"Looks like smoke to me," Anklebiter replies. "Don't know what kind. Could be poison. Could be something bad in it."
Quiet as a whisper, the Duchess lifts off from Lefrik's shoulder, where she had been perched, and makes a brief circuit of the room. The homunculus flies as stealthily as she can and tries to get a good sense of the room and its contents before flying back.
Bruendor's nose scrunches as he surveys the room with dismay. "Don't like the poor visibility," he says. "Think you could magic up something to swirl that smoke away, AB?"
"Not unless you don't mind my casting my last summoning spell for the day," Anklebiter says, shaking his head.
Bruendor weighed the options that the goblin mage presented. "Hold off for now," he finally responded. "But if we run into trouble, we might need this smoke gone in a hurry."
The homunculus flew int the thick smoke, but was unable to report anything other than a vague shape near the back of the room. Funnily enough, the collapsed area near the back wall that Kaerishiel was supposed to come through was packed with what looked to be hardened mud.
"I can dump water over that strange glowing pool, but I'll need to be closer." Kel volunteers, "Just ten feet inside the door should get me close enough."
Calla rolls her eyes.
"Looks like that stick in the mud is actually stuck in the mud. Let's get him in here so we can kill some drow."
Calla creeps forward toward the glow, an arrow set to her bowstring.
Initiatives:
anklebiter
kelendra
bruendor
calla
lefrik
enemy
Carefully you enter the room, the thick black smoke making it all but impossible to see any further than five feet in front of you. You hadn't taken more than a few step when the doors slammed closed behind you. As you whirled to see a locking bar drop into place, your ears were assaulted by a hideously loud screech. The sound seemed to penetrate through your skulls, rather than taking the easy way through your ears, and your heads felt as if they were going to explode.
Everyone owes me a DC21 Fort save or be stunned for 1 round.
Initiatives:
enemy
group
Here's the map
The smoke acts as obscuring mist, granting concealment and blocking vision in the same way as the spell. It cannot be dispelled or blown away, as there is nowhere for the smoke to go. A heavy wind increases the visibility from 5' to 10', but all other penalties still apply.
The noise splits through Calla's skull much like Kaerishiel's voice, and she grits her teeth, trying to regain her bearing.
Lefrik scowls at the horrible sound but endures it, and moves forward seeking a foe
Anklebiter freezes in place, his eyes squeezed shut in pain. Having such latge ears is not always convenient!
The Duchess, unaffected by the horrible noise, flutters over to her master and hovers directly overhead - but near the ceiling. Her tiny teeth are bared in a snarl.
Kel cringes and fights back the pain as noise assaults the party.
Lefrik was the only one to weather the ear-shattering shriek, and he pushed deeper into the smoke-filled room as the others stood in stunned inaction. A huge shape stepped out of the gloom, taloned claws reaching for Lerik. The barbarian felt a raking hot pain across his face as razor-sharp claws tore into him.
Lefrik takes 10 damage
Initiatives:
enemy
group
Here's the map
The smoke acts as obscuring mist, granting concealment and blocking vision in the same way as the spell. It cannot be dispelled or blown away, as there is nowhere for the smoke to go. A heavy wind increases the visibility from 5' to 10', but all other penalties still apply.
Bruendor winces in pain as he holds his hands to his ears, shaking the deafening noise from his head. When he looks back up, Lefrik is gone, though it's not hard for him to guess where the Ulfen warrior went. He rushes forwards, preparing to face whatever horror lurks within the mist.
AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 19
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +9
CMD 14
HP 52/52
Divine retribution (DC 16) 0/6; Judgments 1/3; Bane 2/7; Discern lies 0/6
Arrows: 0/18; cold iron arrows 0/39; bolts 0/20
Spells: 0/5 (first-level); 2/4 (second level); 0/2 (third level)
Consumables: Gravity Bow ring 1/3
Effects: anti-toxin, fire resistance 20 (8 minutes)
Head still ringing, Calla snaps her bow into position and launches two shots through the smoke toward the creature.
She steps to her left, putting a little space between herself and her companions.
"Found the foe!" Lefrik says, and retaliates at it. His greataxe swinging
Kel tingles with fear, but she prepares her healing magic and follows the barbarian's trail into the smoke. She shudders when the towering shape looms out of the mist, nearly laughing in relief when she realizes it's Lefrik, then choking on her laugh as the huge shape looming over him briefly comes into view. "Lefrik, I'm here with you, at your back!" Kel brushes her fingers across the warrior's flank as she imparts the healing energy.
Anklebiter scuttles forward and releases another pulse of protective energy as soon as he can see the others and they are within reach. He then creeps around, trying to get a look at the enemy.
Everyone charged into the smoke, homing in on Lefrik's voice and the raspy breathing of the creature he was fighting. Bruendor was the first to see it, a towering half-bird half-demon monstrosity. He jabbed at it with his rapier, more to distract it than with any real hope of hitting. Calla was next, and she shouted "Vrok!" as she recognized the creature. Kelendra and Anklebiter moved in also, with healing and protective magics at hand.
Lefrik continued to hack at the thing as the others moved in. With a well-placed blow, he tore into one of the thing's wings. It shrieked in pain and lashed out with its own attacks, clawing, biting, and kicking at Lefrik.
Lefrik takes three hits for a total of 28 damage
Initiatives:
enemy
group
Here's the map
The smoke acts as obscuring mist, granting concealment and blocking vision in the same way as the spell. It cannot be dispelled or blown away, as there is nowhere for the smoke to go. A heavy wind increases the visibility from 5' to 10', but all other penalties still apply.
current combat hit point status:
anklebiter
bruendor
calla
kelendra
lefrik -30
"Vrock?", Bruendor exclaims, moving into a support position. "Then there's no time to spare. Lef, circle!" He shifts from assisting Lefrik to actively trying to kill the beast, aware of how little damage he'll end up doing.
Attacking, hoping to confirm a crit and pass it off to Lefrik to end the fight quickly. Move to AJ14.
Lefrik grunts a thanks to Kelendra as she tries to mitigate the damage he takes, and slashes away, "Vrock eh?"
Anklebiter mutters an incantation and peppers the demon with darts of force.
"I feel really silly if this is same turkey we allowed to walk before... Take it doen before it summons help!"
Kel continues to heal Lefrik as the barbarian's blood splatters across her again.
AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 19
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +9
CMD 14
HP 52/52
Divine retribution (DC 16) 0/6; Judgments 1/3; Bane 2/7; Discern lies 0/6
Arrows: 0/18; cold iron arrows 0/39; bolts 0/20
Spells: 0/5 (first-level); 2/4 (second level); 0/2 (third level)
Consumables: Gravity Bow ring 1/3
Effects: anti-toxin, fire resistance 20 (8 minutes)
Calla swings wildly at the creature, barely able to see it through the smoke.
"Anklebiter, can you do anything about this?!"
Kelendra moves in and heals some of Lefrik's wounds as the barbarian continued to chop at the vrock as if trying to fell a tree. The demon's natural defenses blunted the effectiveness of his attack, but still the mighty blows were causing the demon pain. It shrieked at the blows, then again as Anklebiter's magical missiles pummeled it. If the barbarian could hold it in place long enough, the goblin could whittle away at it...maybe. Bruendor and Calla did little to distract the creature, as their attacks hurt far less than those from the axe.
The creature retaliated, sending a puff of spores into the air to land on the nearby companions. Green and black spores landed on everyone near, burrowing into their skin and burning with an evil fire. Claws and talons raked Lefrik, destroying the leather leggings and leaving deep furrows in thigh and calf. One claw made it past his weaving axe and dug deeply into his left arm as well. The barbarian sneered away the pain, but he couldn't keep this up for long.
Lefrik takes three hits for a total of 25 damage
Initiatives:
enemy
group
Here's the map
The smoke acts as obscuring mist, granting concealment and blocking vision in the same way as the spell. It cannot be dispelled or blown away, as there is nowhere for the smoke to go. A heavy wind increases the visibility from 5' to 10', but all other penalties still apply.
current combat hit point status:
anklebiter
bruendor -8
calla -8
kelendra
lefrik -47
"Not with the door closed," Anklebiter grimly replies. The Goblin waves his hands and chants in an urgent tone, darts of force zipping away from him to impact the demon.
Lefrik feels blood gush from him, and then restore, then gush in greater amounts. Hoping to finish off his foe, Lefrik strains and presses on, "You and your kind have done enough harm to the Sun Alvar! Begone back to your abysal home, and leave their home to them!"
Bruendor stabbed at the vrock, still trying to land a telling blow that would set it up for a finishing stroke by Lefrik.
Bruendor doesn't know that Lefrik hasn't moved, so he'll stay put.
Kel continues healing Lefrik as more blood splatters over her.
AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 19
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +9
CMD 14
HP 52/52
Divine retribution (DC 16) 0/6; Judgments 1/3; Bane 3/7; Discern lies 0/6
Arrows: 0/18; cold iron arrows 0/39; bolts 0/20
Spells: 1/5 (first-level); 2/4 (second level); 0/2 (third level)
Consumables: Gravity Bow ring 1/3
Effects: anti-toxin, fire resistance 20 (8 minutes)
Calla swings again at the creature, wishing she had her more familiar bow in hand. She feels the head of the weapon make contact but realizes the demon's tough hide makes it completely irrelevant.
This is useless; I might as well be hitting it with a marshmallow.
Desperation sets in as the fight went from bad to worse. Anklebiter's spell fizzled out, not even burning so much as a feather from the turkey demon. Bruendor and Calla failed to even make it through the demon's thick hide, and even Lefrik only managed to hit once, and do very little damage at that.
Desperately, Kelendra healed Lefrik, tyring to stem the blood that continued to pour from the barbarian's wounds, even as the demon opened more. A flurry of attacks from the creature opened four new wounds in Lefrik, and the man felt weak from the pain and blood loss. One eye was closed from the blood running into it from a scalp wound. His left leg barely supported his weight, and the warm pool of blood in that boot was sickening.
Apparently I rolled for the spore damage and put it in the totals, but didn't specifically tell you: Lefrik, Calla, and Bruendor all took 8 damage last round and 4 damage this round from the spores.
Lefrik takes four hits for a total of 43 damage, but is healed for 22.
Initiatives:
enemy
group
Here's the map
The smoke acts as obscuring mist, granting concealment and blocking vision in the same way as the spell. It cannot be dispelled or blown away, as there is nowhere for the smoke to go. A heavy wind increases the visibility from 5' to 10', but all other penalties still apply.
current combat hit point status:
anklebiter
bruendor -12
calla -12
kelendra
lefrik -72
AC 22, touch 15, flat-footed 19
Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +9
CMD 14
HP 52/52
Divine retribution (DC 16) 0/6; Judgments 1/3; Bane 3/7; Discern lies 0/6
Arrows: 0/18; cold iron arrows 0/39; bolts 0/20
Spells: 1/5 (first-level); 3/4 (second level); 0/2 (third level)
Consumables: Gravity Bow ring 1/3
Effects: anti-toxin, fire resistance 20 (8 minutes)
Gritting her teeth in frustration, Calla steps away from the creature, preparing to blast it with magic. Seeing the trail of blood, though, and Lefrik's grunts of pain, she changes her mind and decides her help might be of more importance.
She tries to cast the healing spell defensively, but it slips away from her.
Bruendor grits his teeth as the demon's spores dig into his flesh. "Damn, these things hurt! C'mon, Goblincrew, let's kill this bastard!" Realizing that his blade is relatively worthless against the demon, Bruendor switched tactics - he made strikes that would open up the demon to a clever strike by Lefrik.
"We need to get out of here, turn the terrain to our advantage!" Anklebiter yells. "Everybody back to the door!"
Having said so, Anklebiter peppers the demon with another salvo of magic missiles and then scuttles towards thedoor, hoping to knock the vrock temporarily off-balance.
Kel continues healing Lefrik and makes ready to follow him in retreat.
Lefrik frowns, "Bruendor, don't worry about helping me, withdraw."
And following Anklebitter's suggestion, he attempts to do so himself
Lefrik will withdraw, but insult the creature hoping it pursues out of the mist, instead of attacking a friend"Come at me, you rash on the backside of the world's groin!"