"Selindra is right, we cannot leave corruption where we find it. There is more important matters on the surface, but we cannot abandon that which we find here."
Then let us go back to the hole we blocked and head down and find the coward who fired at us from the shadow
The table is left right where you put it, and the hole leads down via a ladder. You can see the door at the East end of the room when you look down into it.
Cover me. Godwin says as he goes down first.
Drakra watches and calls out encouragement, not really thinking about that some else might hear.
Be careful. Don't let your armor screech on the ladder.
Fomiel will follow around third.
Selindra goes down with Godwin, sheathing her sword and climbing down with her shield on arm, ready for action.
Vardan watches carefully, then dismounts, Thorne may be able to jump down, but I don't think he can handle the ladder...
Finally, he sighs, "Stay, and watch." he commands as he ties down his lance and climbs down the ladder to join the others.
Thorne lets out a brief HUFF at being told to stay and watch, but makes a short circle before lowering to his haunches and looking warily over the hole and to the door the way the party came.
Godwin and Selindra lead the way down, following one after the other, but find that the room is empty. The only sound an occasional drip coming from the ceiling into the small pool to the south. The small bit of water appears clean, and looks like it may drain slowly into the underground water the group saw earlier. As Fomiel and Sidonia drop down with Drakra, Aravashnial, Horgus and Anevia, who makes decent time despite her leg, between them, Thorne gives one last huff at Vardan, and turns his head in clear, feigned indignation before the Cavalier climbs down.
The barricades are exactly like the ones at the entrance to the complex, only there are no guards here, and the door to the next area is shut.
Shut. Perhaps it would be easy to bash it open Godwin says.
Darker looks at Godwin and rolls his eyes:
Why is it you big people always want to bash everything down. You could just turn the handle to see if it is unlocked at the very least.
Perception(checking door):
The door is indeed not locked.
Drakra looks up at Godwin.
See, not locked. Want me to open it so you all can go charging in? Or do you still want to smash it down?
"If you would be ever so kind, master gnome, would you please have us with your mastery of door opening so that we may continue to purge the heretics?"
Selindra gives the gnome a quite dour expression as she readies her shield and blade to head in first.
-Posted with Wayfinder
When the big people are ready, Drakra will open the door with a great flourish.
Godwin opens and then closes his mouth as the door proves unlocked and then shrugs it off with a laugh You are certainly more skilled than I in opening doors.
Godwin opens the door and peers inside.
Godwin opens the door and is immediately greeted with a single arrow, which shatters against the doorframe, and a reddish glowing glaive that cuts a shallow cut on the arm that opened the door.
Inside, Godwin spots 3 humans, a tiefling, and 6 mongrelmen. The Mongrelmen are in a semi circle in front of a large stone table which the others are keeping behind.
Selindra at the shot and the crashing of the weapon springs into action. With her shield in hand, drawing her blade she moves forwards into the group of mongrelmen. Seeing the numbers in the room, she shifts her stance, drawing a bit lower to the ground, using her shield to cover most of her body surface. Her blade to the side she opens and takes quick thrusts and slices, calling on her training in breaching enemy lines. Defend the heart, shield the ally, ready the arm, forth the blade. Always forward, mindful of the flanks, For the Victory, For the Heart.
Selindra glares out across the room at the others. "Right you little bastards! You will all submit yourself to the Inheritor's light, or I will personally boot kick every heathen buttock that appears before my eyes!
Humans and a tiefling! Using the Mongrelmen as shields! Godwin shouts.
Seeing the mongrelmen guarding several humans and some abyss spawn, Drakra breaks into an insulting diddi.
Mongrels, mongrels, short and dumb;
Not as smart as my small thumb;
And behind them hide three ugly men;
In reality they belong in a swine's pen;
For evil taints their hideous hide;
Swells their chests with buffoon's pride;
Glad their god ignores their pleas;
For Iomedae's sword's gonna cleave their knees.
Standard: Inspire Courage (+1 attack/damage) <-- add this to Selindra's attack
Eyeing the left behind wolf, the noble moves carefully around it and descends into the darkness. As she does, she casts light on her shield.
She stays silent at the back, although cracks a smile at Drakra's antics. The smile vanishes as an arrow shatters near Godwin's head. ”That's a lot of enemies, try and clear some room! Don't let them use the chokepoint!”
Sidonia leaves her sword sheathed, lifting the crossbow she'd taken from the mongrelman above. While not that skilled in its use, she fires a shot past Selindra into the ranks before her. for
Fomiel gestures and a patch of grease appears behing the barricade.
School conjuration (creation); Level bard 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (butter)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one object or 10-ft. square
Duration 1 min./level (D)
Save see text; SR no
A grease spell covers a solid surface with a layer of slippery grease. Any creature in the area when the spell is cast must make a successful Reflex save or fall. A creature can walk within or through the area of grease at half normal speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check. Failure means it can't move that round (and must then make a Reflex save or fall), while failure by 5 or more means it falls (see the Acrobatics skill for details). Creatures that do not move on their turn do not need to make this check and are not considered flat-footed.
The spell can also be used to create a greasy coating on an item. Material objects not in use are always affected by this spell, while an object wielded or employed by a creature requires its bearer to make a Reflex saving throw to avoid the effect. If the initial saving throw fails, the creature immediately drops the item. A saving throw must be made in each round that the creature attempts to pick up or use the greased item. A creature wearing greased armor or clothing gains a +10 circumstance bonus on Escape Artist checks and combat maneuver checks made to escape a grapple, and to their CMD to avoid being grappled.
Vardan sighs wistfully, debating calling his companion to jump down, then holds his position, "We can use the bottleneck in our favour if we hold back."
Drakra calls out:
Bottlenecks are not that useful against arrows.
"Nor when we are the invaders rather than the defenders. Root out the traitors! Let their heads fall at our feet!"
Initiatives:
Combat Rolls:
Saving Throws:
*************Combat Round 1**************
Init: Priest, MM 2, Drakra, Vardan, Sidonia, MM6, Wendaug, MM 3, Human w/Glaive, Anevia, MM 1, Selindra, Godwin, Tiefling, MM 4, Human w/Glaive, Fomiel, Aravashnial, Horgus, MM 5
The priest gestures and the red glowing glaive moves towards Selindra, striking down but the weapon recoils from Selindra's aura with a hellish screech of metal on metal.
One of the mongrelmen steps up to try and hit Selindra with a two handed swing of a club that is a gnarled tree limb that ends in a twisted snarl of roots which project out like spikes. It lands with a solid thunk on Selindra's shoulder, one of the spikes slipping inside the overlapping protection of her pauldrons.
Drakra calls out his invectives in a clear, strong voice, making his allies realize that their enemies are only trifles, which they can overcome.
Sidonia fires a shot from her crossbow, but the weapon still feels somewhat foreign in her hands, and the shot misses its mark.
Another Mongrel swings his club at Selindra, but she swipes the blow aside disdainfully with her shield.
Another arrow flies from the shadows at Selindra, and skips off of her armor. The group spots another scaled skinned Mongrel with a bow, in the back of the room.
A third Mongrel takes a swing at Selindra, and again she swats it aside with her shield.
One of the Glaive wielding humans moves around the table using the weapons reach to her advantage, waiting for a foe to come into range.
Anevia uses a shortbow to fire at the Mongrel in the back but the shot goes wide.
Selindra strikes with a slash of her longsword. Bolstered by Drakra's inspiring words, the blade bites into the creature's flesh.
The other human with a glaive moves around the table, behind the Mongrels, and using the reach of the weapon, slashes at Selindra. The Mongrel in front of her fouls the blow.
Fomiel flings a small glob of butter forward, and it spreads to coat a section of the floor.
Aravashnial lights a candle and puts it in a small bag. Making a few gestures and saying a few arcane words, he flings the bag which skips past Godwin, and bounces off of Selindra's leg, landing beside her. The mouth of the bag opens wider than naturally possible, and a small swirling figure comes out of the bag to stand near Selindra.
The last Mongrel takes a swing at Selindra, but she swats the blow aside with the flat of her blade.
***************Summary Round 1******************
MM5 3 pts damage
Drakra 20/20
Godwin 17/17
Selindra 18/24
Sidonia 16/16
Vardan 14/20
Fomiel 14/14
Thorne 24/24
Air Elemental 0 damage
Aravashnial 0 damage
Horgus 0 damage
Anevia 0 damage
Drakra, doing the brave thing and remaining behind his taller companions, continues to decry the parentage of those they are fighting. Referring, if everyone heard him correctly to the mother of several of their opponents as being related to a cross between a scorpion and a slug. You are not sure what this means, but it nonetheless makes you swing a little harder and more accurately.
Free: Maintain Inspire Courage
Move: Load Crossbow
Standard: Fire crossbow at southern most enemy, right above the "S" on the map.
Attack-crossbow: <-- -4 soft cover, +1 inspire courage
Damage:
As he continues his invectives, he drops a bolt into his crossbow, which has clearly seen better days, and fires through the middle of the melee. Amazingly, the bolt manages to make it past his companions without hitting any of them. Whether it hit, or damaged the mongrelman on the far side, he is unsure as he cannot see the target that well.
Selindra lets out a near roar. Only a few short moments, and already she has begun a terrible dance with death. Each of her partners a formless face as she moves in time with rhythm that only she can hear.
-------------------------------------------------
Selindra huffed as she fell to the ground, panting. The wooden blades of 5 other paladins pointed down to her head, a signal of a failed sparring round. She looked up, and saw the face of her mentor scowling down at her.
"Oi, Selindra, you can do better!. The Vanguard is a terrible responsibility girl. You must be strong in the face of your enemies, you must never relent in your duty as a shield, or as the tip of the blade. Be mindful and never lose heart. Before you will always ever be a tide of evil, but so long as your heart and head remain strong, the Inheritor's strength and power will ever be at your back."
---------------------------------------------------
Eyes of fire cast themselves over the field as Selindra kept her defensive stance. A holy fury took her as her shield and blade deflected blow after blow, at times tripping up or drawing enemies into each other in order to foul their strikes.
She moved and flowed in time with the creatures as she maintained her heavily defensive posture, one spin of her body, using the momentum to bring her blade in a circular slash aimed for the mongrelman's head that she just thrust into a moment ago. "For the Glory of the Inheritor, and the Victory of Light!"
The grease helps ease the pressure on the front line, falling just past the five foot threshold and hitting four enemies.
Godwin 5 steps south east to stand by Selinda and swings at the mongrel in front of him.
And swings again
Vardan sighs, Of course, they would certainly not have followed us back through the door... Certainly with the way they rushed us... So instead, let's just have one of us try to fight them all... Bad enough I'm not mounted... He rushes forward, as close as he can to the door, then holds his position, waiting for an opening that would allow him to join the melee.
”Push your way through, make room for Godwin and Vardan!”
Sidonia frowns, tossing the crossbow aside and flinging out one hand. ”Repellerent tenebris!” A blast of light forms behind one of the mongrelman, swirling and spinning as it coelesceses.
Saves
Combat
***************Combat Round 2*****************
Init: Priest, MM 2, Drakra, Vardan, Sidonia, MM6, Wendaug, MM 3, Human w/Glaive, Anevia, MM 1, Selindra, Godwin, Tiefling, MM 4, Human w/Glaive, Fomiel, Aravashnial, Horgus, MM 5
The priest in the back again gestures, and the floating glaive swings down at Selindra, but again the weapon screeches off her armor and aura. She then moves up behind her mongrelmen "Baphomet judge these intruders unworthy and strike them down with your unholy might!" As she intones this, her weapon is infused with a reddish-black aura, and she strikes at the air elemental. The weapon cleaves into the small elemental and the sickening aura spreads like tendrils throughout the creature which dissipates with a puff of air.
Godwin swings once at the Mongrelman at Selindra's left flank, missing and the Mongrel returns the swing, which Godwin parries and with a deft spin of the falchion catches the Mongrel a slash along his arm, nearly removing the limb.
Drakra lets loose with a crossbow bolt from his oft battered crossbow, which to his surprise lands with a solid thunk into the Mongrel's shoulder.
Vardan again bristles at position, waiting for Godwin or Selindra to clear the doorway so he can enter the fray.
Sidonia casts her spell, and a fire beetle with an odd halo burrows up from the ground
Another arrow from the Mongrel in the back skips off of Selindra's armor. The Mongrel to Selindra's right swings and lands a solid blow to the Paladin.
One of the humans caught in Fomiel's grease spell slips and falls to her ass.
Anevia takes another shot at the Mongrel with the bow. The shot sails just wide of the mark.
Selindra swings a vicious strike at the Mongrel in front of her laying open its chest. The Mongrel wobbles but doesn't go down.
The second human with a glaive slips but manages to keep her balance in the grease, as do the two Mongrels.
The Mongrel wounded by Selindra, makes one last attempt to hit her, but fails and falls to the ground, its wound proving to be too much for it.
*****Status******
MM 2 11 pts damage
MM 4 7 pts damage
MM 5 dead
Drakra 20/20
Godwin 17/17
Selindra 9/24
Sidonia 16/16
Vardan 14/20
Fomiel 14/14
Anevia 17/17
Horgus 18/18
Aravashnial 30/30
Selindra focuses, a large gash laid open on her right side. She grunts, for a moment wavering and slipping to her knee. A moment of prayer, and her hand glows white with power, her eyes of blue glowing with brilliant radiance as the bleeding of the wound stops, she leans to the side under another strike and turns to thrust her blade up at the Mongrel to her left.
"Ready, prepare to breach! Vardan, On my signal, switch!"
Round 3
Almost jumping with glee that he did not hear his bolt clattering off the far wall, but unsure of what it might have hit, Drakra drops another battered and beaten bolt into his poorly cared for weapon and fires again at the same mongrelman.
Attack-crossbow:
Damage:
Confirm crit:
Damage:
Astoundingly, this shot also flies true. It looks like it will hit the mongrelman in the jugular, but at the last second the evil creature turns resulting in but a light wound.
Free Action: Maintain Inspire Courage
Another arcane movement extends grease south.
Godwin slashes again at the mongrel he wounded.
Fomiel clouds the mind of a foe (Daze DC14 will on 6 )
Ravin steps forward and swaps place with the paladin, bringing his shield up to cover them both as best he can.. then tries to use the momentum to drive his longsword into the Mongrelman to the north .
Saves
Combat
*********************Combat Round 3 ***********************
Priest, MM 2, Drakra, Sidonia, MM6, Wendaug, MM 3, Human w/Glaive, Anevia, MM 1, Selindra, Vardan (adjusted), Godwin, Tiefling, MM 4, Human w/Glaive, Fomiel, Aravashnial, Horgus
The beetle finishes bursting forward from the ground.
The priest moves around the table, looking for a defensible area that she can use the glaive to her best advantage.
The Mongrel to Selindra's north takes a swing at Godwin, trying to block his way through the door. The club lands a solid blow to the Warpriest's shoulder.
Drakra fires his crossbow, and again surprises himself with his accuracy. Maybe he's finally getting the hang of this whole shooting bad guys thing. The bolt creases a fine line on the Mongrel's shoulder.
Sidonia holds her action to see if healing will be needed.
The Mongrel to Selindra's NE takes a swing at her, but the Paladin manages to get her shield up at the very last moment. The club lands with a solid thump and ring of metal.
The Scaled Mongrel in the back fires again at Selindra, but the arrow flies off target, clattering against the stone.
The Mongrel to Selindra's SE swings at the Paladin, but misses wildly.
The human with the glaive that was down on her backside, gets up and steadies herself.
Anevia fires at the scaly Mongrel, but just can't seem to find the mark.
Selindra calls on Iomedae for healing and the blood flow from her wound lessens. She lashes out against the Mongrel, but misses, before she takes a step back out of combat, swapping places with Vardan.
Vardan moves forward attacking with his longsword, cleaving throught the chest of the Mongrel. Godwin slashes at the Mongrel as it falls to the ground.
The tiefling moves in front of the priest, dodging the bite of the beetle, with a growl and stabs at Vardan with a shortsword scoring the cavalier's side.
The Mongrel to the South (4) moves into the space that was occupied by the air elemental, and swings at Godwin, missing and pounding the club into the doorframe.
The Human to the south uses her weapon's reach to attack Vardan, but her unsteady footing in the grease causes her to miss badly.
Fomiel reaches out and seizes the mind of one of the Mongrels who gets an even more slack-jawed look to his face.
********Status************
MM 2 dead
MM 4 10 pts damage
MM 5 dead
Drakra 20/20
Godwin 17/17
Selindra 14/24
Sidonia 16/16
Vardan 10/20
Fomiel 14/14
Anevia 17/17
Horgus 18/18
Aravashnial 30/30
Round 4
Deciding that he is perhaps getting the whole "shooting a crossbow thing", Drakra continues his way off-color comments about those who are now facing the party. Particularly, he is now leveling insults at the two humans, who he seems to be referring to as having been fathered by a leprous mule.
Free: Inspire Courage (4th round used)
Move: Reload Crossbow
Standard: Aim and shoot at the same MM.
Attack-crossbow:
Damage:
Apparently his glee at actually hitting a few times got the best of him as Drakra this time drops the bolt into the crossbow at a rather askew angle. The resulting shot flies sideways up from the crossbow before ricocheting off the roof and landing at the feet of the enemy cleric. Fortunately for all involved, or perhaps unfortunately, Drakra was not even paying attention as he reached for the next bolt, and does not have a clue as to how bad his shot actually was.
Selindra sighs for a moment, once again invoking Iomedae to further mend the wounds that she sustained on the front of the line. She looks at Sidonia. "Anything you can do, do quickly."
Her eyes are steel and grit, waiting for her if she can perform any healing. If not, Selindra will steel herself and look for an opening to get back in the fight.
Godwin swings at the mongrelman that he can reach.
Round 4
Vardan looks at the tiefling and whispers a challenge, "Eternal Rose, grant me strength to deal with this ugliness... "
[Dice=Longsword]d20+5+1
Round 4
Vardan looks at the tiefling and whispers a challenge, "Eternal Rose, grant me strength to deal with this ugliness... "
for
Round 4 Fomiel
The tiefling is at least a late option for mixing it up, and continues to dominate the minds of the lessers.