"Ooo... I stand corrected; it looks like there is more than one group... Never fear; that just means that there is plenty of them to go around! Does anyone want one saved for them?"
"So many?!" Samarintha exclaims. She and the other cyphermages ready themselves.
He nods at Mordecai's words.
"I agree, presenting a wall of metal and sinew should allow us to bottle-neck them."
Immediately before stepping through the door to 'greet' the unwanted guests, Tyrrol will glance impatiently at the face of his pocketwatch, and mutter a few phrases in Aklo under his breath, causing the symbol etched on the casing to glow a leprous yellow.
...
With the faintest tinge of panic Samarintha says, "Don't open the door! IF they get in here we're finished."
Lecian gathers his stuff and gets false life cast. Tyrrol gets down to the ground floor and casts shield o faith.
Akatas, wave 1
Akatas, wave 2
Mordecai casts magic weapon on Lothan's longsword, at Tyrrol's direction.
EDIT: Bad plan goes away...
The windows are large enough for the creatures to get through, but are shuttered.
The windows are large enough for the creatures to get through, but are shuttered.
Scrap that! They can get in the windows, everyone to the second floor, we'll hold them at the top of of the stairs! Mordecai shouts, having realized that the first plan is a bad one.
He rushes up the stairs. Get that wounded guy up here, if he can't move himself!
Lothan helps the wounded man up the stairs as quickly as possible.
MOrdecai retreats upstairs and Lothan drags the injured cyphermage up too.
Through the walls you hear a skittering, scraping sound. It's coming from many points on the inland side. Then one of the lower inland windows shudders briefly. Then another. Then the doorjerks inward until stopped by its bolt and hinges.
Lecian continues his casting.
Lecian's on the second or third floor. Your choice. Mage armor done.
Kuva hears scratching on the door and sees the door jerk inward again. Something is throwing itself against the door energetically.
The scratching on the rock seems to come from all sides now. The shutters rattle.
From the top floor there's the twang of a crossbow bolt and Gep shouts, "They're climbing the walls."
Tyrrol:
Lothan hearing Gep's shouting, "Where the heck is Lecian and those 'tower scenarios' he was going over. Riiiiight." He says to himself and whoever is close enough to hear him. "I'm going to help Gep topside!" He yells as he makes his way to the stairs. "Thanks for the juiced sword, Mordecai! I have a feeling before this is said and done, I'm gonna need it! Let the good times roll!" He finishes as he makes his way up the stairs, drawing his bow at the same time.
As Lothan makes ready to go, Tyrrol helpfully comments:
"You know, the windows up on the observation deck do not have any shutters; if the beasts are actually climbing the walls, they could easily get in there..."
He then hefts his flail, and purposefully thunders up to the top floor, looking for hostile skulls to cave-in...
Ground floor:
The door jerks again. A vertical stripe of splinters flies ward and the points of three claws leave narrow furrows until they stop. A violent wiggling motion indicates they're momentarily stuck.
The middle floors:
Lecian gets shield cast.
Scratching through the walls and shutters.
The top:
Lothan and Tyrrol arrive to see Gep holding his crossbow to block a slashing paw. A quarrel lies on the floor at his feet. Another protrudes from the beasts shoulder surrounded by thick green blood matting its fur.
Mordecai asks, This tower has more entrances than any of the buildings outside. How did you keep them out, Samaritha?
Not needing to be asked twice (or even once, for that matter!), Tyrrol steps into the room, and attempts to bring his flail down hard on the head of the creature attacking Gep...
Lothan seeing Gep in trouble, sets and fires an arrow at the beast.
Mordecai asks, This tower has more entrances than any of the buildings outside. How did you keep them out, Samaritha?
"There weren't so many the first times. The doors and shutters have kept them out. They've trouble climbing to the top. We were able to shoot down on them from there. Eventually they get tired and give up."
At the top: Lothan's arrow disappears out the window. Tyrrol reaches past Gep to smash the foreleg of the creature. It falls backwards out the window.
In the middle: The shutters jerk and the walls hiss with s~#+tering sounds. One of the shutters splinters silently. A clawed foreleg reaches through and waves around then recedes.
On the ground floor: Something heavy hits the door and it splinters. A long board crack and falls inward. Throuigh the gap Kuva can see midnight blue feline forms swirl. Another hit and the lower crossbrace on the door gives way. One of the creature's tentacle-maned heads pokes through. It suddenly occurs to Kuva that he did not hear the door crack on the second hit.
"There weren't so many the first times. The doors and shutters have kept them out. They've trouble climbing to the top. We were able to shoot down on them from there. Eventually they get tired and give up."
"To the top, then! We can't have them coming at us from above, below *and* all sides. We will be overwhelmed." Mordecai says, continuing up the stairs.
"Gather in a circle, around those who are unarmored." he says, diplomatically referring to the cyphermages, wondering why anyone would still be paying attention, since he's abandoned three plans in twelve seconds...
Kuva steps up to the door and swings mightily with his falchion. The heavy blade arcs through the creatures foreleg, smashes through part of the door and buries itself in the creatures chest. The creature falls silently outside the door and doesn't move. Through the enlarged rent in the door Kuva can see at least three more of the beasts leaping in to attack.
Tyrrol and Kuva:
Almost forgot the cyphermages. Init.
Real Round 1
Kuva 22, ground floor
Akatas 1st Wave 22, ground floor and scattered up and down outside of the tower
Mordecai 17, second floor
Akatas 2nd Wave 15 ground floor and scattered up and down the tower
Lecian 14, second floor
Lothan 11, top (4th) floor
Tyrrol 9, top
Geo 2, top
Samarintha and cyphermages 2, 2nd floor
As another creature runs in to attack Kuva steps back. The door shudders with the impact of the beast's body. A silently snarling muzzle and clawed foreleg snap and swipe at the halfling. A second later the foreleg lies at Kuva's feet .
On the top, Lothan and Tyrrol look down. They can see a half dozen of the creatures trying to climb the sides of the tower. Its smooth stone sides offer little purchase and the creatures often slide back down the surface. Where they can reach the windows they hold on to the ledges and paw at the shutters.
Gep smiles. "THanks."
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Kuva continues to swing his blade wildly about him, making a cocoon of flashing steel. He unleashes his savage assault on the creature at the doorway. "Come, creatures, and dance to your graves!," he yells, blood pumping in his ears. He steps away from the creature he has attacked, staring it in it's alien eyes.
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Kuva, get up here with the rest of us, make them climb to us! Mordecai shouts over the din of crashing shutters and clambering bodies.
If there is one within 30 ft. that he can see clearly, he will send his morningstar flying through the air to strike at the creature, the weapon bobbing unnaturally in the air on currents of magical force. The weapon then arcs back to his hand, and he is forced to drop his dagger to make room for it.
Lecian remains on the second floor, keeping his crossbow aimed at the shutter should any break through.
Tyrrol eyes the creatures climbing the walls in a calculating fashion, and then shrugs.
"Do you think the two of you can hold the fort up here? By the looks of things, more of those creatures are going to try and get-in lower down, so I think that is where I should be..."
Turning to respond, "Don't worry about us, Tyrrol ol' buddy. We can handle this. If not, we'll be dead and we won't care about whatever else happens." He says with a wry grin as he slaps him on the arm. "Just be sure to smash 'em good, ol' buddy." He finishes as he turns back to the task at hand.
Ground floor: Kuva
@nd floor: A window splinters. A clawed foreleg reaches in and tears at the inside of the shutter and frame.
On the roof:
Gep reloads his crossbow and leans out of the window looking down for a target.
Tyrrol takes his first step down the stairs. The lighthouse tilts to the east.
"Are they tipping the tower over?" Mordecai asks, with a hint of panic to his voice.
"What the...?" He stops and looks around, wondering if he's just overreacting to what he just experienced. "Hey Gep, did it feel like we just moved?" He asks, hoping it was nothing.
Tyrrol frowns with annoyance, as he nearly loses his balance, before continuing to hurry down the stairs to the middle level...
It would be unfortunate if they sent this tower over the cliff... but whatzis destined to happen, can be stopped...
Lecian fires at the creature trying to make its way in.
Attack:
Damage:
Round 2:
Kuva 22, ground floor
Akatas 1st Wave 22, ground floor and scattered up and down outside of the tower
Mordecai 17, second floor
Akatas 2nd Wave 15 ground floor and scattered up and down the tower
Lecian 14, second floor
Lothan 11, top (4th) floor
Tyrrol 9, top
Geo 2, top
Samarintha and cyphermages 2, 2nd floor
Three of the creatures break through the remains of the door and surge past Kuva. His blade scores a long deep gash down the side of one as it runs and it rounds on him snapping with pointed black teeth as its tentacular mane surges around him.
bite .. damage plus DC 12 Fort save to avoid Dex damage and Con damage.
2 tendrils -3 .. damage
2 tendrils -3 .. damage
Kuva dodges everything easily.
The other two dash for the stairs to the second level.
Glancing outside the halfling sees another four step into the entry way.
Mordecai (Marak) sends his mace to club one of the ascending beasts. The creature recoils and the blow and its mane writhes fiercely, but it continues upward.
Lecian's bolt clips a tentacle from the mane of the creature trying to pull itself in the window. It drops cat-like to the floor and licks its chops as it advances toward him. Tyrrol reaches the second floor in time to see a second creature follow.
On the roof, Gep turns to Lothan, "Yeah. Earthquake?" He glances downward. "Ohh no. There's more coming." Looking down Lothan can see two of the creatures less then 10' below the window's edge.
Samarintha shouts in alarm as the two blue-black creatures enter. Calling out words of power she rises gently into the air and hangs above the fray.
One Cyphermage draws her dagger and charges the wounded beast.
Dagger : .. damage
She proves the adage, "Useless are the knives of mages."
Mordecai attempts to make his way to the stairs, and as far down them as possible, to join Kuva.
If he can make it below the level of the second floor, so that those above him will be shielded by the floor from the line of effect of his energies, he will unleash the fury of the Pallid Princess.
Lothan fires at one of the creatures coming up the wall.
"Great. That's all we need. An earthquake while we're at the top of a building, next to a massive cliff." Lothan shrugs as he fires again at the same creature.
Lothan's arrow sinks deeply into the creature's chest. Somehow it hangs on and keeps climbing.
Lecian, 5' step to the creature. Two more are coming through the window. What's your current AC?
Round three.
Kuva 22, ground floor
Akatas 1st Wave 22, ground floor (3, one wounded), Second floor (2, one wounded) and 2 climbing to roof, one wounded.
Mordecai 17, second floor
Akatas 2nd Wave 15 ground floor (4 coming from outside) and second floor (2 outside waiting to enter tthrough broken window)
Lecian 14, second floor
Lothan 11, top (4th) floor
Tyrrol 9, 2nd floor
Gep 2, top
Samarintha and cyphermages 2, 2nd floor
The tower lurches to the east.
Kuva's up.
Lecian heeds Kuva's warning and flees down the stairs.
There's practically a herd of the creatures downstairs. (7) And probably more on the way. Are you quite sure?
Also there's a mistake in the round 3 initiative chart. Mordecai is on the ground floor already.
And as long as we're in errata:
The creatures shudder momentarily as Mordecai unleashes the dark power of his mistress. Then they press their attack.
At the doorway, Kuva can see four more galloping through the anteroom door.
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Kuva looks at the mass of tentacles surrounding him, and the ever-increasing numbers of the monsters entering the room. Looking about him, he sees Mordecai coming down the stairs. The little halfling nimbly maneuvers through the mass until he's between the akata that provoked from him and the cleric.
"More coming in," the barbarian yells, his falchion flashing dangerously. "Shall we cut our way out?" He swings savagely at the nearest of the akata.
We need our backs to a wall, so that they cannot strike us from all sides, Kuva. Mordecai says, face pale from the efforts of channeling the energies of death through his living flesh.
A faint buzzing sound has arisen in the eerie silence of the creatures attack, as of many flies, although none are visible.
If there is a convenient wall for him to press against, Mordecai will take his own advice, and attempt to keep his body pressed between cold stone and his shield.
Feeling the tower move even greater, Lothan fights to keep his balance. "Hey Gep, hope you've made your peace with your god! Cause let me tell you buddy, I'm afraid we are in for a real treat! Don't think she's gonna hold out much longer! Get back and hold onto something! I'll try and fend these things off!" He instructs. Hope Samaritha makes it out okay. Please make it out okay.
Raising an eyebrow at the ineffectiveness of the mages, Tyrrol moves to intercept one of the beasts, taking a skull-crushing swing at it with his flail...