"Thanks Hezar. The benefits of a misspent youth coming through."
The Sun Elf grins playfully, before turning to Matthais.
"I could give it a go, though perhaps I can lead everyone to the other side of this trap before attempting it?"
Matthias looked at the dangerous area of floor uncertainly. "You mean there's already a way through this? Because if you mean for us to jump, I think I'd rather wait," he grinned.
Kev grunts, giving Janiries room to work. The half-orc turns to look up the stairs, making sure nothing takes them unawares from above.
I suspect I could navigate the traps as well...though how many of the rest of us could, I do not know.
"Well, I could get through.. but you and Kevkas would certainly struggle. I'll just disable a few of the plates so we can get through. You lot better stay back just incase I trigger something."
Taking out her thieves tools, Janiries drops prone and gets to work, disabling the traps to clear a path through.
Janiries' nimble fingers work on the trap mechanism for several minutes as everyone else keeps their distance. With a metallic, screeching sound, a line of eight flagstones drop several inches into the ground, raising a cloud of fine dust.
Past the flagstones is an archway which was once sealed by massive, stone doors. The doors have been smashed, the remains laying on the ground in a mess of broken and fractured stone. It's too dark to see what lays beyond from your current position, though if your senses are correct, what lays beyond should be roughly underneath the massive, central stone seal that you spied above ground.
"Should I just throw the sunrod into the room? Might get a better idea of what's in there."
@ Matthias: the stone lays in disarray around the archway and looks like it has for a long time; a fair bit looks like it has erupted outwards from the door - enough, chillingly, to make it look like something has broken through from the inside.
The bodies against the western wall have been thoroughly pulped, their equipment sundered. You do spy at least one coinpurse on one of the fresh bodies, and a ring on an unbroken hand.
Stepping closer to the gateway reveals more of the room beyond; it looks like a massive chamber, over 100 feet to the opposite wall, and illuminated dimly by torches in the walls lit with some strange, purple light. A gigantic coffer, probably 25 feet in length and twenty feet tall, dominates the middle of the round chamber.
Of more direct import, a chilling scene greets you. Several bodies litter the floor, of different races. A lone combatant (perhaps a male human from your vantage point) cuts down a strange, grey-skinned dwarf with his sword as several other creatures advance upon him. Standing further back, and taking no action, a slender hooded figure stands watching the unfolding drama. The lone warrior stands about 25 feet from you, his back to the doorway in which you stand.
Map link is here. Please place yourselves withing 5 feet (one square) of the archway, either inside or outside the chamber.
Nijena had stepped to one side to stay out of the way of the others, but upon seeing the scene inside, her almond eyes narrowed, then flared with ghostly green light as she touched the Weave with her will.
No sense being subtle, she thought.
"Hello there!" Her tone was upbeat and friendly, "We saw the door open, and thought someone might wish to share a cup of tea. Imagine our surprise when we saw all the dead people."
As she spoke, nearly-invisible wisps of power wrapped themselves around her, refracting the light of the sunrod into very faint rainbows. She did not draw her sword, but with her thumbs tucked into her sash, one hand was close to the wand hidden therein.
Stepping quickly through the doorway, Janiries draws her rapier and dagger as she spots the combat taking place.
She'd have happily stayed back and let the two sides fight each other, only using her weapons in the defence of the party.. that was, until she spotted the Drow. The moment her eyes fell upon that creature, she tensed right up. She may not have been the most traditional of woodland loving elves, but now every primordial instinct, every fibre of her being, was telling her to charge and kill the abomination.
Hezar eyes the creature at the back of the room, knowing in his heart that the cloaked figure is always the dangerous one.
Davin's sword chopped into the neck of one of the grey dwarves. His enchanted sword cut deep, and the dying dwarf's throat gurgled with gushing blood.
He tried to draw back his arm, but the blade stuck for a terrifying moment. With a grunt, he lifted his leg and kicked the twitching corpse away, freeing his sword.
His torso ached and shook from exhaustion. His shield arm felt numb and drooped, ever so slightly.
And yet despite it all he chuckled shakily. Maybe it was high time his luck ran out.
"Hello there," someone called out behind him.
Dumbstruck he turned his head slightly to see a group of people walking in behind him.
"Sweet, Tymora, I'm sorry I ever doubted you," he said while panting hard for breath.
Speak now. Are you foe to evil, and corruptors of nature?
Sense Motive
Davin snorted.
"Are you?! Look, whoever you are we can debate religion later. But I can assure you I'm no friend to these defilers."
The drow and the grey dwarves all speak in unison, their voices flat and emotionless. We are beyond your petty understanding of good and evil, human. We do not corrupt, but instead bring order to the seething chaos which lies beneath. Leave us to our prey. Return from whence you came. We will not warn you again.
The elf and the dwarves look odd - their eyes are glazed and almost lifeless in appearance. The hooded figure reveals nothing, moving not an inch.
"No one asked you!" Davin shouted at his attackers.
Good enough for me... Hezar draws an arrow to his ear.
Kev grins and draws his greatsword off his back, muttering a supplication to Torm under his breath.
Matthias let the warriors pass him as he exchanged his mace for the sword he carried. Raising it, he spoke a prayer to Helm in a ringing voice.
"Mighty Helm, let the wheat be sorted from the chaff, and fill the worthy with your holy courage! Let them bring light where there is dark, and smite evil where it is found!"
Prior to the outbreak of hostilities, then: the two Gray Dwarves both double in size before your eyes, and the Drow casts a spell targeting himself (DC 16 to identify).
Remaining initiative rolls:
Kevkas:
Duergar A,C:
Duergar B:
Drow:
Hooded Figure:
Action tranches:
Group 1 - Duergar A; Duergar C
Group 2 - Nijena, Hezar, Kevkas
Group 3 - Drow, Hooded Figure
Group 4 - Matthias, Janiries, Davin
Group 5 - Duergar B
Round One coming up - first to go - the Duergar!
Tranche 1:
Duergar A, now over seven feet tall, trots five feet forward and strikes with all his force at the newcomer with its oversized warhammer:
Power Attack:
Damage:
Davin easily avoids the clumsy swing, however!
Duergar C ...... unknown.
Tranche 2 is up! Nijena, Hezar, Kevkas. Remember, with this system you can post in any order within your tranche. First come first served!
Hezar steps toward the Drow.
for
for
Hezar sends two arrows flying and scowls as one flies wide.
Kevkas grins as the duergars enlarge themselves. "Cute. Now they're almost as big as I was before." With a roar the big warrior- now easily 13 feet tall if not taller- charges the closest grey dwarf.
Unable to tell what exactly the Drow had cast upon himself, Nijena ignored him for a moment. Instead, she pulled a wand from her sash, aimed it at the hooded figure, and spoke a quick, foreign word. The wand sent a ball of sticky fluid flying through the air.
@ Kevkas: Please remember to confirm your crit and roll your damage a second time. Thanks!
@ Nijena: the hooded figure is too far for you to bring that wand into play - range is 25 feet + 5 feet/2 levels.
Unable to tell what spell the Drow had cast upon himself, Nijena moved to at least minimize one threat. Stepping into the room, she drifted to the left flank, to get an unobstructed line of sight to the Drow. Once she had it, she smiled, let her eyes flare with green light, and called down a cone of silent lightning... about 30 feet behind the Drow - onto the hooded figure.
Okay so tranche #2:
Hezar buries an arrow in the Drow's shoulder, causing him to grunt but otherwise showing no reaction.
Kevkas makes the ground tremble as he rushes forward and brings his massive greatsword down on the Duergar warrior.
crit damage:
Kev's mighty blow bites deep into the gray dwarves' neck, sending him to the halls of his ancestors!
Nijena casts a spell at the hooded figure....
Spell resistance:
Nijena's spell seems to melt around the hooded being, like wax from a candle, bending around it and leaving it utterly unaffected!
Tranche #3 - Drow and the Hooded Figure - are up next!
Tranche #3:
The Drow takes a five foot step back and then casts a spell at the ferocious Kevkas:
Spellcraft to ID DC 16
Ranged attack:
The spell - a sickly yellow ray - strikes Kevkas but does no damage. Instead, Kev feels an alarming weakness steal over him...
Strength damage:
Fort save for half DC 14:
Kevkas shakes off the worst of the effects, but still feels depleted! Kev suffers -3 Str for 3 rounds.
Nijena will save vs suggestion DC 18:
Nijena turns around and begins to walk away from the fight, smiling contentedly to herself.
Tranche #4 - Matthias, Janiries and Davin are up next!
Unsure if Nijena was about to wander into the still-trapped pressure plates, Matthias grabbed at her arm. "Miss Osuki, wait! Don't leave!"
"Vigilant One, I pray that you will grant the Tymoran the size to overpower our enemies! Let them be crushed under the boots of the righteous!"
Janiries screams something out in Elven, then madly charges the Drow, striking at it with her rapier.
"I got the big guy."
Davin dives forward with a smirk on his face. The arrival of the mysterious group having revitalized his focus. He stabs forward with his sword.
Actions for Tranche #4....
Matthias grabs Nijena in a bearhug to prevent her from leaving. (success vs CMD of 18). Nijena seems herself and is aware of the trapped stones, but seems determined to enjoy the lush natural forest outside.
Filled with hatred at the sight of her ancestral foe, Janiries lunges forward and attempts to run the Drow through, but anger overtakes skill and her blow goes just a little wide.
Davin's blow, however, strikes true, cutting into the now-enlarged Gray Dwarfs' leg, causing it to howl in pain!
Tranche #5 - Duergar B - up next!
Actions for Tranche #5....
Duergar B howls in fury, and goes into a frothing rage! (free action to enter Barbarian rage). He then lashes out at Davin with his oversized Dwarven waraxe!
Attack:
Damage:
The Gray Dwarfs attack goes wide, however, missing Davin's head by over a foot.
Tranche #1 - Duergar A and C - up next!
Round 2!
Tranche #1 - Duergar C....
Silently, and without fanfare, another Gray Dwarf appears behind the newcomer Davin, stabbing at the warriors' back with a short sword:
Attack: - +2 flanking bonus
Damage: plus sneak attack
Aiming for a Kidney, the Duergar stabs with all it's might - a quick, intuitive turn at the hip saves Davin from certain death, and the vicious strike bites only into flesh, missing anything vital!
Davin takes 18 hp damage.
Tranche #2 - Nijena, Hezar, Kevkas - up next!