3.5e Batman Campaign (2.0)

[Molan]

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Damien resisted the urge to grind his teeth as the "Birdarang" swung past his target. He was aiming for a weak spot in the thug's heavy black armor, but the weapon *clanged* off of the plate metal instead. He'd gotten sloppy -- or jumpy. His heart beating rapidly in his chest as the situation deteriorated all around him. He hurled a shuriken into the man's side, even harder, and this one stuck. The man cried out with angry surprise, and in so doing, moved his knife away from Stephanie's neck.

That was all she needed. Stephanie seized the opportunity, ramming her elbow into the man's chin, knocking him backwards and allowing her to separate. The man tried to maneuver away from her, but in so doing, exposed his flank to Damien, who lashed out with his blade, this time finally cutting deep, and probably destroying a kidney. The man grasped at his wounds, stumbling away, confused and bewildered. Newly freed, Stephanie removed a sai from the folds of her dress with one hand, and a hand-crossbow with the other.

"Let her go, big guy." she said, glowering at the man holding Robyn hostage. The man pressed the knife harder to Robyn, however.

"Drop your weapons, or she's done!" he swore.

In the foyer, Kate's victim was beaten, but he took too long to drop, and she was very rapidly surrounded. She sput around, brandishing her poleaxe, as the False Face thugs poured in. She dueled the heavily armed and armored men as they came on, and magical weapons clashed against her psionic one, producing gouts of sparks and flashes of bright fury. Most of the attacks that passed her guard failed to find her thanks to her concealing amorpha. Others that got through simply brushed off of her plate mail. But she was ensconced in an overwhelming flurry of flying steel, and she couldn't block it all. A greatsword cut into her on one side, and a greataxe cut open part of her breastplate from the other. Despite herself, she cried out in pain, and her semi-demonic blood spilt onto the ground, mixing in with the pools that were already there.

There were now four of Black Mask's minions still active in the great ballroom. A fifth was still trapped under Tetch's arcane madness enchantment, and six more were running away, either via compulsory magic or in the case of Damien's latest victim, panicked from his own wounds. But the tide of murderous soldiers rushing in from the foyer spelled doom for everyone not named "Sionis", if and when they managed to overwhelm the last motes of resistance in front of them.

Spoiler: OOC

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It's Kate's turn. Good news for her is, she knocked away *quite* a bit of damage in the first volley of attacks due to her defenses. That's the end of the good news. She's in base to base with 7 opponents and they have another 30 buddies pressing in behind them. She took 37 damage -- one hit from a great axe, one confirmed crit from a greatsword. I've already reduced the HP on Kate's token in roll20.

Stephanie is free, Robyn is not, but you just need to get the knife off of her neck and she can probably maneuver. Inside the ballroom, there aren't many False Face thugs left, but you do have Black Mask trolling around and he's big mad and big scary.

The good news is, Falcone's clearly got something brewing, and he and Tetch are both very much preoccupied with fighting Black Mask. It's worth mentioning that no one in the ballroom has actually seen Kate or Damien just yet, and no one other than the False Face Society has any reason to think of you as hostile or enemies...at least for now. You could probably avoid combat with any of those characters if you need to even up the odds.

Spoiler: Tetch Hall, the Enchanter's Tower

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Oracle made it inside the tower, and as she ascended she began to find that the interior of the keep was much less well warded than the exterior. She'd initially missed the traps warding the great hall, but otherwise the going was fairly easy, and she made it up to the lab at the top of the tower with little incident.

When she got up there, she found what looked more or less like a respectable arcane laboratory, albeit one that was owned by a lunatic. Mad scribbles and drawings covered parchments that wallpapered the interior of the lab, and dancing lights filled with faerie fire and bubbling, sometimes glowing potions lit the place in a mad hue. There was a desk inside, covered in scrolls that were mostly half-done spell scrivenings and letters written in sing-songy verse. Most of Lord Tetch's secrets were up here, if she could at least divine some way to discern them.

As she stepped into the center of the room, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned, and saw the cat from earlier perched in the lab's windowsill, staring back at her.

Spoiler: OOC

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Knowledge: Arcana, Search, Spot, and Profession: Alchemy might all yeild information here. Feel free to take any investigative actions you like. Are you scanning for specific magic auras?

[Molan]

Spoiler: Hill Hall

Show

Tetch cast another spell, and this time, finally -- or at least for a moment -- Black Mask's rampage was stopped. The magic washed over Black Mask, and he was temporarily frozen in space, as if he'd deliberately paused and was posing for a painting.

"Ooooh, hoo hoo! That's a little better!" Tetch chortled. "Maybe now that you've calmed down, we can fit you with a new hat! Mmmm...it's a shame though, your head is so large."

Regardless of whatever Tetch was prattling on about, the white clad woman next to him tugged on his sleeve.

"Perhaps now's not the time for hatting, sire." she said, gesturing towards the flood of False Face thugs filling the hall.

"Now's no time at all!" he cackled. "But I suppose we are already very, very late."

Tetch began to fiddle with something on his belt, and his two soldiers marched out past the frozen Black Mask, clomping in their steam-powered suits of armor. The one with the saw-toothed sword and mechanical shield braced himself in place, while the next one pulled back his steam bow and let loose. The arrow went *thwump!* through the False Face sergeant who'd run from Kate and Damien in the foyer, and for a moment he looked down at the hole in his chestplate, confused, before crashing to his knees and crunching onto the floor, a pool of blood expanding around him. The thug holding Robyn panicked, and as his knife slipped from her neck she jammed her elbow into his neck, causing him to stumble backwards. She rolled forward along the ground to get some space from him, and after a moment's consideration, the thug began to run for an exit.

[MrAbdiel]

Back over his shoulder, Kane fought for her life as a sea of black-faced killers surrounded her. He could swear he saw a fan of her dark blood streak into the air, and he wracked his brain for something he could do to assist her. Spoiler and Robyn, thankfully, were now assisting themselves; and perhaps one of them had something to assist the beleagured Kane. As for Damien, he was not a great defender, or a spellmeister. Unlike his father, he wasn't even a knight. He was a weapon, and the best offering he could provide to defend his ally from the swarm of thugs was to strike hard and brutally at their master. And Lord Tetch, with his apparent paralyzing magics, had made that suddenly more possible than ever.

"Your False Farce Society is over before it begins, Sionis!"

He snapped into being to snatching the returning Birdarang from the air in his off hand; but this time, he did not disappear. Now, he was in full view of Tetch, and Sionis, and Falcone... and the warriors in the hallway who had half a mind to keep an eye on threats to their paralyzed Lord. The black clad figure - who might be mistaken for gnomish given his stature - sets off, skids on his knees between Spoiler's legs midstride and bounces back to his feet beyond her, then launches into a soaring, murderous leap attempting to plunge his matte-black blade between Sionis's shoulderblades!

Spoiler: Actions!

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Become Visible. No going invisible again right now; staying on 3/7 Ki. Damien is hoping his pronouncement, and brazen attack on Black Mask in full view, will cause the soldiers in the hallway to panic and devote much of their effort to rushing to his defence, instead of striking en masse at Kate.

Charge 60ft (thx potion of Longstrider) to the (apparently paralyzed?) Black Mask, and attack!

Modifiers: +16 Attack. +2 Charge. -5 Expertise to bump up Damien's AC with expertise. Attacking his presumably paralyzed AC!

(1d20+13)[31] to hit. If it hits, (1d4-2)[0] (Min 1); plus (6d6)[22] Sudden Strike damage. Damien's AC, after gaining 5 from Expertise and losing 2 from Charging this turn, is 26 for this turn.

[JbeJ275]

Barbara tuts at the evidence of poor organisation, the Tetch Lord's reputation for madess had shown itself to be well earned at every step of the process here today but there was perhaps no greater validation than this. Ducking around the floating motes of light and staying clear of the slowly swelling vapours Barbara clasps her hands together and waves them in a flourish. After a moment information began entering her mind without her having to stop or there being ay sign whatsoever fo the room being disturbed.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Search: 31
Knowledge Arcana: (1d20+15)[33]
Spot: (1d20+9)[15]
Craft (Alchemy): (1d20+10)[13]

[Molan]

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

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Oracle spent time searching through the lab. She detected more than a few interesting contents therein. Tetch had a full alchemist's kit running, and Oracle found several vials of poison, a container of sovereign glue, and six different unidentified elixirs, and another eight unidentified potions. There was parchment and material to make at least six spell scrolls for free. A magical candle emitting a strong conjuration aura burned on the desk; Oracle could tell it was radiating a specific effect, and suspected it was a candle of invocation.

Several hats hung on hooks all around the lab desk, upon inspecting each one she determined they were all hats of disguise. But more interesting than anything else were some of the letters on the desk. Here, a letter from the Cobblepotts, chiding the Tetch's about some slight or another. Lord Tetch had scribbled on this one; apparently he hadn't taken the chastisement very seriously.

Another letter responding from House Nigma -- this one was more interesting. From context clues, Barbara gathered the letter was a reply to one Tetch had already sent. Nigma acknowledged that someone named "Nightwing" was a persistent menace, even after the Dark Knight had stopped showing up on Gotham's nighttime streets. He then complained -- rather brazenly -- about Oracle's party's own rescue of Verena from South Channel Island.

"The monster is still here, but the knights are multiplying. This is a problem with only one permanent solution. Riddle me this: 'I think with two minds, but speak with one voice. I'll judge your poor fate, but the coin makes my choice. I stand in one spot, but my soul's in two places; I am but one man, yet I wear two mean faces.' Who am I?

-- E. Nigma"

But that wasn't all. Another letter on the desk was an invitation to a party by House Elliott to a party at Hill Hall. The date was for...today. Well that just fugging figured.

Finally, there was one other note. It was from an unknown sender, but it seemed to imply that an operation had gone according to plan.

"One of these bloody gangs of thieves and rogues know where the Dents are hiding, and before long, our agents will suss them out. And if Dent doesn't have it, he'll know where it is. Why else would he have gone after the book?

Don't worry about the Clown. He's a distraction. Before long, the James' loyalists will start looking for greener pastures, and we'll be ascendant. If you see Falcone...try to get him or one of his crewmates isolated. Those gangsters have what we want, I'm sure of it.

-- Z"

Oracle pondered the letter for a bit, trying to comprehend what it meant, before she noticed something. She crouched down, looking under the table, and underneath it found an elegant brass chest. It was carved -- no, forged -- with runes of enchantment; Oracle dared not read them, she had a suspicion doing so would likely trigger the trap guarding the chest. But a powerful unidentified magical aura radiated from within it.

She heard something else, and looked up for a moment. The cat had moved -- silently, once again -- and was now sitting on top of the desk, watching what she was doing with apparent interest. When she looked up at it, it stared right back at her.

She could swear it was smiling.

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Damien sprang across the hall and planted a sharp angle straight into Black Mask's back. The move didn't go unnoticed. The thugs from the foyer rushed forward, and a handful of them were more or less pushed onto Kate, pressing so close that neither her nor their weapons were much use. The rest of the soldiers surged around the heap, pressing forward into the Ballroom.

Lord Tetch clearly noticed things swinging the other way, and decided it was time to wrap up his part in the party. Nodding to the white-clad woman, he drew a deck of cards from his coat and threw one down. It was a King of Spades -- and several tendrils of smoke rose from the ground where it fell, coalescing into a trio of armed human clerics; one cleric of Heironeous, one of Kord, and one of Pelor. With that, the White Woman cast her own spell, and white colored halos surrounded Tetch, the woman and each of his surviving steam guards abruptly disappeared.

Spoiler: OOC

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I went a smidge out of order, but it's fine. It's Kate's turn. Each of you make a Will Save, and Kate needs to make four grapple checks. (Success will allow you to deal some damage to your opponents). You can make these grapple checks independent of any other actions you're taking this round.

[Feathersnow]

And, without moving through the intervening distance, Kate is suddenly ten feet in front of Black Mask, flanking with the Scion of House Wayne!

She does a flurry of poleaxe blows!

Spoiler: attacks

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(1d20+15)[23] to hit, counting flanking

(4d6+5)[21] damage

(1d20+10)[13] to hit, counting flanking

(4d6+5)[14] damage

[JbeJ275]

Well, it seemed Tetch wasn’t anywhere in this damn place. Still, she’d learned a lot here. Eager to find out a final few of its mysteries she turned towards the cat and spoke.

”So what’s your deal exactly? Because if you’re a normal cat J should probably get you out of here but then… Oh god this place has made me crazy too I’m talking to a cat now.”

[Molan]

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

Show

It seemed as if, suddenly, Oracle had triggered something, and for the first time, the too-intelligent cat seemed to answer her.

<<Never let anyone drive you crazy; it is nearby anyway, and the walk is good for you.>>

Oracle very nearly yelped and jumped backwards. The cat continued to stare.

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Kate swung hard at the brutish Black Mask, but he was good -- a bit too good. He sidestepped one swing, partially parrying it with his left sword, then caught the next swing with both blades, crossing them over one another in an X shape. He shoved back against Kate, causing her to stumble for a moment, then retreated from his position, leaving Kate and Damien with the Clerics.

"Get in here, you louts! Finish them off! We've got to go!" he bellowed.

There was a loud crash, and behind the great table, the rose window caved forward in a shower of gas, and three hooded figures rolled onto the floor and the table from outside. Each one of them sprang up, deft like acrobats, and quickly drew wicked looking short swords from their belts with one hand while dropping strange vials onto the ground with the other. They smashed the files and plums of obscuring mist burst outward, covering the rogues and Falcone alike.

Two of the Clerics moved towards Kate, preparing to attack, but each first began chanting, casting powerful divine blessings on their weapons.

Spoiler: OOC

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It's Damien's turn.

Spoiler: OOC (All)

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Damnit! I gotta stop mixing up these tags lol. Damien's up.

[JbeJ275]

After a second to dissolve her panic Barbara’s mind reformed. Riddling duels we’re something wizards we’re always meant to be good at according to some of the books most discussed among the academy, thus she launched into a retort and the next line of questions.

”Good for you I think, not so good for me. Who are you anyway and what do you have to do with Tetch?”

Spoiler: OOC

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Detect thoughts should still be up, is it picking anything up off the cat?

[MrAbdiel]

The madness of the scene developed; and as Damien drew back his blade for a killing blow, Sionis found animation in his limbs and wheeled away leaving the weapon sparking off his armor. But Falcone's extraction crew were here - good, since they were in no position to arrest him. With Falcone and his thieves retreating, all they needed to worry about for the moment was Black mask.. and his army.

"Ladies!" He shouted down the room to Spoiler and Robyn, presently ahead of the boiling tide of cretins. "We're leaving!" He thumbed towards the now smashed window, partially obscured by smoke. With any luck, Falcone and his men would have already passed through and scampered by the time Damien's allies got there - but it was the right direction to move, to get away from the coming killers. "You three - cover us!"

The three in this pronouncement were the trio of clerics; and with the birdarang in his hand, Damien made an upright, circular gesture as part of the combat sign dialect the Dark Knight's entourage had been using for some time...

Spoiler: Bluff to conceal a message from the enemy!

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DC is 15 to successfully conceal a message. Depending on the outcome of the roll, I'll edit this spoiler to contain what Damien conveys.

(1d20+12)[32] vs DC 15.

Edit: Nice! So Spoiler, Robyn and Batwoman would know the hand gesture is not 'cover us' or 'get out' but 'deception is a weapon'. In context with the way he just turned his back on clerics that were summoned and moved on, they will understand he is saying both these clerics are illusions being used against us and let us use this illusion as a weapon. Given that none of the Dark Knight crew attacked any of the Tetch-Crew, the Theives and False Facers might conclude they were working for the hatter. Hopefully, that will mean Black Mask will feel a little more immediately outnumbered and keep retreating. Enemies - particularly those close enough by to pay attention to the exchange, are entitled to a Sense Motive Check to intercept and intuit the message, with a DC equal to my awesome bluff roll I just made.

With that, he surged on to pursue the black-masked monster; passing through a thin veil of smoke and vanishing as he goes...

Spoiler: Actions!

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Attack of Opportunity!

(1d20+16)[27]. On hit, (1d4-1)[0], min 1.

Free action: Attempt to convey secret message to allies (in spoiler above!)

Swift action: Turn invisible! (2/7 Ki remaining).

Move action: Hustle around Black mask to diagonally opposite Kate, so she can 5ft step in her turn to be flanking and full attack, if she wants.

Action: Attack! Invisible for +2; Attacking Flatfoot. (1d20+18)[28]; for (1d4-1)[0] min 1, and (6d6)[25] sudden strike!

[Molan]

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

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Oracle's magical probes failed to provide any useful information, but it was sentient -- almost intelligent, even, which was interesting. Still, she struggled to find any other useful information.

<<I'm a stranger, you're a stranger. Together we are...strangers.>> The cat said, more or less, in her head.

"That doesn't answer my question. What are you to Lord Tetch."

<<To the Hatter? I'm not sure. His companion, I think. You may have noticed, I'm not all there myself.">>

"Your his companion? Like his familiar? Tell me what's in that box. Where is...The Hatter...now?"

Oracle could swear, the cat seemed to smile.

<<Familiar...yes, I suppose. More familiar than most. Ah, but the Hatter. Where is he? I suppose that's a matter of time. A few minutes ago, he was somewhere else...a few minutes from now...>>

Oracle's eyes widened, and it became clear to her the cat was trying to warn of her something. "Where is Lord Tetch?" she demanded.

<<"Do you think he'll make a victim of you? We are all victims...in waiting.>>

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Damien's blade slammed into Black Mask's back, and he turned back and glared at the almost completely invisible motion of bending light that represented where Damien was located. Meanwhile, his thugs poured out of the foyer and started filling up the ballroom.

Spoiler: OOC

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Kate's turn.

[Feathersnow]

Kate continues to attempt to take down the leader of the attackers! Ha! We don't need Lord Tetch to deal with you! You best escape before he is in position!

Spoiler: rolls

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(1d20+3)[15] bluff

(1d20+15)[25] attack 1
(4d6+5)[20]

(1d20+10)[12] attack 2
(4d6+5)[20]

[Molan]

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Black Mask cried out in anger and pain, turning and swiping violently at the spot where Damien stood; he couldn't actually see him, but he could almost make out the imperceptible bending of light in the spot where Damien's strike had come from. For a moment, he had him dead to rights. Still, most of his flurrying blades missed, rewarding Damien for his shadow ki powers. Unfortunately, one strike found his arm, and another traced a long cut across his unarmored chest, and though Damien was still invisible, the blood that splattered from his wounds onto the ground wasn't.

"Let's see that face of yours..." he hissed in triumph.

Stephanie and Robyn continued to backpedal away from the advancing False Face thugs, their ghoulish helms now looking like a sea of leering demons as they poured into the hall. The two women fired off pot shots from their hand crossbows as they backpedaled, reloading on the move. They were fleabites against the horde, however. As they retreated, Robyn began quietly singing, and her fey song was accompanied by the familiar, invisible warble of arcane magic eminating from where she should. The song surrounded and embraced herself, Stephanie, Kate and Damien, bolstering their bodies and spirits.

Still though, the horde came on.

Spoiler: OOC

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It's Damien's turn. "???" Is going to delay action again. Robyn has deployed Inspire Courage +1, just to give everyone a little bit of a boost.

[Feathersnow]

Oa Gish'ali! shouts Kate as she bends time to hit just that little bit faster! She continues to try to hit the surprising agile lord!

Spoiler: attacks

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(1d20+16)[24]
(4d6+5)[23]

(1d20+11)[17]
(4d6+5)[20]

[JbeJ275]

Barbara held her nerve as best as she was able, trying to guide this cat through riddles to an answer.

"I prefer to do my weighting against being a victim, I can put my hand to those scales for you as well if you'd tell me where he is. Or I could take you with me as I go. But I'm not going to leave you here whith Tetch to tell him I've been here."

[Molan]

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Kate swung her weapon hard, and Black Mask caught the first attack in his crossed swords. For a moment, the two of them stood there, grimacing towards each other from behind the visors of their dark helms; his a grinning skull hiding a rictus of madness, hers a gloomy, growling closed visor, framed by the ears of a direbat. The two exploded into a flurry of motion, Kate moving and striking with hard military precision and clarity of motion. There was no unnecessary flourish with her strikes, each one was hard, fast, well placed, and potentially life-ending. But Black Mask, if he hadn't already, seemed to take the opportunity to show how dangerous he truly was. Using his own footwork and the advantage of having two lighter weapons to her one heavy one, he deftly blocked, parried and deflected each incoming hit, until the last one swung at him from Kate's right, horizontally. The pole axe clanged into the side of his enchanted armor, holding in place for a moment before she could wrench it free, and he held it against him for a moment with one arm while bringing his blade down on the weapon haft with the other. Magical sword struck psionic heavy pole axe, and a blast of angry, shrieking sparks blasted the two weapons apart, leaving both intact, for now.

"You're not half bad," he said. "Who are you? Some wannabe Dark Knight replacement?"

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

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<<How fine you look when dressed in rage. Your enemies are fortunate your condition is not permanent. You’re lucky, too. Red eyes suit so few.>> the cat said, still being cryptic. <<And yet, I suppose I should answer you. I can hardly afford to lose my head...you may have noticed...I'm not all there myself.">>

As the cat's "voice" purred in her head, Oracle realized it was beginning to -- quite rapidly -- disappear. But it left her with one last whisper before vanishing completely.

<<Somehow you strayed and lost your way, and now there’ll be no time to play, no time for joy, no time for friends – not even time to make amends...he is here. The Hatter has returned. He is coming...and he's right on time.>>

Oracle could tell, by experience, the strange snap-pop sensation that accompanied a successful teleportation. She turned around, half expecting Lord Tetch to be standing right behind her, but she was still technically alone. She peered down the door from the lab into the tower, and after a moment, she could hear what sounded like laughter, and the hiss of something. Was that steam?

"What's that catty? Someone's visiting the laboratory? What splendatious news! Let's go up and invite her for tea."

[Feathersnow]

Kate growls as time is distorted around her!

Spoiler

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"WHAT IF I AM!?" seemed a lame retort, but I couldn't think of anything better

[JbeJ275]

With a flourish Barbara vanished with a shimmering cloak of Greater Invisibility, she surged to the side of the chimney and went silent then as she waited for Tetch to enter, looking at him through arcane sight as he approached to check for any spells on the figure.

[MrAbdiel]

Damnit.

Damien hated getting hit. Not the pain, exactly; just the indecent, injurious exposure of his limitations as a weapon. As his tricks wore off, he briefly presented again in the visible spectrum; eyes hard, body bleeding, posture a little hunkered forward with feralizing loathing. He shot a communicative glance to Kane over Black Mask's shoulder, but decided not to continue with his end of the banter. This was the telling point; if they didn't make a break through in the next few seconds, he would kill one or all of them.

Vanishing, striking, and shifting, Damien puts all his wrath into forcing that urgency into the terrorizor before him.

Spoiler: Actions!

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Becomes Visible!

Free Action: Bluff to communicate to Kate that he's intending to shift after going invisible, so she'll have to shift to retain her flanking bonus. (1d20+12)[21]. DC is 15. If I fail, or if Black Mask can hit that roll with an insight check, he'll know Damien's invisible position, and won't need to 'pinpoint' him to attack him.
Swift Action: Turn invisible (1/7 Ki Remaining!)
Full Attack! Flanking for +2, Invisible for +2, attacking Flatfoot! Aaaaand.... Hrm. No, we gotta do the damage now. Gotta trust that miss chance. No Expertise; all butt-kicking.
1st Blow - (1d20+20)[24], for (1d4-2)[0] Min 1, and (6d6)[27] Sudden Strike.
2nd Blow - (1d20+15)[24], for (1d4-2)[0] Min 1, and (6d6)[24] Sudden Strike.
Free Action: 5ft step. To successfully locate my square, Black Mask will either have to beat that insight check, or guess, or try to pinpoint. Pinpointing is a 0 damage touch attack with the normal 50% miss chance - but he's able to 'pinpoint' in two squares per attack, and if he 'hits' then he knows where I am for the follow up. Re: https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Invisibility

Nice. If 24 hits his touch AC, that's 53 Damage!

[Molan]

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Damien's strikes landed true; Black Mask cried out in pain as the little ninja scored yet another pair of hits in the weak spots on the villain's armor. The dance wouldn't last forever -- Damien's shadow powers were wearing thin -- but he'd done serious damage to an otherwise superior opponent, and it was starting to show. A stream of blood poured out between the armor gaps over the already-stained white armor, and Black Mask seemed to grunt with visible pain.

But the hammer had finally fallen. The False Face regiment poured into the hall, beginning to surround and engulf the party. Several of the armored thugs fired their enchanted crossbows; all but one of them found their targets. Stephanie took a bolt to the arm; it exploded in a splash of acid, and she screamed in pain, clutching at the wound. Robyn faired worse; the bolt struck her dead center in her torso, and it burst into flames as it did so, lighting her gown on fire for the briefest of moments. She fell to one knee, almost mortally wounded. A third bolt bypassed Kate's Amorpha, striking her torso as well and exploding in a shower of electrical sparks. All three women were badly wounded and close to being felled for good.

The clerics Tetch had summoned were all pounced on as well, and they began to duel with the False Face thugs, but each of them took wounds in the process. Other than Lord Dent's gang, and perhaps the Cobblepott forces, these were easily some of the most well armed and armored enemies the party had had the misfortune of facing. Black Mask's crew, whatever his agenda, was seriously lethal.

Just as all hope seemed loss, a shadow passed over the moon, and for the briefest of moments caused the light inside the ballroom to flicker somewhat. A moment later, the skylight crashed in, showering Damien and Black Mask in a rain of glass shards. Looking up, Kate could see what looked like bat wings, and for a moment it seemed -- as if things could have gotten any worse -- that they were well and truly doomed. The beast, it seemed, had returned to finish them off.

But when the black figure crashed hard into the floor, scattering shards of marble flooring as it came, it suddenly became apparent that this was not in fact the monster they'd faced with Dent's gang in the Vaults. The figure slowly rose, and a full picture of him came into view -- a fully enclosed armet helm, with a pair of masterfuly sculped bat ears reaching up from it like a pair of knives. Black, master crafted mythril full plate; a cloak that looked like the wings of a bat. And finally, as if there was any doubt, the Dark Knight drew his sword. It's blade was long and silver, and etchings of fateful oaths were scrawled down the first half of it's center. It gleamed in the moonlight; it's black handguard shaped like a direbat, it's long handle wrapped in obsidian.

The Dark Knight had returned to Gotham, once again.

"NO!!!" Sionis screamed in Rage. "You're supposed to be fugging dead!"

"Sorry to disappoint you." a growling, metallic voice echoed back. Black Mask Lashed out, striking once, then twice with each of his own black blades. The Dark Knight parried each strike almost effortlessly, then returning a riposte to crackle across Sionis' breastplate, drawing yet more blood. All Black Mask could do was yell in protest.

The Dark Knight turned to just barely regard Kate as he fought. "Get yourself and the others out of here, now. I'll cover you."

Kate raised her voice to protest. "We can help you beat them off!"

Sionis swung at the Dark Knight's head, but he continued to parry and block his strikes, using expert footwork and positioning to protect himself while he held the enemy at bay. "No. It's too dangerous; you're all badly wounded. The Justicars will be here in force within the next ten minutes. We don't need to beat them outright, we just need the time."

Unlike Kate and Damien's expert combat hand signaling, Lord Wayne was making his proclamations in the open; and he clearly was having an intended effect. All of the False Face soldiers, even Sionis, seemed to hesitate for just a moment as if intimidated. Bruce was right -- now that he was here, they had a MUCH more deadly enemy on their hands. Sionis himself was badly injured, and the Justicars would be mustering an army to end this battle. As suddenly as Bruce had crashed through the skylight, time was running out for the False Face Society.

Black Mask defended himself from another counter attack from Bruce as he backed away towards his advancing troops, covering himself and playing defense. The soldiers supporting him looked unhappy, but hadn't broken -- they were either loyal or afraid enough of Sionis to stick around with him for a little longer, and they had the numbers. Badly injured, Stephanie and Robyn each hit the floor, rolling and tumbling away from their nearest attackers to disengage, and made a break for the broken rose window behind the great table.

"Go!! Now!" Bruce insisted.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Okay, here's the deets. Sionis is not down yet, though you've hacked off a ton of health (Great job!). The problem is, you could try and beat the BBEG in this fight, but if you don't scurry and let Bruce draw aggro, you're probably looking at dropping below 0 HP. Damien has 11 HP left and is almost out of Ki. Kate is now down to 6(!) HP. Spoiler has 9 HP left, and Robyn is down to 6. So the adds can overwhelm you if you allow them to. The good news is, Robyn and Spoiler both tumble away fairly easily, so you all ought to be positioned for a clean disengage. However if you are feeling particularly lucky, obviously you can stick around to try to test your luck. Speaking of which...good luck!

[Feathersnow]

To me and away!

Kate, having over half her power reservoir untapped, can easily move her allies through space to safety, should they huddle up first!

[MrAbdiel]

Damien manages to avoid any incidental bolts coming his way; but the weight of the situation has shifted several times already so as not to offer profitable risk. Besides, he had given his word to obey; and now, a command to withdraw. Fading back into visibility with a whisper of smoke, he backs toward Batwoman, weapons still up defensively.

“Nightwing’s still out there.”

This, he offers to the Dark Knight as the retreat begins. It would do no good to leave Sir Richard out there, in isolation; but the Knight was capable of rescuing him, for sure.

[Molan]

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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Black Mask, having been badly gouged, quickly ducked behind his throng of soldiers as they entered, sheathing a sword as he went and wrenching a magical looking vial from his belt,
though for a moment he was challenged to drink it with his skull visor down. The Dark Knight was a beautiful sweep of deadly motion. The False Face thugs crowded in, firing their magical crossbow and swinging away, but he danced, juked, feinted and parried like he was putting on a performance. Here, a riposte opened a man's arm; there, a well placed strike nearly took off another's leg. The first six (six!) thugs that dared meet him in melee combat found themselves suffering debilitating (though, not fatal) wounds, while he seemed to absorb the hits that did break his defenses and strike him with as much grace as could be expected. His sword flashed with holy power as he swung it, seeming to make a similar judgement of it's own.

Damien, Stephanie, and Robyn had finally reached Kate, earning a moment respite as the Dark Knight took over the scene. Already, False Facers were beginning to look like their nerve was shaking.

"Go ahead. I'll find Nightwing." he assured them.

Spoiler: OOC

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Now's your chance! With the False Facer's distracted you guys can make good your escape if you so choose.

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

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Finally, after waiting all night, the door to the lab creaked open, and a figure that could only have been Lord Tetch -- he matched his portrait in the halls below, well enough -- stalked into the room. He carried a wand in one hand, and she could see his eyes glowing an unmistakable color. He was searching.

Spoiler: OOC

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Knowledge Arcana or Spellcraft to identify the spell he's using, same options to identify the school for the wand he's carrying. If he uses a divination that pierces your invisibility (glowing eyes kind of a tell that it's divination, but you don't know what spell it actually is), you can make a Hide check to remain out of sight.

[Molan]

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

Show

From Oracle's perspective, there seemed to be bad, and good news. On the bad front, Tetch seemed to know she was there, or that someone had been. She still wasn't sure if the Cat was his familiar or what, but it'd clearly ratted her out. Ironic really.

The second piece of bad news was that he was packing a powerful looking wand that radiated Enchantment magic; a deadly tool, one she had no intention of facing. Worse, he was clearly channeling true seeing. Fairly competent move, such as it was.

The good news, on the other hand, is that besides being invisible, she was also, quite simply, hiding. And that, it seemed, was more than a match for the other wise competent-seeming gnome. The advantage was hers.

Spoiler: OOC

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Checks are good! Your move now!

[Feathersnow]

Following orders is part of Kate's nature, as is admiration for Cousin Bruce and not dying. She opens a portal and takes the four of them back to the Carriage

[JbeJ275]

Stepping out from behind the cover she was crouched behind Barbara was ready to start her attach, in her hand lay four darts in the rough shape of bats, their wing edges sharpened to a razor sheen, in front of her eyes glyphs and glowing guidelines danced, with a thought she sent Juluis back through the gap in the brickwork. They at least wouldn't be in danger from this.

There was no time to talk, only time to move, she ran past Tetch headed for the open door at a sprint as she ran, the icy darts left from her fingertips for the enchantment wizard, one after the other closing the ground with him. She knew had had no physical wards, so merely had to hope that this overwhelming attack would either bring him down or send him to flight before he could retaliate with his own mad magics.

Spoiler: OOC:

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Swift Action: Cast Critical Strike
Action: Cast Ice Darts, all for attacks at Tetch
Move: Out the Door

Ice Dart 1. Attack: (1d20+10)[21] (VS Flat footed touch AC, Threatens a crit on a 19+) Damage: (2d4)[4]+(4d6)[14]
Ice Dart 2. Attack: (1d20+10)[24] (VS Flat footed touch AC, Threatens a crit on a 19+) Damage: (2d4)[2]+(4d6)[9]
Ice Dart 3. Attack: (1d20+10)[12] (VS Flat footed touch AC, Threatens a crit on a 19+) Damage: (2d4)[4]+(4d6)[9]
Ice Dart 4. Attack: (1d20+10)[29] (VS Flat footed touch AC, Threatens a crit on a 19+) Damage: (2d4)[5]+(4d6)[14]

[Molan]

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

Show

The icy bat-shaped darts caught Lord Tetch completely by surprise, each burying themselves deep in his chest before he even had so much as time to yell out in shock or pain. He collapsed back onto the floor as Oracle made her way for the exit, though whether from the severity of the wounds or just sheet unbelievable shock, it was hard to say.

Spoiler: Hill Hall

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The Dark Knight's sword gleamed and flashed as he dueled and danced with the swarming thugs around him. In six swings he'd opened six men up; none of the wounds fatal, but all so devastating that they almost immediately attempted to disengage in fear. As Kate's power finally began to ensconce the party, they could see a hail of magical crossbow bolts flying towards him, but he didn't so much as flinch from fear, rather turning slightly away from them and holding his cloak up, as though a shield.

But with that, the strange psionic power that Kate wielded enveloped them, and with a *pop*, they were back at the Wayne Carriage outside. The scene there was a chaotic one. Some of the carriages had crashed when the attack began; their drivers or owners attempting to flee in panic. Many, many more had left the grounds. The False Face war wagons were still encircled at the grand entryway, though the men still manning them looked slightly less enthused than they'd been before -- the raid appeared to have been taking longer than expected. A few of the False Face enforcers were closer to the Wayne carriage; the way the bodies were laid out, they looked as though they'd been ransacking carriages when they'd found Alfred.

Or, more accurately, Sir Pennyworth had found them. He sat perched atop the Wayne carriage, his heavy, enchanted repeating crossbow in hand, quietly humming along with arcane might. Three charred bolts had been fired, one for each thug. He turned to address the party almost nonchalantly.

"Ah, my lovely lord and ladies. Turned out to be quite the festive evening, wasn't it?"

The party quickly boarded, and Alfred nodded to the coachman, who slapped the reigns of the horse team, leading them away from the chaos. In the distance, Damien could make out the telltale blue and red flashes from the Justicars' lanterns of dancing lights, signaling that somewhere, the cavalry was, belatedly, coming.

The Wayne carriage sped away into the night, running down the dark cobblestone streets of Uptown, careening through the gilded, dark wizard's towers and manors that filled South Point before spinning south again through the slums of Hell's Kitchen, before eventually finding true solitude and obscurity in Channel Park, making it's way ever further towards Midtown, and eventually one of the two bridges that would lead to Wayne Castle.

Once it was obvious the coast was clear, Alfred nimbly managed to cavort himself from the roof of the carriage, back into the interior through a hatch at the roof. He was spry, for a man of his age."Well, that ought do it for now," he said, sitting himself back down among the rest of the party. "Might I ask you all, what in the hell happened back there? Who were those thugs? They had what looked like House Sionis sigils on the sides of their wagons."

"What happened back there, is I fugged up." Spoiler sulked.

"Begging pardon miss, but how's that now?"

"I had a lead about the issues with the Sionis' weeks ago. I didn't think they'd hit a gala that important. I should have known better."

"You're being too hard on yourself!" Robyn said, looking aghast. "You couldn't possibly have known!" she gripped Stephanie's hand, but the thief still looked morose.

"I should have known better, we could have been better prepared."

"We were plenty prepared," Kate countered. "We might be a little banged up, but if we hadn't been there, tons more people would have died. And who knows what Sionis would have done if we hadn't slowed him and his thugs down."

"It sounds like he's after the Cypher," Damien said. "He means to use the Beast to defeat Father."

They sat in silence for a while, everyone except Alfred quietly bleeding onto the floor of the coach.

"Sionis." Sir Pennyworth said, shaking his head. "What the hell happened to that man?"

"I dunno," said Stephanie. "But I have a bad feeling we haven't seen the last of him."


***************************

The carriage pulled onto Wayne Isle, and hooded and silent House Wayne attendants helped the party out of the coach, providing healing salves to staunch the worst of the party's wounds. Alfred had used a sending stone to warn ahead. Despite feeling tired and beaten, the party retreated not to their bedrooms in the castle, but to the Cave down below, where they sat around a curved bar in the barracks area, looking and feeling miserable. Alfred poured the women some drinks.

"How long do you think before he gets back?" Robyn asked, not feeling the need to qualify the "he" in that sentence.

"More to the point, if Oracle wasn't at that party, where in the Hells was she tonight?" Stephanie added.

Alfred shook his head, tossing back a glass of monastery-distilled whisky.

"Don't know the answer to either of those questions, I'm afraid. But, seems to me, if Lady Oracle wasn't at the party, seems likely as not she was somewhere Uptown. Just kind of hard to say where."

"Close, but no cigar."

They nursed their drinks for another hour or so, exhausted and hurt but too strung up to go to sleep. Talk occasionally bounced around the bar.

"We should've done more," Robyn rued.

"Now you're both too hard on yourselves." Kate chided. "Was that your first proper battle? You did well."

Robyn removed her hand from her glass, revealing a bloody partial handprint from when she'd previously been holding her (now closed) wound.

".....how do you figure??" she exclaimed.

"Because we're all alive." Kate said coolly.

At around that moment, someone seemed to have woken Questor, and she bounded down from the Castle upstairs, running into the barracks to find her wounded comrades. She shot straight to Kate, looking over her injuries, practically sputtering with worry. Kate tried to wave her away, insisting she was fine, but Renee wouldn't have it, and began praying, keeping her arms wrapped firmly around her dark companion. Holy magic flowed into the barracks, closing most of Kate's injuries.

"Got any more of that for us?" Damien sniggered.

But at that moment, they heard a straight, echoing neighing sound, like the screech of a great steed from the Other Side. From the waterfall at the mouth of the cave, a great black stallion rode into the hideout, crying out triumphally as it went. The party got up to meet the rider as he rode into the stable area of the base. It was Bruce, still covered in his dark armor. His steed was black as midnight, dressed in it's own elaborate looking mithril barding. Behind him, on a destrier of his own, was, mercifully, Sir Richard.

""Sorry about that everyone," Richard said, looking chagrinned as the two dismounted. "Kind of lost my head back there."

Spoiler: OOC

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Damien, Spoiler, Robyn and Kate each get a potion of cure moderate wounds, 2d8+10 healing. Kate takes an additional 3d8+8 healing from Questor.

[MrAbdiel]

"Your mind was unfortified." He remarked bluntly, scoldingly, at Sir Richard; and then, turning his eyes to his father's sable regalia. "And you're slower than I've ever seen you."

It is hard to categorize such comments from the boy's lips. They are intensely critical; but it is possible criticism is his primary language of concern. That, or he's just a little as***le who is incapable of offering unqualified appreciation.

"Most importantly, we've learned how growingly desperate these factions are to find Lord Dent. Presumably, they think he has the Codex. They must know he broke into the Vaults, and then went into hiding. We need that cypher!"

[JbeJ275]

After a long slow moment to draw her breath, and to still the shaking that threatened to overwhelm her. Then, ready to dispel any magic that was flung her way she stepped back into the room, checking whether Tetch was still fighting, if he was deisabled and needed medical care to survive or if he was beyond he reach of what she could do now.

[Molan]

Spoiler: Tetch Hall

Show

Bending down to admire her desperate handiwork, Oracle pulled the bat shaped icicles out of Tetch's chest, and checked the miserly little gnome's pulse to see if there was still something to work with.

But there wasn't. The gnome had no pulse, and a slick pool of blood was rapidly filling the floor under his body. She knew that, had he gotten a spell off instead, she might have been in serious trouble, possibly even found herself trading places with him.
Still, for a moment, it was hard not to feel as though she'd just done something she couldn't take back, and wasn't sure how she felt about that. It was...a curious feeling.

Somewhere at the bottom of the tower, a cat seemed to howl mournfully.