Hobgoblins: AC 16, T 12, FF 15
Howler: AC 16, T 14, FF 12
Kazmojen: AC 23, T 11, FF 22
Durzagon: AC 13, T 12, FF 11Monsters act first, then NPCs, then the party.
Seeing the group of heroes act with obvious hostile intent, the armor-clad figure laughs. ”Fine then. You’ve tried my patience to the end, and now, let it be known that I, Kazmojen, am your doom.” He drops the chain attached to the boy and moves forward, pulling out an axe and throwing it at Adolphus. The axe clangs against the knight’s armor and drops harmlessly to the floor.
Frowning at his failed attack, the armor-clad figure waves the hobgoblins forward. ”Guards! 5 gold pieces to any who kills one of these fools! “ He then looks to the juvenile howler and says, ”Prickles, attack!”
The two hobgoblins guarding the north entrance move forward, pulling out their longswords and attacking at Adolphus. Both attacks are ineffective thanks to Adolphus’s trusty banded mail.
The other two hobgoblins advanced on Diurn. The cleric attempts to trick the first into not attacking him, but the creature shakes off the effect. Both hobgoblins attacks hit solidly, dropping Diurn into unconsciousness immediately.
The durzagon calmly closes the lid of his bone box, ignoring Darthal’s words entirely, and disappears.
The volume of Prickles's howling increases to the point of being near-deafening as it rushes forward and bites at Adolphus. The nobleman just barely dodges out of the way.
Fellian pulls out his shortbow and takes a shot at hobgoblin #3, but distracted by the sight of Diurn dropping unconscious, he misses badly. Fario darts through the open door, attempting to move gracefully to avoid leaving himself open to attacks from the creatures, but he slips on blood leaking from Diurn’s body and barely manages to avoid falling. Still, the slip wasn’t all bad, as it caused the opportunistic attacks from hobgoblin #2 and Prickles from hitting the half-elf. Fario continues moving, looking to flank with Adolphus, and hobgoblin #1 manages to slice him in the arm.
Hobgoblin #1: 17/17 hp
Hobgoblin #2: 17/17 hp
Hobgoblin #3: 17/17 hp
Hobgoblin #4: 17/17 hp
Kazmojen: 67/67 hp
Prickles: 38/38 hp
Pyllrak Shyraat: 30/30 hp, invisible in square C5.
Fario: 15/18 hp, longstrider up
Fellian: 18/18 hp, only cantrips left. 2 channels left.
Round 1
Valamont cringes as Diurn crumples beneath the heavy blows of the hobgoblins. Focusing briefly on the lessons he'd learned from his mother, he gracefully darts into the room and between hobgoblins until he nears Fario. He tries to bring the sword to bear against one of their many foes, but the grisly sight of Diurn's prostrate form and the keening of the howler spoil his swing.
HP: 15/15
AC: 19 (11 T / 18 FF) (includes shield)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3 (+1 vs mind effecting, +2 vs enchantment)
Arcane Pool Used: 2/3
Prepared Cantrips (4): dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound
Prepared 1st Level Spells (2+1): chill touch [X], shield [X], shield [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
shield rounds: 2/20
spell dance: 1/10
Luc moves to N9 and shoots Hobgoblin #2 (add cover modifiers to his Touch AC).
Seeing his friend Diurn go down, Adolphus calls for aid.
"Friends, be careful! Their blades are sharp and their jaws are powerful!"
He then wields his sword more defensively as he strikes at one of the hobgoblins.
(9.5 damage due to Shield of Swings)
"What did that poison-bearded wonder do? Teleport? Turn invisible? Pop like a soap bubble?" Darthal thinks.
Not figuring it out, he steps forward cautiously, wary of the hobgoblin on the other side of the doorframe. He looks to see if he can spot any sign (say, footsteps on the dust of the floor -- it's already established that the hobgoblins don't clean up after themselves or have their slaves do so -- of where an invisible enemy might be.
If he can see where the vanished creature got to, he concentrates to cast faerie fire defensively --
-- and successfully, outlining the ashy dwarfoid and anyone near him in crackling purple light, making them trackable and hittable even if invisible. Of course, he again has to drop his pick to cast the spell...
If he can't make out a square, he swings his pick at the hobgoblin instead.
Hobgoblins: AC 16, T 12, FF 15
Howler: AC 16, T 14, FF 12
Kazmojen: AC 23, T 11, FF 22
Durzagon: AC 13, T 12, FF 11
Valamont darts through the front lines, but is unable to hit the hobgoblin. Luc moves right behind Valamont, ending up in the spot the magus just vacated as he shoots at the same creature Valamont attacked, with only slightly more success. While his shot hit, it looks to have mostly lodged in the hobgoblin’s studded leather armor – probably just barely drawing blood.
Adolphus swings carefully, trying to deflect any attacks with his sword. The awkward fighting style lets the hobgoblin jump easily out of the way of the attack, however.
Darthal steps forward and searches for any sign of the durzagon, but this large room seems to be much better kept than the mess hall, for he finds no sign of the creature. Instead, he swings at the nearest hobgoblin, but the awkward angle of the attack foils his aim.
Kazmojen moves forward and attacks Adolphus, brutally swinging the axehead of his urgosh with great force, but he misses badly. He curses and adjusts his grip on the weapon, clearly looking to use both heads next time.
The 3 hobgoblins surrounding Adolphus attack together, taking full advantage of the distraction caused by the knight having to defend against all three. Adolphus blocks one of the attacks with his sword, but the other two strike true, badly wounding him.
The other hobgoblin moves around to attack Fario. The half-elf seems to have gotten himself in a little deep, as the creature scores a vicious wound.
Prickles steps up to Darthal and bites the dwarf’s leg hard. Luckily, Darthal manages to block the howler’s quills with his shield.
Fario, seeing the combat turning against the party so quickly, looks more determined than ever. He swings the longsword in his right hand at hobgoblin #1, scoring a deep cut into the creature’s side. The hobgoblin lurches over, screaming in pain, and Fario buries the short sword in his left hand in the creature’s back, dropping it to the ground, dead. He then steps over the corpse, and nods to Adolphus. ”I’ve got your back.”
Fellian moves forward and pulls out his holy symbol. Calling upon the blessings of Ketephys, he sends waves of healing magic burst from him. Unfortunately, you see the wounds of hobgoblin #2 healing as well.
Hobgoblin #2: 17/17 hp
Hobgoblin #3: 17/17 hp
Hobgoblin #4: 17/17 hp
Kazmojen: 67/67 hp
Prickles: 38/38 hp
Pyllrak Shyraat: 30/30 hp, invisible in square C5.
Fario: 11/18 hp, longstrider up
Fellian: 18/18 hp, only cantrips left. 1 channel left.
Worried that things have already turned too drastically against them, Valamont grips his sword with both hands and tries to cut down the hobgoblin Luc shot moments before.
AC: 19 (11 T / 18 FF) (includes shield)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3 (+1 vs mind effecting, +2 vs enchantment)
Arcane Pool Used: 2/3
Prepared Cantrips (4): dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound
Prepared 1st Level Spells (2+1): chill touch [X], shield [X], shield [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
shield rounds: 3/20
spell dance: 2/10
Darthals eyes widen at the scaley patches of skin visible as Kazmojen swings his urgrosh. "Leader--troll blood!" he yells as he parries the howler's attack. "Need to all pound him together--he heals fast!"
We need help! Darthal thinks frantically, and whistles shrilly for Mite, his dog, who has apparently been nosing the scraps left under the table. Then he steps back and begins chanting, desperately calling on the largest ally the natural world can yet provide him.
Mite barrels out from under the table to take Darthal's place in the doorway, and not liking the spiny look of the howler, decides to sink his fangs into the hobgoblin's calf. Maybe it will taste as good as the similarly-smelling scraps under the table.
It does.
Barely recovered from his wound, Adolphus swings at the creature Kazmojen.
"Aid me! I'm not holding back this time!"
Darthal, busily chanting, is unable to yell, but manages to tap his toes sixteen times in the prescribed pattern for "joyous applause", marveling at the guidance of the One Rock.
Luc tells the elf in M9 to step 5' south when he finishes his attack. Then Luc steps to N7, reloads pistol as move action and shoots the howler taking only -4 penalty due to no precise shot and adds 1 point of grit.
Diurn finds himself conscious again.
Realizing standing can be dangerous, he channels healing energy excluding their foes.
He hopes his ability to charm others that attack him will stop any further aggression.
Darthal smiles to himself as the last of his wounds closes.
Hobgoblins: AC 16, T 12, FF 15
Howler: AC 16, T 14, FF 12
Kazmojen: AC 23, T 11, FF 22
Durzagon: AC 13, T 12, FF 11Hobgoblin #2 is barely wounded.
Hobgoblin #3 is terribly wounded.
Hobgoblin #4 is terribly wounded.
Kazmojen is wounded.
Prickles is somewhat wounded.
Fario is barely wounded.
Fellian is barely wounded.
Valamont’s two-handed strike misses the hobgoblin as Mite charges into the space Darthal vacated. He takes a small bite out of the hobgoblin’s leg, causes the hobgoblin to let out a vile curse.
Adolphus swings with tremendous force, cutting a horrific wound through Kazmojen’s chest and following through to the hobgoblin next to him. Somehow, Kazmojen is still standing, as is the hobgoblin, although the latter looks badly wounded.
Luc, desperate to help his friends, finds a tiny opening in the ongoing combat and fires his gun, the bullet perfectly threading the needle and sinking deep into the howler.
Diurn unknowingly copies Fellian and channels healing energy from his holy symbol, but he specifically excludes the wounded enemies.
Kazmojen seems to take no notice of the gaping wound in his chest, and even as he attacks, you notice that his blood has already stopped spurting from the laceration. He attacks twice, once with each side of his urgosh, but he handles the weapon clumsily, and both attacks miss. ”Think one good attack will save you, human? I’ll not miss again. Prickles, stop their healers!”
The hobgoblins continue their attacks – hobgoblin #2 easily hits Adolphus thanks to the knight having overextended with his cleaving attack, but #3 misses badly. #4 steps around Fario into the flank, but the half-elf nimbly dodges aside.
Prickles's howls become all the louder, and he bites at Fellian, but the priest of Ketephys neatly steps to the side. The creature’s howls take on a frustrated note as he also misses with his quills.
Fario steps to flank hobgoblin #4 and weaves his longsword through the creature’s defenses, striking deep into the hip of the goblinoid. His short sword is easily avoided, however.
Fellian, taking advantage of Adolphus’s position, draws his short sword and stabs Prickles. He arm brushes against one of the howler’s quills, however, drawing blood. The half-elf quickly jerks his arm back and steps out of the doorway, allowing Luc a clearer shot.
Hobgoblin #2: 15/17 hp
Hobgoblin #3: 2/17 hp
Hobgoblin #4: 3/17 hp
Kazmojen: 36/67 hp
Prickles: 25/38 hp
Pyllrak Shyraat: 30/30 hp, invisible in square F5.
Fario: 14/18 hp, longstrider up
Fellian: 18/18 hp, only cantrips left. 1 channel left.
Rnd 3
Once again Diurn keeps the healing coming while stopping the flow to the enemies. He thinks it is best to stay on the ground and hope Arshea will turn away the enemies.
"Keep the faith boyos."
Diurn didn't know what a boyo was, but it seemed a comradely thing to say.
Healed by Diurn's holy magic once again, Adolphus feels strong enough to raise his sword another time.
"Whatever you are doing, Diurn, to keep me alive, keep doing it!"
This time, he does not open his defenses by cleaving through.
Feeling more desperate as Kazmojen continues to press in on Adolphus, Valamont draws on some of the most difficult lessons his mother ever taught him - how to weave a spell while striking with a blade. He focuses a simple spell on Kazmojen while bringing his blade to bear in a spinning arc against one of the hobgoblins . The spell is nearly lost, but it goes off successfully just as his blade cuts deep into his foe's side.
HP: 15/15
AC: 19 (11 T / 18 FF) (includes shield)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3 (+1 vs mind effecting, +2 vs enchantment)
Arcane Pool Used: 2/3
Prepared Cantrips (4): dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound
Prepared 1st Level Spells (2+1): chill touch [X], shield [X], shield [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
shield rounds: 4/20
spell dance: 3/10
Luc thanks Fellian, loads his pistol again, moves to N8 with a 5' step (if possible) and lets fire another shot with grit at the howler!
Darthal finishes his chanting with a crash of words that sound like rocks mating. Behind Kazmojen, the stony floor rises up into a form, a shape. Four slender columns branch out at the top; they meet and swell; the stone changes color into flesh-- and Bill the Pony stands behind the half-blood, flanking with Adolphus and wondering how he got here. There is no set form of words for challenging a half-dwarf, half-troll (they're just too rare), so Darthal contents himself with yelling "Ware behind you!", hoping to distract Kazmojen from Adolphus.
Bill, not smelling pipeweed on the dark armor before him, lets fly with both hooves.
It looks like Kazmojen's armor may have been dented enough to bruise him.
Darthal casts guidance on Mite, who continues to gnaw on the tasty hobgoblin calf with that assistance.
Hobgoblins: AC 16, T 12, FF 15
Prickles: AC 16, T 14, FF 12
Kazmojen: AC 23, T 11, FF 22
Durzagon: AC 13, T 12, FF 11Hobgoblin #2 is barely wounded.
Kazmojen is considerably wounded.
Prickles is badly wounded.
Fario is unharmed.
Fellian is unharmed.
Diurn’s waves of healing energy continue to soothe your wounds. His concentration isn’t quite enough to exclude all the wounded enemies, however, and you see the bite wound on hobgoblin #2’s leg heal.
Adolphus continues his determined attack against Kazmojen, and once again somehow finds an opening in the half-troll’s defenses, opening another gaping wound on the bestial creature. Kazmojen, amazingly, does not fall to the knight’s attack.
Valamont’s spell distracts Kazmojen for a moment, but he shakes it off. What isn’t so easily shaken off, however, is the sword that follows the spell, beheading hobgoblin #4.
Luc fires again at the howler, and again he hits solidly home.
Bill the pony’s hooves fly at Kazmojen, but they bang off his armor with no effect.
With Darthal’s blessing, Mite continues to tear into the hobgoblin’s leg.
Kazmojen, clearly furious that somehow Adolphus keeps hitting him, continues his attack on the knight even as the half-troll’s wounds continue to close. The axehead of his dwarven urgosh lands solidly on Adolphus’s shoulder, cutting a deep wound and dropping him into unconsciousness. Kazmojen then spins to Valamont and thrusts with the spearhead, but Valamont neatly dodges out of the way. ”Prickles, guards! Focus your attacks on that damnable priest.”
Hobgoblin #2 says, ”Right boss! Just gotta get this dog off me.” He casually attacks Mite, ripping the dog’s stomach open with his sword. Hobgoblin #3 raises his sword to attack Diurn, but a look of stupefied adoration appears on his face, and he lowers the weapon, shaking his head in confusion. Kazmojen roars, ”Attack the priest, I said! Not the damned animals!”
Prickles steps into the flank with Hobgoblin #3 and follows the orders of Kazmojen better than the hobgoblins. He bites the prone cleric, and his sharp quills rub into Diurn’s face.
Fario moves around behind Bill the pony and Kazmojen and guts the hobgoblin threatening Diurn, dropping it to the floor.
Fellian darts through the doorway, nimbly dodging away from both Prickles and the hobgoblin. His attack, however, is neatly caught on the hobgoblin’s shield.
Hobgoblin #2: 14/17 hp
Hobgoblin #3: dead
Hobgoblin #4: dead
Kazmojen: 24/67 hp
Prickles: 10/38 hp
Pyllrak Shyraat: 30/30 hp, invisible in square F5.
Fario: 18/18 hp, longstrider up
Fellian: 18/18 hp, only cantrips left. 1 channel left.
Diurn is sickened, not feeling up to fighting.
He continues to keep the allies healed as he channels. He excludes the enemies again from the burst of healing.
"Take the minions out so we can isolate the leader."
Shaking his head at Kazmojen's mental and physical defenses, Valamont recognizes the wisdom in Diurn's suggestion. The half tries to tumble around their foes and into position, but trips over Adolphus. Still, he ends standing over the broken form of Mite, and tries to strike down the last of the hobgoblins.
HP: 15/15
AC: 19 (11 T / 18 FF) (includes shield)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3 (+1 vs mind effecting, +2 vs enchantment)
Arcane Pool Used: 2/3
Prepared Cantrips (4): dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound
Prepared 1st Level Spells (2+1): chill touch [X], shield [X], shield [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
shield rounds: 5/20
spell dance: 4/10
"Val ,get this large prickly hamster."
Round 4:
Mite feebly licks his wounds to try and stabilize, unsuccessfully.
Bill the Pony kicks twice at the dark armor in front of him: first hoof for , second hoof for , without a flanking bonus this time. He will go away just before the start of my next turn.
Looking out on the battlefield, Darthal still can't see the durzagon, but the invisible half-devil won't matter if Kazmojen kills everybody, so he starts a different summoning chant.
Hobgoblins: AC 16, T 12, FF 15
Prickles: AC 16, T 14, FF 12
Kazmojen: AC 23, T 11, FF 22
Durzagon: AC 13, T 12, FF 11Hobgoblin #2 is unwounded.
Kazmojen is wounded.
Fario is barely wounded.
Fellian is unharmed.
Diurn’s healing energy is perhaps the only thing keeping the party on its feet, and again the power of Arshea flows through your bodies, sealing wounds.
Valamont attempts to slip away from Kazmojen, but avoiding the unconscious Adolphus leaves an opening, which the half-troll is quick to exploit, launching a devastating attack that Valamont twists away from at the last moment. Unfortunately, his quick dodge leaves another opening for Prickles, who sinks his teeth into Valamont’s leg. The magus returns the favor, however, plunging his bastard sword into the howler’s side, dropping the foul creature.
Luc clambers up onto the table and reloads his gun.
Mite, conscious but horribly wounded, whines at the hobgoblin . Bill the pony’s hooves strike out at Kazmojen, but are completely ineffectual, while Darthal starts chanting again, calling forth another servant of nature for aid.
Kazmojen, his wounds still healing, spits at the remaining hobgoblin. ”I told you to take out the healer, not a gods-be-damned dog!” Matching actions to words, he steps towards Diurn and casually buries the axehead of his urgosh deep into the cleric’s shoulder. Spinning round, he thrusts the spearhead into Fario’s stomach.
Valamont and Luc both see the double doors leading into the grand chamber open, revealing a hallway. No creatures seem to be on the other side, however.
The remaining hobgoblin, cringing from Kazmojen’s verbal assault, weakly swings his sword at Valamont, who dodges the attack with ease.
Fario and Fellian move to surround Kazmojen. Fario attacks once each with his two swords, but both bang off the half-dwarf’s armor. Fellian, desperately hoping the help his allies more than his enemies, cries out to Ketephys, bringing forth healing waves of energy again.
Hobgoblin #2: 17/17 hp
Hobgoblin #3: dead
Hobgoblin #4: dead
Kazmojen: 35/67 hp
Prickles: dead
Fario: 14/18 hp, longstrider up
Fellian: 18/18 hp, only cantrips left. 0 channels left.
Valamont tries once more to weave a simple spell at the same time as his sword stroke, but he botches the arcane gestures while trying to avoid leaving himself open for an attack. His sword strikes solidly though, and cleaves deeply into the hobgoblin's side.
"The Durzagon! Did it just slip out the door?!"
HP: 15/15 (last round -5, +6)
AC: 19 (11 T / 18 FF) (includes shield)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3 (+1 vs mind effecting, +2 vs enchantment)
Arcane Pool Used: 2/3
Prepared Cantrips (4): dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound
Prepared 1st Level Spells (2+1): chill touch [X], shield [X], shield [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
shield rounds: 6/20
spell dance: 5/10
Adolphus crawls to J7, where he retrieves his healing potion and quickly imbibes it.
Diurnal expends his last channel for
He excludes his foes.
Darthal's chant, this time, summons a fall of dust from the ceiling; it coalesces, sparkling into feathers and claws and beady eyes, and the last word of the chant is an eagle's scream; the bird appears behind and above Kazmojen, striking with beak and talons.
Darthal himself steps forward and bestrides Mite, not taking the time to encourage the dog. He has an issue to settle with this particular hobgoblin, and swings with deadly accuracy.
Kazmojen: AC 23, T 11, FF 22
Kazmojen is wounded.
Fario is wounded.
Fellian is unharmed.
Luc darts through the doorway, nimbly dodging the attack of the hobgoblin as he gracefully slips behind the creature and stabs it in the back. The hobgoblin roars in pain and turns towards Luc, allowing Valamont to finish the job and cut it down.
Diurn’s final wave of healing energy pulses through your bodies.
Adolphus climbs to his feet, easily avoiding the clumsy blow of Kazmojen, and moves away, pulling out one of the potions Jenya gave the party.
Bill the pony fades away, only to be replaced by a screeching eagle. Its bite and talons prove just as ineffective as Bill’s hooves, however. Darthal, with the hobgoblin dead, moves forward to challenge the half-dwarf, half-troll. He strikes his pick home with perfect aim, but little force.
”That’s enough out of you, priest.” Kazmojen’s actions meet his words, as once again he hacks at Diurn viciously. And just like before, he swings his urgosh round and stabs Fario, this time in the shoulder. He then steps toward the wall, looking for a more defensible position.
Fellian follows Kazmojen into the corner, deftly slapping the trollish creature’s weapon to avoid any attacks. Unfortunately, the two half-elves are unable to weave their swords through Kazmojen’s defenses.
Hobgoblin #2: dead
Hobgoblin #3: dead
Hobgoblin #4: dead
Kazmojen: 38/67 hp
Prickles: dead
Fario: 8/18 hp, longstrider up
Fellian: 18/18 hp, only cantrips left. 0 channels left.
Valamont gestures at the nearly surrounded half-dwarf/half-troll, trying to stall their armored foe long enough for the party to regroup. Then, in stunningly good dwarven for someone with elf blood, Valamont suggests, "Darthal, slide in behind me and see if you can't help Diurn, eh?" He then weaves his way foward, trying to prevent the hardy half breed from getting his back against a wall. The maneuver serves a double purpose, opening up an exploitable position for Adolphus opposite. "You're surrounded, Kazmojen! You'll not kidnap one more citizen of Cauldron!"
HP: 15/15
AC: 19 (11 T / 18 FF) (includes shield)
CMD: 14
F/R/W: +4/+2/+3 (+1 vs mind effecting, +2 vs enchantment)
Arcane Pool Used: 2/3
Prepared Cantrips (4): dancing lights, daze, flare, ghost sound
Prepared 1st Level Spells (2+1): chill touch [X], shield [X], shield [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
shield rounds: 7/20
spell dance: 6/10