Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) Saturday May 6th, 2006 10:57:01 AM
"Sorry, Conner, I don't have those kinds of magics," volunteers the sorcerer as she prepares to follow Arm down into the basement.
The sorcerer's mind rests but a moment on the regret of a cleric or other healer, before she returns to the task at hand and steels her mind for what is to come next.
In the Basement - Round 6 (DM JohnP) Shelya d6+2=5 d20+3=18 Wolf d6+1=2 Guard 4 d20+6=17 Guard 5 d20+6=21 d6+2=7 Saturday May 6th, 2006 2:17:19 PM Shadow moved to cover the cultists where they are cowering against the wall. All of them looked in alarm when he crossed the diagram on the floor but nothing unusual occurred when he did so.
From his position behind the fighters, Ash looks over the melee in the basement. Shelya, his companion wolf, pursues and bites the cultist again. This time she gets a good grip and throws the cultist to the floor. The summoned wolf bites the prone cultist. The cultist is limp and dying after the attack so the wolf moves to confront one of the guards. Shelya hits Cultist 6 AC 13, 5 damage Trip = 18 vs. DC 12, Cultist 6 prone Summoned Wolf hits Cultist 2 AC 12, 2 damage Summoned Wolf -- round 3/4
Realizing that the cook is at least partly sympathetic to them, Conner leaves the two wounded guards to her care and moves down the stairs past Mira and Arm.
Arm is feeling his injuries and waits for Mira to head down the stairs.
Realizing the threat of the two guards, Thar dances around the summoned wolf and attacks Guard 4 again. One of his swords bites deep into the man's side and leaves him badly wounded but still fighting.
Shadow menaces the cultists so that they don't attempt to move away from the red-dripping jaws of Shelya.
Seeing that the wolf has killed the cultist, Kadaz moves to disarm one of the guards. But his swing goes wide, missing the shortsword.
Mira looks back at the fallen bodies of the guards, regretting that she cannot cast healing magic. Then she follows Arm down to the basement.
========================================
The cultists are caught between Shadow and the wolf, so they start pleading.
"Spare us! Let us go! What do you want?!"
The guard respond to Thar's taunts. The closer one (G4) simply grunts as he jabs with his shortsword. The second guard (G5) must be a cultist, too, since he responds, "I shall return stronger! The Chalice promised me that!"
Guard 4 thrusts his shortsword at Thar but the nimble outdoorsman dodges the attack. The guard then steps back into the corridor. Guard 4 misses AC 17
Guard 5 then steps forward and attacks Kadaz, slipping his shortsword into the dwarf. Guard 5 hits AC 21, 7 damage
Player Sanity Info Guard 1 - tied up Dog - tied up Guard 2 -- dying? Guard 3 - dying? Guard 4 - AC 14, badly wounded Guard 5 - AC 14, uninjured
Cultist 1 - dying Cultist 2 - dying Cultist 3 to 5 - AC 12, uninjured Cultist 6 - AC 12, nearly dead
DM Sanity Request Can spellcasters who prepare spells (Thar and Ash) please list what spells they currently have memorized / cast?
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+15=24 d20+9=13 d8+4=10 d20-2=8 Saturday May 6th, 2006 2:55:41 PM
Kadaz is getting mad now. Once more he swings at the short sword that had just stabbed him. This time he hits the sword. Kadaz readies himself to swing at the guard if he tries to pick the sword up up. (Opposed disarm roll 24. Attack of opportunity if it arises, hit AC13, 10 damage)
On the steps Birdie growls at Mira who has just passed him. But since Mira is an old friend, and didn't try to take the step he is guarding, he does nothing more than growl.(intimidate check 8)
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 19 against G4, HP 33) d20+5=7 d20+5=20 d6+2=3 Saturday May 6th, 2006 9:18:46 PM
Ready to finally finish his foe off, Thar moves to T28 and strikes at G4 again, swinging his weapons in a frenzy of steel.
Att1 (Miss) = 7, Att2 = 20, Dmg2 = 3
(OOC - John, let me know if this format works for you. I tried to do it similar to Mira's)
Conner [AC=19 HP=49/52] Spider Climb d20+11=13 Sunday May 7th, 2006 3:11:26 PM
Conner slips behind Kadaz and tries to assist the guardsman.[Move to S25] "If it's a better place you seek, then you've come to the right place!" he goads Kadaz' opponent. Unfortunately his words are not matched by his swordsmanship as his blade glances off G5's armor. [Hit AC=13]
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) d20+8=12 d20+13=24 Sunday May 7th, 2006 7:54:22 PM
Mira puts the fingertips of both hands to her temples, and scans the room in order to detect any magics that might affect the place. If she senses anything of importance, she will call out to her companions in order to let them know what she finds! (Knowledge Arcana=12, Spellcraft=24)
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast:
- mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (50 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)(3 minutes) -dectect magic ...
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Arm AC 18 (base+4 mage armor) HP 6 Monday May 8th, 2006 5:54:53 AM
Assessing the situation, Arm moves to T25 to flank the guard (g5) that is attacking Kadaz. If he give his friend further trouble, he will attack as well.
Shadow Monday May 8th, 2006 3:27:42 PM
Shadow glares at the cultists and snarls, "Stay where you are and we will not hurt you, try to move and I promise you will regret it." Shadow will continue to guard the cultists until the fighting is over or he sees one of his companions severly pressed.
In the Basement - Round 7 (DM JohnP) Shelya d20+6=7 Summoned Wolf d20+3=15 d6+1=7 d20+2=16 Guard 4 d20+6=17 Summoned Wolf d20+3=16 d6+1=4 Monday May 8th, 2006 9:35:36 PM
In the heart of the battle, Kadaz easily knocks the shortword from the guard's grasp. Then the dwarf stands, ready to swing if the guard tries to pick up his sword. Kadaz Disarm = 24 vs. DC of 12
Thar moves ahead and stabs around the corner at Guard 4. He manages to hit once but not well enough to put the guard down.
Watching over his wolves, Ash moves ahead in case Shelya needs his assistance.
Conner moves to support his friend but cannot hit the guard.
Still standing near the stairs, Mira concentrates and casts a divining magic to detect the traces of magical energy. She senses magic around most of her companions but she quickly realizes that these are the items that her companions brought into the house with them. None of the cultists or guards has any magic about them. The diagram on the floor is non-magical and her cursory examination of the diagram suggests that it has no purpose in arcane spellcasting.
Arm moves ahead to beside the guard that Kadaz has just disarmed. If the man keeps fighting, Arm will be ready to strike.
Shadow tells the cultists not to move and threatens violence if they do.
Perhaps Shelya does need Ash's support because she badly misses the fallen cultist in front of her. The summoned wolf does better, hitting Guard 5 and then tripping the man. Shelya misses Cultist 6 AC 7 (natural 1) Summoned wolf hits AC 15, 7 damage Trip = 16 vs. DC 12
========================================
Guard 4 pokes his shortsword at Thar once more and cannot hit. Then he moves backwards towards the door on the north side of the hallway. Guard 4 misses AC 17 No AoO because of cover from the corner
Guard 5 snarls at Kadaz from the floor and tries to grab his shortsword. The dwarf swings down at the guard and hits him soundly. The summoned wolf also attacks the guard, biting down on the man's arm. Then the guard surges to his feet, allowing Conner and Arm to attack him. Summoned wolf hits AC 16, 4 damage No Trip because man is still prone
DM Note -- Conner and Arm, please make attacks of opportunity
The two dying cultists remain on the floor, their blood slowly pooling. Some of it runs across the diagram. Nothing happens aside from some of the chalk being removed.
The cultists threatened by Shadow continue to cower in the corner. The reality of violent death is, presumably, much different than they imagined.
The prone cultist by Shelya implores both Shadow and Ash.
"Please! Please call off your dog!"
After all of this, the summoned wolf returns to where it came from.
Player Sanity Info Guard 1 - tied up Dog - tied up Guard 2 -- dying? Guard 3 - dying? Guard 4 - AC 14, nearly dead Guard 5 - AC 14, nearly dead
Cultist 1 - dying Cultist 2 - dying Cultist 3 to 5 - AC 12, uninjured Cultist 6 - AC 12, nearly dead, prone
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) 3d4(2+1+3)+1=7 Monday May 8th, 2006 10:59:24 PM
Taking a step forward into the room, Mira spreads her hands apart, palms out and fingers splayed, a spell at the ready*. She scans to room to see if she recognizes anyone, namely Geordie's buddies, those thought responsible for Tredegar's murder. "Where is your leader?" she asks, "the lady Iliona?"
*Held action, Magic Missile, 7 pts dmg, for anyone making a threatening move.
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast:
- mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (50 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)(3 minutes) -dectect magic ...
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#*, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Conner [AC=19 HP=49/52] Spider Climb d20+11=16 d20+11=19 d8+7=11 Monday May 8th, 2006 11:20:18 PM
Conner swings at the guard as he springs to his feet but misses [AoO =16]. Embarassed by his failure to strike the unwitting guard, Conner reverses his blade and brings the sword in an upward arc beneath the guard's chin [Hit AC=19 for 11 HP].
Ash d20+5=16 Monday May 8th, 2006 11:38:16 PM
Ash asks Shelya to attack the other cultists and leave the prone one. (rolled a 16 for Handle Animal). He will then proceed to close on the prone one to make sure he doesn't get up.
Arm AC 18 (base + 4 mage armor) HP 6 d20+4=22 d8+3=5 d20+4=13 Tuesday May 9th, 2006 6:04:49 AM
Cursing softly at the man's stupidity, Arm swings soundly at him (attk: 22, dmg 5). If he still has any fight left in him, he swings again, although he doubts that he'll connect this time (attk: 13).
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 19 against G4, HP 33) d20+6=10 d20+5=19 d20+5=25 d20+5=21 d6+3=9 2d6(2+5)+2=9 Tuesday May 9th, 2006 12:55:39 PM
Seeing his foe (G4) try to escape, Thar runs after him. Seeing that G5 may be able to injure him, he does a running flip and tumbles through the threated area.
Tumble Check = 10.
He continues towards G4, slashing towards the man's neck, hoping to help him meet his maker soon.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Tuesday May 9th, 2006 4:25:42 PM
With Arm and Conner beating on the guard here (G5) Kadaz choses to follow Thar down the hall towards the other guard (G4). But Thar's vicious attack probably means that guard is no problem. "Hey" barks Kadaz "what part of 'Take Prisoners' don't you understand?" he asks.
Kadaz has a feeling that it's time to get serious. As he moves slowly he puts his flail away and then pulls the ties to release his axe into his hand. He stops outside the first door on the right, ready to open it.
In the Basement - Round 8 (DM JohnP) Shelya d20+6=16 d6+2=5 d20+3=9 Tuesday May 9th, 2006 11:15:43 PM
The battle is almost over, less than a minute of violence in the basement of a mansion in Wealthy District. What would the citizens of Plateau City think if they knew what was happening behind the walls of Lady Ilonia's mansion?
Arm swings as Guard 5 tries to stand. The bard's sword bites deep enough to fell the guard.
After determining that no magic auras existed in the room, Mira prepares to unleash a spell in case the cultists attack her companions. Since she hasn't cast a spell yet, her Dispel Magic is still active.
Thar pursues the other guard and hits him with one shortsword. That guard also crumples to the floor.
Conner and Arm don't have any opponents still standing so they rest their sword arms.
Ash directs Shelya to attack the other cultists and then moves to stand over the cultist that his companion has nearly killed. The wolf moves to attack cultist 5 and bites the man. Her grip isn't enough to throw the man to the ground, however. Shelya hits AC 16, 5 damage Trip = 9 vs. DC 12, fails
Growling about people not understanding the need to question prisoners, Kadaz advances to the first closed door on the south side of the corridor.
Shadow continues to stand by the cultists, threatening them silently.
==
The two fallen guards continue to bleed, their blood adding to the mess that's already on the floor.
The three cultists squeeze into the corner. Shadow's implied threat isn't as real as the jaws of the wolf that has bitten two of them.
The fallen cultist looks up at Ash, imploring him again to call off Shelya. "Please! Please call off your dog!"
Player Sanity Info Guard 1 - tied up Dog - tied up Guard 2 -- dying? Guard 3 - dying? Guard 4 - dying Guard 5 - dying
Cultist 1 - dying Cultist 2 - dying Cultist 3 and 4 -- AC 12, uninjured Cultist 5 - AC 12, badly injured Cultist 6 - AC 12, nearly dead, prone
DM JohnP - My ISP is having some kind of hiccup or conniption tonight. I can't post the map to the website. I'll try tomorrow morning.
Arm d20=18 Wednesday May 10th, 2006 5:51:56 AM
After wiping his sword off on the fallen guard, Arm mutters, "Must've been the village idiot...", and turns to the three cultists held at bay by Shayla. Advancing to them, he sheathes his sword and crosses his arms over his chest, inquiring, "Where is your mistress? Are there any more of you? And where are the two that are responsible for Tredegar's death? Answer quickly, or our pet here will feed well today! (intimidate=18)".
Conner d20+1=19 d20-1=16 Wednesday May 10th, 2006 7:51:50 AM
Conner rips a strip of cloth from one of the guards uniforms and uses it to staunch the man's wounds as best he can [untrained heal=19].
"My friend speaks the truth", he growls menacingly at the remaining cultists. "You'll tell us what you know, or we'll let the beast have his way" [Bluff=16]
Ash d20+5=22 d20+3=17 Wednesday May 10th, 2006 9:27:06 AM
Ash calls Shelya off (Handle Animal = 22). He suggests to the cultists "It might behoove you to surrender your arms to us now. Shelya is close to a battle rage and if she continues attacking I might not be able to hold her back." (Diplomacy=17)
Shadow Wednesday May 10th, 2006 9:55:24 AM
Shadow glances over his shoulder to make sure the tide of the fighting has not changed sides, and will continue to guard the cultists. "If you want to live get on your knees and face the wall." Shadow growls at the cultists. If they follow instuctions he will continue to watch them, if they do not he will approach and start to force them into the positions he has requested.
Thar ail Baerer d20+8=19 Wednesday May 10th, 2006 11:57:26 AM
Thar will begin walking towards the cultists and ask his the rest of his group "Who needs healing? I'm going to stop the cultists' bleeding and then I'll start curing whomever needs it from our group."
Thar will go over to the 3 cultists and (as they are being spoken to by the rest of the party) begin patching up their wounds in silence, enough to at least stop the bleeding. He won't spend time healing their hp's, but at least stop the bleeding. He won't spend any time on the guards and will let them continue bleeding.
Heal Check = 19
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+12=30 d10+5=14 Wednesday May 10th, 2006 4:41:02 PM
Kadaz holds his axe tightly and looks at the door in front of him. Open in or out? Locked? Trapped? Why bother? Time to check out this cool new axe!
Kadaz winds up and swings his axe at the door trying to see how big a hole he can make in it. (Hit AC 30, 14 damage, adamantine axe bypasses any DR <20)
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) d20+2=16 Wednesday May 10th, 2006 7:02:19 PM
Mira wipes her hands on her pants, then shakes her arms from the shoulders down to release the tension. Striding a few steps, she moves to stand behind Arm, whether it is in order to be close to the bard, or for her own protection, the sorcerer is not sure.
Her mates are doing a lot of talking, so Mira decides to be quiet, and try to discern the sincerity of those who answer. (Sense Motive=16)
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast:
- mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (50 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)(3 minutes) -dectect magic ...
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#*, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Interrogation Time! (DM JohnP) Wednesday May 10th, 2006 9:58:07 PM
The battle concludes as Ash orders Shelya away from the cultists. Everyone turns on the four living cultists, including the one who nearly died under the fangs of Ash's companion.
After making a show of cleaning his sword, Arm threatens the cultists with renewed violence from Shelya. In their own way, Conner, Ash and Shadow do the same. Mira listens intently to determine if the cultists are lying or attempting to deceive anyone.
The cultists, with the exception of the one on the floor, rapidly kneel facing the wall when Shadow orders them about. They also start babbling, speaking altogether and confusing the situation. Finally, after a growl from Conner only one of the cultists is speaking.
"Ilonia and the others? They're in the Inner Sanctum," the man whines. "Let us go, please!"
"We didn't have anything to do with whatever you think. The others, those two there," and he points at the two cultists who attacked with daggers. "They did more. And him, the guard, he was also one of her cronies."
"I don't know how many are in the Sanctum. There are some Bearers that we've never seen without cloaks and hoods. They guard the Chalice, I think, in the Sanctum."
"Tredegar? You mean the two thieves? Those two went with Ilonia to the Sanctum last night, after the ceremony. We haven't seen them since."
None of the cultists make a move towards their weapons, fearing what might happen if they did. In fact, the spreading puddle suggests that at least one is extremely frightened.
While the interrogation occurs, Thar binds the wounds of the two fallen cultists. He manages to stop the bleeding but both men are unconscious and likely to remain that way.
In counterpoint to this, Kadaz takes his axe and smashes at the first door on the south side of the corridor. His axe and strong arm almost shatter the door, leaving a hole large enough to look throw. The dwarf looks in and sees empty shelves of some kind of storage room.
Arm Thursday May 11th, 2006 5:54:50 AM
Placing an arm around Mira, he looks at her questioningly to see if she believes the cultists speak the truth. With his other hand, he beckons to Thar once he is finished binding the cultists' wounds, "I am in need of your healing arts, if you please.".
After he is healed, and if Mira believes they speak honestly, he motions to Conner to follow, draw his sword again, and will join Kadaz in his investigations.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+12=25 d20+5=7 Thursday May 11th, 2006 6:58:22 AM
That was fun! Kadaz moves to the next door in the hall, on the opposite side. Again, he tries to put a hole into this door. (hit AC 25, damage 7)
Thar d8+2=8 Thursday May 11th, 2006 9:27:13 AM
As Kadaz goes to the next door and hopefully before he breaks the door down, Thar says "Kadaz, hold up for a moment. If you'll wait, maybe Shadow and I can listen at the door and see if there is anything in there. If there are, I'll cast bless on us all, which will help us in our next battle."
Once he's finished binding the wounds of the unconscious cultists, Thar will go and cast Cure Light Wounds on Arm for 8 hps.
He looks around and says "I could cast 1 or 2 more, if needed. Does anyone else need healing before we move on?"
Shadow d20+6=10 d20+3=15 Thursday May 11th, 2006 11:34:34 AM
"let's bind these others up just in case, we don't want anything left behind us." He will get more rope and bind all the cultists (including the unconcious ones, just in case) (Use Rope=10)
If Kadaz has not broken through the other door yet, Shadow will move over and listen at the door. (Listen=15)
Shadow (DM Sanity stuff AC21/18 HP20/20) Thursday May 11th, 2006 11:35:17 AM
DM sanity stuff
Conner Thursday May 11th, 2006 10:25:31 PM
"Tell us how to gain access to this sanctum and what Lady Illonia has planned, or I will surely let this wolf strip the flesh from your sorry bones." Conner flexes his massive arms as he scowls at the remaining cultists.
Getting Somewhere (DM JohnP) Thursday May 11th, 2006 11:07:57 PM Thar heals some of Arm's injuries and then inquires about who else needs healing. Ash makes the same offer.
After some more talking, and threats from Conner, the cultist blurt out what they know of the Inner Sanctum.
"We don't know where it is! Really! We were never down there!
A second one blurts out, "It's down through there, maybe in the wine cellar!"
Kadaz smashes the north door and makes a good sized hole in the door. While he will have to hit it again to destroy the door, the hole is large enough to see through. The dwarf's eyes can see the glint of glass wine bottles in racks along the walls. And two large barrels resting on the floor in the centre of the cellar.
All the while, Shadow is tying the arms and legs of the cultists. Not the best effort but he doubts that the cultists will be trying to escape anytime soon. Then he goes to listen at the hole just created by Kadaz but cannot hear anything. He does notice that the door isn't locked, however.
Mira has been listening and feels that the cultists are too scared to lie. They're telling the truth, at least as far as they know it.
Ash Thursday May 11th, 2006 11:10:42 PM
Ash looks confused at Conner's comments. "Excuse me sir...but Shelya does not 'strip flesh?' I am confused...do you claim to control her actions?"
Ash proceeds to look at Shelya, "Shelya?"
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) Friday May 12th, 2006 12:08:16 AM
Mira stays close to the bard. "I believe they speak the truth," she says, "they seem too scared to do otherwise."
The green eyed sorcerer winces when Kadaz goes to work on the doors. "Our arrival will be no secret to our enemies, that is for sure!" she says ruefully. The woman does not think the cultists are good but she despairs a little that so much blood has been shed. 'At least it is not our blood' she thinks, and squares her shoulders preparing for what is to come next.
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast:
- mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (50 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)(3 minutes) -dectect magic ...
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#*, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Arm AC 18 (base+4 mage armor) HP 14 Friday May 12th, 2006 6:01:34 AM
Back at full strength, Arm smiles and nods in thanks for Thar's assistance. Overhearing the cultist's comment, he lets go of Mira and approaches Kadaz, "Hold your axe, my friend. Our captive here says that what we seek may be in the wine cellar.". Looking through the hole that was previously made, Arm confirms that that in fact is the wine cellar. Motioning to Shadow, he says, "Perhaps we shall need your talents in here to find the entrance to the inner sanctum in this room.". As Shadow searches, Arm waits for the rest to form up should his attempts be successful.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Friday May 12th, 2006 6:39:37 AM
Kadaz steps back from the door with the hole in it. "I feel better now" he says with a grin. "Yep. Found the wine cellar," he then announces to the group.
He looks around and realizes that Birdie is still guarding the steps. "Here Birdie, come here boy" he calls. Birdie comes bounding across the room, stopping briefly to sniff at the blood pools on the floor.
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20 d20+9=20 d20+3=13 d20+3=23 Friday May 12th, 2006 9:56:11 AM
Shadow will open the door carefully, but wait to make sure the group is ready to go before descending the stairs. He will move quietly and listen for anything from below. (Move silently=20, Listen=13, and Search=23 nat. 20)
Thar ail Baerer d20+7=9 Friday May 12th, 2006 10:22:37 AM
As Shadow opens the door, Thar will rejoin the party and get behind Shadow, preparing to react to anything that could strike out against him [Shadow]. He'll also aid in the Search Check. (Aid Check for Search = 9. Yuck.)
(OOC - If I remember right, if I get over a 10 on my check, it gives him +2, right? Of course in this case, my roll was awful.)
DM Announcement (JohnP) Friday May 12th, 2006 12:27:39 PM
Hello all
I'm off this afternoon for a week at a conference in Chicago. ADM Scott will be taking over the DM posts for the next while.
Don't be surprised if I make some roleplay posts for NPC's if I get enough time at Internet Cafe's.
Conner Saturday May 13th, 2006 8:36:15 AM
Conner stares at Ash in bewilderment. Has he never experienced deception? Can he not put two and two together and come up with an even number?. "I apologize for taking liberties with your beast" Conner finally says. "I was simply emphasizing the need for cooperation."
Conner leaves the binding and healing to others and follows Kadaz to the wine cellar. "Remember to pick up a few of these on the way out, he encourages the others at the sight of so many bottles of wine."
Wine Cellar (DM Post - ADM Scott) Saturday May 13th, 2006 9:34:08 AM
As the group enters into the wine cellar they quickly realize the cultist must be mistaken. At first glance there is nothing in this fairly small room other than racks for wine, and there are still some bottles in the rack. (The room is approximatly 10' wide and 30' long.) The group is about to back out of the room when Thar notices something strange about the rack directly across from the door. (Thar sees that the rack does not sit exactly against the rest of the two racks.)
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Sunday May 14th, 2006 7:49:52 AM
"Conner" complains Kadaz "we're here to find murderers, not to loot the place. When we take what we find back to the guard I don't want them to see swag falling out of our pockets."
That said, Kadaz goes to check the third door in the hall to make sure that nothing can come out at them from behind.
Thar ail Baerer d20+7=26 Sunday May 14th, 2006 8:36:46 PM
As Thar notices the rack sitting oddly, he says to his companions "Wait, don't leave the room yet, as there is something weird about this rack. We should take an extra look at it and see what's going on."
He'll then go and look at the rack closer, looking for potential traps or secret doors under/around/behind it.
Search = 26
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) Monday May 15th, 2006 12:33:21 AM
Mira flexes her hands nervously. They have been too lucky, and she is worried their luck will soon run out.
"Be careful, you!" she says as one of the newcomers checks out a wine rack sitting against a wall.
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast:
- mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (50 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)(3 minutes) -dectect magic ...
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#*, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Conner [AC=19 HP=49/52] Spider Climb d20+4=18 Monday May 15th, 2006 12:35:42 AM
The tatooed fighter grins at the scarred dwarf, then looks around the room. (Spot=18)
Arm d20+4=12 d20+11=28 Monday May 15th, 2006 5:54:10 AM
Eyeing the bottles hugrily as well, Arm suddenly realizes how long it has been since they had a decent meal OR a good rest for that matter. Looking to Kadaz, he murmurs, "Since we quite probably won't be getting paid for anything we do here, I don't see why procuring a few bottles would be such a bad thing.".
"Hope we can finish this up soon," he thinks to himself as he keeps an eye and ear open for trouble (spot=12, listen=28).
Ash Monday May 15th, 2006 9:54:21 AM
Ash, having protected Shelya's honour from the scurilous stories being told of her, watches the others. Do they not realize that every lie diminishes the teller and the told? These city folk are so clouded by the now that they have lost tract of the Truth.
Shadow d20+3=14 d20+3=8 Monday May 15th, 2006 11:24:26 AM
As Thar mentions there is something weird about the wine rack, Shadow will join in the search to see what is a miss. He will try and not hinder his new companion as they both check it out. (Search=14, Listen=8)
The Secret Door (DM Post - ADM Scott) Monday May 15th, 2006 11:29:00 AM
Thar and Shadow both search the wine rack, but only Thar sees the hidden latch that looks like it makes the wine rack swing forward.
After searching more, Thar and Shadow both are sure there is nothing trapping it.
Thar ail Baerer d20+8=18 d20+10=16 d20+7=25 Monday May 15th, 2006 3:37:19 PM
After seeing that it isn't trapped (hopefully), Thar says to Shadow "All right. It looks like we're finally getting somewhere."
He opens the secret door and says to Shadow "How about each of us take a side and we work our way down the passageway, whatever it is?"
Move Silently = 18 Listen = 16 Searching (as they go down the passage, for traps, etc.) = 25
Conner [AC=19 HP=49/52] Spider Climb d20+4=9 d20+4=11 Monday May 15th, 2006 11:18:09 PM
Conner back tracks to where he last saw the dwarf exit the room. He looks both ways (Spot=9, 11) hoping to see Kadaz. If he does, and the dwarf sees him, he will gesture to the ugly fellow to come back in the room.
"The rogue has found something," the fighter rumbles in a low voice.
Mira d20+2=12 d20+2=12 Monday May 15th, 2006 11:20:09 PM
Mira keeps her place, watching as the others go about the business of making it safe for the party to follow.
The sorcerer watches her friends' backs. (Spot=12, Listen=12)
Arm d20+4=16 d20+11=22 Tuesday May 16th, 2006 5:56:45 AM
Arm is content to let Thar and Shadow work their trades on the hidden door, but nevertheless he stands ready for battle (spot=16, listen=22). While he waits, he contemplates Ash's remarks...perhaps it is because he is a stranger to town, but to always follow the truth is not always a good thing. Thinking back to Uriel, he realizes that even the brave paladin knew when to "stretch" the truth.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Tuesday May 16th, 2006 6:32:57 AM
After checking what's behind the 3rd door (and breaking it down if it's locked) Kadaz comes back to the wine room. "So the rats have gone to ground. Let's dig them out" he growls. Kadaz is looking forward to finally finding these murderers.
Ash Tuesday May 16th, 2006 12:29:06 PM
Ash watches the events silently, he is troubled by what he has learned today;..if civilization means deception and murder, why is it so desirous? Perhaps this is what his teacher wished him to learn? Will he become like those he sees before him? He must meditate on this as soon as he is able.
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) Tuesday May 16th, 2006 1:31:48 PM
Shadow nods as Thar indicates the two of them open the door and search what is behind it.
Hallway and the Inner Sanctum (DM Post - ADM Scott) Tuesday May 16th, 2006 1:35:20 PM
The 'secret door' (wine rack) opens very noiselessly and reveals a dark hole with a gloomy light at the end of it. There is a 5' wide corridor heading north from the wine cellar. Kadaz can tell that it's fairly new construction and slopes slightly downwards. The corridor is 50' feet long, and at the end there can be chanting heard (nothing that can be made out yet).
Need marching order!
Thar ail Baerer Tuesday May 16th, 2006 2:48:17 PM
As Thar looks down the corridor, he considers that there is likely a trap or similar device somewhere in the way. He comments his concerns to the rest of the party and asks if Shadow wants to lead, with Thar behind him and watching his back. Thar says to Shadow "You have a better ability to detect traps and other nefarious devices, then I do and I'll watch your back while we go down the corridor, if that's OK with you."
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Tuesday May 16th, 2006 6:43:53 PM
Kadaz looks at them. "You two go first and me next. But hurry in case those down there using magic to summon something."
Ash Tuesday May 16th, 2006 8:52:58 PM
Ash asks "have these people harmed you personally? You all seem to have more involved in this than would be expected."
Mira Wednesday May 17th, 2006 12:30:06 AM
Mira moves forward, and stands beside the newcomer. "We seek the miscreants who killed the cleric of Flower" Mira whispers, adding, "the community is in disarray and these idiots, with the Plateau City Defense League are in cahoots with this other group, calling themselves The Bearer's of the Chalice. Together, they have been undermining the tenuous stability of the city."
Mira takes a place near the back of the party, second from last if it is available to her.
"They need to be stopped" she adds, her green eyes dark behind her little round spectacles.
Conner Wednesday May 17th, 2006 12:32:02 AM
The fighter readies himself. "After you, dwarf," he says, as he adjusts his shield, and grips his sword a little tighter.
Arm d20+4=17 d20+11=26 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 5:53:19 AM
Before Arm falls in behind Conner, he whispers to Ash, "You may not be aware of this, but there is much hatred in this city towards those of the elven race since the Awakening, and the two we seek have served to only heighten the strife between us and the humans by murdering Tredegar. It's not much, but we need to do SOMETHING to end these troubles.".
Gripping his sword tightly, he peers down the new corridor, assuming that the upcoming battle may be more difficult than the last (spot=17, listen=26).
Thar ail Baerer d20+7=13 d20+10=23 d20+8=15 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 10:20:27 AM
As Thar hears Ash's comments, he whispers in an angry tone back behind him (towards Ash), "These vermin were involved in killing a cleric that was very important to my faith and I've been tasked with finding and punishing those responsible. If anyone is uncomfortable with it, then they can stand guard, but I'm going to eliminate the evil creatures that were involved."
Thar continues behind Shadow (assuming he agrees with the suggestion made earlier of taking point), searching, listening and trying to move silently.
Search =13 Listen =23 MS = 15
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+9=11 d20+9=22 d20+3=18 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 11:05:55 AM
"Unless you want to acknowledge our presence to those below, I suggest we keep communication to a minimum." Shadow says in a voice that does not seem will carry beyond the limit of the group. He takes the lead as the group heads down the dark tunnel. He searches as he slowly leads the group down the corridor. (Search=11, Move Silently=22, listen=18)
Halfway there (DM Post - ADM Scott) Wednesday May 17th, 2006 11:09:45 AM
Shadow leads the group down the corridor at a fairly slow pace looking for anything out of the ordinary, he must have not found anything because he continues down about 25 feet of the corridor, and stops. He motions to the group that they are making too much noise and then continues on.
(OOC: I need to have everyone make a Move Silent roll on their next post, and let me know what ehy prepare before they get to the end of the hall.)
Thar ail Baerer d20+7=12 d20+10=14 d20+8=21 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 4:09:24 PM
Thar continues behind Shadow, looking for anything that he could have missed. As Shadow stops and motions for silence, Thar does his best to continue moving silently and helping search.
(OOC - Do you want me to make another search/MS/Listen roll each post? Or just at key points in the hall (1st 25', 2nd 25', ...)
Search = 12 Listen = 14 Move Silently = 21
Once the end of the hall is reached, Thar will draw his weapons, and ready himself for battle. If there is a door at the end of the area, he will aid in searching it for traps, etc.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20-5=4 d20+3=23 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 4:12:05 PM
From his third place, Kadaz tries to see around Shadow and Thar to see what is ahead. His axe and shield are in his hands, ready to be used. He tries to move quietly but is carrying to much metal to be quiet. (move silent 4)
Birdie pads along at Kadaz's knee, silent as a ghost. (move silent 23, natural 20)
Ash d20=12 d20+3=10 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 9:03:51 PM
Ash: Move Silently (no skill) = 12 Shelya (rolled a 7+3)=10
Ash begins to follow, along with Shelya. He begins preparing summon swarm spell (just in case)
Conner d20+2=5 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 9:23:54 PM
Shield on arm, and sword in hand, the fighter winces at the sound of metal scraping on wall. (Move Silently=5)
Mira d20+3=15 d20+2=6 Wednesday May 17th, 2006 9:27:47 PM
With the spells at her fingertips as her only defense, Mira follows the party down the corridor. (Move Silently=15) She rises to tip toes to see over the half-elf's sholder (Spot=6). "What can you, see Arm?" she whispers, unable to see much herself.
Arm d20=10 d20+4=7 d20+11=14 Thursday May 18th, 2006 5:55:48 AM
Arm slows up a bit and squeezes himself against the wall so that Mira can see, although he enjoys her closeness as well, "I'm afraid I cannot see much at all at this point," he whispers softly in her ear, "so I guess it will be up to Shadow or Thar to warn us.". (move silently=10, spot=7, listen=14).
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+9=15 d20+3=22 d20+3=13 Thursday May 18th, 2006 9:51:23 AM
Shadow again starts down the tunnel, but is startled to hear the racket behind him (OOC: lol about the low MS rolls) and scuffs his feet a litle. He checks down the hall to see if they have been given away. (MS=15, search=22, and listen=13)
The Inner Sanctum (DM Post - ADM Scott) Thursday May 18th, 2006 9:58:49 AM
Even though the group has not been the quietest going down the corridor, the chanting has continued unabated. As the group gets near the inner sanctum they notice the hallway opens up into a rough octagonal room. The party sees five people down here, all kneeling and praying towards an altar where the chalice has been placed. Lady Ilonia and a tall elf are closest, with three other men and women farther away. Two "corpses" are laying on or beside the altar.
(OOC: I have left you all in the hallway still, and it does not appear the cultists are going to do anything right now. Please post what you are doing before entering the inner sanctum.)
Thar ail Baerer Thursday May 18th, 2006 2:58:20 PM
Before the group goes into the room, Thar will motion for them to stop.
He then backs up to a point where he can whisper the spell "Bless" upon himself (as the center of the spell's effect) and his companions. (+1 Attack Rolls and ST's vs. fear). His intent is to do this and hopefully the chanting will drown out his whispering, and he will not being seen by the cultists, who are concentrating on their chant.
Kadaz Thursday May 18th, 2006 5:59:47 PM
Kadaz peeks into the room to see what's waiting for them. He then whispers to the others "Let's prepare quickly, then rush them to break up what ever they're trying."
Ash Thursday May 18th, 2006 6:59:12 PM
Ash stands waiting, the last words of the spell waiting on his lips.
DM Sanity: Ash combat spells (i.e. not healing spells) remaining include summon swarm and summon animal companion 2.
Shelya has barkskin and Magic Fang cast on her.
Conner Thursday May 18th, 2006 11:21:03 PM
The fighter reaches out for the wall, to see if the magic provided by the sorcerer still works.
(OOC: Spider Climb still in effect?)
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, 35 HP) Thursday May 18th, 2006 11:26:04 PM
Mira continues down the corridor. She rests a hand lightly on the bard's back. Somehow, it makes her feel a little safer.
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast:
- mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (50 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)(3 minutes)(likely over?)
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#*, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Arm d20=13 d20+4=22 d20+11=22 Friday May 19th, 2006 5:54:00 AM
Arm leans into Mira's ear and says, "This is it, my dear. Be ready.". Spying the chalice, Arm is filled with a sense of dread but at the same time longing, remembering the last time he drank from it. Gripping his sword firmly, he prepares to rush in and attack while trying to discern if the bodies on the floor are the two thieves/murderers that they seek. (move silently=12, spot=22, listen=22)
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+6=17 d4+3=4 Friday May 19th, 2006 10:06:50 AM
Shadow will wait for the group to prepare to enter into the inner sanctum by drawing his black bow and nocking an arrow. He will pull the string back until it is almost touching his ear and wait for the signal of the group to enter the fray, and then loosing it at Lady Ilonia.
The battle of the chalice (DM Post - ADM Scott) Friday May 19th, 2006 10:15:22 AM
The group makes ready and they prepare to engage the cultists in the hallway. During this the cultists continue to chant and seemingly do not see the group. Thar casts Bless on the group and they feel a tingle of power through them and they know they are ready to go. Conner during this reaches for the wall and is relieved to feel that the spell Mira has cast on him is still in effect.
Then the group gets ready to charge, cast or shoot. Kadaz and Arm rush into the room ready to engage the cultists. (DM John will be back and be able to post a map, so you will need to specify which targets you are going after.) Shadow fires at Lady Ilonia, but misses her by inches making her flinch back. Ash finishes his summoning (We will need to know where you want the swarm - after DM John gets back and posts a map).
(OOC: Who ever i missed you need to post again with more specific actions about entering into the room.) Then either John or I will post with what happens.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Friday May 19th, 2006 4:21:48 PM
Kadaz rushes into the room and shouts "No one move!" He stands over the cultists axe ready to bash the first one that tries to take an offensive action. Birdie, at his feet, glances around, teeth bared.
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 19 against HP 33) d20+5=9 d20+5=10 Friday May 19th, 2006 9:09:51 PM
Now that everyone has been blessed, Thar will rush in and attack the closest cultist, he'll try to be on the Left side and attack, using both swords in a blur of slashing steel. As he attacks, his first sword is ineffectual, and his second appears to fail in it's attack.
Att1: 9, Att2: 10
Thar ail Baerer Friday May 19th, 2006 9:10:53 PM
Sorry. Hit submit too quick. His AC should be 19 vs. the cultist he is attacking and 18 vs the rest of his foes. Also, I forgot to add 1 to his attack rolls (10, 11) due to the bless
Sanctum Fight - Opening Positions (DM JohnP) Friday May 19th, 2006 10:42:18 PM Hello, all. I'm glad to be back from Chicago and I'm ready to torment all of you.
The party peers out into the gloom of the subterranean vault that the death cult uses as their Inner Sanctum. Now that their eyes have adjusted better, more of the details are visible in the flickering light from the torches and lamps scattered about to light the place.
The walls and floors are tightly mortared flagstones. The ceiling is made of wooden planks supported by beams that arch overhead. The effect is claustrophobic since the ceiling of the sanctum is only a few feet over the head of Arm, the tallest of the party.
The opposite side of the octagonal sanctum is both recessed and raised slightly over the main part of the room. This raised area is dominated by a massive stone block that is more than 10 feet long. Kadaz' dwarven eyes spot what might be channels cut into the stone block. Right now, the chalice rests on the stone block.
A dark curtain or tapestry of some sort hangs on the wall behind the stone block. On the floor near the stone block are two corpses. Arm thinks that there is something not quite right about the corpses.
As described before, there are five cultists in the sanctum. Lady Ilonia and a tall elf are closest to the raised area. Three others are closer to the party and one of them is short and stock - maybe a dwarf. It's difficult to tell much because each of the cultists, except Lady Ilonia, is wearing a rusty red cloak that would cover them from head to toe if they were standing.
Something - maybe the chanting of spellcasting, maybe a scrape of metal on stone - alerts the cultists and they scramble to their feet. The three cultists closest to the party are revealed as a heavily armored human man, an armored female dwarf and a half-orc who, oddly, has no apparent armor. After standing, the human and dwarf shrug their armor and shields into place. The half-orc and Lady Ilonia make some gestures that are obviously spellcasting.
Spellcraft DC 16 - Highlight to display spoiler: {Mage Armor}
The elf doesn't appear to do more than stare at the party and then he glances at the chalice.
The cultists are now ready for the party.
Magic Counter By DM Call, roughly two minutes have elapsed since the beginning of combat upstairs. So, approximate time remaining on spells is:
Blur (Mira, cast on Arm) - 1 minute / 10 rounds Mage Armor (Mira, cast on Mira & Arm) - 5 hours Spider Climb (Mira, cast on Conner) - 48 minutes Barkskin (Ash, cast on Shelya) - 48 minutes Magic Fang (Ash, cast on Shelya) - 2 minutes / 20 rounds Bless - (Thar) - 2 minutes / 20 rounds
This is the opening of combat in the Inner Sanctum. The map accompanies this post, so please post your positions either by square or by reference. Also, post your actions and intended targets.
Kadaz - please repost considering the map, if you choose.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+5=10 Saturday May 20th, 2006 1:50:23 PM
{Thanks DM, here is repost}
Kadaz glances in and sees that the cultists are ready for them. Hope none of them casts fireball, he thinks.
Kadaz enters the room and hustles to his right, towards the other dwarf. It's too far for him to make it the entire way and still fight but that's what needs to be done. He readies his shield to take a blow. (move 40', end in column J as close to the dwarf as possible)
As he moves Kadaz points to the back right corner of the room and orders Birdie "Stay." The dog moves to the corner of the room and watches. (handle animal 10)
Thar ail Baerer (AC 16, 17 against Human Foe (due to charge and dodge), HP 33) d20+5=21 d20+5=24 d6+3=6 d6+2=4 Saturday May 20th, 2006 7:00:10 PM
Seeing that their foes are watching them, Thar will charge the human target, and end up in position E12. When he reaches his foe, he swings his swords in a dizzling display of swordsmanship and appears to connect with both blades, causing spurts of blood to erupt from the evil cultist.
Knowing that he will be slightly easier to hit (by his foe, -2 AC), he dodges his opponents inevitable return attack (adds +1 AC)
Ash d20+5=7 Sunday May 21st, 2006 2:48:39 PM
Ash moves to the end of the passage (H-18) and casts Summon Swarm on the 1/2 Orc cultist.
He then asks Shelya to attack the other cultists. Handle Animal =7
Conner [AC=19 HP=49/52] Spider Climb d20+13=31 d8+7=14 d20=15 Sunday May 21st, 2006 7:49:45 PM
Given a straight path, Conner charges at the half-orc and brings his sword down across the cultists body with all his strength [Hit AC=31 for 14 HP]. "Yield to us now or we will surely kill you!!" he yells at the assembled cultists. [Intimidate=15]
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, +4 Shield), 35 HP) d20+13=28 Sunday May 21st, 2006 11:55:17 PM
Mira enters the room after the others and sweeps to the left. Picking up on the chanting and understanding that there are other magikers in the room (Spellcraft=28), she casts another protective spell on herself.
DM Sanity Info:
spells cast: -shield on Mira (+4 to AC, negates mm)(5 min.) - mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (48inutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)10 rounds remain
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile#, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield# 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Arm d20+5=25 d20+5=11 d8+3=6 Monday May 22nd, 2006 5:58:07 AM
Somewhat angered that Conner did not leave the half-orc for him, Arm instead heads around to what appears to be the dwarven cultist (J12) and strikes solidly at him/her/it (attk: 25-nat 20, dmg: 6). Afterward, he hopes to deal with the Lady, and let Thar deal with the unusual corpses.
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+5=7 d4+2=4 Monday May 22nd, 2006 12:30:36 PM
Shadow will nock another arrow and try hitting Lady Ilonia again, but misses horribly. (To hit=7, dmg=4, lol)
Sanctum Fight - Round 2 (DM JohnP) Human d20+4=21 d8+4=12 d20-1=18 d20-1=14 d8+4=11 d20+5=14 Half-orc d20+10=23 d20+3=16 3d6(5+3+2)=10 Monday May 22nd, 2006 10:59:17 PM
The battle is joined in earnest as Kadaz charges towards the cultists. As he runs, he motions to the right and commands Birdie to stay against the wall.
Thar charges and attacks the human wearing plate armor. His short swords manage to find gaps in the man's armor but only seem to infuriate the cultist.
Seeking to unleash a swarm of vermin upon the cultists, Ash moves into the room and moves into the conclusion of the spell. DM Note -- the swarm arrives next round on your action. Please determine whether it is bats, rats or spiders that appear. Since the duration is "Concentration + 2 rounds", you can only move or perform move equivalent or Concentration is broken.
Ash attempted to command Shelya to attack but the wolf continues to guard the druid.
Conner charges into the room and attacks the seemingly unarmored half-orc. His sword bites deeply into the creature's body.
Mira moves into the room and towards the west wall and then casts a protective spell. She studies those opponents to determine who may be spellcasters.
Seeing that his companions have engaged the other cultists, Arm charges the dwarf and swings his sword. He hits the cultist, planning to attack Lady Ilonia next.
Finally, Shadow fires an arrow at Lady Ilonia but his shot goes wide.
==
The elven cultist says something to Lady Ilonia and then moves to the altar where the chalice rests. He wraps his slight arms around the heavy stone chalice and lifts it from the altar. Listen DC 10 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {"Let them deal with these annoyances! We need to protect the chalice. Follow me!"}
Lady Ilonia moves back closer to the altar and casts another spell. Mira & Spellcraft DC 16 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {Shield on herself}
The human cultist, angered by being attacked, concentrates on damaging Thar. He swings his longsword twice at Thar, hitting both times. Then the cultist bashes at Thar with his spiked shield but misses. Human cultist -- longsword hits AC 21, 12 damage Human cultist -- longsword hits AC 18 (threat), not confirmed AC 14, 11 damage Human cultist -- shield misses AC 14
The half-orc begins casting defensively, trying to avoid being attacked again by Conner. He manages to do so, completing his spell and then reaches out to touch Conner. The fighter feels a cold draining, leaching away some of his vitality. Then the cultist moves back to the rear of the room. Half-orc cultist -- Touch Attack hits AC 16, drains 10 hitpoints Mira and Spellcraft DC 18 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {Vampiric Touch}
The dwarven cultist steps away from Arm and then casts a spell. Some of them feel the spell cast by Thar leave them. Will DC 13 -- failure removes Bless spell Mira and Spellcraft DC 16 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {Bane}
Finally, the two "corpses" lurch to their feet but do not advance. Something is familiar about them ... Spot DC 15 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {The zombies are Fred and Daim, the two thieves that the party were looking for.}
Player Sanity Info Lady Ilonia -- unharmed Elven cultist -- unharmed Dwarven Cultist - wounded Human Cultist -- wounded Half-orc cultist -- wounded
Ash Monday May 22nd, 2006 11:16:17 PM
Ash stands back and watches as the rats appear and proceed to attack the cultists.
Arm AC 18 (base=4 mage armor), HP 14 d20+11=26 d20+4=22 d20+4=14 d8+3=11 d20+4=21 Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 6:01:05 AM
Arm easily overhears what the elven cultist says to Ilonia (listen=26), but he doesn't have time to deal with that at the moment. Swinging at the dwarf, he again connects, this time with better results (attk: 22, dmg: 11 - OOC: Since the dwarf stepped back, is that an attack of opportunity for me? If so, I'll roll another attack roll if he's still standing...).
As far as the spell that the dwarf cast, well...he shrugs that off like so much babbling (will=14). While he is striking at the dwarf, he notices that the two zombies are the theives they seek, "Well, at least they're already dead..." he thinks to himself.
Arm - illegal second post Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 6:02:07 AM
BTW, the map isn't working... ;)
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+1=15 d20+4=14 d20+1=7 d20+13=25 d10+5=15 Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 6:54:52 AM
Kadaz steps up to attack the dwarf he had headed for. As he does he overhears Illona's commands but decides to concentrate on the guards first. He swings at the other dwarf spellcaster and shouts in dwarven "Surrender now!" (hit AC 25, damage 15).
(listen 15, will save 14, spot 7)
Conner [AC=19 HP=39/52] Spider Climb d20+11=27 d8+7=12 d20+9=19 d8+7=10 d20+7=17 d6+4=9 d20+2=10 Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 7:58:22 AM
Conner winces as the half-orc touches him with it's draining spell, but manages to slash out at her with his longsword as she retreats [OOC I believe Conner gets an AoO as she cast a spell then moved more than 5' - Hit AC=27 for 12 HP]
The tattooed fighter steps to his left and engages the human that stands between him and the half-orc. Conner swings across the humans torsoe with his longsword, and follows up with a shield bash to the head of the human cultist [Hit AC=19 and 17 for 10 and 9 HP respectively]
[OOC Failed Will Save with a 10]
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 22 against Human, HP 10/33) d20+8=25 Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 9:47:34 AM
Realizing that he has likely bit off more than he can chew, Thar yells (just loud enough for Conner to hear, but no one else) to Conner "I'm going to have to take a round to heal myself and take care of those zombies. This guy may be a little too powerful for me and cut me good. I got him some, but we're going to have to team up on him"
Will Save vs. Human Cultist = 25
He'll move back to E16, taking a full defensive action (AC is now 22 (since it is a +4 Dodge Bonus, which overlaps the +1 Dodge Bonus I usually get vs. one person))
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+3=14 d20+3=10 d20+5=25 d20=11 d4+2=4 Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 10:13:13 AM
Shadow does not hear what is being said by Lady Ilonia, and does not notice that the two zombies are the two thieves. He is more concentrated on Lady Ilonia and the elf, he will nock another arrow, but fire this time at the elf with the chalice. (Listen=14, spot=10, to hit=25, nat. 20 [11] dmg=4)
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, +4 Shield), 35 HP) d20+2=4 d20+2=14 d20+6=19 3d4(4+1+1)+1=7 Tuesday May 23rd, 2006 8:36:26 PM
"Ward's luck!" hisses Mira when she catches on to what the half-orc and the lady are up to with their spells. Her eyes narrow as the cultist leans in to speak with the lady, but she is unable to hear the words over the sound of combat (Listen=4), and does not recognize the corpses (Spot=14). With a strength of will, she manages to withstand the attempt to banish the new cleric's blessing (Will Save=19).
Figuring she had better help the party pick off the magic users, the sorcerer takes a step forward and hands raised, she aims her magic missiles at the half-orc (7 points dmg)
DM Sanity Info:
Position=F17
spells cast: -shield on Mira (+4 to AC, negates mm)(5 min.) - mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (48 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)9 rounds remain -bless from Thar-2/20 rounds
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile##, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield# 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Sanctum Fight - Round 3 (DM JohnP) d20+6=8 d6=3 d20+6=16 d20+1=14 d20+5=25 d20+5=15 d4+1=3 d20+6=25 d10+6=16 3d8(5+8+8)+6=27 d20+5=14 d20+6=15 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 7:51:41 AM
It's difficult to tell how closely matched the two sides are but the party seems to have most of their opponents on the defensive.
Conner slashed the half-orc mage when he foolishly stepped away from combat. Any healing that the mage received from his spell is more than removed by the wound from Conner's sword.
Ash completes his casting and rats ... lots of rats ... seemingly appear from nowhere and swarm over the half-orc mage. Then he stands, directing the swarm as they attack the half-orc. Rat swarm deals 3 damage to half-orc
Arm steps forward and again hits the dwarven cultist. He hears what the elf and Lady Ilonia are planning but can't do anything this round.
Kadaz closes with the dwarven cultist and slashes her, nearly dropping her. Despite his demands that the cultists surrender, the trio appears to be determined to fight to the death.
Conner steps forward and swings at the human cultist with his longsword, then bashes at him with his shield. Both attacks go wide, however.
Thar retreats from combat, hoping to heal himself and then deal with the zombies. The cultist cannot attack as Thar withdraws.
Aiming carefully, Shadow manages to put an arrow into the elven cultist. It doesn't appear to badly hurt the elf, but the cultist glares at Shadow.
Hoping to finish off one opponent, Mira casts a Magic Missile spell at the half-orc. the balls of magical force strike the enemy mage and nearly drop him.
=========================================
The elf cultist moves carefully around the swarm of rats to behind the altar, motioning for Lady Ilonia to move with of him. When he reaches the back wall, he parts the curtains to reveal a tunnel leading from the room.
Lady Ilonia moves behind the altar towards the tunnel mouth. Then she stops and starts casting a spell. A mist forms and obscures vision in the altar area. Everyone can barely see into the edges of the mist. Spellcraft DC 16 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {Obscuring Mist}
The human cultist turns to Conner and smiles. "Ah, a worthy opponent!" Then he swings his longsword, missing both times. But he gets lucky with his shield, catching Conner with the spike. Human cultist -- longsword misses AC 16 Human cultist -- longsword misses AC 14 Human cultist -- shield hits AC 25 (threat), not confirmed AC 15, 3 damage
The half-orc isn't bothered by the squirming mass of stinking rats but he does move away from them. Then he casts a spell, looking visibly healthier afterwards. Spellcraft DC 17 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {False Life}
The dwarven cultist steps away from both Kadaz and Arm and then heals himself. He appears almost uninjured after casting his spell.
The two zombies now charge into combat towards the nearest party member. Everyone can now tell that these are what remains of the two thieves the party were seeking, the ones accused of murdering Priest Tredegar. There won't be any chance of questioning them now because they only seem capable of saying one word.
"Brains! Brains!"
Zombie Fred charges Conner, stabbing and missing with its shortsword. All the while, he keeps saying his sole remaining word, "Brains, brains, brains, brains, brains ..." Zombie Fred misses AC 14
Zombie Daim charges Arm, also missing with its dagger. The shuffling undead remains of the thief also mutters his new mantra, "Brains, brains, brains, brains ..." Zombie Daim misses AC 15
It's pretty obvious what will happen to any party member who falls to these two opponents.
Player Sanity Info Lady Ilonia -- unharmed Elven cultist -- barely wounded Dwarven Cultist - wounded Human Cultist -- wounded Half-orc cultist -- wounded Zombie 1 (Fred) - unharmed Zombie 2 (Daim) - unharmed
Ash Wednesday May 24th, 2006 9:48:10 AM
Ash continues to concentrate on controlling the swarm.
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+5=9 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 10:01:25 AM
Shadow nocks another arrow, he would have fired at the elf, but because of the mist obscuring the tunnel he will switch targets. He will fire at the human cultist, but misses high. (to hit=9)
Arm AC 18 (base+4 mage armor) HP 14 + Blur d20+4=22 d8+3=9 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 11:00:55 AM
Unable to continue his attack on the dwarf, Arm instead turns his attention to Daim, swinging at him/it and connecting again, "This is going to be a lot more difficult than we thought," he thinks to himself (attk: 22 - dmg: 9).
OOC: Nice ROTLD reference there, John... ;)
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+13=18 d10+5=11 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 3:46:49 PM
Kadaz takes a step forward to keep attacking the dwarf cleric. "You're outnumbered" he growls in dwarvish at his opponent. "Surrender."
But he swings again, knowing that if she gets ahead of them she might switch to offensive spells. (hit AC 18, damage 11).
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 19 against whichever foe comes closest, HP 10/33) d20+1=10 2d6(5+3)+5=13 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 4:20:18 PM
Thankful that Conner has saved him from a potential disaster, Thar sees the two zombies and is angered that two abominations to what is good and holy would be created.
Summoning up his strength, Thar raises his cross, says a prayer and attempts to turn both zombies.
Turning Check = 10 ( = Most powerful undead I can turn is a 4th level creature)
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, +4 Shield), 35 HP) d20+13=28 3d4(2+1+3)+1=7 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 10:13:42 PM
Mira keeps track of what is going on, picking up Lady Iliona's Obscuring Mist and the half-orc's tracing of sigils for False Life. Feeling a little heat from the half-orc skirting the perimeter of the chamber, Mira targets the caster once again. (7 pts mm dmg half-orc.)
The sorcerer takes another step forward.
DM Sanity Info:
Position=F16
spells cast: -shield on Mira (+4 to AC, negates mm)(5 min.) - mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (48 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)8 rounds remain -bless from Thar-3/20 rounds
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost 1st-level: magic missile###, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield# 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Conner [AC=19 HP=39/52] Spider Climb d20+11=30 d20+11=21 d8+7=14 Wednesday May 24th, 2006 11:04:01 PM
Dismayed that his first attacks were so easily dismissed by the human, Conner redoubles his efforts and slashes out again with his longsword [Hit AC=30 critical not confirmed with 21 for 14 HP]and then retreats a step to H12
Sanctum Fight - Round 4 (DM JohnP) Swarm d6=5 d20+6=11 Human cultist d20+6=12 d20+6=13 Half-orc d20+5=19 Dwarf d20+10=22 d20+7=14 2d8(8+7)+6=21 Thursday May 25th, 2006 10:31:20 AM DM Note - Sorry about the delay in posting. Between catching up at work after a week away and a new home schedule because my wife just started a new job, I got behind earlier this week. I should be back on track after the weekend. Next DM post will probably be Friday evening.
Down in the sanctum, the battle starts to turn in the favour of the party. Ash directs the swarm to attack the human cultist. The rats attack the man and inflict a number of tiny bites.
Switching targets, Shadow misses the human cultist.
Arm turns toward the new threat and slashes Zombie Daim, hurting the former thief.
Stepping forward, Kadaz swings at the dwarf cultist but barely misses.
Then, with a moment of concentration from Thar, the number of opponents suddenly decreases. The two zombies run away from Thar back into the mist. Both Arm and Conner get to attack them as they flee. DM JohnP -- as was previously explained to me, turning depends on cleric levels not total levels. So, as a level 2 cleric, the max level that Thar can turn is 2 HD and the zombies are simply turned instead of destroyed. Conner and Arm -- make AoO, please
Mira fires another Magic Missile at the half-orc mage, hurting him but not badly enough to put him out of the fight.
In the centre of the room, Conner swings at the human cultist. Conner isnt' certain, but his sword hits a weak point in the cultist's armor and nearly drops the evil fighter. DM JohnP -- AC 21 does confirm a critical, and I simply doubled your rolled damage
=========================================
No one, even those with darkvision, can see through the mist to see what the elf cultist and Lady Ilonia are doing.
The human cultist is swaying on his feet but he manages to step out of the rat swarm and makes a feeble swing at Conner. The effort rips open the wound that Conner just delivered and the man falls to the floor, his life trickling away. Human cultist -- Fort save = 12 Human cultist -- longsword misses AC 13
The half-orc cultist starts casting a spell and a black ray shoots towards Conner. The ray drains energy from Conner, leaving him weakened, clumsy and tired. Half-orc cultist -- Ranged Touch Attack hits Touch AC 19 Conner -- Fortitude Save vs. DC 15. Success means that Conner is fatigued (-2 to STR & DEX, no running or charging); failure means that Conner is exhausted (-6 to STR & DEX, half speed, no running or charging) Spellcraft DC 18 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {Ray of Exhaustion}
The dwarf cultist concentrates and casts a spell. Her hand glows with a malignant light and then she reaches out to touch Kadaz, transferring the malignant light. Kadaz feels some of his life force seep away. Then she steps closer to her fallen companion. Dwarf cleric -- Concentration = 22 vs. DC 17 Touch attack = 14 Inflict Moderate Wounds -- 21 hitpoints, Will save DC 14 for 10 damage
Player Sanity Info Lady Ilonia - unharmed Elven cultist - barely wounded Dwarven Cultist - wounded, AC 20 Human Cultist -- dying, AC 21 Half-orc cultist -- wounded, AC 18 Zombie 1 (Fred) -- unharmed, fled (9 rounds remaining) Zombie 2 (Daim) -- wounded, fled (9 rounds remaining)
Map will come tonight after correcting positions. Again, sorry for the delay.
Arm AC 18 (base+4 mage armor+blur) HP 14 d20+4=22 d20+4=23 d20+4=22 d8+3=5 d8+3=6 Thursday May 25th, 2006 12:26:12 PM
As Daim retreats, Arm once again strikes out at him/it, doing more damage before it retreats into the fog (attk: 22 - dmg: 5). Encouraged by the reduction in foes, he turns on the dwarven cleric and attacks mightily before they can heal their fallen comrade (attk: 23, 22 crit- dmg: 6x2=12).
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 19 against whichever foe comes closest, HP 10/33) d20+7=15 Thursday May 25th, 2006 2:34:13 PM
Glad that the odds are slowly diminishing, Thar draws his bow and looks around for a target. Seeing that the Half-Orc Cultist needs to be sent to his maker, Thar fires an arrow at his chest.
Attack Roll = 15+1 (Bless) = 16
Sadly, the half-orc manages to dodge the arrow and avoids an further damage.
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+6=18 d4+3=6 Thursday May 25th, 2006 4:11:27 PM
Shadow seeing his latest target go under, he once again switches targets as he draws another arrow to his cheek. He trains in on the orc and lets go, striking the orc and causing hopefully enough damage to drop him. (To hit=18 dmg=6)
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 43/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+2=21 d20+13=32 d10+5=13 Thursday May 25th, 2006 4:40:26 PM
Kadaz shudders as a wave of pain wash over him but it passes, leaving him unaffected. (will save 21)
In return Kadaz follows and again attacks the dwarven cleric. "Domi, guide my axe" he says as he swings. And his prayer is answered as the huge axe sinks deeply in the side of the evil cleric! (hit AC 32, damage 13)
ed. JohnP - Kadaz saved and took only half damage, 10 hitpoints
Conner [AC=19, HP=39/52] Spider Climb -6 DEX, -6 STR, Exhausted d20+11=21 d8+7=9 d20+6=11 Thursday May 25th, 2006 8:07:13 PM
Conner lashes out at the walking corpse as it flees from Thar [Hit AC=21 for 9 HP] and watches in grim satisfaction as the human cultist drops before him. The fighter takes a second look to make sure and the moments hesitation leaves him vulnerable to the half-orc's spell. He feels his strength and endurance wilt under the black ray [Fort Save failed (11)] and backs away to regroup.
Sorry for the delay. I may post tomorrow morning without a map again.
Ash (DM JohnP for JeffC) d6=6 Thursday May 25th, 2006 9:55:18 PM
The druid continues to concentrate on directing the swarm. He sends it towards the dwarf cleric.
Sanctum Fight - Round 5 (DM JohnP) d20+3=10 Friday May 26th, 2006 10:40:12 PM
Things are coming to a conclusion here in the sanctum. Right now, no one can see through the mist to determine where the elf and Lady Ilonia have gone.
Arm slashes the back of Zombie Daim as the animated corpse runs away. Then he nearly slices the arm from the dwarf cleric standing beside him.
Seeing the threat that arcane magic presents, Thar tries to shoot the half-orc but misses. Shadow, though, manages to hit the mage.
Stepping forward towards the evil cleric, Kadaz still aches from the magic wound that she inflicted. Still it serves to focus the dwarfen fighter and he nearly drops the cultist.
Conner also took advantage of the fleeing zombie, injuring it for the first time. Then he retreats to recover from the foul spell that the mage cast.
Ash sends the rats to attack the dwarf cleric and watches them crawl up and over the woman. When they finish, the cleric is crumpled on the floor.
Mira takes a breather, trying to decide what to do about the half-orc mage.
========================================
The half-orc casts another spell, causing his hand to glow with a sickly blue light. Then he steps towards Thar and reaches out to touch the elf who nimbly eludes the half-orc's hand. Half-orc - touch attack misses AC 10 Spellcraft DC 11 - Highlight to display spoiler: {Chill Touch}
Player Sanity Info Lady Ilonia - unharmed Elven cultist - barely wounded Dwarven Cultist - dying, AC 20 Human Cultist -- dying, AC 21 Half-orc cultist -- wounded, AC 18 Zombie 1 (Fred) -- unharmed, fled (8 rounds remaining) Zombie 2 (Daim) -- wounded, fled (8 rounds remaining)
Thar ail Baerer (AC 18, 19 against halforc, HP 10/33) d20+3=23 d20+6=17 d20+6=26 d20+6=21 d6+2=4 Friday May 26th, 2006 11:10:31 PM
"So, you want to fight, eh?", Thar says to the half-orc cultist in front of him.
Spellcraft Check: 23
Seeing that the orc has tried to chill him and cause his injuries to worsen, Thar decides to try to finish his foe off for good.
As his move action, he'll draw his two swords and then try to slash a bloody track along it's face and neck. His first attack misses, but the second pierces it's jugular vein, causing a great wound to appear.
Att1:(+6 since still under bless): 17, miss
Att2:(+6 since still under bless)26 (Nat'l 20) Crit Check:21 Dmg2:2x2 (for critical) + 2 (Str Bonus) = 6 points
Arm AC 18 (base + 4 mage armor+ blur), HP 14 d20+4=22 d8+3=9 Saturday May 27th, 2006 7:24:22 AM
With grim determination, Arm advances on the half-orc, his sword not yet sated with blood. If he reaches it, he swings in an overhead chop, seeking to cleave it in two (attk: 22, dmg: 9), otherwise he'll attempt it next round.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 33/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+5=14 Saturday May 27th, 2006 8:13:52 PM
Once the wave of pain passes Kadaz realizes he was too optimistic in thinking he had escaped damage from the other dwarf's magical attack. But Kadaz is not to be deterred.
"Illonia is the key, we must get her" he shouts to the others. Kadaz heads into the mist moving as quickly as possible, trusting his instincts to avoid a trap.
"Birdie, come here!" he adds, thinking he could use some more senses in the mist. Birdie leaves the corner where he had been sitting, skirts the vermin all over the floor, and runs to Kadaz's side. (handle animal 14)
Conner [AC=19, HP=39/52] Spider Climb -6 DEX, -6 STR, Exhausted d20+8=25 d8+4=11 Sunday May 28th, 2006 4:04:03 PM
Conner assesses the situation and comes to the conclusion that they must either get the upper hand immediately or withdraw. There is very little 'withdraw' in the burly fighter, and with whatever strength he can muster he raises his longsword and wades in against the half-orc cultist [Hit AC=25 for 11 HP].
Mira (AC13+4 Mage Armor, +4 Shield) Bless, 35 HP) d20+1+1=20 d3=3 Sunday May 28th, 2006 10:26:25 PM
Her companions surround the half-orc magiker, but is it enough to put the cultist down? Mira takes a step forward and points her finger at the conjurer. A freezing ray of cold projects forward onto the unfortunate. (Touch attack hit AC 20, for 3 pts. cold dmg.)
DM Sanity Info:
Position=E15
spells cast: -shield on Mira (+4 to AC, negates mm)(5 min.) - mage armor x 2 Mira and Arm (+4 to AC)(5 hours) -spider climb on Conner (48 minutes) -blur on Arm (20% miss chance)6 rounds remain -bless from Thar-5/20 rounds
- Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic#, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost# 1st-level: magic missile###, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield# 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20 d20+3=5 d20+3=8 Monday May 29th, 2006 9:43:40 AM
Shadow is torn between making sure the orcish cultist is finished off, but sees Kadaz heading for the mist. Not sure what to do Shadow starts forward heading for the mist to see if he can see anything inside of it (move to the mist and ready another arrow just in case). He will also try and listen to the mist for any clues, but the battle going on does not allow for that. (spot=5 & listen=8)
Ash (DM JohnP) d6=5 d6=3 Monday May 29th, 2006 2:30:20 PM
Ash sends the swarm of rats into the mist to the corner where he thinks the two zombies are cowering.
Conclusion of the Sanctum Fight (DM JohnP) d20+3=21 Monday May 29th, 2006 10:11:19 PM
The party concentrates their efforts on the sole remaining opponent in order to end this combat.
After dodging the mage's touch attack, Thar replies with an attack of his own. His first sword goes wide but the second slices neatly into the half-orc, leaving it disabled. DM JohnP -- The STR damage bonus should be doubled, too.
Arm's attack on the half-orc nearly ends its life.
Kadaz shouts that the party should be concentrating on Lady Ilonia. He plunges into the mist to pursue the mistress of the mansion and the elven cultist after whistling for Birdie. The mist is thick, not allowing even the dark-adapted eyes of the dwarf to see more than 5 feet. That's good enough, however, to see a zombie cowering beside the tunnel entrance. Kadaz starts down the tunnel but hasn't yet found an end to the mist.
Conner finishes off the mage who weakened him. Mira doesn't need to cast a spell since her target is already dead.
Wanting to assist Kadaz, Shadow moves up to the edge of the mist but cannot see or hear much that is going on inside.
Finally, Ash directs the rat swarm into the mist to where he thinks the zombies are. He can here the excited squealing of the rats as they find some relatively fresh and mobile carrion.
COMBAT ENDS
========================================
With no living combatants remaining in the sanctum, the party is free to begin healing and recovering items. Ash keeps the rats attacking the zombies until they fall to the ground and then he releases control of the creatures. After snacking on the zombie corpses for a short period, the summoned creatures disappear.
Now that they have a chance to look, the party sees that this room is decorated in a similar fashion to the first room in the basement. There is the same pattern marked on the floor but here the walls are painted with a series of stylized markings. Something is familiar about the markings but only those with training in religious practices can really tell much. Knowledge -- Religion or Bardic Knowledge rolls, please.
Thar quickly glances down and realizes that the half-orc mage is extremely dead. But, if he chooses and acts quickly, there is a possibility that the human and dwarf might be kept alive to be questioned or turned over to the authorities.
After another thirty seconds or so, the mist evaporates and everyone can see the altar and the tunnel. The same markings that adorn the wall have been carved into the sides of the altar. When someone steps closer, they see a curious pattern of grooves and channels cut into the top of the altar.
Kadaz had stopped just inside the edge of the mist. Looking ahead, something seems subtly wrong with the posts supporting the walls and ceiling and Birdie is reluctant to proceed. When Shadow comes forward, he confirms that the tunnel has been trapped to collapse. The thief can attempt to make it safe, if he chooses. Shadow and Kadaz think that they can hear something in the silence after the battle. Listen DC 15 -- Highlight to display spoiler: {The sound of slowly flowing water can be heard from somewhere ahead.}
In addition to healing and recovery, the party can search the sanctum and its contents. If a character does this, please roll and indicate anything that receives particular attention.
Ash Monday May 29th, 2006 10:50:23 PM
Ash looks around at the mess of the area and asks if anyone needs healing. Curious, he then goes and looks at the markings.
Conner [AC=19, HP=39/52] Spider Climb -6 DEX, -6 STR, Exhausted Monday May 29th, 2006 10:59:22 PM
"I'll not be much use to any one in this state" the fighter bemoans his weakened condition. "That one", he pokes at the half-orc with his sword, "has cast a spell robbing me of my strength and agility. I can barely hold on to this, let alone defend myself" he weakly slashes the air with his longsword.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 33/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) d20+1=19 d20+1=21 Tuesday May 30th, 2006 5:44:18 AM
Kadaz strains to hear what is ahead and manages to hear the soft sound of water. He steps back into the main room. "The tunnel is trapped ahead. Also there's running water up there." (lisen 19)
He looks at the bodies lieing on the ground in disgust. Who would ally with the like of Illona? But practacility asserts. "Anything magical on them?" he wonders outloud.
Kadaz moves to the alter to inspect the gooves. Are these to channel blood from an offering? Or something else? (spot 21, natural 20)
Arm d20=17 d20+4=14 d8+3=10 Tuesday May 30th, 2006 5:58:22 AM
Arm glances at the markings, and tries to discern their meaning (bardic knowledge=17). Deciding that finding Ilonia is more important now, he forgoes searching the chamber until their return, and follows Kadaz and Shadow into the mist. As he passes the zombie (he doesn't care which one it is), he takes a passing swipe at it (attk: 14, dmg: 10)saying, "This is for Tredegar!".
While he awaits Shadow's actions, he ruminates on how he could be so fervent about a cause when he never met the man...perhaps it's more a racial cause than the cause of a person.
Shadow (AC 21/18 HP 20/20) d20+6=20 Tuesday May 30th, 2006 7:36:39 AM
"Guys check this area out and I will see about the tunnel." Shadow will let the rest of the group search the sanctum while he tries to disarm the trapped tunnel. (disarm trap=20)
Thar ail Baerer (10/33 hp's) d20+8=20 d20+8=23 d20+3=20 Tuesday May 30th, 2006 10:02:51 AM
Knowing that any information they get could help, Thar attempt to heal the human and dwarf. He'll do just enough to get them conscious to answer questions, but not able to fight. If he needs to cast a level 0 spell to bring them up, he'll do so.
Heal Check for Human = 20 Heal Check for Dwarf = 23
Once this is done, he'll ask his companions to interrogate them. "Who does the best job of intimidating and interrogating? I'm not that great at intimidating them and getting answers, and I thought a few of you burly types could do it much better. If you have to get rough with them, don't worry, as I'll heal them back up to answer more questions."
Adding to his comments, "Everyone, I think we need to rest for a while, as I'm almost out of spells and we have some pretty seriously injured people in our group."
He'll then look at the drawings in the surrounding area and try to figure out what they represent.
Sanctum Recovery (DM JohnP) Tuesday May 30th, 2006 10:40:54 PM
The party begins to clean up and recover after the fight. There's a lot to be found down here in the sanctum of the death cult.
Ash looks around at his companions and sees that several are injured. But since no one requests healing, the druid figures that they feel strong enough to continue. When he looks at the markings, Ash notices the resemblance to the ones seen in the first room in the basement.
The tattooed fighter is disgusted by how weak and clumsy he is due to the cultist's spell. But his companions mention that the effects should pass in a few minutes. Time enough, anyway, for Conner to haul any prisoners or loot from the sanctum.
After hearing the sound of water flowing down the tunnel, Kadaz returns to the sanctum to make room for Shadow to do his work. When he examines the rear of the altar the dwarf finds a ledge below the lowest point of the channels. He guesses that the chalice could have been placed here to catch blood flowing from a sacrifice. He also finds a small metal-banded box tucked into the rear of the ledge.
Shadow heads into the tunnel and examines the deadfall trap that has been placed in the tunnel. He sees how to disable it and wedges a rock into the trigger mechanism. Now that it is safe, he and Arm head deeper into the tunnel. The tunnel slopes downwards and a fetid odor becomes stronger. Eventually they find that the tunnel leads to a branch of the sewer. From the looks of things, a small boat had been secured here and the two fugitives used it to escape. From here, there's no sign that the two can see to indicate which direction the two escaped
Thar easily binds the wounds of the two living cultists, enough to prevent them from succumbing to their wounds. When he examines the drawings, he recognizes an older form of Gargul's symbol. The symbols date from the time before the Year of Ascension when Gargul was still the evil god of death.
Unless the party decides to plunge into the unknown depths of the sewer, they can now take the time to tally what they have recovered from the cultists. Of course, the first thing they do is to ensure that weapons are out of reach of the cultists. The party reaches the following tally:
There is still equipment from the guards and cultists in the first room, and upstairs.
Mira d20+13=25 d20+2=21 Wednesday May 31st, 2006 12:16:19 AM
Fingers at her temples, Mira scans the room looking for interesting trinkets, vials, or items that emanate any kind of a magical aura. (DetectMagic, Spellcraft=25, also Spot=21)
She will share whatever information she gleans from her 'search' with her friends.
When one of the newcomers suggests the party rest, she nods her head in agreement, and looks hopefully at the bard. "Shall we stay here, or go home?" Pulling her cloak closer around her, she adds, "this place gives me the creeps."
DM Sanity Info:
Spells: (0-level 6 per day, 1st level 7 per day, 2nd level 5 per day) 0-level: detect magic##, read magic, light, mage hand, open/close, ray of frost# 1st-level: magic missile###, burning hands, mage armor ##, shield# 2nd-level: glitterdust, invisibility
Arm Wednesday May 31st, 2006 5:55:29 AM
Disgusted with Ilonia's escape, Arm motions Shadow to head back to the sanctum, so that they may tell the others. Once there, He notices Mira's distress and puts a protective arm around her, although he's unsure if that will provide warmth for the chill of the soul, "It seems that the good Lady has eluded us, at least for now. I say we take what we can from here and return home, as we could spend another week or longer searching through the sewers without finding a trace of them. I know I for one can use with a hot bath AND a hot meal.". As he says this, he glances at Mira, and hopes that they may be able to spend some "alone time" together now that they are for the most part unemployed, at least for the moment.
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 33/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Wednesday May 31st, 2006 6:00:18 AM
Kadaz looks over the bodies of Fred and Daim. "We need to take these 2 bodies back to the guard and see if the witnesses identify them as those who killed the priest. This may help calm the city."
Ash Wednesday May 31st, 2006 8:55:10 AM
Ash says that sounds like a positive strategy Kadaz. Thank you for allowing me to join with you to see this....obscenity."
Thar ail Baerer (19/33 hp's) d8+2=9 d20+7=12 Wednesday May 31st, 2006 9:32:03 AM
After the cultist wounds are bandaged, Thar will cast his last spell upon himself (CLW's, spontaneous) and heal 9 points of damage (moves him up to 19 now).
He'll then say "Shadow, do you want to go searching the 1st room with me?"
Commenting to the rest of the group "After we find out what's magic and what's not in this and the 1st room, I'd like to rest for 9 hours (8 sleep and 1 pray) to get my spells back. We can then go check out the rest of the building, if everyone's up for it."
He'll then head up to the first room and begin searching the bodies and the room they were in.
Shadow d20+3=12 d20+9=10 Wednesday May 31st, 2006 10:56:35 AM
Shadow swears when he finds that the tunnel leads to the sewers, but knows there is no way to find them now. When Arm motions for them to go back to the sanctum, Shadow looks down both ways and not seeing anything heads back to the sanctum.
Looking around he notices that the group has everything in hand and he looks over the Kadaz's shoulder at the small metal box. "We should examine that closer back at the apartment before opening it, it could be trapped."
When Thar asks if he wants to go search the 1st room that had cultists in it he looks at the rest of his companions first and then says, "It looks like everything here is under control, so lets take a look." He will accompany Thar up to the first room and search it thoroughly. (Spot=12 Search=10)
Clean Up in The Basement (DM JohnP) Wednesday May 31st, 2006 10:48:25 PM
The party begins preparing to clean up the sanctum and head out. Before doing anything else, Mira concentrates and casts a spell to detect the emanations from enchanted equipment. She determines that several pieces of equipment from the cultists are magical.
Then the party packs up, collecting the equipment and items. Shadow suggests checking the small box later when he has a chance to work in a quiet and comfortable setting. Kadaz's suggestion to haul the corpses of Fred and Daim to the authorities has merit, with Ash and Shadow nodding agreement. But with Conner still weakened by the spell, moving all of the bodies, the unconcious prisoners and the loot would be problematic. So, reluctantly, the party leaves the bodies down here and moves to back to the basement of the mansion.
After escorting Mira, Arm moves to help Shadow with searching the bodies and the first room. They find that each of the guards was equipped with standard quality gear. Each of the cultists, both living and dead, has a heavy purse. The two cultists who attacked Kadaz have ornate daggers worth more, when Kadaz glances at them, for the gems and precious metals than from any value as weapons. Mira maintained her detection spell and indicates that none of it is magical.
All told, it's a pretty nice haul of loot and cash. And there's still the guards left in the kitchen and ballroom.
The party is just cleaning up when they hear boots and voices from the kitchen area. A voice calls down the stairs, Hallo, down there! It's Lukas from the Silver Swords! Put down your weapons because we're coming down!"
The party is still looking at one another when two short and burly dwarves clad in plate mail clatter down the stairs. When the two point guards indicate that the party isn't threatening them, Lukas and the other Silver Swords met previously approach down the stairs.
Lukas looks over at the party and nods.
"So, this is what you ended up doing. What exactly did you find down here?"
Loot Tally Magical items are indicated in bold italics
Arm Thursday June 1st, 2006 6:02:54 AM
Relieved that they are not facing another battle, Arm greets Lukas warmly, "Well, we found the two responsible for Tredegar's death. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, they were already dead....sort of.". Gesturing toward the sanctum area, he continues, "They're in there if you wish to view them. Unfortunately, Lady Ilonia managed to get away through the sewers with one of her cultists...there's not much chance of finding them at this time. Now, if you'll excuse us, we are headed for some much needed rest and healing. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.". He then proceeds to give him directions to their apartment, then waits to see if they are allowed to leave.
Ash Thursday June 1st, 2006 8:47:22 AM
Ash looks at the newcomers warily. Perhaps its the obsenity he saw in these chambers, or perhaps its the timing of their arrival, but something does not feel right to him, and he trusts his instincts.
Shelya begins to nose around the room in curiousity.
Shadow Thursday June 1st, 2006 10:06:10 AM
As some of the group sigh with relief, Shadow realizes he has been doing his shallow breathing exercises in preparation for a fight or his thief work. He calms himself and relaxes as he sees it is people they are familiar with. He will let the others do the talking since he does not have the same ability with people that some of the others have.
Thar ail Baerer Thursday June 1st, 2006 10:31:26 AM
Speaking to the guards, Thar says in a tired tone "As my friend, Arm, said, we found those who were apparently responsible for killing the religous leader that I was tasked to find. If you wouldn't mind, I must get back to my bishop and report to him, after I get a chance to heal my wounds and rest."
He shows them his bloody wounds and then begins walking slowly around them (trying to look near death, stumbling and exhausted, in order for them to not ask further questions, especially re: the loot)
(OOC - Group, I'll be out of town Fri AM through Sun PM, and won't be able to post during that time frame. I'll try to post again tonight or early tomorrow AM, but am not sure if I'll be able to. Thanks, Ken)
Kadaz (AC 21, HP 33/53) & Birdie (AC 17, HP 7/7) Thursday June 1st, 2006 2:17:03 PM
Kadaz looks over the hired guards suspiciously. They were outside, guarding what was going on inside. Even if they didn't know what evil was being done, in his mind they aren't entirely innocent.
"Turns out Lady Illona was an evil doer, raising the dead, and trying to destabilize Plateau City by killing priests. She's fled through the sewers, appropriately enough, abandoning her hirelings. If we question the survivors we may get some clue as to where she's gone. But we have to inform the guard and get the word out as to her deeds."
As he talks Kadaz eyes covetously some of the magic armor and wonders just how much ironworking it would take to make one of them fit him.
Conner Thursday June 1st, 2006 5:11:30 PM
The fighter looks over the two Silver Swords and puts his own sword away. "Lots been going on under all our noses in this place. The Lady whose property you've been so zealously guarding has fled along with one of her followers. They took their 'chalice' with them." Conner helps collect the loot and will brook no interference from either of the swords
Mira Thursday June 1st, 2006 10:22:36 PM
Her companions have explained things with eloquent simplicity. The magic user has nothing to add to the explanation, but keeps a wary eye on the mercenary Silver Swords...and a spell at her fingertips.
De-Briefing (DM JohnP) Thursday June 1st, 2006 10:46:09 PM
Lukas nods after everyone provides their part of the story. He motions and two of the Silver Swords head down to the sanctum. After a couple minutes, they return and nod back to him.
Lukas looks over the party and the prisoners.
"Okay, your story seems good so far. Still, the Guard and the Magistrate are going to have to be involved. And probably some temples, too. So why don't you make yourselves comfortable upstairs."
Lukas motions to the stairs and the guards moves aside to let the party head up to the main.
Lukas motions towards the loaded packs. "Don't forget to take whatever you found. None of these folks will be in a position to complain much." He points to the cultists tied in the corner.
After everyone files upstairs, they're shown through the kitchen. The guards who were left here have been moved somewhere else. The older woman is still in the kitchen but now she's brewing a large pot of tea. And there's a big bowl of what looks and smells like cookie, or maybe biscuit, dough on the table.
The Silver Swords lead the party through the kitchen, down a hall and into a formal dining room. The motion to the chairs around the table and in the corners.
"Sit down and rest, it'll be a while."
The two Silver Swords lean against the wall outside the room although they don't seem to be paying too much attention to the party. And they don't close the door, so the party can look across the hall to a sitting room. The street entrance is visible through a window in the sitting room. Arm looks out and sees one of the Silver Swords hustling out.
========================================
After everyone makes themselves comfortable, the cook comes in.
"Does anyone want a spot of tea? Is it true? Is Ilonia gone?"
Regardless of what anyone says, the old human woman makes counting motions and heads back to the kitchen. She returns with a large teapot, cups for everyone and fixings.
"I just put the biscuits in the oven and they'll be ready right quick. So, who takes what in their tea?"
She pours a cup for everyone and offers cream, honey or sugar and the other common fixings for tea. After doing that, she departs. Several minutes later, she returns with fragrant fruit biscuits and a small pot of jam.
"Here you go. The least I gould do for you running off Ilonia."
As they sit there staring at the teacups, the party can look out towards the street entrance. They soon see groups of people arriving. Kadaz recognizes Guard insignia on several cloaks and Thar recognizes the distinctive robes of clerics from the nearby Tmple of Light. A short time later, the elven ranger sees priests of Gargul arrive.
After they've been sitting there for over an hour, the cook comes back to clean up the tea fixings. On her heels are Lukas, a Guard sergeant that Kadaz doesn't really know and another man. If he had to guess, Kadaz would think it was a Constable or Magistrate.
"So, anything further to say for yourselves?," Lukas asks.
Ash Thursday June 1st, 2006 11:03:48 PM
Ash loses himself in the tealeaves, continuing to seek the meaning of the events that recently unfolded before him.
Conner Thursday June 1st, 2006 11:18:02 PM
Conner drags his weary form upstairs and takes a place in the dining room. He is grateful for the tea and biscuits, and nods his head in appreciation of the woman's efforts.
As the guard and the magistrate arrive, the fighter can no-longer sit and bite his tongue at the arrogance of Lucas and the Silver Swords. "It's not us that be in need of a story...we haven't been protecting an evil death cult for weeks on end" he growls.
Arm d20+9=25 Friday June 2nd, 2006 6:01:06 AM
Arm thanks the cook gratefully for the minor repast. When he hears Conner's outburst, he says to him, "Hold for a moment, my friend...they may not have been any more aware of the goings-on here than anyone else was. How would the guards without know of the house within? I think we should at the least give them the benefit of the doubt. Do not forget that they took the time to listen to our story regarding the theft of the necklace.".
Turning to Lukas, he continues, "What you have heard was the whole story, and all of it the truth. Our only regret is that we couldn't have Ilonia here to turn over to you so that she may answer for herself. If it is your wish, we can keep an eye open for her on our travels, and should we find her, we'd definitely let you know.". (diplomacy=25)
Kadaz Friday June 2nd, 2006 5:58:48 PM
Kadaz is very appreciative of the food and drink. "Thank you grandmother" he says as he sips the tea. "Might you have an old soup bone for my friend here?" he asks as he pats Birdie's head.
As the guard leader comes in Kadaz rises to his feet - old habits die hard. After Arm talks he adds a brief comment. "Raising the dead, especially those two, speaks for itself. I am only sorry she was able to escape with that chalice. She will probably try to set up her cult again somewhere."
Kadaz nods at Lukas. The consideration Lukas showed was unexpected. If they do manage to make off with the found items they will owe him a favor.
Shadow Friday June 2nd, 2006 6:26:21 PM
Shadow is not very relaxed as the group follows the guards up the stairs and into the dining room. He broods in a chair farthest from the door, and tries to nod politly to the cook as she gives them the tea and biscuts. He will sip at his tea, but continues to worry about what is happening around the group.
When Lucas and the others enter the room he wonders if this is it and the group is headed to the headsman block. He hesitates to say anything and is relieved when his companions answer, although he flinches a little when Conner makes his outbreak. He will wait to see the response of the guards hoping that all is good and they can return to their apartment.
All Over but for the Talking (DM JohnP) Friday June 2nd, 2006 10:25:39 PM
Lukas' eyes flash when Conner speaks about sheltering the cult.
"Us? We keep the streets safe, that's it. Just like your precious Guard! Do you know who some of the people are downstairs? Or some of the others who came here? Well, if you don't, it's probably better that way!"
The Guard sergeant holds up a restraining hand and Lukas moves back to the wall. Arm's and Kadaz's words serve to cool him off a little bit.
The third man clears his throat. He's a nondescript man, easily overlooked next to the slight menace of Lukas and the armored bulk of the Guard sergeant. But both clearly defer to him. Except for his brown hair, everything about him seems gray, from the boots on his feet to the cloak on his back.
"If the posturing is over, I think we should get to business. The lot of you helped the City today. Despite what you think, this little group didn't go unnoticed but what happened yesterday was a surprise. No matter."
He pauses for a moment, running his thumb over the heavy silver buckle on his belt.
"The priests confirm your story about raising undead. Other investigative methods suggest that the services haven't been going on too long. Lady Ilonia would be able to answer more questions. If you come across her, there could be some consideration shown. Monetary and otherwise. Or that elf that you mentioned, since he seemed important."
"But right now you're free to go. Nobody downstairs will be making too many noises about their goods. So consider that your pay. Sergeant Framplin will show you out."
The man turns his back and leaves, presumably heading back to continue the investigation. Lukas glowers at Conner as he moves forward.
"It's been a tough couple days. Remember what I said before about owing you a favor. Now I've got to get back to keep the crowds away. We can maybe slip you out with some others, if you don't want to be noticed."
With that, Lukas and Sergeant Framplin wait for the party to gather their gear and start moving. Once the party is ready, they'll show them outside and back to the street.
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