Talfryn and Garvid endure the venomous bolts with differing results, as the spirits answer Yazi’s call for aid.
The water elemental spills out over the edge of the fountain, coming just within range to crash a wave-like appendage down upon Garvid.
The elephant rears on its hind legs and trumpets triumphantly. The ground tremors as its massive frame crashes down onto the garden floor. With a wild look in its eye, it charges, trampling Talfryn, Yazi, Li, Garvid and Mouse beneath its impossible weight!
Glorio shakes with laughter, even as Kynes looms. ”Don’t tell me you’re going to start trusting my sister now. She is more duplicitous even than I! Go on my dear, show them your true face. Let them see Vimanda!”
”You’ll not get away with this!” Meliya spits back. ”Kill me, and I will claw my way back from the grave to strangle you with my own hands!”
__________________________
Garvid: bless, burning 1d4
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless, nauseated 1 round, sickened (1 of 2 rounds), stunned 1 round
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
The water elemental and the elephant face towards Garvid, leaving only the blessed respite from Yazi's healing magic to mend his wounds before the assault. The brutal charge from the hellish beast nearly sends Garvid on his back, but he braces himself. Turning back with a snarl, he roars at Glorio. "Cat's out of the bag for that a while now! If you fight like you keep secrets, Lord Arkona, best give up now!" The halberd lodges itself into the elephant's hind legs, and with another guttural howl of strained effort, the elephant crashes to the ground, flecks of jade flying into the green leaves. Sidestepping the crash, Garvid moves next to the six-armed demon freaks with a hungry, predatory grin on his face. With a furious swing, the halberd's hilt disappears into the writhing mass in a mess of blood.
The urge to try and end the fight quickly was strong...but sometimes discretion was the better part of valor. Quickly, Mouse sacrifices her chance to strike at the elephant in order to attempt to duck out of the way of its churning stride. Barely managing to keep out of its way, she turns and launches into her own volley of attacks, trying to pummel the great brute's legs and cripple it.
Kynes’s blade cuts deeply into the jade green of the elephant’s wrinkled hide, producing a scarlet torrent of shocking red against the emerald tone of its skin.
Garvid’s strikes shear deeply, and Mouse delivers two brutal kicks, but the creature merely bellows and keeps charging.
Vencarlo, equipped with the weapons and armor retrieved from his home, steps forward and delivers two expert thrusts into the water elemental Neo launches a throwing ax across the garden, which strikes the elephant in the flank.
Meliya bangs her manacles uselessly against a garden stone then, cursing in Vudrani, runs to the southern door, which is closed.
Glorio snarls as Kynes draws close, drawing his arms in close to cast a spell without opening his defenses A gigantic spider’s web materializes, filling the room and threatening to entangle you! Vencarlo and Neolandus become entwined in sticky silk!
Glorio flies up toward the glass-domed ceiling, a kukri in one paw, the backward-curving claws of the other crackling with arcane energy. ”Leaving so soon, my dear?” He asks of his sister. His expression is one of grave finality.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless, grappled
Talfryn: bless, sickened (2 of 2 rounds)
Vencarlo: bless, grappled
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Li manages to avoid the worst of the trampling by the stampeding elephant but it distracts her enough that she fails to avoid the thick, sticky webbing that suddenly appears all around her.
Luckily her years on the street had prepared her for getting out of sticky situations.
Kynes manages to strike Glorio, though the blade’s damage is much reduced by the rakshasa’s supernatural resilience.
Avishandi and Nudhaali, Glorio’s rakshasa servants in the howdah, rain down more magical attacks upon Garvid and Mouse.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless, grappled
Talfryn: bless, sickened (2 of 2 rounds)
Vencarlo: bless, grappled
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: sickened 1 round (–2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks)
Kynes is unnerved at how Glorio shrugged of his attack. We might die here. Searing light? Not worth burning the extract admixture. Time to get big. He reaches down and pulls out an ornate vial of admixture, pulls the trigger, releasing the valve. With a quick draw, an infused extract of enlargement and long arm enters his veins.
Cursing, Yaziyah struggles against the sticky strands in vain. No time to try and free herself, so she turns her attention to their foremost foe. Her movements are limited, but this curse she knows very well by now.
Lord Talfryn flies up as the net coalesces around him, barely avoiding the larger of the sticky strands.
Seeing the perfect opportunity to shape the battlefield, the wizard scoops up some crushed quartz from a pouch and casts it forth, his words ringing with power as he does so.
Mouse deftly ducks away from the gobs of sticky webbing, waiting for another chance to strike.
Kynes’s form begins to grow...
The sticky webbing entwines Yazi, but does not hinder the power of her gaze…
Talfryn barely avoids the webs, managing to fly above the fray to trap his foes within a conjured force field.
The elephant pummels the wizard’s wall. Despite its great strength, it cannot overcome Talfryn’s power. The water elemental, surging frantically, does no better.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless, grappled
Talfryn: bless, sickened (2 of 2 rounds)
Vencarlo: bless, grappled
Yazi: bless, grappled, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: sickened 1 round (–2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks), evil eye (-4 saves)
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As Lord Talfryn's spell binds the foes into a shell holding back an elephant, Garvid stands still for a moment, mouth agape. Wizardry... I heard it was scary, I've been along them for so long, but still... The web bursting from the air by Glorio, however, chokes him back into reality just in time to avoid them completely. "You should've learned, Glorio!", Garvid roars as he spins his halberd in the air, the vicious blade cutting through the spiderwebs. "No matter how many webs you spin, we'll cut right through them!"
Garvid's ferocity is such that even magic cannot withstand it. The web shreds and dissolves in midair.
Mouse produces a sling and sends a piece of debris bouncing off of the balcony behind Glorio.
Vencarlo and Neo brush the last traces of the sticky webbing away, regrouping with the rest of you. Meliya, finding the nearest door securely locked, runs the perimeter of the garden hall, heading for the next.
"You should've learned, Glorio! No matter how many webs you spin, we'll cut right through them!”
”Then I expected too much of you!” Glorio clips. ”You aren’t fit even to serve as pawns. In the natural order, there are those whose highest and best purpose is merely to die!”
He snarls as Kynes’s form grows, flying south to increase the space between them. He extends a paw, releasing two searing beams of fire that strike Kynes’s hulking form.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: evil eye (-4 saves)
As Kynes' enlarged form distracts Glorio, Li takes the opportunity to meld into the foliage around her and finds a place where she can see Glorio but she remains unnoticed by him.
Feeling fairly certain that Glorio was unaware of her position considering his back was to her, Li takes two well placed attacks at vulnerable body parts.
Avishandi and Nudhaali follow their master’s lead, pummeling Kynes with bolts of arcane force.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: evil eye (-4 saves)
Kynes rumbles forward trying to reach for the elusive Glorio.
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The flying Glorio was a problem, one that perhaps she could solve... One cannot fly if they're sleeping after all.
Deciding to even the odds a little, Talfryn unleashes another spell at the flying Glorio, this time seeking to undo the myriad magics he's employing.
Kynes’s strike flies wide as Glorio dodges to the side.
Yet as Yazi magic takes hold, Glorio’s eyes slip shut, his body grows limp, and he plummets to the ground.
A witch can cause a creature within 30 feet to fall into a deep, magical sleep, as per the spell sleep. The creature receives a Will save to negate the effect. If the save fails, the creature falls asleep for a number of rounds equal to the witch’s level. This hex can affect a creature of any HD. The creature will not wake due to noise or light, but others can rouse it with a standard action. This hex ends immediately if the creature takes damage. Whether or not the save is successful, a creature cannot be the target of this hex again for 1 day.
Glorio slams into the dirt, coming to, but prone.
Talfryn unleashes another spell at the flying Glorio, this time seeking to undo the myriad magics he's employing. Talfryn can determine that Glorio’s magical flight has been abolished.
The elephant and water elemental continue to pummel Talfryn’s wall of force to no avail.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: prone, evil eye (-4 saves)
Seeing the beast fall to the ground as magic rips his defenses asunder, Garvid rushes forwards to cut off his retreat. The halberd's haft burries in the dirt as Garvid tries to bash Glorio's head into the ground, before grunting once more, ready to slam him back down again if he tries to get up. Natural order. The nerve.
Glorio recoils from Garvid’s attack , though Mouse leaps forward and lands a solid kick to his midsection. The blow is dampened by Glorio’s preternaturally impervious hide.
Vencarlo weaves under Kyne’s legs to deliver a stab with his rapier, but only impales the dirt. Neo produces another ax, but strikes with similar results as the rakshasa writhes. He steps back, making room for Kynes.
Meliya bolts for the northeastern door leading into the mansion, crying out for the guards.
Glorio jumps to his feet, opening himself up to attacks from all around, though only Garvid succeeds.
Now on his feet, kukri in hand, Glorio bares his fangs and produces a wand from his luxuriant but battered garments.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: evil eye (-4 saves)
Li keeps moving quietly through the garden, hoping that Glorio would forget about her presence.
The rogue steps out from having been hidden by a large leaf and sends a bolt flying towards Glorio's back.
Glorio twists, deftly avoiding the attacks against him.
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: evil eye (-4 saves)
"There, Lamplighter. See how he sidesteps." Yaziyah points out Glorio's pattern of movement to Kynes, enabling him to attack more effectively.
Seeing a chance, Kynes unleashes a series of blows onto Glorio with frightening vigor, bellowing for Glorio to stand down. First, his scarves slice the lord's temple, then whipping around and slamming into his torso directly. You shall pass from here, and be forgotten, as the Lamp forgets the darkness!
Taking a deep breath, Talfryn fixes his gaze on the rakshasha and unleashes yet another spell in his general direction.
"Li, Neolandus! Grab the damn woman! She's not escaping the law that easily!", the guardsman roars as Meliya makes her escape, just in time to see Glorio pull up a wand. "Like the Nine Hells you do, Arkona!", he snarls, the blade of the halberd colliding with the wand and exploding it into splinters.
Yazi graces Kynes with a warrior’s prowess, and the lamplighter is indeed able to land two solid strikes .
Talfryn casts a baleful gaze of his own, and even the fearsome rakshasa seems to wither beneath it .
As Glorio produces his wand, Garvid’s strikes with practiced aim, breaking the magical item in two!
Mouse unloads a series of kicks and punches, but Glorio counters and blocks her every move.
Vencarlo and Neolandus lend a hand to Garvid!
Meliya has now disappeared into the mansion.
With an animalistic growl, Glorio turns on Garvid, hacking savagely with his kukri, swiping with his claws, and even sinking his feline fangs into Garvid’s shoulder!
The rakshasa servants begin to dismount from the elephant, sliding down its side to land on the garden soil .
__________________________
Garvid: bless
Kynes: barkskin, bless, blurred movement, enshroud thoughts, longarm, mutagen, shield
Li: bless
Mouse: bless, owl’s wisdom,
Neolandus: bless
Talfryn: bless
Vencarlo: bless
Yazi: bless, heightened awareness, stunning barrier
Meliya:
Elephant: shaken (–2 penalty on attack rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.)
Glorio: evil eye (-4 saves), sickened (-2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks), pugwampi’s grace (must roll two d20s whenever a situation calls for a d20 roll and use the lower).
fail
X
X
possible crit
X
X
X
X
X
Chuffed with his success - and this being the first time Talfryn has cast Pugwampi's grace - he ransacks his mind for another spell to unleash upon Glorio.
"Ah ha!" He points with a finger up at the air, and for a moment looks like he's just recalled the secret ingredient to a family's ancient recipe. "Try this on for size!"
With a complex series of hand motions, Talfryn unleashes yet another spell.
As Glorio's assault lashes out towards Garvid, the guardsman swings in a desperate swing towards Arkona's blade, aided by Neolandus and Vencarlo. The rakshasa proves itself too swift, and as Garvid sees the blade go past his defenses, all he can do is brace himself for the rakshasa's assault, a saying from an old man from a long time ago echoing in his head. Knives. Dogs. Bows. Don't matter, Krein. Lean on your armour, and you'll see the dawn. That's all you hope for in the Guard, seeing the dawn. As the knife twists and the claws and fangs rip into him, he's left standing, countless cuts on his face, blood dribbling from his body.
Spitting out a glob of blood from his mouth, a wide, red smile appears on Garvid's lips. "That all?", he laughs, as he tosses his halberd on the ground and lunges to tackle Glorio. "Get him!"
Kynes sends a flurry streaming scarves hoping to distract Glorio as Garvid launches himself in an attempt swallow Glorio up in and embrace of muscle and shards.
Her kicks and jabs were having little effect - but nothing Garvid did could be classified as "little effort". So Mouse launches into another volley, but this time she aims to harry and distract the rakshasha, not make solid contact.
Talfryn recoils the arcane threads of his spell, recasting it instead to alter time in a manner more advantageous for his allies.
Yazi's glare burns so hot that several palm fronds wilt. The blood coating Glorio's fur gleams ever the brighter as his coloring seems to pale.
X
Feeling the familiarity of her muscles being magically enhanced, Li immediately takes off after Meliya to make sure she doesn't get away. She keeps her crossbow loaded and readied as she follows.
Garvid's strike cracks the handle of Glorio's kukri. With the aid of Neolandus, Vencarlo, Kynes, and Mouse, Garvid is able to wrap the rakshasa in a grapple!
With Garvid's considerable strength, he is able to maintain Glorio in a headlock as the others restrain him until, at last, the Lord Arkona loses consciousness.
Li races out into the entry hall. Tall windows grant a commanding view of the palace grounds, and a rich red carpet, ten feet wide and luxuriously thick, provides a pathway between doors. Each of these doors are decorated with images of a six-armed, four-faced woman who rides a tiger with human hands for feet.
Yet Meliya Arkona is nowhere to be seen…
The mansion guards can be seen fleeing the property into the streets.
The rakshasa servants shatter the glass of the garden windows and escape onto the grounds...
Scroll of sending x3
Wand of illusory script (12 charges)
Wand of shield (21 charges)
+2 kukri (broken)
Third eye
A full keyring with assorted styles of keys
41 platinum crowns (per the Korvosa vernacular)
As part of the process of crafting a third eye, the creator grafts an actual eye into the palm of the recipient’s hand. Once an eye is grafted into a palm, it is undetectable while closed and doesn’t hinder the user’s manual dexterity in the slightest. When in use, the eye opens. The owner of a third eye can use it to see through the donor creature’s remaining eye. The third eye can also be attuned to specially prepared bloodstones, allowing the user to observe things in each bloodstone’s vicinity as if the bloodstone were an eye as well. Preparing a bloodstone in this manner requires soaking it in a potion of clairvoyance/clairaudience for a week, at the end of which the owner drinks the potion and spits the bloodstone into the hand bearing the third eye.
These bloodstones are often incorporated into magic items like phylacteries, rings, and amulets, allowing the user to gift such items to other creatures and thus gain a new viewpoint. This remote viewing ability functions at any range as long as the owner is on the same plane at the bloodstone. It also allows the owner to cast clairaudience/clairvoyance up to three times per day. As long as the third eye is open in a hand that isn’t holding an object, the owner has all-round vision, gaining a +4 bonus on Perception checks and making it impossible to flank the owner.
Rakshasas, whose fingers bend backwards, can use the powers of their third eyes while holding objects since their third eyes effectively look out of the “backs” of their hands. A third eye cannot be transferred between creatures—if removed from the owner’s body, a third eye is destroyed. A third eye that remains in the owner’s palm but is damaged or otherwise permanently blinded becomes useless until a remove blindness spell is cast upon it.
"The city..." Vencarlo bends forward with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "...the city would be better off with him dead. That such a fiend controls one of the most powerful houses in Korvosa means that the roots of his treachery would run deep, indeed."
"No, Vencarlo!" Neolandus rebukes. "We have not lost all semblance of civility. The city is damaged, but the rule of law still governs. We must allow Lord Arkona to be taken into custody..."
"I fear, dear friends, that the situation without is more dire than you know." Lord Talfryn wipes the sweat from his brow and looks around for somewhere to sit.
"The Queen has revealed her madness, and the rule of law is ended. The Gray Maidens now rule supreme, and every other form of law enforcement is denigrated. If we were to turn Arkona over to the authorities, we would surely not see justice but rather its certain miscarraige."
Finding a small, jade stool, Talfryn sits cautiously on it, as if expecting the exquisite carving to shatter. When it doesn't he breathes out a sigh of relief.
"No. My vote is to consider Garvid here as rightful an authority in Korvosa as yet exists. This rakshasa is a fiend, and there is no hope that a prison sentence would ameliorate his black heart. These are dire times, and rather than risk such a menace go free, I say we end his life here and now, per Garvid's passing of a rightful sentence."
At the news of the Gray Maidens' ascension to power, Vencarlo curses under his breath. "It is as we have feared. The Queen's machinations are taking hold. Hear me. I know I was rash earlier, but I truly believe Lord Blackoak to have the right of it. Even in the best of times, there would be no justice in letting Glorio live."
Neolandus touches his temples, clearly shocked by the news. "Madness, you say?"
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As Glorio is finally bound and tied, Garvid stands up, exhaling a heavy breath. He hacks out a bloody glob on the ground, and leans on his halberd. Another glance at the rakshasa, however, brings a grim smile on his face. Lord Arkona, caught and about to be punished for his crimes. Right in front of me. I'd love to drag you to Longacre... But I've never been less sure that you won't cut a deal with the Queen... Letting out another bloody cough, he nods between heavy breaths as Lord Talfryn briefs Neolandus and Vencarlo as to the current dire situation in Korvosa.
"Stri- *cough* ahem, strictly speaking, we've not been disavowed. Just defunded and de-staffed. But we're all deputies or else to the Guard.", he lets out a chuckle, lifting his bloody badge. "Although, Lordship here,", he tilts his head towards Talfryn, "Missed the part where the assassins that attacked you... Oh, and burned your school down, by the way - they're operating out of Longacre." Slowly descending to sit on the ground, Garvid continues. "So damaged is a good word for it, Lord Seneschal."
Taking out his journal, he raises his head at Neolandus. "I could use your aid in legal matters. We're in Old Korvosa, which as a quarantined zone could qualifiy as dangerous land. We're injured, which means our chances of safely transporting the captive,", he gives a not-so-gentle nudge with his boot to Glorio, "are reduced. And with your admissions, we have eight proofs of attempted murder, two counts of torture, at least one count of consorting with devils, if we ignore whatever he is." Glancing at the elephant's unmoving body in the corner, he lifts his eyebrows and laughs. "And two of endangering the public with wild animals."
"For the first eight alone, he'll hang eight times. I suggest we skip the torture, since I've had enough of that for a lifetime.", Garvid stands up, "And if you think the circumstances would allow for the execution to be carried out here in the interest of the public... I'll follow it through.", he finishes. "But we have to do it right, and give him the chance to say his final say and defense, rotten as he is."
Taking out the coil of rope, previously holding Meliya, Garvid growls for a second. And now that b@!+@ is bound to pop up again. Or run, if she knows what's good for her. I have to warn Vancaskerkin. Throwing one end of the rope over the resplendend chandelier, Garvid tightens the other end around the elephant's magnificent tusk. It's a shame. All this foreign beauty, all covering this rot. "Lord Talfryn, I'm afraid we'll need that chair.", he croaks out a moment later as he steps to grab Glorio.
What we need is a Korvosan Arbiter. Kynes frowns. Zenobia Zenderholm would have been the most solid option I think, but she vanished, last I heard...but I've been kept busy so wouldn't know whether she had returned. Is there a city Arbiter left in Old Korvosa?
Looking at the jaded stool upon which Talfryn say, somewhat precariously, Kynes adds The Lamplighter edicts also compel me to search these premises for further evidence of criminal activity, and to possess such objects of value that will aid the Lamplighter's mandates.
Li races out into the entry hall. Tall windows grant a commanding view of the palace grounds, and a rich red carpet, ten feet wide and luxuriously thick, provides a pathway between doors. Each of these doors are decorated with images of a six-armed, four-faced woman who rides a tiger with human hands for feet.
Yet Meliya Arkona is nowhere to be seen…
The mansion guards can be seen fleeing the property into the streets.
The rakshasa servants shatter the glass of the garden windows and escape onto the grounds...
Li runs with her enhanced speed checking doors and rooms for the now missing Meliya. However, it soon becomes apparent that she must have fled. Knowing of her ability to change her face, Li can't help but think that one of the fleeing guards or servants is probably Meliya in disguise and there was no way for the rogue to determine who it may be.
Admitting defeat Li returns to the garden and makes sure to make a stealthy entrance in case the fight was still on-going.