The Keeper Sentry feat specifies that you can "reload such weapons without problem even though your hands are transformed, if you have ammo available", so I'm taking that to mean that I can reload as a free action. If that's not your understanding, I can form a bow instead, but I like the visual of the dual slings that somehow drop sling bullets through her arms into the waiting pouches.

Left Arm Attack: (1d20+6)[14] Bludgeoning Damage: (1d4+1)[2]
Right Arm Attack: (1d20+6)[12] Bludgeoning Damage: (1d4+1)[4]

[Deadguy]

Gisela continued to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand as the giant smashed the nearly naked Lust cultists. It was a fitting end for bringing her into this against her will and so distastefully presented. She spoke again between the fits of laughter. "How deft you are with the blade! I picked my partner well."

The giant could feel the twisting of fate renewed once more, as the witch began to weave an incantation. An explosion of webbing, reminiscent of a widow's nest to those most familiar with arachnids, erupted into existence to snare the cultists in place for his / their ease of disposal.

Spoiler: OOC: Checks

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Move Action: Cackle hex - extending Fortune on Gorr-Thrax
Standard Action: Cast Web on Lust cultists - center so the edge is their squares.

Spoiler: Character Details

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Gisela Sheet Tiefling | Witch Player: Deadguy DEFENSE ⛨ HP 27/27 ⛨ AC 18, Touch 13, Flat-footed 15 || CMD 15 Fort 7, Ref 7, Will 9 Speed 30 | Init +9 OFFENSE Base Attack Bonus +3 MELEE ⯎ Dagger STATISTICS Abilities Str 8, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 20, Wis 8, Cha 14 Condition None

[Spore]

Tyrol Cheddar the Grate; the Cheesy Grin Cat Cheshire Cat Oracle AC: 15 (19) HP: 24/24 touch: 15, ff: 11 (15), CMD: 13 Conditions: Mage Armor (3h), Moonlight Bridge (30 ft. semicircle), Partial Invisibility (grinning face, 20% miss chance) Tyrol's body vanishes from sight as the small striped cat smiles and laughs at the panic of the cultists that wanted to murder them just seconds ago. Why are you afraid? You're not the ones in a room with a demon. Tyrol asks before venturing casually into the middle of the ritual circle. Spoiler Show Activate partial invisibility and venture 30 ft. into the center of the circle.

[Armonia13]

The hilt of the dagger vibrates softly in the drider's hand, almost happily as the undead priest is cut in twain. A strange voice, deep but smooth, suddenly echoes into the mind of Chesstra. "A lovely body....so full of life! Yes...I think you'll do nicely......" A slight pain, uncontrollable twitching, as Chesstra's body suddenly moves without her say. The dagger in her hand ripples and grows, glowing a dull blood red as it extends into a long, gilded spear, blades branching off like leaves on a flower. "A fine weapon to stick a pig, wouldn't you agree?" With both hands now on Hoja, Chesstra thrusts her new weapon at the executioner.

Spoiler: OOC

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Since Chesstra accepted the Blood Control, I'll spend 1 sp to maintain w/o concentration for 2 hours
Free action to transform into an Elven Branched Spear
Using 10ft, I attack the executioner with a Bloodied Exsanguinating Strike.
(1d20+5)[6] subtract 4 if I can't use Chesstra's Proficiency to make the attack.
If successful; deal (1d10+2)[4] establish Blood Control on executioner, deal 2+1 bleed damage, and Absorb Blood to give Chesstra 3 temporary HP

[Cassus]

Keno stretched, feeling the unfamiliar musculature of the quadruped flexing around him. He'd never done this before-- animated a corpse, certainly, but he'd always watched from a safe distance before.

Now he peered down on the cultists from the height of a decent-sized house, and he found the feeling rather enjoyable. He'd need to do this more often!
The devil above was talking about getting out the door. Hmm... He scanned the room.
The creature with slingshot arms heard a mental voice. There is a wall of energy across those doors; it would take too long to break. Your implied plan to leave is a good one, though. Breaking the caster will just be easier. Tell me more; I will meanwhile stretch my legs.

Yes. Negotiating with the cultists was insane with so many unknowns. You needed a position of strength to negotiate, and...
Alright, honestly? Keno admitted in the privacy of the ox's skull that he was just REALLY made about losing his face.

Rationalization aside, exfiltrating and regrouping definitely seemed like a much better idea. And hey, either a really competent disguise artist or an undeniably Lawful creature was thinking the same way!

Keno lowered his head to keep his horns from catching on the ceiling. He glowered at the flailing cultist nearby. Then, with another enormous bellow and a series of wet crunches, "Mr. Ox" began to charge. His hooves slammed into the flailing cultists as they ran about the room, breaking bones everywhere they touched.

Spoiler: OOC

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As a full-round action, Trampling in a curve that sweeps through the remains of Avarice, curves around to the Envy people running towards the door, then continues through the other fleeting cultists. I'd give an exact path, but the map is on round 1, so instead just move the Huge (15' wide) undead ox along the 80' line (it's fully shapeable) that hits the most enemies without taking an attack of opportunity from the axe man or stepping in the web or stepping on a PC.
All creatures that he moves through take (2d8+16)[24] damage. They either get an attack of opportunity with a -4 penalty in reply (so basically they have to hit AC 23) or they can make a Reflex save (DC 23) for half damage from the trample as they try to dive out of the way.
Then as a swift action reset Dampening Field.

[QuadraticGish]

Lyra nods to the gladiators. "Would you all kindly sit aside until we resolve..."

She turns her head to glance at the mayhem happening behind her before turning back.

"Whatever that is going on behind me. It will be easier to talk when we do not have such a distraction." she says with a smile.

Spoiler: OOC

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Diplomacy roll if necessary: (1d20+11)[30]

[Ason]

Karashotep's eyes glare at the sniveling Gluttons before her. As she advances and swings her falchion at one of the cultists, the mummy hisses her demands a second time, "Thou hast not answered my question! Where am I?! Any why?! Answer or die!"

Spoiler: OoC

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I forgot that I intended for Kara to speak with thees and thous as a passive way to indicate she's from a far older time. I'll correct that going forward.

Move Action: move toward one of the cultists as needed

Standard Action: Attack Action with Power Attack (Furious Focus negates to-hit penalty)

• Attack Roll: (1d20+9)[27]
• Damage Roll: (2d4+11)[17]
• Bone-Breaker Brutal Strike: if attack roll hits, target is battered (-2 CMD, can't make AoOs against combat maneuvers) and gets -1 to all attack and damage rolls until end of Kara's next turn

[zlefin]

Kob pauses a moment to think quickly; this odd one trying to negotiate in the midst of a battle/sacrifice seems naive. Who would seriously try to negotiate in a situation such as this? Then again, they're doing a lot of talking, and the gladiators aren't moving, perhaps it's some sort of mind magic.
While fighting is better than dying, he'd still rather not take on those gladiators in a fight if it can be avoided, as he's really not that tough himself. Since they seem inactive for now, he'll let this other summoned being deal with them; if they die they've proven themselves a naive fool, if they live then they knew what they were doing.

Actions:
Kob will head toward the nearest group of cultists other than the gladiators that looks to still be a threat (ie he'll ignore ones that are dead/dying/being slaughtered by someone else). He'll attack if in range, if there isn't one in range then he'll focus on examining the ritual carvings for useful information about how it works and where best to disrupt it.

He'll also keep an eye out for any weapons dropped by dead cultists nearby (or otherwise available), as on a future turn he may wish to pick one up.

Spoiler: rolls

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If he's within the 30' to use destructive blast, then that
(1d20+1)[20]
(1d6)[4]

if not, then the check to examine the ritual:
(1d20)[6]
with either a +7 from Knowledge Arcane, or a +9 from spellcraft, depending on which would be applicable here.

[Ragnarok'n'Roll]

Gorr-Thrax

Gorr-Thrax swings his axe wildly trying to catch one of the fleeing cultists as they flee.

"Kill them all and let none live to repeat this stupidity!" Thrax shouts pointing to the crowd gathering at the door.


"Kill the unarmed semi-naked people first - hahahaa! Its like stabbing fish in a barrel ! Hahahha Die human scum!" The best kind of enemies! Gorr instead points to fleeing cultists.


Thrax frowns deeply and begins to object and motion towards the door with 'his' arm. When suddenly their shared body charges towards the fleeing humans - interrupting his train of thought. Gorr-Thrax waves his axe around like a frenzied maniac.


"Blood for the demon gods! " He shouts at the top of his lungs.

Spoiler: rolls

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AoO :
Attack : (1d20+8)[17]
Damage : (1d8+4)[7]


Gorr-Thrax will charge towards the nearest (preferably) unarmed enemy.

Charge: (1d20+10)[18] (+8 and +2 from charging) OR Fortune Hex re-roll (1d20+10)[25]
Damage: (1d8+4)[10]





Status:

HP: 37
AC: 19 (21-2 from charging)
Stance: Inner Sphere stance
Fortune hex (expended)

[Triskavanski]

Shezra/Vanessa

Shezra take a swipe at one of the cultists, though they stand their a bit perplexed after they run away. "Really. Summonings and sarcrifices. But..." "You're not prepared to die for the fung shway?

Shezra grabs a bottle of wine, and two cups from the shrine, "Whatever at least" "This looks like it can compensate."

[CasualViking]

Orlob Orlob's voice vibrates in a warbling, deep bass register, right next to Karashotep. "You are very dry, walker. Not like these other walkers. Why is that?" It casually stretches out another crackling pseudopod at one of the mewling figures. Attack - (1d20+8)[18], Damage - 18

[Ancient]

Round 1 Players

Weft

The dead quadruped seems amicable to your plan, and surprisingly intellectual. You can’t quite be sure, but you registered an anomaly in your optics, something that possibly resembled batwings, off in a corner of a ceiling buttress obscured by shadows. Meanwhile, your slings strike true, the impacts causing the nearest cultist to coil in pain and look around puzzled.

Spoiler: OOC:

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OOC: Your sling style interpretation is fine, I am all about a cool visual.

Gisela

Your spell takes hold, a beautiful web erupts in the chamber, trapping two of the Lust Cultists. As the webbing binds them, they writhe and struggle in...suggestive manners, apparently the restraint is something they find appealing.

Tyrol

You saunter towards the center of the circle. No demon to be seen, just a huge axe wielding maniac in a hood chopping an undead priest in half, quite boring really. A spider lady is nearby, her wicked looking dagger just changed into a pretty spear.

Spoiler: OOC:

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OOC: Perception check if you please.

Hoja

You stretch and revel in your pretty new form. Urging your new playmate forward, you strike at the maniac in front of you. Your strike is true, you sink into the brute and begin to drink, transferring the sweet vitality to your wielder. You are so caught up in the sensation you are slow to withdraw, and the hulk yells in rage and grabs your shaft, trapping you in the wound.

Spoiler: OOC:

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OOC: You are grappled. Opposed Strength to strike again, though you can automatically bleed him every round.

Keno

Your new body is an engine of destruction, you tear a path through the temple of greed and find a gap in the in moonlight bridge trapping the cultist by the door. You squeeze your bulk through the breach, and the cultist have nowhere to run. Bellowing, crunching and the spatter of blood on a moonlight bridge follow.

Spoiler: OOC:

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OOC: Your doom charge ends in the corner near the door.

Lyra

The gladiator’s look wary, but are reassured by your words. They begin attending the many cuts they received during ritual, keeping a watchful eye on the carnage.

Karashotep

“Where…? What…? Arrrgh!” The lead Glutton feels Karashoteps impatience and her blade slices open it’s prodigious belly, spilling entrails on the floor.

“Veldrath! Veldrath!” The last survivor is quick to say. “You are in the Veldrath Valley!”
The groveling continues. “Please, spare me, ancient one!”

You may feel mercy for this pathetic mortal, but your amorphous ally doe not, a crackling pseudopod ends his mewls for mercy.

Kob

The behaviour of the gladiators seems puzzling, but they don’t appear an immediate threat. The cultists seem primarily armed with daggers, wavy bladed affairs that seem more decorative and intimidating than practical. You direct your attention towards the center of the chamber where the ritual occurred. You don’t immediately recognize any of the symbology involved, but it definitely looks Abyssal. A huge man is brandishing a large axe at another captive, an elf arachnid hybrid that you had seen dragged up to the altar earlier. You snap off another blast at the headsman, and are rewarded with a satisfying sizzling wound in the man’s shoulder. If seems to be enough of a distraction for the spider elf to wrench her weapon free of the man’s grasp and plunge it into his chest.

Gorr-Thrax

Another sensualist tries to flee the area, and you cut them down handily, your first strike hamstrings them, and the follow up drops them into a wet pile. The witch has trapped two more in a web.

Shezzra/Vanessa

The rout fully in effect, you savor the anarchy and watch the hapless envy cultists flee, only to be cut off by the moonlight barrier/bridge. This gives them an excellent view of the carnage that ensues when a huge undead ox squeezes into the gap in the barrier and tramples the cultists beating on the door in a gore fest that resembles bizarrely like someone squeezes a tube of tooth polish. The four Envy cultists seem to have enough, they turn to you and seem to be offering a formal surrender.

“We wish to parlay the terms of our surrender…”

Disappointing, but the wine at least, is quite good.


Orlob

The last fleshbag makes throat sounds about the “Veldrath Valley”, before your pseudopod caresses it. It begins to dissolve noisily in a heap. There are many nutrients to consume.

Chesstra

The weapon you have gained is full of suprises. First it metamorphs into a fine branched spear, and virtually leaps at your hulking opponent, burying itself into his flesh. As it does so, you are filled with an elating sense of vitality, as if the very lifeforce of the brute was flowing out of the wound and into yourself. The berserker grabs the spear, pinning it in the very wound while it draws back his huge axe, somewhat awkwardly one-handed. The sensation of the lifeflow is almost overwhelming in the ecstacy it brings you. Fortunately, you compose your will and prove eight telekinetically reinforced legs are better than one gigantic arm, wrenching the spear free of the berserker. An eldritch bolt flies into the scrum from behind you, wounding the headsman in the shoulder and giving you an opening. You thrust, plunging the spear into the executioner’s chest, killing him.

[Spore]

Tyrol Cheddar the Grate; the Cheesy Grin Cat Cheshire Cat Oracle AC: 15 (19) HP: 24/24 touch: 15, ff: 11 (15), CMD: 13 Conditions: Mage Armor (3h), Moonlight Bridge (30 ft. semicircle) Cheddar laughs at the situation, but is seemingly bored. The creature's smile vanishes too, and if it had found no exit, it wouldn't show that it was trapped with you.

[zlefin]

Once the mopup ends; Kob will speak loudly, so that all may hear him if they wish to.

"Fellow summoned; while some of us might not have common cause in a more typical situation, here we do. I propose a truce and alliance between us all, at least for now. While it's unlikely there are more cultists within this compound; we know nothing of the surrounding area. Are there tribes that will seek these caves? Local villages that might send a militia? Adventurers seeking treasure or the deaths of our kind? Until we know more, there is a risk of being slaughtered by a superior force; so working together for now seems sensible.

I assume all of us here cannot easily return to where we came from, or else they will promptly do so. I recommend the following:

First, we loot this place to better equip ourselves.
Second, we explore the rest of this cave and anything right outside for immediate threats.

Once that and any other immediate goals are done, we can move onto longer term ones. I would like to hunt if the local area is suitable; I am suspicious that this ritual might have tainted the meat of the cultists, so I would rather not eat them myself if other food can be found.

Study of the rituals used here may yield a way to reverse the summoning and return us.

Scouting the larger area for villages, towns, nations, and any forces of note. As well as sources of food and water.

If we are on the same world, I would like to return to my home, but that would require stockpiling supplies for what would surely be a very long journey, and one on a path I do not know.