Navior |
The wight doesn't even have to move to avoid Gilfroy's attempt to touch it. It sneers at him as he pulls away, but luckily the wall provides cover from any attempt it might make to attack the gnome.
As Gilfroy slips past him, Tevyn pulls out another arrow and fires at the wight.
Tevyn longbow, point blank: 1d20 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 6 + 1 = 23
Damage: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
Too confident in the cover it has from Tevyn, the wight fails to move until it's too late. Tevyn's arrow slams straight into its chest.
ROUND 4
CURRENT EFFECTS:
Mage armour (Corinna)
Cure light wounds -- Gilfroy is holding the charge
Malan fires another ray as he edges a bit closer to the wight. The beam hits the wight just beside the arrow sticking out of its chest and makes a small burn.
Next Up: Corinna, Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn, Malan.
Corinna Valdemar |
Ready an Acid Dart for when she has a target in line of sight. Afraid it might be the NPC Formerly Known As Melon. :P
Navior |
Ready an Acid Dart for when she has a target in line of sight. Afraid it might be the NPC Formerly Known As Melon. :P
After reading this, my first instinct was to reply, "Oh, you don't have to worry about that yet. It doesn't happen that fast." Then I double-checked the description and found out it really does happen that fast. Heh. 1d4 ⇒ 3
The wight glances at Malan standing in the doorway across the hall, then turns its gaze down the hall towards Tevyn. A twisted smile crosses its decayed face as it raises its fist and holds its ground. Ready action to attack anyone who moves in front of the door.
Damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3 and 1 negative level
If anyone's action takes you into or through Q47, apply the above results to your character.
Next Up: Gilfroy, Tevyn, Malan, Corinna (subject to readied action), Wight (subject to readied action)
Corinna Valdemar |
Darn intelligent non-mindless undead. :P
"What's going on up there?" Corinna calls, on the verge on panic, her obstructed-view vantage point preventing her from following the battle blow by blow. "What happened to Melon? Where's the wight? Where's Mr. Malan?"
Gilfroy Fezziwig |
You rolled a 25 here.
Right, thanks! That should be enough.
"It's content to wait, knowing that in a few seconds there will be a new wight where once was Melon," Gilfroy calls out, choking slightly at the thought, though fear (and even excitement) at the current predicament keep him from getting too weepy. "Damn!" he curses as he lets his healing spell go and casts obscuring mist. "Malan! Get out of there!"
Navior |
Billowing mists shoot out from all around Gilfroy, spreading around the corners of the room partway up the stairs and down the hall back to the throne room. The mists roll over Melon's body and over both the wight and Malan. The mists block most sight like a heavy fog. Only Gilfroy and Tevyn remain close enough to see each other. Malan can see that the mists end just to the west of him.
"We should fall back to the throne room where we can all face this thing," Tevyn says and begins moving along the wall past Gilfroy and around the corner. Double move to T 41.
ROUND 5
CURRENT EFFECTS:
Mage armour (Corinna)
Obscuring mist -- area marked by blue outline on map
Next Up: Malan, Corinna (subject to readied action), Wight (subject to readied action), Gilfroy, Tevyn.
Note: Moving through Q 47 will still activate the wight's readied action. However, the mist has added a miss chance to the attack (I'll add that in a spoiler here). Also, the mist will negate any attack of opportunity the wight might have otherwise gotten.
Malan |
AC 16, FF 13, T 13; HP 6/17
Arcane Pool 2/4
Malan releases another ray of energy at about where he last saw the wight before returning to his friends. He keeps his hand on the wall to guide him forward.
End move at O44
Distrupt Undead: RTouch
1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5 damage 1d6 ⇒ 3
I think it's a 50% miss chance 1d100 ⇒ 92
Corinna Valdemar |
Panic rises in Corinna as she is surrounded by mist and can no longer see the hallway that is the battleground. Trying not to think about the possibility of a wight in the cloud that she wouldn't be able to see until she blundered into it, she tries to find her way back to the main hall. The yawning chasm of the stairway to her right robs her of a nice safe wall to edge along, and she screams in terror as a form fills the hallway in front of her before she recognizes the elf. "Oh, Mr. Malan," she shudders. "I thought you might be ... someone else." Taking advantage of the chivalrous elf's stepping aside to let her pass ahead of him, she stumbles through the passage with both hands on opposite walls and suddenly finds herself out of the cloud and in the open hall, where she moves past Tevyn toward the front door.
If I'm counting diagonals correctly, I think she can make it to U 41 or thereabouts.
Gilfroy Fezziwig |
Gilfroy follows the sound of Corinna's scream to come up and grab her hand, leading her towards the throne room, he shouts out, "No, Tevyn, down the stairs."
Bluff: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26
He uses his dancing lights SLA to send some lights a bit down the stairs, then heads after Tevyn into the throne room.
Navior |
Although the mist makes seeing the wight nearly impossible, Malan fires off another hopeful shot. Moving out into the hall, he is able to see the wight again and can tell that his shot went too wide. As he hurries past, the wight swipes at him, but gets only mist. It would have been a hit, but the mist's miss chance negated it. :)
Corinna also makes her way through the mist, almost bumping into Malan, and then out into the throne room.
Gilfroy moves towards the throne room (I've put him at Q 43, which is the extent of a single move) and then sends some dancing lights towards the stairs in the tower.
Tevyn aims his bow at the edge of the mists. Ready action to fire on the wight if it appears from the mist.
ROUND 6
CURRENT EFFECTS:
Mage armour (Corinna)
Obscuring mist -- area marked by blue outline on map
Dancing lights
Wight Sense Motive: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
"Run," a thin voice calls, although only Malan is close enough to hear it well. Gilfroy can sort of make it out. A moment later, the wight comes into view in front of Malan. It's clear it's headed for the stairs, but it notices Malan and turns to him. "Left you behind, did they?"
Wight slam at Malan: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13; Miss Chance 20%: 1d100 ⇒ 89 -- miss
It swings a fist at the elf, but does not make contact.
Suddenly, Melon comes lumbering through the mists as well, to stand beside the wight. Malan can only just make her out around the corner by the stairs. She swipes at him as well.
Undead Melon slam at Malan: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18; Miss Chance 20%: 1d100 ⇒ 8 -- miss due to cover
Melon's fist smashes into the corner of the wall.
Next Up: Malan, Corinna, Gilfroy, Tevyn (subject to readied action), Wight and Undead Melon.
Malan |
AC 16, FF 13, T 13; HP 6/17
Arcane Pool 2/4
That mist has really saved Malan so far.
Malan continues to backpedal from the wight and his turned ally. He keeps between them and his friends.
Hold action until after Gilfroy goes then take a withdrawal action.
Corinna Valdemar |
Waiting nervously in the clear air of the main hall, Corinna steps slightly away from Tevyn and toward the door and prepares to cast an Acid Dart at any undead thing that emerges from the mist.
Gilfroy Fezziwig |
Gilfroy moves to U42 and takes aim at the mist with his own crossbow.
Readied attack: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 1 = 13
Damage: 1d6 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
"Malan's right behind me, and so are...they."
Navior |
As Corinna prepares herself to cast a spell, Gilfroy hurries out of the mist and raises his crossbow. Malan slips away from the two wights, into the mist, and out into the throne room. Thin, low-pitched laughter follows him, but the wights do not seem to. After several seconds of waiting, nothing emerges from the mist. A few more seconds pass and still nothing emerges.
You begin to be able to breathe easier again.
COMBAT OVER (unless you go back into the mist)
Corinna Valdemar |
We sent the pixie-thing back to the caravan to check on Ameiko, though. Not sure how long it's been since then, but I'm not sure she's in the cemetery. Corinna would rather go back to the caravan anyway. What time is it, Navior? We said we'd be back before dark.
Navior |
It's almost dusk now. The sun is just starting to creep beneath the western horizon.
Malan strides back towards the castle doors and the piles of corby bodies still lying on the ground just outside them. Upon reaching the doors, he notices a lone figure moving amongst the bodies, bending over slightly to inspect the carnage. The figure appears to be a human man. He looks up at the party's approach.
Nhatin Sunseeker |
The man appears sun kissed, obvious as he's naked from the hips up. He indicates a slight bow before he explains, "Not as such, no, I've been told its dangerous to walk alone, but Sarenrae has blessed my progress. I found your caravan though, and have a good idea what's going on from Mr Sandru and Spivey." He cocks his head, then adds, "Where's the red-head?"
Gilfroy Fezziwig |
Gilfroy looks the stranger up and down...well, mostly up.
"Sanisu sent you to help us? Very nice of him. We could use your eyes. Check out the castle walls and roof, would you? Make sure thre aren't any more corbies. Good fellow."
Once the man is distracted, Gilfroy, who naturally comes up to the man's waist, slides his scimitar our of its sheathe and slings it over his shoulder, following Malan.
"A friend of ours just died inside. We're going to rest, lick our wounds, and grieve. If you don't kill us in the night, you can have this back."
Navior |
Who needs sleight of hand checks anyway ;p
Ha! :)
Tevyn follows after Gilfroy, keeping his eyes on the newcomer the entire time. His bow is still out and he holds an arrow in his other hand, ready to nock it at any hint of provocation.
The journey back across the village is quiet and sombre. The temperature has dropped since you first reached the castle and there is now a bitter chill in the air. As you pass the cemetery, a look inside shows no sign of Spivey. While you know she's adept at hiding, it seems unlikely that she wouldn't reveal herself to you, so you conclude she's probably not back from the caravan. You continue up the road and back into the woods towards the caravan.
The sun has just about disappeared beneath the horizon as you reach the caravan. There is already a fire burning and Koya is passing around bowls of soup to the drivers. Shalelu stands off to one side and approaches you as you get closer.
"Someone is missing," she says. "Where is Melon?"
Gilfroy Fezziwig |
Meh! The problem with actually rolling skill checks is you might not be successful! Why take the risk?
Gilfroy, pilfered scimitar still over his shoulder (though it has clearly begun to weigh heavily), pauses next to Shalelu, letting the misery of their loss play across his face, then heads to his cart.
Malan |
Malan wonders if this is the reason that Shalelu never stays anywhere for long?
Perhaps it is not her death that she fears, but the death of her friends and family. The heartache is a terrible burden that will be with us until the end of your days and elves have centuries long life spans for that burden to weigh upon us. He thinks. Malan gets a bowl of soup for himself and, even though he does not expect her to eat, one for Corrina as well.
Koya Mvashti aka Navior |
Nhatin mentions to Koya, "I'm sorry, I wasn't in time - when I got there they were already leaving. Has... anything happened with the sleeping lady?"
Koya shakes her head sadly and hands Nhatin a bowl of soup. "No, no change. My magic has had no effect and neither has Spivey's." She hands a bowl of soup to Malan and then another as well when he request one for Corinna.
"This is grave news," she says. "About Melon, I mean. Perhaps the journey here really was ill-advised. We have encountered only heart-ache since arriving." She sighs. [b]"I should go speak to Sandru." She hands her ladle to Nhatin. "Would you mind seeing that Tevyn and Gilfroy get some soup as well."
She turns away, wiping her eye, and goes to find Sandru.
Gilfroy Fezziwig |
At some point Gilfroy wanders by to join the somber silence, still dragging the scimitar behind him.
After sitting awhile, he comments, "I suppose I should give this back to the guy."
Shalelu Andosana aka Navior |
Shalelu takes a seat next to Gilfroy and Nhatin, her face grim, but otherwise expressionless. "There is a band of armed northerners camped a few miles to the southeast. They have not made a move in this direction yet, but they must be aware of our presence. Perhaps they will move on; perhaps they will attack. I don't know." She pauses a moment. "It was the possibility of such people that made me stay with the caravan to protect it. But we made it to nightfall without incident. I should have gone with you. I apologize for that."
With that, she gets up again and moves on.
Nhatin Sunseeker |
Nhatin looks over to the little gnome, who appears a little anxious at the burden of the unfamiliar scimitar. He stands up, a little turn and twist as he moves. His feet fall in a strange pattern. Elbows, arms, legs, it looks a bit like a weave - perhaps even a dance. It stops right before the gnome, the man's hand stretching toward the little fey, a silent request for the weapon. After a moment's hesitation Gilfroy offers the sword up, hilt first, and it glides out of his hands softly as Nhatin picks it up. His strange dance repeats again, back to his seat from before, but this time it really is a dance - it is obvious. The hands and feet move as before, pounding a subtle rhythm, but this time the scimitar is woven in gracefully - the flash and flow of the blade form a counterpoint to the paladin's movements and the display becomes an obvious dance between the man and the weapon.
Navior |
Things are quite subdued for the remainder of the evening. Koya talks to Sandru for a while before retiring to her wagon to look after Ameiko. Sandru comes round to express his condolences regarding Melon, and then eventually everyone settles down for a night's rest.
2 LAMASHAN, 4711 (17th day of journey)
XP: 2345 each (total: 5010)
It's a gloomy morning. The sun is hidden behind thick cloud and a cold wind is blowing from the north. A thin layer of frost lies on the ground. There's a warm breakfast waiting for all of you as you awake, however.
Sandru is leaning against the side of one of the wagons as you start to emerge. He nods to each of you in turn. "We should probably discuss how we're going to proceed," he says eventually, once everyone's had a chance to fill their stomachs.
Corinna Valdemar |
"Melon died on a fool's errand," Corinna says grimly, "and it would be even more foolish to throw anyone else's life away in the same manner. We found nothing in there -- nothing at all! -- that had anything to do with Ameiko's family, not even a hint of a connection. I'm sorry, but I'm leaving."