IC: Disjunction

[Watcher]

OOC
Dice Rolls

Spoiler: Disjoiner of Fate

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Disjoiner of Fate
Major Artifact
CL: 20

This rod is deceptively simple in design, but magic pours off of it. It fires a bolt of grey light that has diverse effects depending on what it strikes.

An unlimited times per day, the Disjoiner of Fate can fire a projectile with unerring accuracy within a range of 300 feet.

• Evil Outsiders are healed for 2d8+10 hit points.
• Good Outsiders take 10d6 damage and are sickened for 1d4 rounds. Fortitude DC 23 halves the damage and negates the sickened effect.
• Mortal souls are branded with a strange grey sigil that consigns them to Hell, Abaddon, or the Abyss.

The Disjoiner of Fate's inner workings are unknown to you, and its true power is yet hidden.

Spoiler: Initiative

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Top of Round 2:
23 Knave <----
21 Shizel
19 Taker
18 Deva Clarence (near death, grappled)
15 Deva Abbott (attacking Shizel)
13 Barbed Devil (near death)
08 Deva Beatrice (injured) (attacking Taker)
03 Zalgoth

Devas: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Watcher]

The deva attacking Taker stumbles at the unexpected attack. She looks around, struggling to find the source of the dart before she refocuses on Taker.

Spoiler: Initiative

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Top of Round 2:
23 Knave
21 Shizel <----
19 Taker <----
18 Deva Clarence (near death, grappled)
15 Deva Abbott (barely injured) (attacking Shizel)
13 Barbed Devil (near death)
08 Deva Beatrice (injured) (attacking Taker)
03 Zalgoth

Devas: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Athaleon]

Taker whispered a mocking laugh as the deva attempted to attack him. He backed away a step to bring his weapon to bear against the deva attacking him, and aimed another flurry of savage thrusts at his attacker's face.

Spoiler

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Full attacking with Power Attack again.

(1d20+16)[23] vs Touch
(1d8+23)[24]

(1d20+11)[15]
(1d8+23)[28]

(1d20+6)[9]
(1d8+23)[28]

[ngilop]

Zalgoth moves and unleashes a barrage of arcane orbs at the deva attacking taker there is a hiss as the venedaemon's arcane power overcomes the innate defenses of the celestial

[Watcher]

The barbed devil finishes off the deva in his grasp. Furious, the living deva nearest him calls down a blast of holy light. It doesn't penetrate the devil's defenses, but Shizel is caught in the blast.

Inspired, the deva fighting Taker follows suit and lays her own smite upon Taker. It washes over him but doesn't manage to penetrate his defenses either. Her expression falls as she realizes she may die very soon.

Spoiler: OOC

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Shizel needs to make a DC 18 Will Save. On a success, take 17 damage. On a failure, take 34 damage and be blinded for 1 round.

Clarence struggles but can't escape the grapple.
The Barbed Devil attacks Clarence and then stays.
Abbott 5 foot steps away from Shizel and casts Holy Smite.
Beatrice 5 foot steps away from Taker (so she's 15 feet away), then casts Holy Smite.

My rolls have failed me. It is what it is lol

Spoiler: Initiative

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Round 2:
Shizel <----

Top of Round 3:
23 Knave <----
21 Shizel
19 Taker
18 Deva Clarence
15 Deva Abbott (barely injured) (attacking Shizel)
13 Barbed Devil (near death)
08 Deva Beatrice (badly wounded) (attacking Taker)
03 Zalgoth

Devas: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Dusk Raven]

Shizel's innate will is enough to prevent the worst of the spell from affecting her, and she takes a confident step towards the Deva responsible before striking with her scimitar, repeatedly.

Spoiler: Actions

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Five-foot step towards Deva Abbott.
Full action: Full attack Abbott.
Attack 1: (1d20+24)[36]
Damage: (1d6+17)[22]
Attack 2: (1d20+19)[28]
Damage: (1d6+17)[19]
Attack 3: (1d20+14)[15]
Damage: (1d6+17)[21]

[Watcher]

Two of Shizel's attacks hit and damage the deva, but his tough skin mitigates much of it.

Spoiler: Initiative

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Round 3:
23 Knave <----
21 Shizel <----
19 Taker
15 Deva Abbott (injured) (attacking Shizel)
13 Barbed Devil (near death)
08 Deva Beatrice (badly wounded) (attacking Taker)
03 Zalgoth

Devas: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Feathersnow]

Knave turns invisible to ready for a second sneak attack!

[Athaleon]

Taker took the briefest moment to mock the deva's attempt to smite him, laughing as he resumed his attack.

Spoiler

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Full Attack, Power Attack, move as needed to stay in the polearm's sweet spot.

(1d20+16)[22]
[/roll]1d8+23[/roll]

(1d20+16)[27]
[/roll]1d8+23[/roll]

(1d20+16)[25]
[/roll]1d8+23[/roll]

[Watcher]

Taker's assault overwhelms the deva's defenses by the sheer number of attacks. The deva braces for one final attack when Taker's last strike knocks her to the ground.

The other deva's jaw sets, and he suddenly pivots and slashes the barbed devil, which falls to the ground in a heap.
He sends halfhearted slashes to Shizel and actually manages to strike a lucky hit that barely scratches her. He glances about for an escape.

Spoiler: OOC

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Taker didn't roll his damage, but as long as he didn't roll all 1s, he would have killed Beatrice.

Abbott full attacks Barbed Devil, then Shizel. Barbed Devil is unconscious and dying, one lucky Nat 20 hit Shizel, but didn't confirm. After damage reduction, 11 -> 1 damage to Shizel.

Spoiler: Initiative

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Round 3:
23 Knave
21 Shizel <----
19 Taker
15 Deva Abbott (injured) (attacking Shizel)
13 Barbed Devil
08 Deva Beatrice
03 Zalgoth <----

Devas: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Dusk Raven]

Shizel continues her assault, the nick from the Deva merely convincing her of her martial superiority, at least compared to her foe.

Spoiler: Actions

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If necessary, take a five-foot step towards the Deva. Then, full attack.

Attack 1: (1d20+24)[42]
Damage: [roll]1d6+17)[/roll]
Attack 2: [roll]1d20+19)[/roll]
Damage: [roll]1d6+17)[/roll]
Attack 3: [roll]1d20+14)[/roll]
Damage: [roll]1d6+17)[/roll]

If any of these threaten a crit, I'll roll the confirmation in the dice rolling channel.

EDIT: Messed up the commands. I'll just roll them in the dice channel.

[Watcher]

The deva is momentarily stunned by Shizel's first counterattack, and blood streams down his face. He wipes the blood from his eyes.

Spoiler: Initiative

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Round 3:
03 Zalgoth <----

Top of Round 4:
23 Knave <----
21 Shizel
19 Taker
15 Deva Abbott (badly wounded) (attacking Shizel)
13 Barbed Devil
03 Zalgoth

Devas: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Feathersnow]

Knave winces invisibly as he prepares to dispatch the Deva. He knew this was wrong, but it was outside his control.

Spoiler: attack!

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(1d20+25)[38]
(6d6+5)[25] Sneak attack damage, poison in effect, DC 16

[Watcher]

The last deva shrugs off the poison like the other one had, but this one spots Knave wink into sight. He still looks ready to flee, however.

Spoiler: Initiative

Show

Round 3:
03 Zalgoth <----

Round 4:
23 Knave
21 Shizel <----
19 Taker <----
15 Deva Abbott (badly wounded)
13 Barbed Devil
03 Zalgoth

Deva: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21
The Deva is at least a move action away from everybody except Shizel.

[ngilop]

Zalgoth moves to be closer to the last remaining Deva trying to block its escape, this time though the slump of the celestial's shoulder lets Zalgoth know that its doom aura has finally overcame the creatures protections.

[Watcher]

The last deva takes flight and swoops north, past Taker, but the hallway is too narrow to completely evade him. If he survives the gauntlet of attacks blocking his way, he turns invisible.

Spoiler: OOC

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With no activity, I'm skipping to the deva's turn. Don't worry, your turns aren't lost.

The deva flies 60 ft north, which incurs attacks of opportunity from Shizel, Zalgoth, and Taker, if they choose to take them. If he survives to the end of his move action, he casts Invisibility on himself.

Spoiler: Initiative

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Attacks of Opportunity incurred against Deva Abbott from Shizel, Zalgoth, and Taker.
After taking your AOO, feel free to take your normal turn, keeping in mind that it will be against an invisible foe.

Round 4:
23 Knave
21 Shizel <----
19 Taker <----
15 Deva Abbott (badly wounded)
13 Barbed Devil
03 Zalgoth <----

Deva: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Dusk Raven]

Shizel pounces on the fleeing Deva with a stab from her rapier, but otherwise can't do anything to stop its flight. She certainly can't do much against an invisible foe, so when it vanishes from sight, she simply takes a defensive stance.

Spoiler: Actions and AoO

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AoO: (1d20+24)[30]
Damage: (1d6+17)[21]

Afterwards, Shizel will take the Total Defense action.

[Watcher]

The last deva turns invisible. Spatters of blood appear on the hallway floor.

Spoiler: Initiative

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The deva turned invisible as its last action. You know which square it's in, but suffer a 50% miss chance.

Everyone gets one more turn. If the deva can act again, combat rounds end. You all can act in any order you like.

Round 4:
23 Knave
21 Shizel
19 Taker <----
15 Deva Abbott (near death)
13 Barbed Devil
03 Zalgoth <----

Round 5:
23 Knave <----

Deva: AC 28, touch 17, flat-footed 25, Spell Resistance 21

[Feathersnow]

Knave shouts Oh, darn! I can't see her. Too bad!

[ngilop]

Zalgoth tries to strike the fleeing Deva but misses wildly. Quick to recover Zalgoth quickly sends a sheet of flames in the from of a wall of screaming skulls towards where the Deva last went invisible and is dripping blood. But the fact that a brief outline parts the fire, Zalgoth knows the creatures resistance overcame his spell.

[Watcher]

The deva's scream is nearly lost under the screams of Zalgoth's spell. There's a thud and a thicker splatter of blood. The hallway falls silent, allowing the faint echoes of activity to filter in from even further north.

Spoiler: OOC

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Combat rounds are over. The deva is unconscious and dying but still invisible. The barbed devil is unconscious and dying. The other two devas are dead. They technically have loot, but there's nothing you could use immediately, so let's handwave it.

You can heal to full with the Disjoiner of Fate in this lull.

[Athaleon]

+++ They have taken the captives. These ones are special somehow. +++

Taker took off down the hallway to the north, weapon readied, moving through the floor like a crocodile with his eyes just above the surface.

[Feathersnow]

Knave mounts his armadillo and rides after!

[Watcher]

When Taker is halfway down the hallway, a single silver line shoots through the air. It fades almost instantly, but those who specifically look for it can see a tiny thread of discoloration as thin as silk connecting Taker to whatever waits at the end of the hallway.

Voices echo from the north. There's a large group of people ahead, and they're trying and failing to be quiet. They're murmuring in Common, but they overlap too much for those further down the hall to make out anything distinct.

The last side passages fall behind. The end of the hallway ends in a 90 degree angle to the right, but the crowd in the room didn't seem to post a sentry at the turn. The room beyond, occupied by the crowd, is the Skimming Chamber. It used to be where souls were diverted from the River of Souls to the Pocket Plane. Now, it's the source of a faint wave of sickening vibrations caused by planar instability.

[ngilop]

What is going on, none of this is right Zalgoth says outloud. He looks to the others and nods, letting them know he is ready for the upcoming possible confrontation.

[Athaleon]

+++ A planar disturbance is here—it's some kind of trap! +++

For the first time, Taker's telepathic message took on a tone of surprise and even a little fear.

Spoiler

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Taker has many skills, Spellcraft is not one of them. Unless he's seen this specific sort of spell(?) before, I don't think he can give the party many clues to what it is.

[Feathersnow]

Knave poisons two darts with dimorpodon venom and turns invisible.

Privately, he has mixed feelings about this, but he keeps his silence.

[Watcher]

The "noise" of the planar instability, despite not actually producing true sound, masks the party's approach. The muffled conversation ahead falls is washed out by the vibrations.

The Skimming Chamber ahead is a 60 foot by 60 foot square room with an entrance at the west, where the party approaches from. The east wall should turn into a sculpture of planestuff and enchantments, constructed by the masters of the Pocket Plane in just the right way to catch a soul from the River of Souls.

In reality, the east wall is shattered like a glass window. In the gaps, the black of the void- No, it's an empty white- No, it's the iridescence seen when you rub your eyes too hard- No, it's the silvery weightlessness of the Astral Plane.

Behind the crowd of mortal souls, chunks of reality float in the gaps. Little threads spool off of the shards of reality. As if in reaction to being observed, one such shard unravels rapidly, submerging the room in overwhelming vibrations. The crowd of mortal souls huddle together and brace, and time slows almost to a standstill.

A beautiful woman with auburn hair in a neat side braid watches the entrance vigilantly. Her eyes radiate divine light, but she somehow doesn't seem to see the party looking in at her. Her greatsword crackles with power in her hands. Its tip is hard enough to slightly penetrate the stone floor.

Tiny songbirds wearing funerary masks flit around the room. Many of them perch on the shoulders of mortal souls and whisper in their ears.

A large figure with emerald skin and shining, snow-white wings stands among the mortal souls. In his hand is a simple-looking knife, or perhaps a letter opener. He is leaning down to the mortal soul of a dwarf branded with the gray sigil from the Disjoiner of Souls. The knife slips under the dwarf's brand without cutting his skin, and the planetar pulls. The brand pulls off like it were something physical, but it doesn't go without a fight. The gray, gossamer strands turn opaque inside the translucent dwarf soul as they fight to remain rooted in place. It's a losing battle. One by one, the strands snap, and the planetar pulls the brand and its roots free from the dwarf. The dwarf doesn't waste time with thanks. He makes way for the next mortal soul, and a songbird in a funerary mask ushers him into the breach in reality.

The void seethes as it accepts the dwarf soul's passage. The shard of unraveling reality disintegrates completely, and time reasserts itself. The party blinks and finds themselves where they were a minute ago, 20 feet away from the turn to the Skimming Chamber, as if they had never closed that gap in the first place.

Spoiler: OOC

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This room is 60 foot by 60 foot. The west half is made up of stone. The east half is made up of the bounds of the plane. It superficially resembles stone, but there is no physical space beyond it; therefore, incorporeal creatures cannot pass through the walls, floor, and ceiling on the eastern half of the room. A seam clearly marks the border.

A ghaele azata stands in the center of the room, just barely on the west side of that border. She is watching the entrance closely and has Detect Evil active. If you rush the corner, neither side will get a surprise round. You're out of combat at the moment, though, and can pre-buff.

A planetar stands 10 feet from the hole in the eastern wall. The far eastern 15 feet of the room are filled with branded mortal souls.

Nosoi psychopomps fly around the room.

[Watcher]

Combat begins. Knave is the first to act.

Spoiler: Initiative

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24 Knave <---
24 Ghaele
22 Zalgoth
19 Taker
19 Nosoi
17 Planetar

Knave and the Ghaele's initiative modifiers are the same so I'm giving it to Knave to save time.
There are many Nosoi flying around. They will all act on the same initiative.
Shizel can roll for initiative when she can.

Ghale: AC 28, touch 16, flat-footed 26, SR 25
Planetar: AC 32, touch 13, flat-footed 28, SR 27
Nosoi: AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 12

[Feathersnow]

Knave snipes at a Nosoi with deadly precision. Suspiciously, perhaps, Knave has targeted a neutral that is immune to poison!

Spoiler

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32 damage to a psychopomp, it would require a save to resist dimorphodon venom, but, apparently, a death spirit is immune to poisons, and the low level creature doesn'tsurvive the sneak attack in any case..