Rhianni uses her arcane words with a mystical and musical lilt to send humerous words and jokes to the large warriors ears, hoping to make him fall into fits of giggles.
Initiative:
Praxim raises his bow and quickly unleashes a pair of arrows at the woman.
Attack 1: ; damage:
Attack 2: ; damage:
Initiative: Quinion, Praxim, caster lady, Markum, Rhianni, martial guy
Round 1
Quinion enters the room with deft feet, bounding over to the woman and stabbing her in the leg. She howls and screams out words...likely swears ...in some strange language, perhaps ancient, none of you have ever heard spoken before. Praxim shoots at her, and she ducks his arrows.
She then stretches out her hands, pointing her fingers in Vuvo's direction. The dog reacts and bites her arm (AoO 5 dmg). Quinion catches her in a moment of distraction as well, slicing into her shoulder (AoO 4 dmg). Despite the great pain, she grits her teeth and completes her spell, shooting flames all over the dog (8 dmg, refl save DC 14 for half damage). Vuvo bites her again and sends her to the ground this time. The mage isn't long for this world.
Markum attacks heavily-armed man, hitting nothing but his iron shield. Rhianni casts a spell at the armored fellow and he almost seems to resist the enchantment, but falls to the ground in laughter anyway.
Ref
Round 1
Seeing both enemies on the floor,, Rhianni immediately shouts out, "If you want to live, stay still and surrender to us, we've spilt too much blood and justly defeated many foes in this place, you do not want to be the next."
Rhianni mutters her arcane words, as the brownish glob on the end of her fingers encases the fighters sword and she pulls out her whip.
"What!" Markum turns a confused face at Rhianni. "Let's just kill them. Why take prisoners?"
"Wee need to question someone about the planned attacks on Sandpoint, and these are better than the Bugbear."
Quinion drops one of his shortswords and draws a sap and then strikes as the prone woman.
Arrows retrievable on a 1
Arrow 1:
Arrow 2:
Seeing the foes prone, Praxim drops his bow, drawing his curve blade as he advances. Can he climb onto the table in C3? If not, can he get around the warrior and onto the stairs?
Attack on warrior (if able)
Attack: (against prone target)Edit: never mind :)
Markum makes a noise of disgust. "Fine. Make it quick. Come on Vuvo, let's scout."
Markum and Vuvo go down the stairs cautiously.
Markum Perception
Vuvo Perception Scent, aid another
Markum Stealth
Vuvo Stealth
"Where are you going? They're not prisoners yet!" Praxim calls out as the druid just up and leaves the middle of battle.
Markum gets an evil grin. "If they're not prisoners, I can kill them."
"I'd suggest surrendering now," Praxim says to the two of the floor, "before we competely lose control of our friend here. And his wolf."
Bluff: (though not really)
Quinion's sap strikes a shimmering force covering the woman's body. Nonetheless, she screams in terror and pleads. "AHHHHHHH! OK! I give up! Don't hurt me!"
The warrior is slightly less panicked, as he covers his head from further attack. "Hey, listen! I'll tell you anything...if you let me leave. I don't much like this place anyway. You got it? I'll tell you anything!"
"Well then...Let's start with who the hell are you and why are you here?"
Quinion looks at the warrior, "Out of here we can arrange, but it's going to take some mighty powerful reason not to drag you back to sandpoint and put you in chains."
"Make sure you ask him nicely for his weapons so he can't stab you in the back with it. The woman probably has a spellbook too. Markum casts Detect Magic and tells the others if they have any magic items. He then goes to the first landing as the stairs turn to stand watch.
Can I use these rolls or should I roll again?
Markum and Vuvo go down the stairs cautiously.
Markum Perception 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25
Vuvo Perception 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15 Scent, aid anotherMarkum Stealth 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23
Vuvo Stealth 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
There's magic present in the room.
"I'm just a bodyguard. There's no need to put me in chains. I haven't even hurt anybody since being hired. In fact, I can help you fight the woman in charge. I know what she's capable of in battle. I don't particularly like what I've seen of the aasimar's practices and beliefs, anyway. She worships such a vile goddess. It's disgusting..." Orik rambles in a begging manner, "...but you can't take me in chains. I haven't done anything!"
"You traitor!," the mage spits. "I knew you were no good. You're so soft. This is why you could never have me! Tsuto wouldn't have been such a coward."
The stairs continue another ten feet after the corner. At the bottom, around another corner, a stone door hangs slightly ajar, the detailed carvings that once covered its surface defaced chisel marks and hammer blows to the extent that only a few remnants of images (mostly of gemstones and crowns) remain. The floor here is slanted toward the west.
Rhianni finds herself shaking slightly with the adrenalin surging through her body, looking at the woman she speaks to Markum her wavering under the strain. "Please Markum, can you take the woman's possessions, all of them so she can't harm us with her magic. I'm sure Vuvo will be your help. Then bind and gag her, we can deal with her later. I'm sure Quinion would like to give her over to the law."
She watches, then turns to Praxim nodding, the grease disappearing from the weapon. She brings the whip she is holding up, then with a sudden movement, a crack is heard as it leaps forward towards the bodyguard's greatsword, wrapping itself round weapon and pulling it away. She speaks to the bodyguard, "Help us and I'm sure Quinion and Praxim will look kindly on giving you your freedom. So who are you? and explain yourself. For we seek a woman, or what might have been a woman, who corrupted our friend's brother. Tell us about her and her powers. What will my brave friends be up against?"
"I am Orik Vancaskerkin. I traveled to Magnimar looking for work, where this woman approaches me and offers to pay to be her bodyguard. Well, I need the coin, so of course I accept!
As for the woman, well, her name is Nualia. She's a devotee of Lamashtu, and a competent warrior; perhaps a better warrior than me. Then there's her arm. One of her arms is a demonic talong-claw-thing, and her belly is almost as gruesome, with these big ugly scars all over them...and she keeps these evil monstrous dogs with her." Orik pauses. "Don't know what else to tell you."
"Thank you Orik, I'm sure your information will be helpful to us all. So who is this? This woman with magic on her, what is she in this den of evil?" Rhianni, asks without breath. Her eyes blaze at the woman. "Markum don't let her try anything." Turning to Quinion, she starts "If you and Praxim have questions I'd ask them now, for this Nualia sounds a formidable enemy, I'll spend some time to look over these things we found."
** spoiler omitted **
Quinion just needs a DC=20.
After some time of study, Rhianni scratches her head speaks, "We have found some useful magical things here, a scroll which can put some creatures to sleep, a scroll that makes the invisible seen again to you and something to make the weak willed see what is not there. And this," she says proudly, "Is a wand that can send hurtful energy straight to your enemy, doing him much damage. Oh and a healing drink to close your deepest wounds."
Holding the wand close to her chest, Rhianni says "If you don't mind I'll take this, then I may be able to help you more, when my own magic is spent or useless." She looks around expectantly to see who might want what, or hear their suggestions.
"Most of that appears to be equipment best suited for you, my dear, as befits mage to mage."
"That seems right to me as well."
If no one has done so yet, Quinion removes any component pouch the woman may have and then binds her hands before turning to Orik,"These people were apparently planning an attack on Sandpoint. We saw some of the plans. What do you know about that? Particularly the timetable and the goal of the attack."
Rhianni carefully puts the items away, making sure they are easily retrievable when they meet their foe..
"I'm not sure why she it out for Sandpoint, but I think it has something to do with her father. The first attack was a distraction so that Tsuto could sneak into the graveyard and steal the remains of Nualia's father...'Ezekial Tobyn' I think is his name. She sacrificed the corpse to Lamashtu, and that's when her hand transformed into something demonic.
"Still, even after that, she wants to sacrifice the entire town. The next attack is supposed to happen in a few months."
As Quinion binds the woman's hands, Rhianni looks intently at the woman and her clothes, she asks, "Quinion can you remove her cloak, there's something interesting about it, could be magical. If you bring it to me, I can take a more detailed look. If what Olik says is true, then we may need all the help we can get to take on Nualia."
Knowing she failed to discover some of the magic scrolls, she asks if anyone can help, or if they can cast a spell on her to bolster her understanding. She waits for an answer from her friends. before trying to identify the magical properties of the cloak.
After several minutes of closely looking at the cloak, Rhianni smiles, "This cloak is indeed magical, it gives you resistance to various physical and magical effects. Truly this will benefit anyone of us, but who would it best best suited to?"
"Hmm, magical or not, I can't see myself wearing a silk cloak. I'll pass."
Rhianni shrouds herself in a mystic mist, before taking the cards from her pocket, slowly she takes a card out and places it on her hand, squints her eyes and is taken by a male gruff sounding voice, "The wild bear seeks the canopy of care and protection, he roars to the wind, his voice is thunder in the forests. The forest cries at his roar, offering up his pain to the gods. The bear is still, the gods have provided for his victory. He plucks the babe from its mothers arms, the babe belongs to him. " She looks up wide eyed, before throwing her head forward, shaking her hair free a little. With a jolt she lets her hands go limp by her side, yet somehow manages to keep hold of the card she placed on her hand. It is returned to the pack. Her normal voice returns, "The spirits have spoken, they wish to gift Markum with the cloak." As the cards return to her pocket, she holds ou the cloak for Markum.
"I say we give Orik his sword and gear, and that he earns his freedom helping us to deal with whatever is left here before we drag the wizard back to Sandpoint."
"Yeah, Markum is going to love that plan," Praxim says, chuckling, as he makes his way towards the stairs and the druid.
Quinion smiles a bit, "...and that's half the appeal, really"
"Rhianni, does the idea hold any significant concern for you?"
"Wait before you go, I can feel the sight again, bring Markum back now." she takes the cards out once more. This time taking 3 cards from the pack. This time she speaks in her normal voice, although is seems to waiver as she continues."The cards tell of a coming storm, of clashes of lightening, of thunder, of the sky ripped asunder. In the midst I see two people but they are the same, hiding from themselves in the changes to come." He face is white, almost with fear, "I think this has a meaning, that for the changes to destiny to be made, I will have to don the identity of that mage there and with the bodyguard must convince or delay this creature whilst you all get into positions to surprise and flank her. For a courtesan uses deception and face paint to manipulate her subject. For the cards have spoken."
"What is wrong with you people?" Markum is incredulous that not only do they want to bring the mercenary along with them, they also want to arm him. "Ok. Fine. But I won't be the first victim of his betrayal. When he finally decides to turn around and stab one of us in the face, it will be one of you he hits." Markum keeps at least one other member of the group between him and the mercenary.
Vuvo goes to sniff him to see if he is trustworthy.
"No risk, no reward, I think."
Quinion turns to the mercenary, "I think Rhianni has come up with a good plan. Markum thinks we're crazy...what about you? Are to willing to prove yourself by accompanying her?"
"If I am to be that mage, then I should use her clothes to enter, to be her twin. I'm afraid I shall need that cloak back for now, to have any hope of fooling that creature in there." Praxim, please can you bring me the rest of the mage's cloths."[/b] Rhianni goes into her bag, producing a small box of makeup, normally associated with those who take to the stage, or sometimes by assassins. She takes time to use the equipment to make her look more like the mage, using the coloring on her hands and face, transforming her paler looks to that of their enemy.
She turns to bodyguard, "So where are we likely to find her, how is the place laid out, are there places for our fiends to hide? For I am thinking that I could make our friend Quninion vanish for a few seconds, allowing himself to hide, then surprise the evil being and strike her down. He will have only a few seconds , after I open the door and go in with the bodyguard, to find a place and hide. If I can beckon her out of the chamber, Markum and Praxim could ambush her as she comes out the door, I've seen it work on stage. You know at the playhouse in Sandpoint, but could we make it work here. Once the deception is over, then our friend here", she points to the bodyguard, "can make his way out of this place or help us to fight the she monster as he sees fit. If Quinion thinks that is fitting. If we survive we will meet you sir, outside this citadel and journey with you to Sandpoint. Are we good with that?"
She continues to do her makeover and put on the mages cloths.
Praxim, not roughly, removes the mage's outer clothing, averting his eyes as much as possible. He brings her the clothes as requested and begins looking for a suitable location for her to change.
Markum stands there obviously enjoying the 'show'.
Orik says, "Dunno what it's like. I've never been down there, but I'll go along with it."
"Lead on Quinion, be mindful of traps as we approach our destiny. The next set of doors or beyond, holds the evil that has brought us here." says Rhianni after she has finished changing into the mage's cloths.
Quinion blinks for a moment, then shrugs and moves down the stairs, listening at the first door he comes to.
"Nope. Never been here," Orik states.
When you approach the door, you notice that the air seems more breathable and cleaner than in any parts of the floors above. The temperature is at a comfortable level as well.
The door opens easily into a wide hall. Two pillars support the ceiling in here. In many places, the stone walls, ceiling, and floor are caked with ancient grime and soot. Acloves in the north and south wall contain partially damaged statues of a man in robes clutching a book and glaive. The entire room is canted toward the west, and whatever ancient upheaval caused the complex to tilt knocked the statues from their bases so that now lean against the southern walls of their acloves.
The room is lit by lanterns sitting on the floor.