Darkest Corners volume 2

Game Master Harakani

Also - Isama & Diene, what do you say about a dogpile on this guy?

Hopefully he hasn't prepared anything too nasty without S components ...

Diene's first action other than moving in is going to be chugging see-invis. You got this guy, I'm gonna wrastle the invisible man.

Tying up people is easier if they are Pinned, but then escaping would be easier for him too since Ophelia would lose her Dex mod while pinning him. Buuut might have been worth to give him one round of 'maybe escape' followed by almost guaranteed tie-up rather then flailing around too long. Hmm.

I think you'll be getting help shortly.

I hope I'm getting help shortly ;)

Because right now, I feel a bit short on concentrated girlpower.
In turn, this could turn into the shortest apprehension of a criminal in my career. And since i'm here for only a short while, that could lead to being dismissed on short notice, sent to sweep the tunnels that need short officers.

Completely unrelated, I could try and disable him with Cacophonous Call, or, once Silence runs out, Ear-Piercing-Scream. Both allow a save, though, but I don't see many other options to be honest.

Okay, Diene still has an action, and I ma happy for Isama to change hers depending on that.

I think Diene is playing dumb so Mr Invisible doesn't know she sees him. That's cool, and if it is her action I'll jump ahead.

Would like to post the next turn tomorrow if possible.

It is my action.

Cool - bluff roll please Diene.

Just want to make sure leaving Dia to tackle a high level wizard alone is the plan.

I'm running in that direction as quickly as I can : )

He may be a High Level Wizard, but that just means he does not have access to the awesome spells a lower-level Bard has.
It's like he doesn't even have a Chance to begin with.
(Wishful thinking, mostly. Ophelia, do hurry ;) I'll try my best though.)

Sweet. Bard power seemingly works. (that, plus lucky rolls). I think I want a pay raise after this ^_^

Meanwhile, Diene is going, "Alright, with Isama's support from the back, I should be able to... Oh, fudge, she's going in."

Isama, are you waiting on me?

While we do have a break: Any plans, Ophelia? Pin and tie up+gag? I can do another silence on you, but he'll only be nauseated a few more rounds.
Honestly, I would have tried taking his spell component pouch, then knocking him out nonlethally(yay sap)... - let HQ deal with him(certainly they have stuff like antimagic-fielded cells to deal with caster culprits).

Because if he does have some chance to get away again, I doubt we'll easily catch him again.

I'm thinking simply stuffing Ophelias metal fist down his throat until he can't move either his tongue or jaw which should hopefully prevent him from speaking (yey not having to worry about police brutality).

I also got some glue.

But simply pummelling him unconscious first and then tie him up and gag him real good sounds like a plan : )

Isama doesn't really have anything to deal with weird incorporeal things. So I'm hoping Mia and Ophelia can pummel wizard boy into unconsciousness and run back to help!

As far as you know, it's not incorporeal, just real good at dodging.

I'm fine with makeshifting a gag. Basically cloth and rope.

At the very least, casting CLW on yourself buys some time.

I'd say at the very least move out of the lightning swarm! ;P

Plus, while it's a reasonable assumption we'll make contact once the wizard is down, don't forget that neither Ophelia nor me know there is anything else down there resisting arrest.
Technically, we came for the mage, and right now have a chance to apprehend him. While some meta-gaming may be ok in letting you know ASAP and hurrying up, we are both in silence(shutting down message) and have no idea what's going on beyond "We got him".
Even after we learn about what's happening, we'd need to get the whole distance down there.

In summary, it will take several rounds until we arrive. Rounds that you should either try and do SOMETHING, or suggest to Diene that you should fall back if you feel you can't take this thing without backup.
Sitting there and getting jolted with 2d8 lightning a round will probably leave you crispy and smoking by the time we make it there. :)

The lightning balls are in the center of the room away from the chained people right? Maybe we should split up and try to free them? Or did they die when the balls showed up? If they're dead then Isama will retreat and will want to call in higher up mage help. Otherwise she will want to try and free them while calling in higher up mage help.

People are still chained up. They are not dead.
Swarm of lights are a 10ft area in the centre of the room. Big ball is just to the side of them.

Was there a knowledge check for the wisp? I forgot...(post from phone, hard to search)

There was: for Diene (who saw it). It was my understanding that Isama does not possess the skill to identify it (Dungeoneering).

@Isama: I second the suggestions...either step out of the swarm and try healing yourself to buy time, or keep swinging.

I think if it was incorporeal, the flavor text would have been different.
You would hit but your weapon has no effect. When you attacked, the thing actually DODGED your attack. That meant it actively avoided you, which it would have no reason to do if you were unable to hurt it to begin with.

Oh hell I completely missed that spoiler! Spent five days wondering what you guys were talking about with swarms!

Well, still waiting on your post. :P

Right. Of course. Sorry for the hold up ladies!

Technically, I wanted to knock him unconscious with my sap. But if I can simply assist Ophelia in securing him in a way that will not allow him to escape, I'll prefer that option.

Because it allows me to play second fiddle and just follow Ophelia's lead for a week or so. Which is great, because I won't be able to make many proper posts for the next couple days, courtesy of this little thing entering my schedule a few days ago.
Once I need to go back to work(after next week), I expect my posting rate to pick up again.

Congratulations!

Yeah, technically I suppose he could cast, but without V, S or M components there's not really he could do.

Congratulations : )

Thanks guys :)

Ok, so did the thingies move out of even my sight range, or can I still see where they're going?

Given they're airborne, you can still see where they're going.

Also, OOC since I'd chase anyway, but are they moving towards Ophelia and Mia?

Yep. Ophelia and Mia are in 'the alley', and that's the direction the lights are going.
I believe they are both in the Silence bubble at the moment.

Diene: ha - I also build 'low init' characters. That said the guys you're fighting have to be some of the highest init of all published NPCs, I reckon.

I'm going to guess that the wizard is a diviner then : )?

We *could* probably walk outside the silence zone but that wouldn't be half as fun right :P?

Also the wisps will probably try their luck again then which is a real concern ...

Also there is this business of the gruesome crime scene. I'm thinking it might almost be justified to call in some more hands - both to take care for the prisoners and escort out mark away from here.

Thoughts : )?

Actually, silence SHOULD be gone this round. I can place a new one on something, but sound should come back. And his Nausea stop in 2 rounds, I think.

Mkay. We will just have to see if our gaging is efficient enough then!

My great Pathfinder dream is playing a mythic warpriest:

Zephyr's Gift (minor): At 1st level, you can touch any one ranged weapon and enhance it with the quality of air. For 1 minute, any attacks made with the weapon take no penalties due to range. In addition, making a ranged attack with this weapon doesn't provoke an attack of opportunity.

Multiply the range increment on all of your ranged and thrown weapons by 5 feet, and these weapons no longer have a maximum range increment for you. You can throw any melee weapon as if it had a range increment of 20 feet—this increment isn't multiplied by 5, but the weapon doesn't have a maximum range increment.

"I pick up my enemy and fling him into the sun!"

Awesome. : )

Wow :)
Okay - so
(1) silence lapses. Wisps leave the area.
(2) Ophelia, Diene and Mia have a gagged and tied evil wizard
(3) Isama is spending the next while freeing the prisoners.

What are those up in the world going to do?

That depends on if Mia is gonna kill wispy.

Seems like we're in epilogue. Do you guys want to do the questioning, or just have an NPC 'recap' your report?

I have to admit I'd like to know what your working theory is based on what you've seen.

Well Isama is going to want to talk to the poor people in the basement if she can while they get medical help for them. That should fill in a lot of the blanks since evil guy didn't really bother to keep things secret from them while they bled to death.

Diene's working theory is Guy made deal with Invisibro, to get something in return for torturing people.

Aye...Wisps don't die of old age, and can be fonts of knowledge...which I am sure some research will proof.
They kind of feed on the dying, so it makes sense this guy was serving victims controlled by magic to the wisp, gaining arcane secrets in return.

There's a few more possible if farfetched scenarios(e.g. improved familiar beast-bonding, meaning the wisp tried to kill him to let him take up refuge in his wispform) but the exchange victims for arcane secrets seems most likely.