Dominion of the Dragonthrones

Game Master Tyrn Jade

No worries i have been dealing with unwanted manly request before she says with a smile I work for an Architect and he is in town to submit plans for a new building. I hope to one day become one in my own right she finish

Carroc

"Of course you do not know. But maybe your other half remembers. We shall see."

Sir Barrett chimes in. "Do you think you have the capability to go through with this, my lady?"

"With the giants favor, we will not have to even fight a war."

After a few more hours, your convoy finally arrives at its destination. It was much warmer down here compared to your home. Judging by how long it took you to arrive, you assume you are somewhere in central Maor.

A group of soldiers and a refined gentlemen greet the convoy. They are clad in heavy armor with sashes bearing the orenic rune for Mountain.

"Thank you for your timely arrival, Lady Moira. The lords await you inside the tower in the meeting room."

Your group, which includes you, Lady Moira, Sir Barrett, and a handful of her guard, follow the escort inside. The tower is not incredibly tall, but it is thick and stout. Many banners decorate the walls, all bearing an orenic rune. You read Mountain, Hunt, Fertility, River, Flame, and a number of others.

The first floor appears to have a collection of a number of artifacts, though the pace of the escort prevented you from getting a good look at any of them. You saw a large sword hanging from the wall, and an assortment of other weapons, suits of armor, maps, scrolls, and jewelry. All are within stands or in display cases.

The escort leads the group upstairs to the top floor. In here is a large stone circular table that looks freshly cleaned, and a number of chairs surround its perimeter. Runes title each of the seats, probably representing each house in Maor. Already sitting down is a large, strong looking man with long salt and peppered hair and green eyes, and another man who is more slender with short light brown hair and blue eyes. They both have two guards appointed to them. One sits in the seat reserved for the Mountain, and the other the River.

Lady Moira speaks. "Is Lord Dios running late?"

The younger lord from the River answers, "You know our 'fun loving' lord's behavior. Pleasure first and business second. Regardless, he probably would not care to come to a meeting concerning archaeological findings."

"So you do have the orb, then. Where was it found?"

"I was unaware we were beginning. Lets have lunch first, shall we?" Says the youthful lord.

The larger man speaks very little during lunch and the slender man seemed to feel the need to fill the air with words. He directed his attention toward you.

"I cannot say I recognize your friend. Sir Barrett, I remember of course. The 'giant-slayer'. With a reputation like that, who can forget you. Seems the Eridani have considering they haven't pursued you."

"It was a stroke of luck. The real heroes are the men that fell granting me the advantage. People can only speculate how the Eridani cast judgement. Somehow in their eyes I am innocent. If they wanted me punished they could easily do it." He rerouted the topic of conversation back to you. "As for our guard, he is newly enlisted. An Oren originally, but he was captured at a young age and has been serving Lady Moira since. He has proven to be more loyal and dedicated than any other guard."

"He seems a little skiddish to me. Like he is spooked."

Lady Moira speaks. "Our young soldier here has never been graced with the presence of powerful people such as yourselves. I was nervous myself during my first summit."

"That is fair." He speaks directly toward you. "No worries, soldier. Every lord in Maor holds title on merit alone. Our ancestors were born paupers and died as rulers because they earned that title. Anyone can hold power if their drive is strong enough."

"Truer words were never spoken, Lord Ecuilis (pronounced a-kee-lis)."

Servants came inside the meeting room and cleared the table. The food was smothered in herbs and spices and the meat was dry by your standards. The true flavor was blanketed by civilized palettes.

The large man begins to speak. Earlier he had introduced himself as Lord Baldur. His voice is deep and vibrates through the table.

"It is time we discussed what we came here for." One of his guards brings to him a strongbox and sets it on the table. "In this strongbox is an object we uncovered from deep within the palace crypt. During routine cleaning, a member of the staff found a hidden door. We prepared an expeditionary party, a team of warriors and scientists, to delve beyond the door. What they found astounded us. They discovered a temple, one built to deter people from entering. At the perceivable end of the temple, they discovered this strongbox, which clearly resembles dragon technology."

"Meaning no offense, Lord Baldur, but this should be turned over to the Dominion at once. If they discover it is in your possession, it would mean your death."

"Exactly. The fact has proposed many questions into my mind."

"I know exactly where this is going and I say, with all do respect, that you are mad."

"Lets listen to him, Lord Ecuilis."

Lord Baldur continues. "For too long our proud and sovereign people have lived under oppression. I believe this device is the key to our freedom."

"Are you even sure that you know what it does, let alone how to use it?" Says Lord Ecuilis skeptically.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Lord Baldur sends a guard outside the room. The guard came back with an unarmored elderly man who is dressed in the formal attire of a house scholar.

"This is the lead scholar of House Hemorran, Sir Ledo Prei. He will continue the lecture...."

"Thank you, my lords and lady. We have very strong reason to believe this to be dragon technology. The lock on the strongbox is very similar to contemporary dragontech locks, and even some of the symbols and runes decorating it are similar to draconic, the spoken language of our overseers." He opens the strongbox to reveal a polished black orb; like a pearl that is void of light. "After much study..."

Lord Ecuilis interrupts Sir Ledo. "'After much study'? How long have you had this, Lord Baldur?"

"Everything will be revealed, Lord Ecuilis. You will hopefully understand why I was not conspicuous with our discovery. Do continue, Sir Ledo."

"... after much study, my team and I discovered this." The scholar retrieves a calcinator from the side of the room and casts a minor spell to make a static fire underneath it. He then places the orb on the calcinator; heating it for some minutes. Soon, the orb began to glow a bright bluish green light. Sporadically, ghostly images would appear from the orb, all in a language you cannot understand. Other miscellaneous shapes would appear. Soon, as the fire became hotter, the scholar casts an unknown spell. The orb filled the room with images. Bright glowing ghostly figures appeared, but look like nothing you have even seen before. You saw an image of a strange bipedal creature with tentacles on its face, a slender human-like creature with pointy ears and slanted eyes, and even a large bulbous monster with many mouths and eyes. Eventually, the scholar made another gesture, and he revealed that which no one has seen before save for on statues: a dragon. This projected "memory" for all you knew brought the giants' gods to life. Their form is terrifying and powerful indeed.

"As interesting as this all is, our greatest discovery was this..." After another gesture, the strange moving images disappeared. What filled the room next was unimaginable. Strange bright orbs filled the room, some big and some small. One orb in the center has a brighter glow than the rest. The brighter orb becomes more focused, making its details more apparent.

"This is our world, here."

Lady Moira and Lord Ecuilis's jaws dropped. It was common knowledge that the world ended at the Spines. This shows otherwise.

"All of the known continents are in place. And here... look beyond the Spine... there's even more-"

"BLACK!!!"

"Yes, my lady. We know the orb is black." Says Lord Ecuilis coyly.

Carroc may not remember or know why he is here. But Lupus does. >:-D

The things Lupus must do to be rewarded and not be hurt are to tear apart the people in this room. Lupus is also supposed to take the orb and bring it back to Castle Ferron ahead of his masters.

Roll initiative :D You are treated as under the effects of Frenzy and all people in this room are perceived as hostile except for Lady Moira and Sir Barrett. I know I'm kind of carrying you along with your intro. You do have options, however. Follow through with your orders, or roll a Will save DC 20 and regain control over yourself. As I've stated, I'm a very reactive GM, so your actions here can have significant effects on the rest of the world. If you pass the Will save, you will have complete control over your character and can attempt to act any way you see fit.

Heh, I'd enjoy seeing you attempt such a monumental task, darling. *smile*

Arcana: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (2) + 9 = 11

I detected some faint magical emanations folks, one here, and one over there, but I cant quite pinpoint their exact incantations, proceed with caution my friends.

Azeban agreed with the one next to him. The Orc across the way surely would be flayed for his weakness, and would be right to be. Trying to keep the disgust out of his voice, Azeban spoke only once more to him. "I expect you wouldn't have given up so easily if it were a cave-in, Miner. They can only get to you because you let them, because you imagine this as something that you cannot overcome. But you are wrong."

"I wager that you are wrong about the escape, too, and that it is possible. If not, I will take many of them with me when I go. It is better to die on our feet than live on our knees. Or have you forgotten everything there is about being an Orc?"

Shaking his head in disappointment, Azeban says only. "You have time to decide, child, if you'd rather remain in the safety of the pain as their play-thing than risk what little you have left."

Considering himself done with the Orc across the way, Azeban sets his sights to the cell next to him. "I am Azeban, brother of Chief Mardok. In my old life I was a shaman to his Tribe. And I will be a Shaman again, one who controls death as well as life. I have dreamt the coming of a cold goddess, beautiful and deadly, one who will allow me to turn the tides of this place."

"And you, stranger in the darkness? Tell me of yourself."

"Nothing here that concerns us, where to from here?" He makes sure that he's ready to go.

Carroc allows the change to take him...no, this time he more than welcomes it. He explodes into action immediately afterward.

Initiative: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11

Assuming I have a surprise round, Carroc slams his fist into the closest target's throat:

Attack: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24
Damage: 2d6 + 5 ⇒ (2, 6) + 5 = 13

Note that due to his trait, he can usually be assumed to be using Combat Expertise, so his AC is 24.

Sydney

"Ah, an architect! You must be talented doin' work 'ere in Ikarus. This side of the harbor ain't much like the central city. There's giant-tech in near every building, they is. I have to say, you have the look of fighter about ye'. I see many people come and go in 'ere so I get a keen sense of 'em. But I ought not to pry to much. An architect you are."

The two men from the other end of the bar make their way over to you and Sidane. They look weathered, filthy, and darkened. Must be sailors of some sort.

"Oi, aint ye ought to introduce us, Sidane? This lass 'ere might miss us if we weren't to strike up conversation." The balder one puts his hand on your shoulder and gives you a good squeeze and slight back rub. He keeps his hand there as he continues to spew a vomitous of vocabulary. "Where ye stayin' tonight, lass? We got a nice big boat. Plenty o' room in me bed fer both of us. It can get cold near the harbor." The more slender one speaks. "Huh uh. Yeah. There be room fer me too. It can get REALLY cold and all. Huh uh."

"Come now boys. You still have drinks to finish over there. Leave my guest in peace."

"Shut yer hole, Sidane. This is no business of yours! Nuttin' wrong wit layin' a little charm, eh? We'z jes offerin' our hospitality is all." Sidane retracts slightly from the conversation so he does not instigate them further.

Across the room, a barmaid notices the men haggling you. As if not even aware of the situation, she directs her path toward you. She serves a table behind you, and then subtly slips something into your pocket. As she moves away, the slender one grabs her by the wrist.

"Hey, you sandy c^nt*! (the bar made is manavir) I don't have a drink, do I? You bring a ale nice en quick." He squeezes her rear and gives her a nice slap and says "Giddyup! Huh uh!" The barmaid gives him an enticing smile and walks away to get the drink. The slender man is hooked and lured by her attention. Now you only had baldy to deal with.

"Hey..." the bald man whispers. "I'm thinkin' I'm hungry now. How's about ye start rubbin' yer thighs together and get my dinner warmed up..."

Sidane looks at you with a worred look, as if he's wondering if you want him to intervene.

*Lay people tend to make derogatory terms for other races and cultures. Often, manavir are associated with deserts and dry places as a means to demean them. But, to the educated sort or those from Manava itself, they find that only a portion of the land is arid. There exist many temperate environments the further north one goes.

Sky and Drake

"Eh, ol' gloomy Sky is right. Nothing here we can take anyway. Might get more money if we leave the stuff. Alright, point out where these auras are and I'll see if they're an obstacle. Could be remnant static magic and all."

You three move down the stairs a little way. About halfway, Drake points out the source of the aura.

"You can't tell what it is, eh? No matter. It's location tells me its an obvious trap or sensor. I'll try to make short work of it."

Take 20 C-Alchemy +8 DC 28: 28 = 28SUCCESS

"Hah. You pathetic bastard..." says Drucilla triumphantly.

"Alright, my friends. Nothing to worry over." She says as she lights a nearby torch sconce. The newly born light fills the rest of the room, revealing a pile of somewhat fresh corpses at the bottom of the stairs. One of the corpse's shoulders seems to raise into the air and then falls again, triggering the same ping and high pitched shooting noises, which you now know to be a dart trap flanking the bottom of the stairs where the bodies lie. The corpses are fully equipped and are "porcupined" with darts.

"Well isn't that interesting."

I realized bunching disable device into various craft skills makes disabling magic traps difficult. I'd say just use k-arcana or spellcraft to do the job, but the rogue and other classes with the Trapfinding feature do not get those skills as class skills. So I say to just keep it simple is to use whatever your highest modifier is among your craft skills and use that for magical traps. Alternatively, I could associate certain schools of magic with certain craft skills, but I'd rather save the headache.

Azeban

"Ah yes. You sound like an orc. You sound pretty mean as well. Quite a political position you had. A shaman is a highly influential role. Can't say I buy into spirits and the like. But I can buy into power, and you have it, or else you wouldn't be on the bottom floor of The Asylum. Anyways, I'm Miles. Miles Stone. Been down here for a few years now. Broken out before. Sadly for me, they switched my cell. They make it a point not to put returning prisoners in the same cell. Gives us less familiarity with our cage; less opportunity to find a weak point. But, lucky for you, or us actually, you are in the very cell I had when I broke out." Mr. Stone draws some phlegm and shoots it on the floor. You can't see him but you saw the spit hit the ground. "It's almost feeding time. The field between the bars will go away when the guard comes, though the nullifying node will kick on. But, those can be overloaded. Cast a spell of equal or greater power, and they'll shut down. It's a little tricky to tell the strength of the node, but you might get a feel for it (you'd roll a spellcraft check to identify the spell level required to disrupt the node). With the field up, you won't be able to detect it, so you'll have to be quick when the guard shuts off the field." You have a few minutes before the guard comes, so Miles attempts to get to know you better.

"Why'd they throw you in here anyway? I know your sad story, orc. I'm asking the shaman here."

"Shall we pull the bodies off the pressure plate and see if there's anything recoverable on them?" He also thinks to himself, where did these bodies come from...they're fresh.

Feel free to roll Perception, Survival, or Heal checks, Crypt Group.

perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

Hmmmm, I would say they were grave robbers, but they left all the jewels and other fineries untouched in the other room...maybe our patron had another group he hired for the job before us, and these are whats left of em. Either way, it required further examination.

Drake will cast another detect psionics

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

Lol, I see Drake and Sky are synched up today.

Despite not being able to see him, the name solidifies it for Azeban that this Miles Stone must be a human. The notion of working with one is something he would not have considered years ago, but the man sounded like he knew what he was talking about. And if all the Orcs around were like the one across the way, well, he would need assistance from elsewhere.

Besides, Azeban decides, if the human turned out to be useless, he could still make a perfectly good corpse. And there were all kinds of uses for one of those.

"Well met." He replies gruffly. "Clever of you to figure out a method of escape. What blocked your freedom the first time?"

Spellcraft: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (5) + 9 = 14

Azeban tries to identify the spell strength but isn't as sure as he'd like to be. He wonders if there's some kind of dampening field or if he's just tired and weaker than he has realised. 'Equal or greater' he thinks to himself, deciding to prepare one of the more powerful spells he had. It might be a waste, but it was better than blowing several on just opening the gate.

"I know not why they kept me while they slaughtered my brothers. I have thought of it often," He confesses. "Some were taken, I have not seen them in years, but most were killed outright. Perhaps they thought they could use my powers for their own gain." He smiles crooked and with rotten and missing teeth. "That will be their undoing."

Lupus

Your senses heighten and time seems to slow as the adrenaline surges through your veins. The closest victim to you is Lord Ecuilis, the River Lord. He is young and fair, but Lupus is not to feed on those he kills tonight. Lupus's primary goal is to obtain the artifact and escape to Castle Ferron ahead of Lady Moira and Sir Barrett.

Order
Carroc
Moira
Barrett
Ecuilis
Baldur
M. Guardx2
R. Guardx2

Carroc, your Str is treated as 26. See Frenzied Berzerker for info. Basically your Str increases by 6, your AC decreases by 4, and you have to roll a Will save prematurely end it (or until you hear the word 'white'). You do not become frenzied when you take dmg. That makes it impossible to work with. Don't worry about counting non-lethal dmg. I'll keep track of that.

ALL PLAYERS PLEASE READ

I've altered the way battles and gameplay take place in my campaigns. Called Shots and Combat Stances will be integral to success. Some enemies may have DR but a certain weak point can be hit (a Called Shot) to bypass it. Or to quickly kill an opponent, like Carroc trying to rip Ecuilis's throat out, he could make a called shot to the throat at a -10 to atk, but choose to be in a Desperate Stance, which he can allocate AC points into atk points and increase his chances of hitting the throat. Since he would hit normally without needing the atk boost, I would choose to do a Reckless Stance and allocate AC to DMG.

Surprise Round: Without a moments notice, you spear-punch the River Lord in the throat. He rolls out of his chair away from you (there is one square between you two and he is prone) and grasps his throat as he tries to catch his breath.
Ecuilis: -16 HP, prone, silenced for one round.

With the element of the surprise, the rest barely have a chance to act. Sir Barrett looses an arrow at one of the Mountain guards. His specialized arrows had many effects, and this one in particular seemed to continually dig itself into its victim. The guard leans against the wall and screams in pain as the arrow drills into his neck. Blood smears the wall as he slides to the floor, deceased.
-1 Mountain guard.

Moira takes the opportunity to loose a chakram at a River guard approximately 15ft away. With exotic elegance, her unusual choice of weapon was deadly in her hands, and it cuts an enormous chunk out of the River guard's neck (throats seem to be the thing to hit!).
-1 River guard.

Surprise round over. Continue with normal initiative order.

Carroc
Moira
Barrett
Ecuilis
Baldur
M. Guard
R. Guard

Sydney

Critical Intimidate! Great jeaorb!

The slight poke with your dagger catches the sailor completely off-guard; enough to cause him to immediately urinate himself. He froze and had the look on his face like he just saw a ghost. His skinnier friend notices you leave the sailor still on his stool and he wonders what has him so scared.

Because of your heritage, the skinny sailor mistakes you for an anthrosian. "HEY! ISLANDER! Yer mistreatin' me friend there." The skinny sailor pushes the manavir barmaid off of his lap and makes his way over to you. He was stumbling before but this time he is really sloppy. "Wher uh.... you.... th-..... see it.... I see you.... huh uh..." He begins scratching at the empty air, and then appears to try to catch something. Then, he bends over and tries digging into the floor. "Time... time to go home now... back into me hole..." He then passes out with his head planted on the floor and his rear in the air. (take 20 Perception) You notice a near invisible needle sticking out of his neck; a sure sign that the barmaid is of your order. Many agents use acupuncture needles to make their victims due a number of things. (Take 20 Craft Alchemy) Judging from the skinny sailor's behavior, the barmaid stuck him with a hallucinogenic mixed with a sedative.

The barmaid is very good at her job. She pretended to be shocked when the skinny sailor passed out in order to blend herself with the "normal" crowd.

Before continuing out of the door, Sidane calls out to you. "Hey, Architect! Let me know when you are looking for some extra work. The drink's on me."

Once outside, you pull the note from your pocket. It is a drawing of a dead-drop location. Certain symbols (codes) that surround the main drawing tell you that the dead-drop is underground, near water, and close to an exit. Must be the sewer. The main drawing shows specifically where to find the dead drop.

To be continued via PM.

"Looks that way, eh? Contract never said we can't take anything that made its way into the crypt. Lets see what our colleagues are packing." The treasure hunter gives a foxy grin.

Refl Dru: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19pass
Refl Sky: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23pass
Refl Drake: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6fail
DC 10

Though Dru and Sky had an easy enough time getting the bodies off, Drake miscalculates his step and is caught in the cross-fire (CROSS-FIRRRRRRRRRRRE!!! from Matel).

Arrow Trap atk: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (15) + 15 = 30 hit by two arrows.
Trap dmg: 1d4 + 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + (4) + 2 = 9Drake is at 39 HP

As stated, HP represents stamina and flesh wound damage. So no worries, you are not impaled through the shoulder or anything. Just got a nasty scratch.

"You clumsy, t~~&!" Dru smacks drake upside the head 1,000,000 non-lethal damage ;)

Take 20 on Perception checks to search the bodies.

You all find 30g in total. Sky finds a coat pistol hidden in the jacket of one of the four men with no bullet loaded. Dru finds a necklace that is very ornate and looks out of place for these former adventurers to be wearing. Drake finds something quite interesting...

"It appears one of our colleagues became greedy."

Carroc bounces acrobatically up onto the table and attacks the next closest - in a standard stance - kicking twice in a flurry of blows.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20
Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23
Damage: 2d6 + 8 ⇒ (2, 3) + 8 = 13
Attack: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Damage: 2d6 + 8 ⇒ (3, 6) + 8 = 17

The acrobatic maneuver should counteract the -2 from Frenzy.

Lets see what we can do about that failed save shall we.

Invoking my Second Chance trait to reroll a failed save once per day.

Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

If not Drake quaffs a potion of CLW

1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3

Drake will share the contents of the note with his friends.

It looks like the nephew is out for the doublecross...I wonder what kind of bonus the old man will throw in for that information.

Drake turns as soon as he hears the noise

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19

Azeban

"Prevented my escape? No sir. I escaped alright. They found me in a brothel not too far from the Asylum. Figured I'd stay close to my enemies, assuming they'd figure I ran further away. Things were dandy till my scry-ward spell fizzled without me knowing. Guess I was too distracted at the establishment..."

"Good eye, orc. Those with exceptional power are often contained for study. They can get away with things here that they can't anywhere else, which is contradicting to popular Anthrosian values. But, the Dominion stuck its hands in here and lifted the bar. They leave me alone as far as experiments go. But for an orc... well, lets just say they lack a "humanitarian" outlook on orcs. You're more of a lab rat." His choice of words is crude but they're honest.

"So what do you say? Are you ready to bust out of here? It's dinner time..."

As if Miles timed his words perfectly, the guard walks in as soon as he finished speaking. He is clad in light leather armor with white and blue colors with the familiar black badge of the Asylum Guard. A simple design featuring a palm gesture used in arcane arts for disenchanting. He is armed with only a curved sword.

The guard takes his wand, which they use for a number of functions, and disengages the field between Miles's prison bars. "Mr. Stone; here is your slop." The guard throws the plate into the cell like a tossed disc. Miles says coyly, "I was told there would be wine with dinner this eve. Ghalish is prefered. Perhaps an Erhardt 5510? It was a warm year, so I think it would pair well with the steaming s@@& you have provided for my feast."

"Can it, Stone. Or I'll make you bunk with Goomba again. Don't think you'd mind. Supposed to be a chilly one tonight."

"Now now, you shouldn't talk like that about Goomba. He's a lovable giant and quite warm. A frigid b$~$& like you could certainly use his thawing embrace."

The guard rolls his eyes and ignores Miles's comments. With a flick of his wand, the bars between the field engage again. He moves toward your cell and flicks the field.

"Why here you go, good sir. Your fine meal is ready." The guard drops the plate outside of your cell and spills the slop all over the floor. "Filthy f+!&ing drawb*." The guards begins to reach for his wand....

Your move, my friend. You have two rounds of actions you can take. Unfortunately you were unable to identify the power level of the nullifying node, but that doesn't mean you can't disengage it. The guard is also adjacent to you on the other side of the cell and is within reach so you have other options before he reactivates the field between your bars. Let me know if you have any questions.

Carroc

The second River Guard quickly met his demise before he could even react. Your rapid kicks broke his jaw first and then his neck. He fell to the ground dead with his hand on the hilt of his sword.

Lady Moira draws her second chakram and lobs it at the second Mountain Guard. It hits him in the gut, piercing his armor. He falls to the ground gasping for breath and coughing up blood as he holds onto the bladed disc in a desperate attempt to remove it from his body. He is bleeding out and nonfunctional in a fight.

Sir Ledo Prei reaches for the orb, but his hand is quickly impaled by an arrow from Sir Barrett. Moira desperately stops Barrett from killing. "Leave him, Barrett! We will need him."

Lord Ecuilis catches his breath and quickly hops to his feet and draws his rapier. Thinking he has you off guard, he lunges for a strike.

atk: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21dmg: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

His strike pokes you in the shoulder. The stab was deep but in a nonvital area. You barely notice the pain.

Lord Baldur reaches for his hammer that is leaning against the wall behind him. He stands in a guarded stance but does not engage anyone. Combat Focus (Cautious): -8 atk +8 AC.

"You have desecrated this holy place! You defiled our laws and have only brought ruin upon yourself, Moira! How do you expect to get away with this!?"

"I expect to get away with this because I will have the favor of the overlords. Lupus... the stone."

Sydney

It is dusk out. The Arcane Asylum sits on the outskirts of the central city of Ikarus. Your trek through the sewers should be relatively short; a mile at most.

You locate the manhole your informant referred you to. Oddly enough, the stench and filth is mild. Since the implementation of dragontech within the city, advanced recycling practices have reduced waste and pollution. The sewer water is not drinkable, but it is bearable.

If you don't mind, Sydney, I'll fast forward through the sewer part. There is not much in the way of goodies save for your dead-drop location.

Luckily the sewer is complete with signs associated with the varying entrances telling the location of the street above, which made locating the Asylum relatively easy. The sewer is populated with a few homeless people tucking themselves in for the night and some minor vermin.

It seems a denizen of the sewer had found your dead-drop. Though you were not sure what was inside before, you see the hobo fiddling around with a similar bracelet as the barmaid's at Sidane's. It is clearly meant for you. He sits down in a pile of collected scraps and junk he made into bedding and places the bracelet on his wrist, admiring his new look. You are not more than 15ft away, but he seems to ignore your presence.

Sydney will come in full view This was meant for me, if you don't mind giving it back i would like to offer you some reward money for keeping it safe for me she says extending in her hand a few gold coins

if you want DM i could roll a diplomacy...

My AC should be 23 at the moment - 23 in form, -2 for berserk, +2 for acrobatics.

Carroc sees few standing enemies, so goes all-out on Ecullis - leaping into a grapple.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29
Grapple: 1d20 + 17 ⇒ (9) + 17 = 26
Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

...using leverage to cram his elbow into the Lord's ribs.

AC should now be 15, but grappling.

Oops, it was 21. -4 for the berserk...so 13 now...but also +3 more to hit and damage - so 29 attack and 14 damage.

Sky and Drake

"Can't help but think...." Dru stops her words after she sees your distraction. "Looks like company".

You hear the moaning and shuffling of the undead. It is hard to see just how many from the bottom of the stairs, but there are three in clear view at the top of the stairs. On one side you have the dark trap pressure plate which can be walked around with 5ft of space. On the other, the undead await to destroy you.

Roll initiative!

At listening to Miles's story, Azeban's expression reveals a combination of respect and amusement. "It was a good attempt," he replies in a low voice. "I might have had half a mind to try similar were I more able to blend in."

He even chuckles raspily at Miles's explanation of why he was caught again. "The gods be fickle." he replies with a twisted smile. "Magick is useful, but you mustn't forget how to get on without it. In case that day should come again."

He falls silent as the guard approaches, but glares fire at the guard's insolence, anxious for another world in which he could flay the skin from his body for such a rude display. Deciding that there might yet be time for such a thing, he mutters an incantation.

Burning a level 2 spell, the highest I have.

Grapple: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

Unsure of whether the spell would work or not, and following the advice that he had given Miles not to rely solely on magic, he quickly reaches forward and grabs the guard by the neck, pulling him far enough forward that, should the field go up, it would penetrate the man's body.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (9) + 9 = 18

"Make a move for the wand or the sword, and I'll snap your neck like a twig." His eyes burn with hatred. "I am Azeban, Shaman of the Southern Tribe, Mystic of the Orcs, Necromancer of the Wastes, and your body is worth more to me than your life."

Sky sights up the barrel of his musket, waiting for a chance to fire.
Initiative: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (12) + 9 = 21

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21

Azeban

Hahaha. I love it!

Due to the guard being caught... off-guard (nyuk nyuk nyuk) he does not receive an AoO. Your grapple succeeds with flying colors.

The guard's confidence in himself quickly depleted once you started manhandling him like tool. His eyes nearly popped out of his head from shock, and he quickly gave in to your demands. You noticed after you had cast the spell that a certain familiar energy became apparent again; one all practitioners of magic resonate with. It is safe to assume the field had been lifted.

"I'll... I'll do anything you say! Please! I have a family!" His life flashes before his eyes and will seem to do anything to keep his life. The Asylum Guard's disposition upgrades to Helpful.

"Make him dance, Azzy! Huahahahaha!" giggles Miles hysterically.

Sydney

Not necessary! Figured a hobo would take gold over cheap jewelry any day.

The bums eyes light up at the sight of the gold. Though little light penetrated the sewers, an imaginative sparkle appeared in his eyes. He quickly removed the bracelet and took the gold. His extreme gratitude was shown in his expression of disbelief.

You examine the bracelet more closely. It is composed of hollowed wooden cylinders that are as long as a quarter of your forearm. The wooden cylinders that contain the acupuncture needles are held together by colorful threads. There is a particular weaving style that is both stylish and functional, ensuring that the bracelet will not come undone on its owns.

You acquired a Touch of Lys bracelet. Though you received some minor training in their use, you only recollect a few points on the human body where the needles can be stuck. New points can be uncovered in game, either from researching in select libraries, learning from trainers, or through other means. The limitation of this item is it is only useful if you understand the anatomy of certain types of creatures. You begin with type Humanoid (Human), so you only know how to use it on humans. Every five ranks invested in a specific Knowledge Skill grants you anatomical knowledge of an additional monster type associated with that particular skill (See List Here). Since K-local only has "humanoids" listed, every 5 ranks grants you an additional subtype. This also applies to "outsiders" with a subtype. The Touch of Lys does not work on constructs or undead that do not metabolize and the needle must make contact with skin to take effect. All attacks with the Touch of Lys are Challenging Called Shots with their own effects and your INT mod is used as a bonus rather than STR. This is why they are best used in conjunction with Combat Focus stances that increase your ATK and when your target is unaware of your presence. With a successful Stealth check, enemies may not even notice the needle. Poisons can also be applied to the needles for additional effects. All DC's for the Touch of Lys are 10+1/2 lvl+INT.

Acupuncture Points Known
Degrasp: Target - enemy. Location - mid forearm. Forces the target's hand to tense and stretch itself apart, dropping whatever is in it. If the target has a locked guantlet, it is treated as if you dealt a Critical Called Shot to the hand.
Lys's Lift: Target - ally or self. Location - bottom wrist. Stabilize a dying creature. Only lasts 1d6 round, afterwards the bleeding continues unless the target was healed in within those rounds.
Dream of Lys: Target - enemy or willing subject. Location - just below the back of the skull and the top of the neck. Target is treated as if under the effects of Mad Hallucination for the duration listed or until the needle is removed. They receive a Will save to halve the duration. If you roll a nat 20, the target enters the Dream of Lys, and is considered helpless against anything in actual reality; a successful Will save reduces this to Mad Hallucination but does not reduce the duration.

A large tunnel begins parallel to the ladder that leads to the street. The direction you will want to go is down the tunnel. At the end, you see unnatural light casting a shadow of a grate.

The grate must lead to a floor at the bottom of the Asylum, which is the same floor your target should be located on. You make your way to the grate and cautiously listen for movement.

Take 20 on Perception: 23 Above the grate is a simple magical light spell placed in a concave section of the hallway arch. You heard one voice though it seemed far away.

To open the grate, give me a STR check DC 15. If you fail by 5 or more, roll a Stealth check DC 7.

Str Check: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 1 = 21

Sydney will be casting Mage armor (augmented with her arcane reservoir) and then proceed to move forward

"You may survive this night after all." Azeban replies, a twisted smile spreading over his face. Without removing his hand from the guard's neck, he steps forward out of the cell. Resisting the urge to laugh, he first searches the sky for the Cold Being, believing it would be a good omen.

Looking down at the guard, he removes the man's mace from his side. "Open his cell." He says, gesturing to Miles. When the man is released, Azeban moves to hand him the mace, preferring not to get his own hands dirty if he can prevent it. Still, nature is harsh, and so is he, and one look to the guard lets the man know what will happen should he step out of line.

Stretching his arms, his scars and tattoos glistening in the moonlight, he directs his case to the cage across, where the weaker Orc resides. "Last chance." He says it not as a question, but as a statement. It would be up to the Orc to offer his life in exchange for his release, as most rituals that Azeban would enjoy using the poor boy for would require a degree of cooperation, and realistically, if he intended to escape, he hadn't the time for anything else.

Sky and Drake

Despite their apparent deadness, the dead rose with nothing but the desire to destroy life. They are glad in tattered burial clothes, one of which is donned with more regal attire. You all hear the moans and screeches of more than just the three in sight.

The regal corpse seems to hold himself back while the other two are ready to attack. Dru seems extra anxious for the brawl.

"Time to earn our pay, gents! Suck my knife you ugly bastards!"

Combat Order
Drucilla
Sky
Drake
Zombie1
Zombie2
Regal Corpse

As if out of some extra dimensional space on her person, Dru lobs a deft knife at the zombie to Mr. Fancy Dead-Pants's left.

atk with Inspiration: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (15) + 7 = 22dmg with Precise Strike: 1d4 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 3 = 8

Mr. Fancy Dead-Pants slowly tilts his head to his chest to observe the knife sticking out, as if wondering why it is there. Turning his attention back to the group, it looses a disturbing screech.

Sky, you are up! so sorry for my delay. Work and life has been busy.

Carroc

The River Lord gives little resistance against your superior strength. That bash to his ribs really put him in bad shape.
Ecuilis -27hp but not pinned

"Sir Barrett. Place Sir Ledo into our custody. The face of Maor will transform. The old ways will no longer be shunned. And with the grace of our overseers, my house will reign for ages to come."

"Despicable b#+*%! You cannot possibly think the overlords will give you as much as crumb of gratitude! All you will be met with is war!"

"Silence, you fat worm! Do you think I am without allies!? This war against our gods is over."

"Then you have violated the Treaty of Lannon's Spire! As High Lord of Maor, I revoke you of your titles and your house!"

"Then I invoke the Rite of Maor. You would call it rebellion, but our laws, our true laws, would call it the birth of a kingdom. LUPUS! The stone."

"If this is about religion, then you should have voiced yourself more loudly at our sum-"

"Your summits be damned! I would have only been met with deaf ears of the 'holier than thou' that plague this court! LUPUS!" She attempts to grab your attention again.

Act how you wish. You are still under your "programmed" trance. Ultimately, you must retrieve the stone and escape back to Castle Ferron. The fall from the spire window wouldn't kill you. Like I said, it is not that tall.

Releasing his prey, Carroc grabs the stone, tucks it in his sash, and leaps from the window, rolling out as he hits bottom...

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22

He immediately breaks into a lope, letting his instincts lead the way.

Also, as he gets back into his natural element, and away from his captors - and those instincts do fully kick in, his mind wanders...and races...and the urge for freedom returns.

Will: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28

This is only applicable if you agree that a save is in order. ;)

His senses are primed, at any rate - he sniffs at the breeze, expecting guards...

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (13) + 13 = 26

Sky sights at one of the undead and fires his musket!
Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 touch for Damage: 1d12 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
He then reloads.

Well, might as well pull out the big guns. *wink*

Drake moves up and initiates a maneuver against the finely dressed not-living fellow.

Garnet Lance strike: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

damage: 5d6 + 10 ⇒ (3, 5, 5, 3, 6) + 10 = 32 (2d6 greatsword, 2d6 maneuver, 1d6 stance, ignores any damage reduction)

If that hits I use my Armigers Mark ability on him, making him take a -4 penalty to attack anyone other than me. And if he happens to be an arcane spellcaster he suffers 11% arcane spell failure. This all persists for 5 rounds.

Azeban

Your terrifying presence forces the guard into compliance. It is clear your body has withstood much pain. Many would break under such conditions, but it is not their ways. The way of the Khazahar is pain. Nature is unforgiving and favors the strong, and the only way to build true strength is through suffering. These "civilized" dakuiin (humans) are nothing short of prey, living in an illusion of safety when their lives are utter chaos before their eyes.

Without hesitation the guard deactivates the field on Miles's cell.

"Why thank you sir." Miles takes the guard's sword and callously impales him.
Asylum Guard DEAD!

The orc in the cell looks scared. He struggles to respond to your offer. "I... I I I.... we.... no. They will torture us with the room. We... I can't.... They will break me! If I am caught, they will break my soul with the room!"

Pathetic creature....

"Not to be a smart-ass, but the guard will be expected to return soon. We have a very short window here."

I can continue when you decide what to do about the orc in the cell.

Carroc

Your landing is deft and precise. The padded snow had little to do with your safe landing.

To your surprise you smelled no humans nearby. It is possible they left their posts to investigate the commotion in the room you were in. How your masters intended to escape is unknown.

The cool air awakened your senses, like the burst of energy one feels when touched by ice on a warm day. Your heart beats slower and your muscles are less tense. You were fatigued for a while, but you soon regained your energy.

The trip is going to be long. It took six days to get here by carriage. Your intuition assumes it could take twice that to get back on foot. The passage through the Haydron Mountains could shorten the journey by six days, but it is much more treacherous. In addition to snow lions and massive brown bears, wild wyverns have nested in the mountains. The other passage is the road, which will take maybe 12 days to get back to the castle and you risk being spotted by guards. News travels fast and it would only be a matter of time before the other houses hear of Lady Moira's coup.

Let me know which direction you want to go. If you choose the mountains, roll me six Survival checks. If you choose the main road, roll me 12 Stealth checks. For either rolls, a roll below 15 will trigger an event.

Expecting men to be scouring the inhabited lands, Carroc heads for the highlands, unafraid, welcoming the mountain peaks ahead. He only wishes he still.had his bow. It would make for easier hunting.

Not that he needed it.

Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (12) + 10 = 22
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (1) + 10 = 11
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (4) + 10 = 14
Survival: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (3) + 10 = 13

Four events! Woohoo!

Sky and Drake

Sky's aim was spot on. The zombie1 screamed and extended his deadly clawed hand in your direction as if he has his sights on you. He charges down the stairs with one arm ready to rip a chunk of your skin off.

Zombie1 Charge: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23dmg: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7
Sky -7 HP[/dice]

[ooc]Drake, I just remembered you used your one ability to redo that save. Yes, you passed and that dmg you took from the trap never happened :)

Drakes attack quickly ended the Regal Corpse, but not before its stench triggers a bodily reaction from you (Roll a Fort Save DC 15 or become sickened for 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9 minutes). You nearly cleaved him in two just by the shear thickness of your sword. The zombie to your left does not hesitate to try and grab a hold of you and sink its teeth into your neck, however the attempt grants you a chance to strike.

Drake AoO: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28Crit Confirm: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (13) + 8 = 21Crit dmg: 4d6 + 20 ⇒ (3, 6, 6, 1) + 20 = 36 oh MY GOD who ARE you!?!?

As the zombie tries to grab you, a strong swing of your sword cuts its way out of the Regal Corpse's gut and completely through the zombie next to him. To your surprise, the whole upper half of the zombie seemed to just burst into gore for whatever reason. Perhaps the strike was so perfect that it unlocked some property of martial physics that caused the very structure of the zombie to crumble into rotting gore. Visual? Baldur's Gate II CHUNKS!

"By the Sages! I think you got sinew in my eye and I'm two meters away!" Says Dru as she moves behind the zombie who struck her buddy Sky, dealing a flanked strike with her cutlass.

atk: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13dmg: 1d6 + 1 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 1 + 3 = 8
Zombie1 -11 HP (total)

The zombie belts another scream but appears very alert and hungry still.

Now that Drake has a good visual of the room from the top of the stairs, he counts maybe 14 or 15 rotting corpses roaming the room, dragging their feet and moaning and crying out for life to feed upon.

Sky and Drake, you are up! Thank you all for your patience.

"As much as I would call that good riddance," Azeban turns his glowing eyes from the Orc to Miles with a look of disappointment, "I was not finished with him. Unless you happen to know where my possessions are being kept? Or a safe route out? You've much to learn - the value of a terrified hostage should never be ignored."

"Since you have already took the initiative," Azeban remarks, almost spitting the word, "You can carry his body. Death is no escape - I have uses for him yet."

Azeban looks back to the Orc, laughing horribly. "Child, the few who survive will be so furious at what I intend to do that everyone in this block will get far worse than 'the room'. Even I cannot imagine something as terrible as I am sure they will do to you. Enjoy your last moments."

Turning, he looks to see if Miles has lifted the guard's corpse.

oh MY GOD who ARE you!?!?

Oh, YOU know who I am. ;)

Visual? Baldur's Gate II CHUNKS!

I went for the eyes.

You can reapply your makeup later, Dru. *wink*

Drake moves up to the 2 closest adjacent zombies and initiates Scything Strike, a whirling attack that is both frenzied and precise (it uses one attack roll to hit both targets).

Attack: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12

Damage: 3d6 + 10 ⇒ (6, 5, 3) + 10 = 24

Sky steps back from the undead, stumbling from the pain, and fires at it.
Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (13) + 12 = 25 touch for Damage: 1d12 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8
He then reloads.

Sydney

You easily remove the grate with barely a noise. The Asylum dungeon is fitted with magical lighting, save for where there a nullification nodes. Lantern light is present where nodes are nearby. The grate opening is in the corner of an L shaped hallway. The facility itself is not like conventional dungeons, being constructed from smoother stone and more augmented with magic. It certainly modernized with the introduction of dragontech.

The voice you were hearing earlier fades, but a new source arises. It sounded like yelling but it was too faint to know for sure.

You creep closer toward the source.

There are a series of iron doors in a large room. The large room itself has in the center a large circular opening with an almost unnatural darkness to it. Like light seems to not exist, rather than just being dark.

All the doors are shut with no means of seeing what's on the other side. In the far corner, however, one door is open and a shallow lantern light leaks into the main room.

How do you approach?

Azeban

"What!? Who made you Prime Elector? He gave in too easily for my comfort. I think he was just waiting for a good opportunity to rid us both. You carry him! You're the one who wants him. And no. I don't know where your possessions are." The snide anthrosian certainly has sand.

The orc in the cell heard every word you said. He hung his head solemnly in thought. His time was not worth it. His fate is his own, despite how wasteful of a soul he may be.

"Look, we'll look around a little but I'm not carrying your dead body. If you want to play puppeteer with him, fine. Just know that every second we linger we risk getting caught."

Carroc

Since you don't mind a synopsis, I will summarize the remainder of your introduction in this post.

The mountain air of late spring is revitalizing. A brilliant sun in dusk paints the partially clouded sky with magnificent colors, but it was nothing compared to the brilliant blue and green light rivers in Ferron's skies.

These southerners misunderstand the lands to the north. They fail to recognize the peacefulness of your people and let the more violent nature of your kind blanket their perception. Both people appreciate the beauty of nature.

It has been four days since you leaped from the window of the spire where the summit was located. You got along in the wild easily enough without your bow, having cleverly taken advantage of the spring spawn of grubbers; a meaty fish that moves upstream to breed and take advantage of brooding insect larvae in the gravel beds. Despite their protective status in the realm of Haydron, you hunted them anyway, trusting yourself to hunt with a courtesy toward nature that the southerners think they understand.

It was getting dark and you felt the temperature drop significantly with the receding sun. Midway up a mountain pass, you found a cozy spot with surrounding spruces which will be good for blocking the wind. You effortlessly made a fire. Likely the rain had ceased.

You fell asleep easily enough. Everyone sleeps better in their own home, yours being the wild. You had the strangest of dreams, however. The soul of Nerul is greatest in unmolested lands, and often people experience lucid dreams and "messages" from the Spirit River.

In your dream you open your eyes as if you had woken. On the other side of your fire is a blinding blue-green light that soon takes the form of a humanoid. You know this creature as a spirit of the wild, or a "faerie". They are messengers and stewards of Nerul, though no one seems to see them outside of your lands.

"Tenacious." says the faerie. "Indeed, tenacious. It's sad they corrupted you. Your people have much culture. They call you Carroc. Or Lupus. Yes. I see it now. They gave you another soul." You feel an overwhelming sense of sympathy coming from the faerie; as if its emotions had force and pressed on your heart.

"This defies the laws of nature." You have a vision abruptly. Though you are not physically seeing it, you can feel your two souls; like you feel a muscle or an appendage. You have a sense that you know where the "knots are tied", though the knots are tight. Will saves to resist "transforming" are lowered by 2 (DC 18).

Your vision ends and the faerie is where it was before you entranced. "You have something, don't you Carroc? They gave you an orb. And like a good dog you are going to give it to the giants. Soon, you will see a light. You will go to this light. Inside the light, you will see men taller than horses and some not so tall. They will be wearing strange clothing and seem unfamiliar, but do not worry. They will not harm you. In fact, you may be rewarded. This is a chance to escape your captors, but you will be unable to return to your home."

To be continued....

Carroc has had these dreams before. Never exactly the same, but he's still convinced this is one.

Best to play along.

Azeban lets out a low growl, and considers carrying the body himself for a minute, before shaking his head. "As you wish. So long as you'll be ready in case of any opposition." Without a second glance to either the Orc or the body, he begins walking, choosing a direction based on the position of the moon, and his own intuition.

Not sure if any of these would help me determine a direction in which I may be able to find my gear, but:

KnNature: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 7 = 17
Perception: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (13) + 9 = 22
Profession (Medium): 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Survival: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Carroc continued....

You always were a good listener. The faerie continued to speak...

"It pains me to have done what I did, but I will do you the courtesy of making you aware of what I have done. I, too, have corrupted you. Within you is my psyche; my essence. You humans might think of it as a 'spirit' or 'soul'. Your captors split your essence in two, while I have added one to you. You will have memories that are not yours, but this is the circumstance that will save you from those soon to be encountered. Your kind is met with fear by the rest of Nerul, and normal circumstances would result in death. Perhaps the seed we have sewn this night will help change their misguided perceptions."

"They will be coming soon. Fortunately, time is slower here. For what I have done, I offer you my insight. You may call to me to answer inquiries, but I cannot promise I will always respond. When the claws of Lupus tear at your mind, you may call to me for aid. Your environment, areas of supreme comfort, are where I will most likely respond. It seems trivial, but your environment dictates your very existence. If you have an inquiry now, then you may ask it." The glowing faerie bellows with the flame as if it were fading back out of reality, though you sensed a vibe of patience emanating from it.

Areas where Carroc feels truly at home increases the chances of contacting the faerie's psyche. To contact the faerie, roll a d100. If you roll a 15 or lower, you may make contact. You can ask for insight or even ask it to put Lupus back in his cage. In areas that are mountains and forests, add five, and in areas where it is both mountains and forests, add 10. As mentioned before, you now only have to roll a Will save DC 18 to resist transformation.