Skitter watches his mistress flee and, perplexed, has to determine his own course.
Given the meatsack propensity to guard their own... he opts to follow that course. He lashes out at the Shadow next to him, burying his claws in the shadowy foot three times in quick succession, then he retreats.
Straehan huddles against the wall as Jayse becomes a whirling death machine standing over him. Fortunately, casting under pressure was his forte and Vanish was such a simple spell, he just couldn't fail... As his hands make the ritual motions, his mind bridles at retreating without having done so much as lit the place up with a Fireball. Let those hounds howl at that!
The spell complete, the Gnome vanishes from sight and, knowing Jayse is probably still standing over him, he crawls away to a spot that should be clear.
Seeing Jofram, Vaelos, and Skitter as the only targets left, the Shadows and the Mastiffs turn their attention on them, surging forward...
Against his better judgement, Jayse can't stand the thought of leaving Jofram to die alone.
The Gods may be silent but some do approve of self-sacrifice. Jayse gets a Hero Point.
The Shadow and Mastiff that were facing off against the vanished scouts, look briefly confused before turning on the last possible victim. They leap towards Jofram. The Shadow moves right through Jayse and draws a vicious elbow from the Monk which nearly fells the unholy creature. Fattened as it is on Strae's life-force, it avoids being destroyed by a hair's breadth and continues it's soundless flight.
In contrast, the Mastiff yelps as its foot is expertly swept and the creature slams face-first into the floor. It receives a kick to the head from the now visible Monk.
Jayse sees the Shadow surge foward and then melt as the sprawled out gnome becomes visible on the floor, his claws still dripping shadowy remnants. He looks up at Jayse, "I was never much for running from a fight."
The disappearance and sudden reappearance of two targets throws several of the enemy into confusion as they try to decide between victims. The lead Mastiff, hearing the yelps from its kinsmen turns around in time to see Jayse bootstomp the creature and then kick it in the ribs as it gets up. He deftly dodges the dog's snapping jaws as it rises. But the growl from the lead Mastiff tells Jayse the beast is seriously considering him for lunch.
Skitter successfully captures the attention of both a Mastiff and a Shadow due to his swipes. The Mastiff circles and attacks as the Shadow does the same. Fortunately the doughty little construct is unfazed by the Shadow's futile attempt to draw forth his essence... but the Mastiff catches him unaware - putting a sizable toothprint in his shell and using a meaty, shadow-shrouded paw to up-end the valiant crustacean. Skitter's legs twitch frantically in the air as he attempts to right himself.
Jofram fairs the worst. On either side of him, Shadows close in for the kill. His already slowed reflexes, make him an easy target - stealing more of his willpower and speed.
ORDER:
70|70 - DAM: -4 WIS;
79|79 - DAM: -10 WIS; -10 DEX
72|72 - DAM: -3 STR; -5 DEX
52|52 - DAM: -1 STR; -8 WIS ; -2 DEX
49|60 - DAM: -5 DEX;
Inspire Courage - +2 to ATT/DAM ; +2 Saves vs Charm/Fear | Rnd 3 of 12
Haste (except Jofram) - +1 to ATT ; 1 Attack on FULL ; +1 AC (Dodge) ; +1 Reflex Saves ; +30' MOVE | Rnd 3 of 7
Panic (Ushari only red circle) - Rnd 2 of 3
Prone (Strae & Skitter - blue circle)
Bad Guys
Slow (green squares) - -1 to ATT, AC, Reflex Saves ; Staggered | Rnd 2 of 7
Prone (blue circle)
Shadow #5 SKITTER AC:18 (Haste), slow, flank
Shadow #8 JOFRAM AC:17 (Haste + DEX Dam), flank
Mastiff #1 - JAYSE AC:24, CMD: 32 v Trip, Prone
Mastiff #2 - SKITTER AC:23, flank
Jayse pauses after way-laying the mutt, blue eyes calmly surveying the fight, "Strae. You think you coudl take these guys out with some fire? I don't like my odds if i have to fight them one at a time."
Strae rolls onto his side and grimaces in response. "I can hurt them but I probably won't finish them off. My spells aren't Ectoplasmic - those Shadows will only catch a piece of it. The Mastiffs will catch it in full. If it will help 'clear the path', I'm willing to try. But our people better clear out. Right now, I've got to thread a needle."
Skitter rights himself drawing another feral snap from the Mastiff. The blow fails to dent his body and the little crab scuttles for the exit, not willing to test his potential immunity to a set of dual Fireballs.
Ushari, still clearly panicked, leaps off of the rowboat and swims away from the Shaudran ruin as fast as her legs can propel her.
Ushari churns water like a tempest as she puts distance between herself and the face-eating Mastiffs. When she feels the sunlight on her back, she begins to find a measure of calm.
ORDER:
70|70 - DAM: -4 WIS;
79|79 - DAM: -10 WIS; -10 DEX
72|72 - DAM: -3 STR; -5 DEX
52|52 - DAM: -1 STR; -8 WIS ; -2 DEX
49|60 - DAM: -5 DEX;
Inspire Courage - +2 to ATT/DAM ; +2 Saves vs Charm/Fear | Rnd 4 of 12
Haste (except Jofram) - +1 to ATT ; 1 Attack on FULL ; +1 AC (Dodge) ; +1 Reflex Saves ; +30' MOVE | Rnd 4 of 7
Panic (Ushari only red circle) - Rnd 3 of 3
Prone (Strae - blue circle)
Bad Guys
Slow (green squares) - -1 to ATT, AC, Reflex Saves ; Staggered | Rnd 3 of 7
Prone (blue circle)
Ushari, still clearly panicked, leaps off of the rowboat and swims away from the Shaudran ruin as fast as her legs can propel her.
"Vaelos! Retreat!" Calling for the eagle to escape, Jofram disappears in a blink.
Despite the crippling lack of willpower and his shot reflexes, Jofram manages to cast a spell and disappear. He runs out the exit and hops into the boat. Vaelos wings his way outside.
Strae weighs the odds, casts a familiar spell, and disappears from sight.
With his teammates seemingly safely retreating, Jayse looks for his own exit strategy. Luckily he has his own tricks. He draws on the power in his core once again, this time channeling the heat into the long muscles of his legs. He kicks off from the ground in a standing jump, soaring up along the edge of the corner to his left -- activating his slippers on the fly. Milaflora, once again you saved my ass!
As Jayse reaches the apex of his fourteen foot vertical jump, his bonewhite coat flares out around him as he plants his feet on the corner, turning his attention to the crack of light that is hopefully his haven. The power in his legs sings again as he launches himself across the room, like a bolt loosed from a crossbolt, arcing just enough to clear as much of the fight as possible before gracefully tucking into a rolling land. His momentum carries him through the crack as he rolls to his feet.
As he tries to steady the rocking row-boat, he gives Orin a confused look, "Jofram and Strae should be here shortly. I thought Ushari was with you."
Jayse hears a rip and feels a nip on his heel as he launches himself away from the Mastiff. Only after his caroming, wall-bouncing escape is concluded and he stands safely in the boat does he notice the fang-made tear in the bottom of his pristine jacket. Now the Shaudran have made it personal.
"DAMMIT! Why the jacket?!" He looks back at the dog. "You're gonna pay for that, mutt."
Their victims vanished or escaped, the Shadows set about their strange affairs - some sullenly sink into the floor or wall like a fog. Others cautiously fly towards the exit, hungering for their escaped prey, others mill around. Only the Mastiffs are unrelenting. And they focus their energy on the only victim they can attack - the strange crab-like box skittering towards the exit.
From the boat, our heroes see two Mastiff's charge Skitter, biting at him and then flipping him over. The little construct, in a frenzy of claws, rights himself and is again set upon of by the dark brutes. Their jaws snap at the little fellow who slowly backs up while fending them off with a flurry of furtive moves and waving claws. Skitter leaps backwards into the safety of the boat. He is only slightly dented and gooey with Mastiff spit.
Invisible, Straehan moves as cautiously around the shadowy creatures as he can with his crippled dexterity, keeping his distance. More than once a Shadow almost seems to perceive him, but his luck holds. He slowly works his way towards the exit, hoping to slip out. Unfortunately, Skitter and the Mastiffs have the entrance all but barricaded. Frustrated at having to spend another spell to escape, the Gnome casts Fly and goes over the problem, landing softly in the boat and shedding his invisibility.
As our heroes paddle away from the cube, amidst the bays of the Mastiffs, Straehan is quietly vexed. "Maybe Naladoria doesn't need that shell after all."
Ushari treads water, feeling far calmer, as the rowboat slides up beside her. With a little effort, she climbs in. Our heroes paddle towards the shore...
The boat grinds up across the sandy beach and you all clamber out. Isolde is just coming down from the bluff as you set the anchor and reflect on what just happened.
Ushar walks up to the shoreline and is thankful to see all of her companions alive, if sorely wounded. She looks over each one of them and says, "It looks like none of the damage is permanent, thank the Gods. However it will take at least several days for the healing to finish, less if I pray for the proper spells." She looks out towards the ruin. "I don't think it is a good idea to tackle that place unless we are at full strength."
Her hand strays to her belt where her rapier sheath hung, empty. "I don't suppose anyone managed to grab the blade I dropped?"
"Sorry, I didn't have time to visit the Gift Shop on my way out. The patrons were a bit hostile."
Isolde comes across the beach, feet crunching in the sand. "What has happened? I heard howling." She looks you all over, trying to divine what harm may have befallen you. She notes the obvious damage and the clear fatigue.
Jayse steps out of the boat, frustration darkening his features as he pulls the boat further up onto the sand. "We were jumped by some shadow creatures and some black dogs who will soon be my next jacket." His voice drops to a mutter, "... though the color's all wrong."
He looks over at Isolde, "It could have gone better, but I guess it's something that we're alive. We took almost a half-dozen of the shadows down, but there are at least that many left, plus three of these black dogs who seem to want to fade into the shadows. The claws of the shades seemed to…" he looks at his weakened companions as he searches for an appropriate description, "… sap our strength, speed, and will. Best I can say it."
"I don't think it is a good idea to tackle that place unless we are at full strength."
"Agreed. I'd like to return to try to finish the job sooner than later, but I'm not about to hit that place before we're ready." He can't keep his eyes off the object of his ire as he continues speaking. "We need to have a plan when we get back there, too. Not real interested in walking into another fight like that… at least not in the same room. How do we fight opponents who ignore walls and cut straight to your core but ignore your flesh?"
Isolde listens, absorbs the words, and regards the Shaudran fortress. There is hesitation when she speaks, "It seems I am here for a reason. I will trust it is to help you complete this quest... instead of convincing you to abandon it. I have already given you potions that will help with your losses . I can also cast these spells a few times. If you would dare the keep, you must not tarry here too many days. In the dark fortress, those enemies you failed to destroy will heal - quickly."
"Sorry, I didn't have time to visit the Gift Shop on my way out. The patrons were a bit hostile."
"A pity. That blade would have been VERY helpful against those shadows. . Now I will need to compensate for the loss of that blade."
"A pity. That blade would have been VERY helpful against those shadows. +3 Grayflame rapier. Now I will need to compensate for the loss of that blade."
"Really, Ushari? We have a week's worth of recovering and you're complaining about the blade?!" He struggles to suppress his dark mood, wiping a hand across his eyes. "Sorry… just a little frustrated with how that turned out." He takes a few breaths, and when he speaks again, his voice carries the subtle detachment which means he's in his battle focus. "I want to be back in there as soon as safely possible, which will hopefully give you the chance of safely recovering your weapon."
"It seems I am here for a reason. I will trust it is to help you complete this quest... instead of convincing you to abandon it. I have already given you potions that will help with your losses. I can also cast these spells a few times. If you would dare the keep, you must not tarry here too many days. In the dark fortress, those enemies you failed to destroy will heal - quickly."
Jayse nods, "I appreciate the offer, Isolde, and am sorry to have to ask for far more than I'm usually comfortable. Any potions we don't use on our recovery tonight are potions we can take back in with us. Ushari, if we give you a night to sleep and some restorative magic to get your spell-casting up to snuff, how much recovery can you give our group tomorrow? I wish we could go back in at first light tomorrow, but I don't' wanna be rash."