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Landra "Do you not understand?", she shouts across at Annetta over the din. Real anguish can be heard in her voice, for all her control: the elf had been a true comrade, and the closest thing to a friend they were travelling with, and no feyborn could entirely suppress that wild rush of emotion at such a death before their very eyes - but there is no time to mourn. "We cannot escape this maze, hunted by these - they will find us long before we find our way, even if our guides can get past them. We die running, we die fighting, or we win. I choose the last two. Perhaps that will save you." And then, incongruously, she vanishes - only to reappear on the other side of the massive wraith, already striking out with her scimitar. Move: Fey Step to N15. Standard: Melee basic and mark the OW, +15 v. AC, 1d8+14. pre:Landra -------------- HP: 47/87 AC: 26 Healing Surge: 5/10 (heal 21) Fort: 24 Speed: 6 Refl: 24 Initiative: +14 Will: 21 Action Points: 0/1 Perc: +9 (passive 19) Inst: +12 (passive 22) Features: Resist 5 fire, 5 necrotic (Black Iron Armor) +4 to OAs, hit enemies stop moving. (Combat Superiority, Blade Opportunist) Adjacent marked enemies provoke melee basic attack (Combat Superiority) 5 damage on misses with scimitars (Scimitar Dance) Standard Interrupts (if they conflict, prioritise them in this order): Take all OAs available. If Precision Cut is unused, use it for OAs. At-Will: Combat Challenge, Cleave, Tide of Iron Encounter: Dallan Invictus fucked around with this message at 19:05 on Feb 10, 2009 |
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Feb 10, 2009 18:59
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Righteous anger guiding his blade, Petra strikes true, cutting deep into the swirling mass of shadow before him. The flames rimming the edges of his longsword light the wraith from inside as it tears through its incorporeal substance, its form appearing to drift apart ever so slightly as the paladin almost cleaves it in half. The thing shudders, though its powerful pull doesn't lessen any; still, it is obvious to everyone that the wraith has sustained some quite substantial injury by now. Segueing flawlessly from being drawn towards that creature of shadow to stepping into the Feywild and emerging instantaneously on the far side of that loathed spectre of oblivion, sweeping out her scimitar. It is a good effort, but not good enough, and a minor cut in its inky black essence is all the wraith suffers. Ignoring Petra, perhaps on account of its dazed state, the other wraith again attempts to strike Taldrel, and again it fails, not exerting nearly enough force to affect him. A blast of radiance, symbol of the paladin's ire, forks through its form like holy lightning, and the warlord feels himself restored by the sight of the creature receiving its due punishment for its transgression. Silent and unmoving, the suits of animated armour continue to stand in the doorway and watch. Petra takes a total of 10 necrotic damage (post-resists) at the start of his turn, becoming bloodied. He hits the vortex wraith for 8 damage, bloodying it and bestowing a -2 penalty to attack rolls until the end of his next turn, but then fails to save against the ongoing necrotic damage and being immobilised. Landra takes 10 (-5) necrotic damage and 5 force damage, bloodying her, and is pulled into P19. She Fey Steps away and attacks the oblivion wraith, missing and dealing 2 damage. The vortex wraith attacks Taldrel, also missing and taking 5 radiant damage as well as allowing Taldrel to regain 7 hitpoints through Hospitaler's Blessing. At the start of his turn, Taldrel will take 10 necrotic damage and 5 force damage from the two auras, dropping him to 17 hitpoints.  pre:/-----[ROUND 6]-------------------------------------------\ |==>| Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | | | Coreladdabar | 26 | Can't spend surges | | | Annetta | 23 | | | | Oblivion Wraith | 22 | | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | | | Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S); can't spend | | | | | surges | | | Landra | 17 | | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/ MMAgCh fucked around with this message at 08:03 on Feb 11, 2009 |
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Feb 10, 2009 19:28
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Taldrel Darlhunt His vision blurred. He stumbled, using his spear to keep himself standing, rather than to attack with. Barely audible over the cries of the fighting, Taldrel calls out, "Landra... Kill it..." Commander's Strike on Landra. Inspiring Word on Landra (surge +3d6) Contingency: If Corel gets attacked, Tactical Shift to get him out of the way. pre:HP: 17/78 AC : 24 Surges: 10/11 (22hp) Fort: 20 Action Points: 1 Will: 18 Speed: 5 Refl: 18 Basic Melee Attack: +14 vs AC, 1d8+9 damage (+3d6 on crit) Tactical Assault: When an ally that can see me spends an action point, they gain +2 attack and +4 damage on an attack made. At-Will: Commander's Strike, Wolf-pack Tactics Encounter: Clanpot Shake fucked around with this message at 15:40 on Feb 11, 2009 |
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Feb 11, 2009 07:52
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Just to clear things up, and because it might be relevant, there are two PCs left who can spend surges and could profit from Inspiring Word, namely Annetta and Landra. (To get in range of the former, Taldrel would have to shift out of flanking with Landra, though.) They're at 56/77 and 42/87 hitpoints right now, respectively.
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Feb 11, 2009 08:06
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The urgency of the warlord's desperate request anything but lost on her, Landra lashes out at the wraith. It is a good swing, passing right through the middle of the shadow creature; and though she feels no resistance, it is apparent that her scimitar does not leave the spectre unharmed, ripping away and dispersing a considerable portion of the thick, bottomless blackness that makes up its essence on this plane. It visibly shudders. Words of encouragement from Taldrel follow a strike well executed almost immediately, raising the eladrin's spirits further still; it is almost beginning to look like the tables may be turning, after all. This wraith, at least, appears to be close to its second demise by now. Close at hand, the pale blue ghost begins gliding towards the fighter, seemingly unperturbed by her presence. As it comes closer, Landra slashes at it, but this one is not as easily affected by worldly weapons, it appears, her attack only leaving a tiny rip in its insubstantial body. She is then subjected to the chilling experience of having the spirit phase through her – it is something barely felt in the flesh, a faint, but profound cold passing through her midriff the only sensation as the ghost ignores her physical presence much like it has been ignoring the thick walls of stone in this place. Still, besides unsettling the eladrin a little, no actual harm is done to her. Leaving the fighter behind, the ghost homes in on Annetta, coming to a halt a few feet away from the warlock. She is aware of the thing turning its glare on her, a glare of unwordly malice, but it fails to impress her; Annetta may not be beyond fear altogether, but in her dealings with and studies of the fey, she has seen and heard things ghastly in their own right, and in comparison, the ghost's presence seems only a minor worry, the dead holding little horror when there are so many living things that inspire equal, if not greater dread. Taldrel uses Commander's Strike, Landra hitting the oblivion wraith for 11 damage. She regains 33 hitpoints altogether from Inspiring Word, un-bloodying her. The malicious ghost moves through Landra, her OA missing for 2 damage, and attacks Annetta, also missing. Corel will drop to 14 hitpoints from the wraiths' auras and be pulled into Q16.  pre:/-----[ROUND 6]-------------------------------------------\ | | Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | |==>| Coreladdabar | 26 | Can't spend surges | | | Annetta | 23 | | | | Oblivion Wraith | 22 | | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | | | Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S) | | | Landra | 17 | | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/
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Feb 11, 2009 18:44
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Coreladdabar IV of Lockhaven Realizing the importance of getting away from the wraith before its proximity brings about his death, and knowing that Taldrel has his back, Coreladdabar uses his staple, Cloud of Daggers, upon the enemy. He then dashes out of range. Cast Cloud of Daggers to O-16. Int vs Reflex, +12. Effects: 1d6+7 force damage, any creature that enters the area or starts its turn there takes force damage 4. The cloud remains in place until the end of my next turn. Move to Q-9. Also, sorry dudes, can't use my best spell because I'd end up nuking ya'll too. Too cramped in these corridors. pre:HP: 39/73 AC: 21 Surges: 2/7 (16hp) Fortitude: 17 Action Points: 0/1 Will: 22 Speed: 6 Reflex: 20 At-Will: Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Scorching Blast, Cloud of Daggers Encounter:
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Feb 11, 2009 19:15
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Standing face to face with the wraith, Coreladdabar invokes another cloud of daggers, aimed at the creature's shadowy essence. His initial attack goes entirely astray; so does the shadow's opportunistic strike when the wizard momentarily lets down his guard to cast the spell, however. Landra's scimitar stroke, aimed to deter the thing from turning its wrath on anyone but herself, likewise goes wide, merely shearing off a small wisp of darkness from her target's essence. Still, the wraith is sufficiently distracted now for Coreladdabar to fly unhindered, placing himself well beyond its reach. Meanwhile, the other wraith finally recovers from the daze imposed on it by the wizard's earlier burst of colourful light. Corel, at 14 hitpoints now, uses Cloud of Daggers, which provokes an OA from the oblivion wraith, which provokes an immediate interrupt from Landra. All three miss (foxxbot spitting out a 3, 1, and 1, in that order), Landra at least doing 2 damage. The vortex wraith is no longer dazed.  pre:/-----[ROUND 6]-------------------------------------------\ | | Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | | | Coreladdabar | 26 | Can't spend surges | |==>| Annetta | 23 | | | | Oblivion Wraith | 22 | | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | | | Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S) | | | Landra | 17 | | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/
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Feb 11, 2009 19:30
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Annetta Glaring at the Ghost, Annetta points at it, angrily shouting "Leave me alone!" as she knots time and space around the ghost, trying to send it further back and even temporarily distract it into attacking the huge wraith. Standard: Will of the Feywild on the Malicious Ghost, +13 vs Will, 2d8 + 2d6 + 8, to teleport it to N16 and strike at the OWraith. Hit or miss, it's dazed till the end of it's next turn. pre:AC: 26 Fort: 21 Refl: 24 Will: 26
HP: 25/77 Surges: 7 Value: 19 Init: +6
Per: +13 Ins: +11 Stealth: +9 Arcana: +14
AP: 0
Resists: 5 Radiant
Special Abilities
Slashing Wake: Deal 4 damage to all adjacent enemies on teleports.
Misty Step: When a cursed enemy falls below 0 HP, can teleport up to
5 squares.
Alertness: No combat advantage during surprise rounds.
Rod of Reaving: 2 damage to curse recipients.
Generic Reactions
Sacrifice to Caiphon: If all targets of an encounter spell are
missed, deal damage equal to spell level and recover it.
Encounter
Witchfire [X] - Fiery Bolt [ ] - Mire the Mind [X] - Will of the Feywild [X]
Fey Switch [ ] - Beguiling Tongue [ ]
Daily
Dark Dream [ ] - Bloody Fangs [X] - Black Frost [ ]
Warlock's Leap [X]
Cloak of Resistance [X]
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Feb 12, 2009 03:30
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A stern glance and but a few words of command are all it takes for the warlock to fling her ghostly assailant away, proving again that even the insubstantial spirits of the deceased are not immune to her fey powers. The thing ends up next to the large wraith and, in its confusion, lashes out at it; the blow as such connects, but both entities being made of shadow-stuff, the wraith does not actually suffer any ill effect from it. The ghost's essence remains a little disturbed from its sudden dislocation, though; its body pulsates randomly and wobbles oddly in the air, as though its sense of balance were temporarily gone. Enraged by that pitiful attempt of turning its own kind against it, and further annoyed still by Coreladdabar's arcane daggers tearing into its substance, the wraith's shadowy form seems to shrink and tighten for a moment, a deeper darkness swirling in its unliving depths, before skewering Landra with an ethereal limb, trailing wisps of gloom. The pain as a glimpse of oblivion befouls the eladrin's mind is considerable, and were she not resolved to see this fight through to whatever end, she might be tempted to run, run far away; even as it is, she simply cannot bear the sight of the cold, dark spectre again, and finds herself forced to avert her eyes from its foreboding form. Having come to realise that Alagand is well and truly dead, Gladley stands up shakily, staring at the elf's body with an unreadable expression on her face. The woman remains thus for a few moments before half-turning and giving Brachis a sign of some sort; then, shortswords held close to her side, she and her drake companion rush into the fray. Beneath either wraith's contempt, they close in unhindered, and the look of grim fear on Gladley's face momentarily gives way to rage as she stabs at the larger spectre. Were it a living creature, she would actually have drawn some blood; as it is, her reckless attack creates a few noticeable rips in the shadowy fabric of the wraith's essence, and despite having gone terrible pale when she entered this mêlée, Gladley does appear slightly encouraged by her lack of complete failure. Brachis, meanwhile, hovers next to the other wraith, opposite from Petra, hissing and growling at the thing, seeming a bit bolder than his human companion. Annetta hits the ghost for 9 damage, teleporting it adjacent to and forcing it to attack the oblivion wraith. Its attack hits, but fails to do any damage after resistances. The ghost is dazed anyway until the end of its next turn. Fun fact: had Annetta attacked the oblivion wraith itself, she would have hit and killed it with the rolls she got this time! The oblivion wraith takes 2 damage from Cloud of Daggers, regenerates and hits Landra for 21 (-5) necrotic damage; it is now invisible to her until the end of its next turn. Gladley and Brachis move in. Using her daily, she misses the oblivion wraith, but deals 5 damage anyway. Petra will take ongoing 10 (-5) necrotic damage and 10 (-5) necrotic damage from the Nihil aura at the start of his turn and continue to be unable to spend healing surges until the start of his next turn. Landra will take 10 (-5) necrotic damage from Nihil and 5 force damage from Vortex at the start of her turn and become unable to spend healing surges until the start of her next turn.  pre:/-----[ROUND 6]-------------------------------------------\ | | Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | | | Coreladdabar | 26 | Can't spend surges | | | Annetta | 23 | | | | Oblivion Wraith | 22 | Invis. to Landra | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | |==>| Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S) | | | Landra | 17 | | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/
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Feb 12, 2009 04:56
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Petra M'orderial Further enraged and feeling even more helpless at the wraith's decision to ignore him further, Petra attacks once more; his swing, sloppy and wide, is more a manifestation of the torrent of emotions he's experiencing than anything else. He barely even notices Gladley moving in, but his look of anger turns to one of concern as he catches her attack out of the corner of his eye. Standard: Enfeebling Strike, +15 vs. AC, hit: 1d8+14 fire (crit: +2d6 fire) and opponent takes a -2 to attack rolls until the start of my next turn. pre:Petra M'orderial -------------- HP: 44/90 AC: 26 Healing Surge: 4/12 (heal 22) Fort: 21 Speed: 6 Refl: 22 Initiative: +7 Will: 24 Action Points: 0 Perc: +9 (passive 19) Inst: +16 (passive 26) Features: Resist 5 fire, 5 necrotic (Black Iron Armor), resist 15 force (Brooch of Shielding) Ally attacked by marked opponent regains 7 hit points, whether the attack hits or misses (Hospitaler's Blessing) +2 to OAs, use at-will powers (Blade Opportunist, Heavy Blade Opportunity) At-Will: Divine Challenge, Lay on Hands (0 remaning), Bolstering Strike, Enfeebling Strike Encounter:
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Feb 13, 2009 05:17
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Landra Her mind temporarily overwhelmed by the wraith's magic, her eyes recoiling from the very sight of it: there is no calm for Landra right now, none of her tricks, just wide, sweeping, desperate slashes of her scimitar, accompanied by barely-coherent shouts in Elven as she tries to strike home and end the menace, before it ended them. Cleave on the OW: +15 v. AC, 1d8+13, 4 damage on the MG if I hit. pre:Landra -------------- HP: 44/87 AC: 26 Healing Surge: 4/10 (heal 21) Fort: 24 Speed: 6 Refl: 24 Initiative: +14 Will: 21 Action Points: 0/1 Perc: +9 (passive 19) Inst: +12 (passive 22) Features: Resist 5 fire, 5 necrotic (Black Iron Armor) +4 to OAs, hit enemies stop moving. (Combat Superiority, Blade Opportunist) Adjacent marked enemies provoke melee basic attack (Combat Superiority) 5 damage on misses with scimitars (Scimitar Dance) Standard Interrupts (if they conflict, prioritise them in this order): Take all OAs available. If Precision Cut is unused, use it for OAs. At-Will: Combat Challenge, Cleave, Tide of Iron Encounter:
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Feb 13, 2009 05:47
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With the wraith forced to divert its attention between the paladin on one side and the hissing pseudodragon on the other, Petra manages to slip his longsword into the core of its form, flames illuminating and dispersing the streams of shadow spiralling across its surface. It is a good strike, pushing the thing that much closer to its annihilation, but as heartening as this success is, the half-elf still can't quite shake off the ghostly miasma befouling his lungs and limbs, making it painful to breathe and numbing his legs to the point of uselessness. In the right place and at the right time, there is something to be said for the power of sheer despair. Landra proves this in a rather impressive fashion; beset from many sides though the eladrin is, even her reckless and unaimed attacks finding their mark and all but entirely eradicating the wraith, as well as dealing some minor damage to the dazed ghost beside her. Her nemesis is not much longer for this world, that is apparent to everyone present! Petra finds his target's retaliation to be an oddly painless affair. He fails to avoid its many-pincered, shadowy tendril as it pulls at him from all directions, but the brooch at his throat flares brightly, and he is no worse for wear. With the wraiths' forces of unlife beginning to fade, so too do the energies animating the suits of armour; at least that is the impression one gets from watching them. They are beginning to look like weary men for whom the weight of their plate mail is almost too much to bear, and the red glow emanating from their visors is barely visible now. It doubtlessly is a good sign. Petra takes a combined 10 necrotic damage after resists and continues to be denied his healing surges. He hits the vortex wraith and rolls max damage, dealing 10 damage and administering a -2 penalty to its attack rolls until the end of his next turn. (Shouldn't his damage mod be +12, by the way? +5 CHA, +2 weapon, +5 Wrath of the Gods?) He then fails his save against the ongoing damage and being immobilised. Landra takes 10 (-5) necrotic damage and 5 force damage and can't spend any surges for now. She hits the OW, dealing 8 damage to it and cleaving into the ghost for 2 damage. The vortex wraith hits Petra for 0 damage (gotta love that Brooch of Shielding), he is slowed until the end of its next turn. Taldrel will take 10 necrotic and 5 force damage at the start of his turn, dropping him to 2 hitpoints, and be unable to spend any healing surges until the start of his next turn. No changes to the map. pre:/-----[ROUND 7]-------------------------------------------\ |==>| Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | | | Coreladdabar | 26 | Can't spend surges | | | Annetta | 23 | | | | Oblivion Wraith | 22 | Invis. to Landra | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | | | Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S); can't spend | | | | | surges; slowed | | | Landra | 17 | Can't spend surges | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/
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Feb 13, 2009 06:13
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Taldrel Darlhunt He could barely see. He could barely move. His breathing turned to wheezing, which turned to coughing. He didn't need to look down to know he was coughing blood. He spit what he could onto the ground in front of him, but it kept coming. He was seconds from passing out. Perhaps he was attacking, perhaps he was only falling, but Taldrel's final sweep left the wraith on the ground as his companions looked on. Knock them Down on OW: +14 vs AC, 3d6+9(+3d6) on hit: Target knocked prone, every ally in 10 squares can move 3 squares to make a basic melee on whoever for no damage but they are knocked prone. miss: half damage, target knocked prone. pre:HP: 2/78 AC : 24 Surges: 10/11 (22hp) Fort: 20 Action Points: 1 Will: 18 Speed: 5 Refl: 18 Basic Melee Attack: +14 vs AC, 1d8+9 damage (+3d6 on crit) Tactical Assault: When an ally that can see me spends an action point, they gain +2 attack and +4 damage on an attack made. At-Will: Commander's Strike, Wolf-pack Tactics Encounter:
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Feb 13, 2009 06:49
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On his last legs, the warlord drives his spear into the wraith's bulk. The result is nothing short of awe-inspiring: its entire, considerable form of shadow explodes outwards, appearing for a moment like a deathly starburst of sorts before hurling itself at Landra. The fighter withstands most of her opponent's final, vengeful attack, but even so it saps away some of her vitality before dispersing for good. So inspiring was Taldrel's dispatching of this foe that the swordswoman lays into the nearby ghost with equal fervour, rending apart its incorporeal form as a thrown stone makes a ruin of the formerly still surface of a lake. While no actual damage is done to the spirit, it is rendered noticeably inert, and Landra easily dodges the feeble swipe of its ghostly hand as it attempts to claw at the eladrin. Taldrel hits the oblivion wraith for 10 damage, which is more than enough to destroy it. Its Death Blast misses Landra, only dealing 11 (-5) necrotic damage, bloodying her and causing her to lose one healing surge. She successfully makes an attack against the ghost and knocks it prone. Should Petra want to try the same against the vortex wraith, he is free to, but keep in mind that ranged attacks take a -2 penalty against non-adjacent prone enemies, and everyone in mêlée range of it already has combat advantage against it. The ghost attacks Landra from its prone position, missing. It is no longer dazed.  pre:/-----[ROUND 7]-------------------------------------------\ | | Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | |==>| Coreladdabar | 26 | | | | Annetta | 23 | | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | | | Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S); can't spend | | | | | surges; slowed | | | Landra | 17 | Can't spend surges | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/
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Feb 13, 2009 07:33
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Coreladdabar IV of Lockhaven Wounded to the point where he worries about the possibility of real injury, Coreladdabar is gladdened to see the wraith dissipate. Now it was time for cleanup. He turns to the sputtering ghost attempting to regain its form. With a quick flick of his wrist, a new cloud of daggers forms around it. Cast Cloud of Daggers to N-16. Int vs Reflex, +12. Effects: 1d6+7 force damage, any creature that enters the area or starts its turn there takes force damage 4. The cloud remains in place until the end of my next turn. pre:HP: 14/73 AC: 21 Surges: 2/7 (16hp) Fortitude: 17 Action Points: 0/1 Will: 22 Speed: 6 Reflex: 20 At-Will: Ghost Sound, Light, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Scorching Blast, Cloud of Daggers Encounter:
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Feb 13, 2009 07:50
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Annetta Calling forth a brilliant beam of light, one that seemingly pierces through the ceiling and who knows how much earth above them, Annetta directs the brilliant energies at the ghost, hoping to blast the dark thing with pure light. She was, quite frankly, rather pissed off at the thing. With the battle slowly tilting in their favor, if only because the animated armor seemed to not leave the room, she wasn't going to be that upset with the turn about. Standard: Now I know why I thought Eldritch Blast did Radiant damage. Because it was Dire Radiance that did. So, we'll do that. Dire Radiance vs the Malicious Ghost. +9 vs Fortitude, 3D6 + 4 radiant damage, if it moves closer to me, it takes an extra 1d6 + 4 damage. The Transhumanist fucked around with this message at 08:35 on Feb 13, 2009 |
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Feb 13, 2009 08:33
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MMAgCh posted:(Shouldn't his damage mod be +12, by the way? +5 CHA, +2 weapon, +5 Wrath of the Gods?) +2 due to Astral Fire.
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Feb 13, 2009 16:44
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Coreladdabar and Annetta both aim well at the ghost, blasting its destabilised form with daggers of force and searing radiance, respectively. It weathers their assault well enough however, all things told, and doesn't look like it's about to give up its hold on unlife quite yet. Gladley groans in pain as the remaining wraith exerts its dreadful force upon her, and a hiss of similar agitation is heard from Brachis. She slashes at it defiantly, but in vain; it refuses to be easily toppled by this mere mortal. Corel hits for 4 force damage, Annetta hits for 8 radiant damage. Gladley and Brachis take 5 force damage each from the Vortex aura; she then misses with Beast Latch. At the start of her turn, Landra will take 5 force damage and be pulled into O16, unless Petra somehow manages to one-shot the wraith. (Valid point re: Astral Fire, of course – it was early in the morning and the damage workspace on your sheet doesn't list it, so I done got confused, as usual. Your last attack against the vortex wraith thus dealt another point of damage!)  pre:/-----[ROUND 7]-------------------------------------------\ | | Taldrel | 29 | Can't spend surges | | | Malicious Ghost | 27 | | | | Coreladdabar | 26 | | | | Annetta | 23 | | | | Gladley/Brachis | 20 | | |==>| Petra | 18 | Immob./ong. 10 necr. | | | | | dam. (S); slowed | | | Landra | 17 | Can't spend surges | | | Vortex Wraith | 12 | | | | Animated Armour #1 | 11 | | | | Animated Armour #2 | 11 | | \---------------------------------------------------------/ MMAgCh fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Feb 14, 2009 |
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Feb 13, 2009 18:54
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Landra Even wearied as she is from the fight, the departure of the massive wraith relieves her noticeably: her every move is quicker for its absence, to say nothing of her spirits. Even the pull of the dark vortex was easier to fight against, and it looked like they wouldn't all die today - but, looking over, it was clear that Taldrel needed aid quickly, and, at least this once, she was in the right place to render it. Sidestepping around the floundering ghost to join Gladley and Petra, she sweeps her blade in a wide arc towards the swirling spirit. Shift into O17, Cleave on the vortex wraith, +15 v. AC, 1d8+14, 4 damage to the ghost if it hits. pre:Landra -------------- HP: 28/87 AC: 26 Healing Surge: 3/10 (heal 21) Fort: 24 Speed: 6 Refl: 24 Initiative: +14 Will: 21 Action Points: 0/1 Perc: +9 (passive 19) Inst: +12 (passive 22) Features: Resist 5 fire, 5 necrotic (Black Iron Armor) +4 to OAs, hit enemies stop moving. (Combat Superiority, Blade Opportunist) Adjacent marked enemies provoke melee basic attack (Combat Superiority) 5 damage on misses with scimitars (Scimitar Dance) Standard Interrupts (if they conflict, prioritise them in this order): Take all OAs available. If Precision Cut is unused, use it for OAs. At-Will: Combat Challenge, Cleave, Tide of Iron Encounter: Dallan Invictus fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Feb 14, 2009 |
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Feb 14, 2009 05:20
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Petra M'orderial Glowing tears flowing from his eyes in a rare display of emotion other than love, friendship, or empathy, Petra issues another searing, broad swipe at the wraith, hoping to fell it before Taldrel succumbs to its fel magic. No problem. Incidentally, I think I have 10 hit points more than you think I do, due to factoring in damage when I post my turn rather than after I do so, unless my calculations are just wrong or I've just missed some kind of damage. In which case, my bad! I'll ask you on IRC when I get back if there's any confusion. Standard: Enfeebling Strike again, +15 vs. AC (+17 due to CA), hit: 1d8+14 damage (crit +2d6 fire) and target takes -2 to attacks until the end of my next turn. pre:Petra M'orderial -------------- HP: 34/90 AC: 26 Healing Surge: 4/12 (heal 22) Fort: 21 Speed: 6 Refl: 22 Initiative: +7 Will: 24 Action Points: 0 Perc: +9 (passive 19) Inst: +16 (passive 26) Features: Resist 5 fire, 5 necrotic (Black Iron Armor), resist 15 force (Brooch of Shielding) Ally attacked by marked opponent regains 7 hit points, whether the attack hits or misses (Hospitaler's Blessing) +2 to OAs, use at-will powers (Blade Opportunist, Heavy Blade Opportunity) At-Will: Divine Challenge, Lay on Hands (0 remaning), Bolstering Strike, Enfeebling Strike Encounter:
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Feb 14, 2009 10:05
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The paladin of Melora swings his longsword at the hated wraith again, flaming blade cleaving another rift in its insubstantial form. Landra follows this up with an even more devastating scimitar stroke, outright cutting the thing in half. Annetta and Coreladdabar, the only ones sufficiently far away from the mêlée not to be affected by the spectre's violent departure, see a dark flash, a spontaneous burst of shadow, quickly growing into what looks like a black rip in the fabric of reality itself. Everything near it, including their companions, becomes blurred and difficult to make out as the darkness surges outwards, a powerful, chilling wind blowing through the corridor all of a sudden. Thankfully, it is gone again as quickly as it came into existence. When the hallway is clearly visible again, only Landra is left standing, having miraculously avoided the bulk of that last, powerful outburst, though she staggers from its impact all the same. The others are scattered around, lying dazed in different spots than where they last stood; Taldrel has been knocked unconscious altogether by this unexpected attack, though it looks like he'll be coming to again soon enough. Brachis offers a weak chirp as he picks himself up from the ground and flutters unsteadily over to Gladley, who looks positively battered but alive, at least, lying quite still at the moment. What only the wizard and the warlock consciously noticed was the departure of their other enemies the instant the wraith was destroyed. From the ghost issued a soul-chilling wail when its incorporeal shape suddenly vanished, torn apart and dispersed like a cobweb ruined by a sudden gust of strong wind. It was accompanied by the cacophonous clatter of metal as the suits of armour still standing guard in the doorway de-animated, crashing to the ground in many pieces, utterly lifeless. The noise from all this was considerable, and continues to be so still for several painfully long moments; it echoes ceaselessly through the hallways, heralding your enemies' vicious last stand and final, decisive defeat – it would make the ancient inhabitants of this place proud, though the circumstances under which this came to pass would sadden them in equal measure. Eventually, when the last vestiges of sound have trailed off into the dark, unguessable distance, silence settles in again so comfortable as though it was never gone. Petra takes ongoing 10 (-5) necrotic damage and hits for 8 damage, inflicting a -2 penalty to attack rolls on the vortex wraith. Landra, after taking 5 force damage from the Vortex aura, hits for 11 damage, cleaving into the ghost for 2 damage. This kills the vortex wraith, whose Final Vortex hits Gladley, Brachis and Taldrel for 13 force damage, hits but fails to do any damage to Petra, and misses Landra for 6 force damage. Everyone except for Landra also is teleported around semi-randomly within the hallway (no farther away than 6 squares from the wraith's former position) and knocked prone. Taldrel drops to -11, but one death has been quite enough so I'll say he stabilises automatically and will wake up again soon. Similarly, Petra saves against his remaining conditions. The ghost and suits of armour expire on their own, meaning this encounter is OVER. I'm also going to hand out experience the regular way from here on, so do keep track of it. So far this level, you've all earned 2,720 XP each, which includes this fight. I have Petra at 29 hitpoints now, for what that's worth. MMAgCh fucked around with this message at 20:31 on Feb 14, 2009 |
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Feb 14, 2009 18:26
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Petra M'orderial Petra looks around with some horror and shock, even as the remaining enemies disperse. No. This should not be happening. Struggling to get his bearings, his eyes clouded by an odd mix of sorrow, frustration, disappointment, and simple tears, he sheathes his sword thoughtlessly, eager to no longer have to hold an implement of destruction, at least not for now. He looks around at his comrades, deeply disheartened by the rough shape they all seem to be in and barely even noticing as the horrifying, death-like fog of the combat dissipates. Not that it helps, anyway. Petra's heart is overwhelmed by a much deeper, far worse kind of fog now. The very second he sees Taldrel's prone form, he darts over to the body, drops to a knee, and carefully rolls him onto his back so as not to upset his spine. He places two fingers to the half-elf's neck, checking his pulse and his wounds. He is badly hurt, but he will live. Strong warriors have an odd habit of recovering from wounds quickly. He stands up and approaches Alagand as well, this time a lot more slowly. There can be no uncertainty now. Alagand has died. Petra's feet weigh down his ankles as though they're made of lead; his armor feels oppressive and cage-like, slowing his movements, and he tugs at the joints to loosen it, though in reality he's basically stalling for time, trying to prolong the inevitable confrontation with death--and, with it, a reminder of his failure as a warrior. He falls to his knees next to the deceased elf, silent as he places his hands over Alagand's eyes and closes them. Hopefully not forever. Then he hunches over, placing his forearms on Alagand's chest and burying his head in them, sobbing like a little girl. Big, globular tears stream from his eyes. "I'm sorry," he says. "I'm so sorry." Whether he's talking to himself, the group, Alagand, someone else, or no one in particular--no one can tell. 29 hit points sounds fine--your count is probably more accurate than mine.
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Feb 15, 2009 08:11
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Landra She sways on her feet at the wraith's spectacular end, but manages, barely, to keep them. The fight has exhausted her: she stands in the middle of the hallway, panting, turning around to look at the others and meet each of their eyes, gravely wounded and scattered like leaves in a breeze. She looks for all the world like she could fall asleep right there, for all that it was a terrible idea. Sheathing her sword, she inhales deeply, then sighs out, "Thank you." It's not clear who she means - the rest of the party? The gods? Probably both. While she catches her breath, she watches Petra get to his feet, and notes his expression as he checks on the stunned Taldrel. Good, he will be all right. A tough sort - I suppose guardsmen usually are. Eventually, she walks - more like drifts, in Petra's wake - over to the corpse of Alagand, standing over it for a moment, while the kneeling paladin weeps. For all the world as if he had simply fallen into some uncanny sleep. Gods grant he may be awakened. She bends over the body, touching a slim hand to the cold brow and murmuring in Elven, "I, too, am sorry. We could do no more." Straightening back up, the same hand settles on Petra's shoulder for a moment: a brief, comforting touch and a whisper of "You are not to blame.", before she steps back. It would have to do for now. We both had to stand right there, helpless, and watch him die. How could I not understand his pain? She speaks up, to no one in particular. "I should search the study, so we can leave this place with what we came for." The statement is oddly tentative for her: she is clearly still finding her centre. "I need - I think we all need - to rest under open sky tonight if we can." And with that, she walks back to, and through, the doorway that started this whole mess, stepping over the shattered suits of armour with an almost wistful glance at them, shaking her head slowly and remarking with a somewhat forced gallows humour, "And you. You really would have been better off standing guard over my bed." Landra ended at...17, so I'll spend 2 surges to bring me up to 59 HP and leave 1 in case something explodes in here. Perception +9 to search the room and furniture.
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Feb 15, 2009 09:04
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Annetta Annetta walks in to survey the scene. Unlike the others, she is not a stranger to death, not even to those close to her. It is in fact much of the reason why she tends to avoid getting attached to anyone or anything in the first place. But, even still, it was a senseless waste. Shaking her head a bit, Annetta sighed as she approached the Paladin. A pause, and then she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Unfortunate as it is, these things sometimes happen. Let us at least ensure that it wasn't in vain. At the very least, we have the knowledge to return him, if not the supplies. Anyone have a ritual to hold entropy over Alagand's body at bay?" Some level of, if not shame at least for her faltering will, a little remorse that she couldn't have done more, but such was the wraiths fury it was writ far too soon, especially with the fiend separating them. The worst was that Annetta felt the most kinship with Alagand, the two had both been the odd ones out in the groups formation, though they had both taken very different approaches to it. But, Annetta was at the very least not going to let the priests sacrifice be for nothing. Gripping her rod and torch, she steps over the pile of animated armor and heads into the room to see what was so gods damned important. First things first, the desk. Perception: +13
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Feb 15, 2009 10:00
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Taldrel Darlhunt Visions of malevolent fog, of death and dying, and of being buried alive. Lost in catacombs, collapsing in exhaustion, defeated by the walls themselves. Slowly he regained consciousness. He tried to make sense of what had happened, what was real and what was the result of having his existence assaulted by ghosts from beyond. He opened his eyes. He tasted blood. The first thing Taldrel saw was... nothing. As his eyes drew into focus and acclimated to the darkness, he saw... nothing. The bare, smooth rock of the ceiling was all that greeted him. He was sore, but confident nothing was broken. He lifted his head, then sat up. What he saw was somewhat surprising. Petra kneeling over the prone form of who must be Alagand, Gladley sitting against the wall comforting or being comforted by the dragon-thing, and he caught a glimpse of Landra and Annetta moving around in the room the ghosts came from. He noticed the suits of armor scattered on the floor, but couldn't remember how they got there. Ignoring his companions, Taldrel set about bandaging his wounds, but found not a scratch on him, at least no new ones. With nothing to bandage, Taldrel sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and tried to center himself. Spending 3 surges for 66 hp. Does that put me at 66 or 67 hp? Never died before.
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Feb 15, 2009 17:53
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Merely from stepping into the room, no source of or definite explanation for the loud horn heard earlier is found. It might have been the result of some spell of watching, such as the ritual known as Eye of Alarm, or one of its more refined variations; those at least fleetingly familiar with the basics of ritual spells – which means, at this point, all of you, really – know that such a spell must be recast every 24 hours or thereabouts, unless a particular focus object is located within the vicinity of the warded area. During her examination of the study, Annetta finally chances upon just that, tucked away out of sight behind the desk: it is a small, stylised eye, about twice the size of a human's, made largely of silver, with a small ruby as its pupil. It is doubtlessly worth at least some coin. The protective measures of the chamber apparently exhausted, a closer search is finally possible, with the desk turning out to be the most bountiful in this regard. Standing towards it back is a golden statuette about six inches in height. It depicts, in marvellous detail, a fully armoured knight wearing a horned great helmet, two tiny rubies set in its visor, and grasping a massive two-handed sword, whose blade appears to be carved from a single sapphire gemstone. Though its pose is eerily reminisicient of that of the suits of armour when they were still flanking the desk, the statuette appears to be entirely mundane; it also appears to be of considerable value. Sorting further through the various drawers of the desk, you find a multitude of pouches and satchels, containing numerous platinum pieces as well as hundreds of gold coins, all told. It is a decent amount, though its origins are dubious at best. Found in the same drawer as a pouch with no less than a full dozen platinum coins is a small flask containing a vivid green liquid. Unstopping it reveals its smell to be that of cinnamon, mixed with a light hint of bitter black currant, which in turn identifies it as a restorative potion, and one of some potency as well. Finally, two scrolls are retrieved from the desk as well. One is quite clearly magical and contains a transcribed ritual, a spell intended to remove rubble and similar obstacles from one's path; the other might be a letter of some sort, written in a plain and oddly lifeless hand. The script used is Common, but the language obviously isn't; judging from its phonemes and consonant-heavy diction, as well as considering where you found it, it's very likely Goblin. What little furnishings remain in the study are less exciting. The closet is virtually empty, only a small vial containing some glittering, silvery-black dust remaining; it is residuum, magic in its purest physical form. Beside it sits a broad, locked wooden chest, looking reasonably, but not terribly sturdy. In the opposite corner, the one directly to the left when entering the study, a bedroll and a few other mundane belongings confirm that someone indeed used to sleep and live here. In the hallway outside, with sharp, ragged breaths suggesting a cracked, if not broken rib or two, Gladley slowly climbs to her feet, Brachis perched on her shoulder. Both of them appear thoroughly subdued as she haltingly steps over to where Alagand's lifeless body lies, staring at it mutely for a while before turning away with drooping shoulders. Hesitating, she stops at the threshold to the study, looking around the room with a look of distant fear in her eyes. "This is it," she murmurs quietly. Your findings: a golden statuette worth 2,500gp; a focus for 'Eye of Alarm' worth 100gp; 3,400gp in platinum and gold pieces; 130gp of residuum; one "Clear the Path" ritual scroll (FRPG; area burst 3 within 10 squares is cleared of rubble, detritus, debris etc.; requires 70gp of nature-type components), one potion of vitality. Receiving any healing while below 0 hitpoints first restores your health to exactly 0 hitpoints, then the healing kicks in. So, in this case, it's 66 hitpoints for Taldrel. MMAgCh fucked around with this message at 20:03 on May 4, 2009 |
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Feb 15, 2009 20:59
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Annetta Looking over the coins and art pieces, Annetta frowns a bit and then shakes her head sighing. Unless the scroll written proved useful, there looked to be nothing else in the way that might indicate where such things came from, because she just could not believe that a priest like the one they'd killed earlier could summon and then bind such things as defended the room. Nor were there any orders, or anything else that might explain where these brutes came from. At least the gold would hopefully buy enough reagents to return their fallen companion from beyond the veil. "loving hell! Well, the gold is useful, anyone here who can read goblin tongues? Perhaps this would explain where they were from, who sent them, how they could establish a trap like this?" she asked, pointing to the note before continuing on, her thoughts racing well faster than her mouth. "Anyone opposed to putting the gold towards returning Alagand if we can? Though, hells, not sure where but the Academy we might find enough of the proper reagents," she said, continuing to search the room in case she might have overlooked anything.
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Feb 15, 2009 21:50
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Gladley looks rather flustered by the warlock's unexpected outburst. "I only know a few words in Goblin," she says quietly, peering at the note. "Not exactly fluent in it. Definitely –" the woman squints at the writing, then frowns, shaking her head. "No, definitely not enough to make much sense of this, sorry." Swallowing, she looks around the room again, then at each of you in turn. "I – I hope you don't think I knew any of – this would happen, right? I had no idea, I swear!" She seems genuinely terrified by the notion. Anyone home?
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Feb 16, 2009 18:19
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Taldrel Darlhunt Taldrel's meditation is broken by Annetta's outburst. He gathers his things and stands, then walks into what is likely his armor's former owner's office. Taldrel didn't know goblin and just shook his head in response. Spotting the statuette on the desk and the chest of gold, Taldrel says, "I'm not going to be able to carry all of this, let's gather what we can." He picks up the statuette, wraps it in a spare shirt, and places it in his bag. "If there's any chance Alagand isn't completely lost to us, this could help pay for it. We need to decide what to do." What are we going to do about Alagand? The scroll is obviously pretty useful, but we're down 2 now, so any fights we get into beyond the rubble are going to be rough. Resurrecting Alagand may not be a guarantee either.
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Feb 16, 2009 21:09
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Annetta Shaking her head, she sighs and takes a deep breath to regain her composure. "Sorry, I... Hells, I'm just irked that we lost a good man for what could be nothing more than some trinkets and a grocery list. Hells hells hells... Wait," she pauses before going to her ritual book, flipping it open and leafing through. "Ah. A ritual to comprehend languages," she frowns. "Forgot to get components, but, " she reaches into her bag of holding, dropping ten gold pieces into the pile before taking only a tiny amount of the residuum. "Give me a moment here." Comprehend Languages on the paper: +14 to Arcana. As for what to do, I suggest an extended rest or get out. I don't think we are in much shape right now to go at this very well.
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Feb 16, 2009 21:18
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Landra Nodding, though frowning slightly, as she looks over the chest, she answers Annetta, "There's little else we'd need that much wealth for right now, and I surely want to if we can. A large enough temple should have what we need, but who knows when we'll see one of those either." She turns around to face Annetta in the room and Gladley in the doorway, her gaze directed mainly at the latter. At length, she smiles, a wan little effort to calm the guard. "I'm sure you were as in the dark as the rest of us, don't worry. We'll soon enough see what's on that scroll - what about the other one, though?" Eyeing the scrolls in Annetta's hands a moment, she steps to the doorway while the warlock prepares her ritual, searching through the debris for the statues' weapons and comparing them. Finding the one in the best shape, she wanders back to the closet and locked chest, searching for a crack in the latter and aiming to pry it open with the makeshift weapon. This is probably a Strength check at +10 (5 STR, 5 level), but I'm not sure what the rules are for ghetto lockpicking anymore.  As for what happens next: I agree, rest or get out. I suppose which of the two we do depends on what we find on the paper and in the locked chest. EDIT: aaaa everyone posting at once! Dallan Invictus fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Feb 16, 2009 |
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Feb 16, 2009 21:39
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Petra M'orderial At some point, even Petra's tear ducts begin to run dry, and he swears he hears a female voice pull him from the brink of despair--though maybe it's just Landra's comment from earlier. Petra stands up, reluctantly moving away from Alagand's body. "Rest well, brother," is all he can be heard saying, besides a few other small things in Elven. He walks over to Gladley. "Of course you didn't. No one would be so naïve as to suggest that you did. Are you quite alright? Your bravery in such a dire battle was quite commendable." Turning to the rest of the group and regarding them each in turn, he inquires simply: "And before we get ahead of ourselves, is everyone in okay shape?" He checks his wounds for the first time, setting some of bones back into place and taking deep breaths of the now cleaner air. He seems totally oblivious to the trove of treasure before him. "It would be nice to sleep under an open sky, indeed," he remarks. "And we owe Alagand a proper burial. I will carry him out. But we would not be in any good shape to deal with potential foes on the way out. One option is merely to barricade ourselves in this room and to..." Annetta's words jar his memory. "Of course. We can use magic to bring our comrade back, can't we?" He seems slightly less enthused about it than one might expect; a paladin of Melora is not entirely keen on the notion of bringing people back from the grave, but suddenly he's much more interesting in taking stock of the treasure. Nimlach, I'm guessing you'd like Alagand to come back--what's the general group consensus besides? I'm in favor of trying if Nimlach wants back in. Gonna spend two healing surges to bring me to 73 HP.
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Feb 16, 2009 21:42
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yeah, I'd love to get raised, are the resources available? - I couldn't watch what I feared was an impending TPK, so I haven't checked in for a couple of days. Good job, guys!
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Feb 17, 2009 06:00
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We got the wealth, just don't have access to that much reagents at the moment. But, we'll see what there is to see. At the very least, hoping someone has a gentle repose ritual, because it may be a while, don't want Alagand getting to unfresh.
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Feb 17, 2009 06:26
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On the other hand, zombie-Alagand offers a whole slew of heretofore unexplored role playing opportunities. But in seriousness, MMA, how painful would it be go back to the mage's city and have Alagand resurrected, then get back to where we are now (storming the castle, as it were)?
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Feb 17, 2009 06:36
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It seems like if we're gonna do this, we probably need to see if there's another town nearby where we can get the ingredients.
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Feb 17, 2009 06:50
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Aschlafly posted:It seems like if we're gonna do this, we probably need to see if there's another town nearby where we can get the ingredients. I feel like pointing out that we were a day or so away from a decent-sized town (as far as I recall) before Landra derailed us into this hellhole.
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Feb 17, 2009 13:32
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Nimlach posted:yeah, I'd love to get raised, are the resources available? - I couldn't watch what I feared was an impending TPK, so I haven't checked in for a couple of days. Good job, guys!  Coreladdabar knows both the Linked Portal ritual and the sigil combination of the Academy's teleportation circle, so in theory you could head back there just fine. There are a number of limitations to the whole process though (for instance, Linked Portals must use a teleportation circle as their destination, so you can't travel back to the fortress from the Academy that way unless you locate one or some of you remain where you currently are, and Raise Dead takes eight hours to perform) that may complicate matters. Farling is indeed the other main option, which you're about one day on horseback away from (assuming your horses will still be there whenever you leave this place) and were headed for anyway. It's not a terribly big town but they may be able to give you a hand anyway! If Nimlach and I can get done what needs to be done in a timely fashion, the whole resurrection issue might not even come into play, though, so in a blatantly OOC/metagaming kind of way I'd tell you not to worry about it too much. What you do IC is your call, of course! A proper post will most likely be forthcoming later today.
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Feb 17, 2009 18:51
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Gladley gives Petra a small, grateful smile. "I'm – I'll be all right. We will be all right, I mean," she adds, gently patting Brachis' neck. The pseudodragon looks to be dozing, or perhaps just exhausted, eyes half closed as he rests his head against the woman's temple. Landra, meanwhile, takes one of the greatswords to the chest. It feels vaguely like desanctifying the weapon, to use it as a crude tool in this fashion, but it gets the job done, and that is what counts most sometimes. Groaning under the eladrin's treatment, the lid of the chest eventually snaps open, part of the lock going skittering across the stone floor. Its contents are revealed to be a small number of weapons: there is a longsword, a battleaxe and a longbow, as well as a wand. An aura of magic is about them, but nothing as powerful as the party's own equipment. Annetta carefully dabs a little of the silvery dust on the first and last character written on the parchment; then, grasping the scroll with both hands and holding it at eye level, she begins murmuring softly to herself, little snippets of nonsense in both languages she knows at first, seemingly mixed and matched at random. As she continues to chant, their structures slowly unfold like shyly blooming flowers, like snow swirling about and dispersing after a gentle impact, and the words, the syllables flow freely, take on a different tone, dance to a different tune; they are not two separate languages anymore, they are not language at all anymore, have transcended that notion – they have become a concept, an idea forming clearly within the warlock's mind, and for a moment, it seems to her that she might understand the whispers of leaves and trees, the deep grumbling of stone and the sighing of the wind over autumn fields as well as any mortal tongue – why not? – but the moment quickly fades, and Annetta feels oddly and frustratingly constrained again as everything becomes as it was before, with one exception: the writing on the scroll before her eyes now makes perfect sense to her. quote:Nathrak, Everyone present has heard the name Ardranoth before, and it gives them pause; they are aware of its dark meaning, tangentially at least, and some even manage to coax further details from memory. No sane man has taken it since the Great War, and for good reason. It is a warning whisper from years long past, a reminder of the great folly of man; Ardranoth was a powerful mage responsible for what some consider the single greatest atrocity during the Great War, a feat of dubious excellence indeed considering the full breadth of that terrible conflict. That it should show up in such a fashion of all things is nothing but ill-timed coincidence, one can only hope. Wandering over to the chest Landra has forced open, Gladley gives a small gasp of surprise when she lays eyes on the equipment it contains. It is well the chest does not appear to be trapped, for so exhilarated by the sight is the woman that she reaches into the ruined container and retrieves the longsword. "My sword! Here it is!" she declares happily and, wielding it two-handed, proudly presents the blade to Landra as though introducing a dear friend. Her smile rapidly fades as she looks at the remaining items lying unclaimed within the broken chest, however, and she lets the weapon sink until its point touches the stone at her feet, looking dejected. Annetta, Taldrel, Landra: You know exactly what transpired all these decades ago, as it is a subject routinely covered within the scope of historical studies, and Landra actually participated in the war that sparked it, though she was not present at the battle in question, having been part of the effort to drive the remaining Vaerian invaders out of Mitback at the time. You all know that during one of the last clashes on Utinmaran soil, with the Vaerian forces fighting a losing battle, Ardranoth tapped into the dark power of a necromantic artifact – whose presence, and indeed existence, none had been aware of until that point – to raise the greater part of all those who had fallen during that battle, creating a new, dreadful host comprised of both Utinmaran and Vaerian soldiers, now bound to him beyond death. It proved to be an undertaking beyond his abilities, however, and he was scarcely able to keep the undead combatants from turning against him and the Vaerians, to say nothing of pushing back the Utinmarans. At that point, the battle was decided more thoroughly than if it had raged on without Ardranoth's interference. Numerous soldiers on both sides fled the battlefield, distraught and struck blind with fear at this ungodly sight; but more still were gripped by a new, furious rage, cutting their way through the ranks of the risen towards their commander; and the Utinmarans found most Vaerians giving way, if not joining swords with them, a temporary fraternisation brought on by the most abhorrent of circumstances. It is not known who slew Ardranoth; too many blades hacked him to pieces, Utinmaran and Vaerian weapons alike, some, the legend claims, wielded by hands no longer living as his own creations eventually turned against him. His body was burned, the ashes scattered into the sea, and the dread artifact he used, something simply known as the Chalice, unmade a year after the end of the war by the Academy's most powerful mages. That was the end of Ardranoth, and though some disturbed minds, copycats of a particularly despicable nature, would later take his name as their own and dabble in necromancy, none even remotely attained the dubious level of skill of that Vaerian, and they were all found out and brought to justice before long. What remains of him is a name, and behind that name, a dreadful legacy. Took me a while, sorry for that. Please note that ritual casters are welcome to come up with their own descriptions of how exactly a ritual is performed. It's not like I don't enjoy doing it myself (god knows I do), but I'm not the (only) one supposed to have fun here, so by all means feel free!
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Feb 18, 2009 23:16
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Annetta "Well. poo poo," Annetta says rather flatly as she finishes reading the scroll. Her background in history well prepared her for that name. "We have bad news, worse bad news, and really bad news. And odd news. The bad news is that, yes, they were after something specific in the caravan, something called the Shard. Shard of what, I have no idea, but obviously not good." The warlock frowned for a long moment as she still held the paper. "The worse bad news is that I suspect, and for this I am sorry to be the messenger Gladley, that your compatriots may be with the one who penned this note. Which does not bode well at all for them, as that leads us to the really bad news. Ardranoth. Most likely we have a copy cat necromancer wanna be, they seem drawn to that name like flies to honey, but in any event, the nutter at least is fairly powerful, though hard to say his competency. Easier to summon than to control the undead, as their name-sake has proven..." Shaking her head slowly, Annetta sighed. Wonderful. "I don't suppose you have any idea what the Shard was Gladley?"
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Feb 18, 2009 23:29
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