As You Command IC

[JbeJ275]

The seconds pass slowly, as you stand quietly in the corner of the room, until two elves come stepping into the room, leading amalgamations of dogflesh in the general shape or a wolf, with first sized bulges around their snouts that they seem to be following. These are apparently the Golhunds the woman spoke of. Then seem to go about the room mindlessly, both passing through the cloud, worryingly the creatures seem unaffected by the smoke, the foul energy collecting around them but having little effect on the masses of stitched together flesh.

The two elves step into the room, and the disgust already on their faces intensifies as they come to smell the pipe smoke, one shoots a dirty look at the other and then steps outside leaving the other to talk to the woman.

"Woman, what harm has been done to our structures, you know that while we allow you to dwell here such harm will see you cast to the hunter's mercies. Is that what you want? And to foul the place with odours so, you'll see your family sent out for this."

"No, please sir. It was... stuck and I pulled to hard, that's all there was to this. My husband works even now in the forges, we'll trade for what we must and repair the door, ensure it's fitting again."

"And this ghastly smoke, what of that?"

"My children sir, they work in alchemicals..."

At that point, your attention is drawn by one of the Golhunds. The fleshy construct now drawing closer to Sharkan and seems to be readying a cry out to its masters. You perhaps have a second or so to act before it barks but no more.

[MrAbdiel]

Alas; subtlety can only take one so far. As the stitched hounds seem to be cutting through the haze toward them, there remains no more time to hope they will be carried through without base level dominance.

Fortunately, he was good at that.

Invisible, Lamorak strides through the centre of the room, the soft echoes of his footsteps perhaps drawing confusion from the elves. Then he drives out one bare hand toward the most senior looking operativeÂ’s face, curls his fingers abruptly in the space before his nose, and pulls back abruptly.

Spoiler: Ooc

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ItÂ’s assassinatinÂ’ time!

(1d20+11)[28] to hit with a flat footed touch attack, from Deadly Touch.

If that hits, the first thing is a DC 14 fort save or die. If he passes, he can also make a DC 18 will save to take half of the 15 + (5d6)[19] negative energy damage.

Also, he has atleast a -2 to saves from my aura of despair; and hopefully a -4 from the pipe of grief!

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Sharkan stood there watching the elves and hounds. Stealth had indeed only taken them so far. But the hound had picked up on Sharkans scent, he could not yet hide that, but give him time. He reached down within himself, pulled upon that great desire to subjugate and enforce his will upon others and pushed it into his hand, reaching out to the hound that was pushing toward him.

Spoiler

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Deadly Touch
(1d20+10)[28] Touch Attack vs hound
21 Points of damage
DC 18 Will Save to half that damage

[Waistcoatwill]

Cypher quietly unsheathes his blade as the Lord Protector and Sharkan select their targets. He situates himself close to the final Golhound, running through his general knowledge of comstruct weaknesses. He tenses, waiting to strike with maximum efficiency when the others make their move.

Spoiler: Actions

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Delaying his turn until the others act.
Knowledge devotion Arcana (1d20+16)[17]
Knowledge Devotion Local (Elves) (1d20+16)[23]
Swift action wraithstrike for flat-footed touch attacks
Full Attack with full power attack
roll]1d20+6[/roll] for (2d4+16)[19] damage
(1d20+1)[2] for (2d4+16)[19] damage
Plus 2 to hit and wound from knowledge devotion.

[Dusk Raven]

Not to be outdone, Maiabel maneuvers into position next to the other elf sentry. Though her ability to deliver damage from hiding isn't as refined as her master's, she does her best to put her blade through the elf's vitals.

Spoiler: Actions

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Assuming I only get a standard action and thus only one attack, what with having to move into position and all.
Attack: (1d20+15)[35]
Damage: (1d6+6)[12] plus Sneak Attack: (2d6)[5]

[JbeJ275]

The leading elf's eyes flash in realisation, lasting perhaps half a second before he bursts out in a fit of coughing, blood staining his lips as powerful necromatic energies kill off his insides, within seconds he collapses to the fllor, his heart no longer beating. These seconds are enough for the rest of you to act though, Maiabell makes it to the other elf before he leaaves the building, pinning a blade through his chest and into his heart. With a single gasp he collapses to the floor, rapidly losing blood and too weak to speak.

Unfortunately your actions against the contructs are less succesful, the leathery outer skin of one Golhund shrugs off Cypher's blade and while Sharkan has little trouble grabbing hold of the beast, the negative energy seems to have minimal effects on the creature, turning parts of its flesh black but not truly affecting whatever force is animating it.

With their masters defeated, and no-one to give them orders the golhunds pause for half a second. Then they start yipping and bolt out the door of the structure, making it into the alleyway beyond with a strange hoarse growl. The astral construct you saw there remains as well, and the hounds have made their way behind it. The astral construct seems to be making efforts to block your way out of the alley, but is not itself calling for help.

[Waistcoatwill]

Cypher curses his luck, small hotels were clearly not the ideal place to wield a refined and elegant blade such as his. He turns towards the woman.

Will the astral construct summon more guards or merely prevent our egress? Quickly now, before those hounds alert the whole metropolis!

A pulse extends out from Cypher's form, lemdimg his allies and the woman an echo of his own speed. Waiting only to hear a reply that will let him select a target Cyoher dashes into the alleyway after the constructs.

Spoiler: Actions

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Swift action haste, gains 20% miss chance.
Move to within 10ft of the constructs.
If the woman says that the astral one will just block them hill strike at the noisy hounds, otherwise he'll go for the astral construct.

Power attack for -4 (1d20+10)[12](2d4+12)[19]

[JbeJ275]

You turn and see the woman going for something hidden under her bed. Hearing your question she calls back at you.

“The construct will just attack anyone trying to leave, the hounds are the ones actually trying to get the other guards”.

[MrAbdiel]

"Then we have no choice. Put the hounds down, at all costs; that buys us all the time available!"

Without time to attend what their suspiciously compliant captive is doing, Lamorak - now visible, in all his spiked and violent glory - storms out through the door into the alley, producing the ring of steel as the sleek, dark steel of the Hollow Blade exits its sheathe.

Spoiler: OOC Actions!

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Move while drawing weapon; move to adjacent with hounds. Ideally, he'll place himself opposite a hound from Cypher or anyone else keeping up with him (in order to get a sneak attack in as an AOO); but given that the dawgs have a headstart, he'll take what he can get.
As the user of the Pipe of Grief, he's immune to the smoke; but everyone else should hold their breath when they go through the door!

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Upon hearing orders to stop the hounds, sharkan peels out following the hounds to see if he can get line of sight on the fleeing hound. Should he still see them he will lift up his arms as 4 bursts of energy form between his paws and take the form of 4 cats that spring forth to unerringly strike the hound he can see.

(4d4+4)[9] ((magic missile on hound i touched preference, but if not possible, the next closest hound.))

[Dusk Raven]

Tensing for a moment, Maiabel rushes after the hounds, moving with more speed than would seem possible for the young woman, manuevering to the other side of one of the hounds before approaching and stabbing.

Spoiler: Actions

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Using the Bounding Assault maneuver, allowing me to make a double move and then attack with a +2 bonus. Combined with the haste, I'll use that movement to skirt past the astral construct, out of its reach, and circle around one of the hounds before moving into range to attack.
Attack: (1d20+16)[32]
Damage: (1d6+6)[12]

EDIT: +3 Damage for Insightful Strike, since it's a Diamond Mind maneuver.

[JbeJ275]

Cypher leads the chase, his elegant blade once more failing to pierce the toughened outer layer of the lupine constructs, but he and his dark lord do manage to surround the slower of the two fleeing foes. Sharkan's cats collide with the creature, but don't hit directly enough to bring it down properly.

Then Maiabel comes roraring from behind, bounding up the walls of the alley and leaping over her companions and the astral construct alike to get ahead of the fleeing constructs. With a single swing of her short sword she lodges it deep in the shoulder of one of the fleeing hounds, causing it to fall apart into a pile of loosely stitched dogflesh.

However, the other Golhund, still unwounded now withdraws from the alley entirely, yipping all the way. It's now 100ft away, among the crowd in the street beyond the alleyway, the local people giving it a wide berth but clearly making note of it and rapidly heading towards the nearest watchhouse.

The astral construct though has seemingly programmed to be ready for anyone attempting to flee the alleyway, and to prevent them doing so through violent means. It's the dark lord Lamorak who first moves close to it as needed to flank the Golems, and so he recieves both the first blow and a follow up strike. The first he catches with his shield, but the second swings around and catches him in the side, where his armour can't effectively block the full force of the strike.

Spoiler: OOC

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One Golhund dead, the other 105 feet away from most of you and 95ft from Maiabell. The Astral construct is unwounded.

Lamorak takes 16 damage.

[Dusk Raven]

With a sudden leap, Maiabel moves towards the astral construct to flank it with the aid of her master. Once in position, she makes a flurry of strikes at the construct, aiming to dissipate it as fast as possible. Aided by Cypher's magic, she seems to be a blur as she stabs again and again.

Spoiler: Actions

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Swift Action: using the Sudden Leap maneuver. I make a Jump check and move the indicated amount. Presumably, I don't count as having a running start, so this'll be tricky. Good thing having 60 movement speed thanks to Haste gives me a +12 bonus!

(1d20+25)[27]

That should be enough to beat a DC 20 jump check for a 10-foot jump.

Full-Round Action: Full Attack, with a -2/+2 modifier for Combat Expertise.

Main Hand 1: (1d20+12)[19] (+13 Base, -2 TWF, -2 Combat Expertise, +1 Haste, +2 Flanking)
Damage: (3d6+6)[17] (1d6+6 Base, plus 1d6 Sneak Attack and 1d6 Deadly Defense)
Off Hand 1: (1d20+12)[17]
Damage: (3d6+6)[19]
Haste Attack: (1d20+12)[26]
Damage: (3d6+6)[22]
Main Hand 2: (1d20+7)[17]
Damage: (3d6+6)[21]
Off Hand 2: (1d20+7)[25]
Damage: (3d6+6)[21]

[Darius Vibrtrar]

With a hiss of annoyance sharkan drops to his knees, lowering his center of gravity. He sits back rather than standing on his knees. He begins casting, but takes even more time to empower his magical might. 4 bolts pf arcane light, looking like cats at 3am with a bad case of the zoomies race along the ground to strike at the constructs.

Empowered magic missile
(4d4+4)[13] +50% [19 damage total]

[JbeJ275]

Of Maiabel's many rapid and fearsome swings only one managed to pierce the strange outer shell of the astral construct, however that one stab proved powerful, with the internal resevoirs now flowing freely and the creature seemingly sunstantially wounded.

Meanwhile the fleeing Golhund takes significant damamge from the array of magic missiles ripping into its side, the magical cat claws opening up patches in its side, but does not immedietly succumb to the force of those magical bolts.

[MrAbdiel]

As the construct wheels back from Maiabel's blows, Lamorak lays in with his own; fewer, but similarly possessed of an instinctive wisdom for shearing at joints, and narrow points even in a creature with no explicit organs to pierce!

Spoiler: OOC!

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Attack 1: (1d20+15)[33], for (1d8+4)[6]+(1d6)[3].

Attack 2: (1d20+10)[17], for (1d8+4)[6]+(1d6)[6].

Haste Attack 1: (1d20+15)[26], for (1d8+4)[9]+(1d6)[1].

[Waistcoatwill]

Cypher dismissively looks over at the construct, noting it's provable reach and reaction speeds. It was unlikely to pose a significant impediment. His blurred form streaks past the larger construct, deftly taking him within striking range of its noisome companion.

As the ancient blade snakes out, Cypher's eyes seek anatomical weak points. Finesse would succeed where crude brute force had failed him.

Spoiler: Actions

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Dodge plus Cunning Defence on the astral construct, with mobility AC is 28 against AoO from it. 20% miss chance.

Charge vs Golhund. Using Cunning Insight for damage (2/5 IP remaining).

(1d20+16)[23] for (2d4+12)[15] damage.

[JbeJ275]

Lamorak's blows also rain down on the astral construct, further splintering its surface and opening cracks but failing to put down the mindless construct. In contrast, cypher's mad dash just manages to catch the Golhund centrally enough that it breaks apart when it tries to continue running. That said, as he's now among the crowd he can see the panic building there as many back away from the fighting, and others turn and run, drawing further attention to the side street.

Back in the alley, while the Astral construct missed its chance on Cypher it continues fighting, now apparently identifying Maiabell as it's new target, it lashes out at her with brutal effectiveness, slamming a hard blow into her stomach.

Spoiler: OOC

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Golhund is dead but a lot of civiliians saw you, astral construct is cracked and weakening bt not quite out yet. Maiabell takes 16 damage.

[Waistcoatwill]

Cypher scans the street around him, noticing the mounting agitation in the populace. They would surely lead the next cadre of guards straight to the Lord Protector if not given a suitable distraction.

He gives his blade a flourish to remove any remaining gore before sheathing it, to ensure that it is clean and to focus attention more keenly on him. Then the spymasters sprints away from the scene, taking a course.away from his group and towards a gate out of the city.

At a suitable point he dips out of line of sight and vanishes from any pursuers, leaving them to chase shadows.

With pursuit evaded he makes his way back towards his comrades.

Spoiler: Actions

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No stealthyness initially, just running about at top speed for a bit. Then selecting a place to disappear and losing anyone following. After this he'll return to the group.

Spot (1d20+7)[20] to find a place to break line of sight.
Cast invisibility.
Move silently (1d20+14)[19]

[Dusk Raven]

Maiabel grits her teeth behind her mask, and continues her assault, doing her best to bring the construct down. This time, rather than the flurry of strikes she'd done previously, she makes a single, calculated stab, piercing through the construct's armored defenses.

Spoiler: Actions

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This time, I'm going to use the Emerald Razor maneuver, which is a touch attack.
Attack: (1d20+16)[30] (normal BAB plus flanking plus Haste)
Damage: [roll]2d6+9/roll] (normal damage plus sneak attack plus Insightful Strike)

If that brings down the construct, Maiabel will... use her move action to regroup with Lamorak.

[MrAbdiel]

Lamorak makes an unnecessary, spiteful hack at the construct as it goes down to Maiabel's blow, glancing up as Cypher hares off down the lane to put down the flesh-dog. He radiates contentment at their performance - the discovery being no one's fault, and the mission having been at risk of early detection anyway. "We may have a moment or two. We must move; Cypher will find his way back to us."

At once, he stalks back to the hovel at the woman there - their prisoner, who would perhaps become accomplice. "Woman: you gave warning where... you might have given none. You have earned my consideration. Your husband works with the chemicals of this place? Where does he work? How far would we need to, to find and extricate him - and spirit both of you off to a new kingdom where your skills and loyalty will be rewarded, instead of abused and forsaken?"

...He trails off - the woman, it seems, has snuck away.

[JbeJ275]

Lamorak, Sharkan and Maiabell

When you come into the house, leaving a pool of ectoplasm and two broken fleshy constructs behind you and moving your sight over the elven corpses at your feet you see that the sheets have been thrown off the bed and the bed itself has been slightly shifted, the chest has been thrown open with some stuff seemingly grabbed from it and the woman herself cannot immedietly be seen, despite having all of twenty seconds to do so she seems to have made herself scarce somehow.

Cypher

After perhaps two minutes at a run through the undercity you're starting to draw too close to the walls and so look to make good your evasion, you're aware that you've drawn pursuit, and that the walls are manned so it comes as little suprise when the elven guard forces draw close to your position, from some distance you see one speking in elvish while making sweeping gestures with their hands and the two accompanying this elf turning to look at them for a moment. You take the chance to advance towards the group, hoping to slip through their loose screen with little issue, unfortunately one of the three on patrol cries out in Elvish. "Someone here is invisible and moving. If it won't come out we will take it down!" What do you do?

Spoiler: OOC

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OK so Cypher drawing off the others was good for them, but invisibility isn't foolproof if your foes have their own mages and you have nothing but an alley to put space between you and them. Still very much a workable situation though. Please roll initiative, if you get a 12 or more you can go right away, I quickly mapped this up in the roll 20 as well. Also give me a will saving throw.

Everyone else, you seem to have a few minutes but no clear hostage, still might be an oppurtunity here though.

[Waistcoatwill]

Cypher silently throws his hands up in frustration. The guards of the Marcellian Kingdom were never this vexing.

Before this trio has a chance to act he gestures and steps to the side, almost 680ft to the side. He rematerialises in one of the side streets He had passed earlier as close to his point of origin as he can manage.

The still invisible spymaster then moves cautiously onwards. If the elves could somehow track his dimension door he had best make himself scarce once again.

Spoiler: Actions

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Action - Dimension Door. Would some kind of intelligence check be required to target a suitable alleyway he'd previously passed? If so (1d20+6)[8]

Movement - moving silently once again to relocate 15ft unnoticed as he is no longer hasted.
(1d20+14)[23]

Edit for poor typing on phone as usual.

[Waistcoatwill]

Cypher looks around at the unfamiliar alleyway, he could barely think before with thise bothersome guards. But the longer he left them without his counsel the more likely they were to run into trouble.

He pauses briefly to triangulate the various watch towers, smoke Stacks and visible "landmarks" of the undercity. Sure of his bearings, Cypher's invisible form strides confidently through the streets once more.

Spoiler: Roll

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Knowledge Geography plus Cunning Knowledge (1/5 IP remaining).
(1d20+20)[38]

[Dusk Raven]

Maiabel frowns, not that anyone else can see anything but her mask's stoic exterior. With only a moment's hesitation, she goes to the bed, examining it and the floor around it for some sort of hidden mechanism or secret door.

(1d20+2)[18]

[Darius Vibrtrar]

Sharkan auidble purrs as he stalks through the room. He calls upon his Paladin Powers to sense for anyone of a goodly nature, and his nose to keenly seek out bodies in the room, or toward hints of where people may have gone.

Spoiler: Rolls

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Detect Good as a Paladin of Tyranny
Scent

Search (1d20+2)[11]
Survival (1d20+2)[7]

[JbeJ275]

Maiabell spends a few seconds, checking the lining where the frame of the bed contacts the floor for any mechanisms and finds none, however the bed itself is far lighter than expected and so she lifts it up entirely in an attempt to get a better view on the area she's examining. In doing so, she spots a tunnel carved into the earth from beneath the centre of the bed, that seem to drop about twelve feet vertically down, with only a tiny crawl space leading on from there.

Sharkan's detection magic returns little useful information, and his attention is soon pulled from the rest of the room by Maiabel's discovery.

[MrAbdiel]

"Follow her."

The command comes instantly from the Lord Protector's mouth, as the red points of his eyes glowing behind the helm turn to Maiabel expectantly. Lamorak himself may yet need to crawl through that tunnel - but he doesn't relish the prospect of trying to do so in spiked full plate; and Sharkan, for his various strengths, is not the stealthy hunter-killer that Maiabel is.

"The enemy has detected us here, but the slave-woman is doomed by association with us, now. She will leap upon an offer of expatriation; we must hope her husband is skilled enough to make this expedition worthwhile. If you are not back, faithful Maiabel, before Cypher rejoins us, we will pursue you."

[Dusk Raven]

Maiabel nods, and goes down into the tunnel with all haste, mentally rehearsing what she's going to say to the woman. She tries to think about what her master would say in her place. Though she's not used to being the one doing the talking, she'll do so for Lamorak's sake.

[JbeJ275]

In the Tunnels

Soon after the initial drop Maiabell feels around beneath herself, but soon aligns herself with the tunnel going forward. She notes that the crawl space moving forward follows a large ceramic pipe on the left side and seems to have been made taking advantage of that support. Still, the crawl space is very small and so she struggles to move quickly through the narrow area. After perhaps twenty feet of crawling forward, there's another sudden drop but Maiabell's manages to twist around in the tunnel and secure a safe way down. She sees a charred mass beneath her, some black substance on the fllor that seems to be flammable and the charred remains of three Golhunds, too small to get back into any of the higher tunnels and destroyed by the fire. The smell is terrible, all charred flesh and half rotten leather.

The other side of the wall reveals another path going forward and she quickly finds her way in. Some distance later she sees a light at the end of this tunnel, revealing a chamber lit by some dim magical illumination. In the chamber she can hear murmured discussion and manages to spot the woman from earlier, now covered in mud talking to a small woman in long flowing robes, stained through with grime. Around her neck, you can see a large amulet, of twisting lines attatching to two leaves made in metal, you also notice a slight pointedness to her ears, demonstrating some amount of elven ancestry. Two others stand in the chamber, and there are stacks of small crates piled about, with other tunnels like the ones you are currently lying in dotting the opposite wall and a larger walkable passageway to the side leading into another small cavern. The others have weapons at their sides, blacksmith hammers re-headed to turn them into simple weapons. What do you do?

Above

While you nervously wait for Maiabell below, Cypher, your other errant companion arrives back in the house once more. Outside, the initial cries of panic have diminished and Cypher's false retreat has prevented the guards following a straight line to you here. However the ectoplasm has not yet entirely faded, and the trampled corpse of the Golhund has now been turned into a stain on the street by dozens of trampling boots, so it seems inevitable the guards will track this position down at some point. What do you do?