Vyshael thinks, I can't cast a spell in the silen--, then grins as sound returns as Neva steps away. He points his mother's blade at the maiden, tracing a quick pattern and muttering extremely familiar words, causing three glowing darts of force to appear, streaking out to meet her.. Quickly followed by Vyshael himself, A spellcasting troglodyte should draw her attention away from Rutter, I'd imagine...
The woman jerks sharply as the magical bolts slam into her, but no cries of pain leave the strange aura of quiet. She looks like she is doing her best to stay on her feet, but it seems like a stiff wind could be all it takes to bring her down.
Feldivarxon maintains his readied action to grease the floor if she attempts to flee. They seem to have this well in hand, very effective team. Last thing I want to do is get in the way.
Startled by the quality of the Maiden's armor, Neva made sure the woman couldn't reach the door.
While Feldivar waits to see how the fight will unfold, Neva reloads and waits to fire if the woman warrior makes any move towards the door. Rutter tries to take the opportunity to make another hard jab to a vital area, but he is given pause by an odd urge to bite her instead. It was fleeting, but just enough to disrupt his swing.
The Gray Maiden, although surrounded, seems undaunted by the fact. She keeps focus on the halfling that hit her so hard last time. With her life and strength waning, however, her blade falls far short of its mark and whiffs silently over Rutter's head.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Raliscar frowns at the armored woman and the scrabble going on behind the counter. He tries to grumble at the ongoing mess, but his words are stolen by Neva's spell. Robbed even of his ability to playfully grouse, he shakes his head and lets another pair of bolts fly.
HP: 64/64
AC: 20 (13 T / 17 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +9/+10/+5
Ranger's Focus (+4/+4): [ ] [ ]
Level 1 spells prepared (1+1): gravity bow [X] [ ]
Necklace of Fireballs: 6d6 [ ] // 4d6 [X] [ ] // 2d6 [X] [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
Favored Terrain (underground/dungeon): +2 to Initiative, Perception, Stealth, & Survival for ALL party members
Aspect of the Falcon (1/3 minutes, 5/10 rounds): +3 to perception, +1 to ranged attacks, crit range = 19-20/x3
Gravity Bow (1/3 minutes, 4/10 rounds): hvy crossbow damage increased from 1d10 to 2d8
Bless (1/6 minutes, 3/10 rounds): +1 to hit, +1 vs fear (morale)
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
With the arm raised from her swing at Rutter, Raliscar is able to slip a bolt into the Maiden's armpit. She jolts hard by the blow, but the follow up bolt slips past her gorget to strike her neck. She hits the wall and slides down silently.
Feldivarxon whispers, unsure if the dwarf can hear him, "I see you have only gotten better with that thing. Nice shots. Now what?"
"Better? Pfah! I was always this good!" Raliscar hisses to the others, "Hey!" and waves his hands to gather their attention if they can't hear him due to Neva's magics.
"You guys remember how that one dandy didn't show? Well another one did. This is Feldivarxon. I call 'im Feldy. He's up for helpin' if we're keen on it." He gestures to where he heard the gnome speak from a few moments before, hoping he decides to make this an occasion for his appearing.
Neva watched with sad relief as the Maiden fell. She turned her gaze to the others.
Raliscar was gesticulating about something. Maybe someone was coming, or was nearby?
No time.
Neva leaped over and tapped both Rutter and Vyshael. Getting their attention, she motioned both over to the door in the north wall.
She twirled her finger urgently to indicate "Hurry"
She motioned Raliscar over with an arcing arm, "Come on."
The dwarf frowns when nothing seems to happen after his gesticulating and with an obvious harumpf, he shoulders his crossbow and comes trotting in to follow Neva and Rutter's respective leads deeper into the so-called hospice.
"Blasted gnome."
The unseen ally grins to himself and follows quickly on the dwarf's heels. Heh. Usually I have to say so much more to get under his skin, but I've only gotten here!
Vyshael nods, pointing his blade at the door, then stepping toward it, pausing and looking at the halfling, then pointing at himself and Rutter in an unspoken question.
Rutter flashes a thumbs up to Raliscar when his bolt brings the Maiden down. He crouches and reaches for her helmet until Neva taps him to attention. He grimaces and gives a reluctant nod. His lips open briefly, but clearly rhetorically, with no effort to express further meaning in the magical silence. He stands and looks for his allies' bearings. At Vyshael's gestures, Rutter draws his second kukri, but then a grin plays on his lips. Nah, I'll let them enjoy sneaking around for a change. He motions toward the door with his blades, the chivalry of the universal 'after you' rather undone by the blood dripping from one of them. He falls in line behind Vyshael following into the next room.
Vyshael nods, a little sluggishly under the weight of the unfamiliar head he's currently wearing, then proceeds to the door, No sense listening.. but I can hope to be quiet... He slowly begins to open the door, peeking to see what lies on the other side while looking for a shadow to hide in.
As the others press toward the door, Raliscar pats the fallen grey maiden down, primarily in the hopes of securing any keys she might have kept upon her person.
Feldivarxon searches the desk quickly, giving his position away as papers move or drawers open.
,
,
,
,
With a cursory look, Raliscar finds nothing more on the warrior woman beyond the gear she wears. For his efforts as well, Feldivar finds only what appears to be sign in sheets among the papers of the desk, nothing more.
The 'door' before Vyshael is no more than a dark, heavy curtain. Peering beyond it he can see an expansive warehouse floor. The warehouse's vast interior has been converted into one gigantic convalescent's ward. The stench of alcohol, sickness, and waste choking each breath. Tight rows of low, stained cots cram the stone-floored hall. Every bed is filled with a pitiful story, men and women of all walks consumed by blood veil, yet no sounds reach your ears.
While most of the room is filled with beds and the dying, the northeast holds what looks to be an improvised kitchen of sorts. The ceiling of the room is upwards of thirty, but split most of the way up by a track of sturdy-looking catwalks. The evenly placed platforms are supported from above by iron poles.
Amid the sick hover four dark-robed Queen’s Physicians, their avian masks giving them an unnerving resemblance to crows waiting to feed. There can also be seen one Gray Maiden patrolling the catwalks above, while two more each stand guard at a different door; one almost straight across from Vyshael, and the other beyond the makeshift kitchen. There are, however, edges of the room and catwalks that are out of of line of sight of the half-elf. Luckily, it seems that none of the occupants have noticed the infiltrators just yet.
Ew. I wonder what they hope to accomplish here.
Vyshael pulls back, then mouths silently, and somewhat exaggeratedly, "Sick people." He then holds up his hand, showing 4 fingers, and mouths, "Medics in masks.", finally, pointing at the fallen maiden and holding up three fingers.
He looks at the others, raising his blade, then shrugging and shaking his head a little, I'd rather not cut down medics if we don't have to... but I don't see an easy solution, unless maybewe send the invisible one forward?
Raliscar shakes his head ominously at the revelation three more gray maidens awaited the group beyond the curtain. The first alone was so shut up within that armor it took all of them to slip their attacks past her defenses. He shrugs at Vyshael and the others though, not bothering to try and mouth any words within Neva's magic as his beard would likely swallow them up anyhow. He simply readies his crossbow and sweeps his hand toward the curtain with a half bow, a gesture that clearly says, Well, after you.
Feldivarxon tugs on the dwarf's sleeve, pulling him toward the fringes of the cleric's silence effect. When they can speak, he whispers, "Invisible would help, yes? But it will work better if we can draw their attention with something that doesn't appear a threat. Or magic that works on the woman inside the armor rather than attacking the armor. I could cause a little confusion with a cloud of fog and some ventriloquism, but nothing that would attack the warriors directly. Grease their path, that's it."
Neva accepted Raliscar's bow and moved through the curtain, carrying the small rock of magical silence.
Evincing an air of authority, she strode with confidence towards the Medic on the left. As she did so, she lobbed the stone over the beds, hoping to have it land between the other Medics.
-10 = -14
Neva's didn't help her ruse by taking time to throw the stone, nor by stumbling over the first bed. And her entrance didn't come across as authoritarian, but as aggressive.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"So much easier to talk.... Wait, where is she going?"
Raliscar looks in the direction of the tug and shrugs. "I'd guess she's going in there." The dwarf points to the curtain with his heavy crossbow and chuckles. "Care to join her?"
Rutter raises his eyebrows at Vyshael's count, and considers options silently, but shrugs with little to recommend. When Neva strides in, he nods to himself: "All right. Kill 'em all." He sheathes one of his kukri and follows the group in.
Vyshael blinks twice as Neva heads in, then shrugs, drawing his blade and rushing the grey maiden opposite the curtain. In for a pence, in for a crown... looks like we're attacking...
Neva definitely knew how to make an entrance, as she storms into the large room beyond the curtain. The Maiden across from the entrance can be heard demanding, "Who are you? You don't belong in here! You need to leave! as soon as Neva's stone clears the distance to where she threw it. It was almost a perfect shot as it lands right where she intended it among the physicians. The other Maidens and the Physicians don't look too concerned about Neva's response, as they prepare for a fight to be incoming, to include a previously unseen one along the catwalk to the south.
Rutter, there was something about the room and place that felt familiar, something that evoked a memory of Zellara's reading of the Harrow. You are driven and incensed to deal with these Maidens and Physicians as you feel would be for the best.
Vyshael rushes forward, his scaled, clawed hand tracing the arcane patterns of shield as he gets close enough to challenge the grey maiden guarding the nearest door. She seems rather well trained... I'd have though the sight of a spellcasting troglodyte with a bastard sword would give her more pause... Though I do wish Neva would have at least given me a moment to enlarge first...
Neva kept her gaze on the masked physician in front of her, but she raised a hand towards the maiden on her right. A few whispered words of power began to tighten the muscles on the armored woman's arms and legs.
Raliscar follows Neva's lead into the room and hugs the wall to his right. Seeing one of the heavily armored maidens across the room, he lets one bolt fly.
HP: 64/64
AC: 20 (13 T / 17 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +9/+10/+5
Ranger's Focus (+4/+4): [X] [ ]
Level 1 spells prepared (1+1): gravity bow [X] [ ]
Necklace of Fireballs: 6d6 [ ] // 4d6 [X] [ ] // 2d6 [X] [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
Favored Terrain (underground/dungeon): +2 to Initiative, Perception, Stealth, & Survival for ALL party members
Aspect of the Falcon (1/3 minutes, 7/10 rounds): +3 to perception, +1 to ranged attacks, crit range = 19-20/x3
Gravity Bow (1/3 minutes, 6/10 rounds): hvy crossbow damage increased from 1d10 to 2d8
Bless (1/6 minutes, 5/10 rounds): +1 to hit, +1 vs fear (morale)
Deadly Aim: -2 to hit, +4 damage
Ranger's Focus (maiden in G23): +4/+4
Raliscar stops listening to whatever Felivar was about to say as he rushes into the room right after Neva. Wasting no time in taking a bead on one of the Maidens, he lets fly a heavy bolt from the thick crossbow he carries. Even with the low cover from the beds and kitchen furniture, the bolt does what it does best, and punches hard through the woman's armor. She is reeled by it, but takes the hit solidly, and as far as Raliscar is concerned, silently.
Also following the charge, Vyshael makes his move into the room, his shifted form giving him an unusual gait with the tail. As he moves to prepare to engage the closest Maiden, he conjures arcane energies into a translucent disc to hover protectively before him.
Neva keeps her ground, and instead contorts her Pharasma granted energies into a binding of sorts, in an effort to hold the Maiden nearest them in a short type of immobility. The Maiden was not prepared for this type of mental attack, and was frozen in place.
The Physicians seem nonplussed by the silence, but then again with the masks on it would be hard to tell. They flash a few quiet hand signals to one another, and pointing, before they draw cudgels and work together to surround both Neva and Raliscar. Luckily, moving through all the beds across the room slows most of them down, allowing only one of them to swing the club-like stick. He swings it hard into Neva's knee, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been with just a slight difference in angle.
Rutter hears a moment of chanting beside him, then suddenly you all feel a burst of energy and speed, almost like time has either sped up for you, or slowed down for everyone else.
Rutter hears a phantom voice to his side, and feels the effect of the spell. Remembering Zellara's reading, the source is clear, Zellara's with us, somehow. I can't let this go to waste! He draws his second kukri again and steps to the aid of flanked Neva.
Vyshael steps forward, closing the distance with the Grey Maiden, blinking someone at his boosted speed, Well, that's a welcome edge. He brings up his heavy blade, pushing some of his own magic into it as he brings it down on the Grey Maiden.
Rutter slides into the room to help a flanked Neva, and just as he's about to stick the blade into the man, a twist is just enough to cause the blade to glide off the armor than must be worn under the coat.
The Maidne facing the doorway tenses and shakes, trying to fight off Neva's control preventing her from acting, but to no avail. The other three Maidens all move to better vantage points as they draw powerful-looking longbows.
The furthest one, given the obstacles, moves forward and takes aim on Vyshael mostly out in the open, with only a few cots blocking the path. Her aim is decent, but it just manages to glance off the man's armor and sink into the leg of a nearby cot.
The one in the catwlaks above the held Maiden sidles over to line herself up with Neva, and lets fire her shot. The arrow cuts past Neva's right calf, leaving a small gash and a bright red line of blood. The other one above in the catwalks moves over to fire almost straight down onto Raliscar. He aim is good, and it plunks down into the meaty part of his left shoulder, but not too deep.
Neva raised her hands and began to take what looked like a dancer's pose. But she stopped the process after an instant in an effort to avoid one of the Physician's blades. Instead, she attacked back with her own dagger, pulling it from her belt and slashing a shoulder in one long arc.
Limping heavily, she hopped to the side, trying to keep the foes in front of her.
Shouting grumpily at the maiden directly overhead then frowning as his words are robbed by the silence again, he settles for an angry fist shake that promises 'I'll deal with you soon enough!' before he turns his attention back to the maiden he shot a few moments earlier. He lets a number of bolts fly, hoping to put her down before she can do worse with her bow.
HP: 64/64
AC: 21 (14 T / 17 FF)
CMD: 20
F/R/W: +9/+11/+5
Ranger's Focus (+4/+4): [X] [ ]
Level 1 spells prepared (1+1): gravity bow [X] [ ]
Necklace of Fireballs: 6d6 [ ] // 4d6 [X] [ ] // 2d6 [X] [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
Favored Terrain (underground/dungeon): +2 to Initiative, Perception, Stealth, & Survival for ALL party members
Aspect of the Falcon (1/3 minutes, 8/10 rounds): +3 to perception, +1 to ranged attacks, crit range = 19-20/x3
Gravity Bow (1/3 minutes, 7/10 rounds): hvy crossbow damage increased from 1d10 to 2d8
Bless (1/6 minutes, 6/10 rounds): +1 to hit, +1 vs fear (morale)
Haste (1/6 rounds): +30ft movement, +1 to hit, +1 AC, +1 ref saves, +1 attack with full attack routine
Deadly Aim: -2 to hit, +4 damage
Ranger's Focus (maiden in G23): +4/+4
Raliscar is overly reckless and throws all caution to the wind to keep using his crossbow despite the threats on both sides of him. The physicians grab their cudgels firmly and bash at him with each shot he fires. Despite the considerable distance and threats he faces, the first shot flies true to strike the Maiden through the gorget and into her neck. She hits the wall and slides down it leaving a line of blood.
The first shot draws a strike to the elbow, and a hard hit to his shin. As he turns the crossbow on the one that walloped him in the leg, the physician blanches enough to disrupt his swings, but that doesn't stop the other one from whacking his injured shoulder, and then the last time across the skull. For all the pain, Raliscar put down a maiden and one of the physicians, but he's looking pretty bad for his efforts.
Vyshael continues his rush against the Maiden directly across from the entrance. At first, she doesn't even flinch giving him pause, but as his sword digs in hard to her side he realizes she wasn't moving at all. Like she couldn't.
Neva tries to dance around her foe, but is relegated to doing so without the aid of the spell she attempted to carefully administer. Nonetheless, she steps around just a bit and knifes one of the physicians flanking her.
The physician turns and bashes the woman in her blade arm while signalling the man behind her. After seeing the destruction done, and the beatings taken, by the dwarf between him and his fallen ally, the lone physician moves over instead to help gang up on the halfling. Rutter proves to be too nimble for the man, as he steps asides the swing. The signaled physician attempts to move around to stay on the other side of Neva, but stumbles on some of the cots and their contents, giving Neva an opening. It doesn't stop him from swinging, but his angle and focus are off after his stumble.
Rutter circles around to flank one of the physicians between himself and Neva, and then lets loose with both kukri.