Sylvianna's bow snaps up lining up a shot at the flicker of motion.
Liz does have her twin hand crossbows ready, following Sylvianna's actions.
Grasping one of the wands at his hip, Zane speaks a command word and vanishes from sight.
You hear a quiet word spoken at places througout the library, and abruptly you are an island of dim light surrounded by areas of darkness. There are evil snickers in the dark.
You are suddenly right next to a female drow captain. She gives you an evil grin before speaking a word and drowning the area around you in Darkness. She is apparently unaware you can see through Darkness.
Round 1__________
Players take their turn in order of posting. Enemies will go last.
We really need to remember to get something to deal with all of this dark magic.
Liz is rather up the creek with all of the darkness and can't shoot the drow, she will move next to Zephram and try to find the nasties by hearing.
Able to see perfectly fine in the darkness Zane draws a scroll quickly casting a spell and touching a gold piece that he draws from his belt pouch.
Battle stats
HP :60/66
AC: 16/13/13 (+4 dodge ac after delivering sneak attack]
Saves :F5R9W6
Weapon in hand: Dagger+1, Handcrossbow +1
Effects:Raging Song(+2 Str 61 HP Will +8, Darkvision/Lowlight)
Round 1
Liz shoots the drow right to the west and then drops her handcrossbow
As Sylvianna feels the effects of Nakoda's song wash over her she closes her eyes for a moment, surprised to find herself peering through the darkness when she opens them. With a wicked grin, she sends a pair of shots streaking towards one of the vile drow who thought themselves hidden.
Zephram takes a moment to watch the drow captain, She does not think I can see her... she'll take a moment to attack, allowing me to see how she moves.... and to strike at her before she expects it.
for
As he lunges forward, he says in Undercommon, "You're not the only one that can see in the dark."
Round 1__________
Zane Argentus_____
Able to see perfectly fine in the darkness Thanks Darkvision Zane draws a scroll quickly casting a spell and touching a gold piece that he draws from his belt pouch.
Cast Daylight on gold coin. Holding coin but still invisible.
Nakoda______
Anyone that accepts Nakoda's Raging Song gets Low-Light and Darkvision 60ft, along with the +2 Str/Con, +2 Will, inabilty to use Dex/Int/Cha based skills and -1 AC
Her pick already in her hand, Nakoda starting the WarChant was reflexive, and she did not realize she had started until she was striding forward, into the closest patch of darkness and following Zane.
Raging Song 10/21, AC 15
LizArdoc_____
Liz shoots the drow right to the west and then drops her handcrossbow
Sylvianna_____
As Sylvianna feels the effects of Nakoda's song wash over her she closes her eyes for a moment, surprised to find herself peering through the darkness when she opens them. With a wicked grin, she sends a pair of shots streaking towards one of the vile drow who thought themselves hidden.
Zephram Taranis_____
Zephram takes a moment to watch the drow captain, She does not think I can see her... she'll take a moment to attack, allowing me to see how she moves.... and to strike at her before she expects it.
Move action - Studied Combat
As he lunges forward, he says in Undercommon, "You're not the only one that can see in the dark."
Enemies______________
Realizing their cover is shot, the Captain barked an order, and they all dropped their Darkness shrounds and rushed out to attack.
Red 2 ran up to attack Liz.
for a possible piercing damage.
Red 3 ran up to attack Sylvianna.
for a possible piercing damage.
Red 4, the Captain, stepped away from Zephram and cast Hold Person on him. Will save DC15 to negate.
Round 2________________
Players take their turn in order of posting. Enemies will go last.
Zephram shakes himself, almost as if he were shrugging off the magic as if it were water, then smiles, saying, "That didn't quite work either..." He then lunges forward, trying to draw the captain into defending herself before launching a swifter, and truer, attack. Let's see if we can't keep her off balance and try to avoid more spells...
Dropping her bow and drawing both her blades in what seems a single fluid motion, Sylvianna practically runs her enemy through with her first strike, the magic imbued in her blade thirsting for drow blood as she follows wit a twisting slice, wrenching her weapon free before launching a third attack.
In the blaze of Zane's Daylight spell, Nakoda, Liz and Sylvianna quickly cut down the drow soldiers opposing them at the doorway.
To the East, Zephram surprised the Drow Captain by easily penetrating her defenses and passing his sword through her ribs.
With the dissipation of her Darkness, it appears you have won the Library of Dust.
The three drow Skirmishers each had this equipment set:
Combat Gear- drow poison bolts (4), potion of cure light wounds,
smokestick; Other Gear- masterwork studded leather armor,
masterwork hand crossbow with 20 bolts, short sword-25gp coinage
The Drow Captain had this equipment set:
Combat Gear- scroll of cure moderate wounds (3), scroll of web,
wand of magic missile (CL 3rd, 10 charges); Other Gear-
full plate, heavy steel shield, +1 whip, masterwork hand
crossbow with 10 acid bolts, masterwork flail, silver holy
symbol of Abraxas, 120 gp
Beyond the gear carried by the drow, a fair amount of information waits here for those with the time to study the remains of crumbling books and scraps of loose parchment.
On the east wall of the room are a number of ancient and crumbling desks of remarkably well preserved wood.
The one at the south end is still mostly intact, and the drow have been using it to store books and parchments that might be of interest to their arcanists.
An inspection of these six tomes and assorted scraps reveals that all of the books here deal with one of two subjects:
astronomy and the Great Beyond.
Of particular note, one bookmark denotes a page dealing with the properties of the “realm of shadows” and how time can be “mutable in
such a domain.” All of these tomes are written in Elven.
an ancient pile of crumbling pages.
Once you have finally secured the site, a small contingent of elven scouts comes in to hold the building some forty minutes later.
After securing the library, your orders are to return to the elven base camp for further assignment—of course, you’re free to wander the ruins on your own as well if you like.
The fighting in the city itself reaches a steady pace, now that the surprise is over. A few fires burn in the ruins, and the acrid smell of smokes hangs in the air. Muted cries and the occasional sound of a sword fight or an explosion of magic can be heard quite frequently.
As the others go over the bodies of the fallen enemy, Sylvianna combs through the desks, eventually unearthing locked book, bound with iron overlaid with silver, marked with arcane runes.
Zephram nods to the elves, then turns to his companions, "We should head back to see what else we can assist the elves with. Assuming, of course, that we don't have to waste further time once again proving that we are not drow agents and are willing and able to help."
Once you return to the elven camp, you find it quite active. Off to one side is a large tent where the elves are storing the dead until they can be properly dealt with. In the center of the camp, Eviana’s tent is a flurry of motion.
Messengers stream to and from the tent, relaying reports and receiving orders.
A messenger escorts you to your tent and says that Elvianna has another assignment for them as soon as they’ve recovered from the battle.
When you are ready for the next mission, you are escorted to the headquarters tent.
Eviana greets you and motions at a map of Celwynvian that has been carefully tagged with a number of small flags, some black, some green.
“These green flags represent our current troop deployments around the city, while the black flags indicate known drow holdouts.
"One such holdout in particular has caught our attention, and taking it out might help us greatly in the long run.
"We believe these ruins,” she says, indicating a spot on the northern edge of the city, “contain an alchemical workshop where the drow have been producing many of their more insidious weapons.
"We want you to storm this place and take it out. The sooner the better.”
"A sound tactical maneuver," Zane says looking over the map. "Either taking or destroying such a resource could easily turn things."
Zephram nods, "That seems to be a sound, and logical, approach. And I have some facility with things alchemical, maybe enough to determine what, exactly, they are making... and how. "
Elvianna nodded.
"The task force is yours then. We need this taken soonest. Whenever you are ready, you may begin." She said. "We will be staging attacks at secondary targets southward to draw defenders away.
"Good luck!" She said, sounding sincere.
Nodding in assent Sylvianna checks her gear. "Is there anything any of you needs or are we ready to go?
The elven quartermaster provides one full quiver of arrows tipped with cold iron warheads to any of your members who can use them. He can also provide a dagger of the same material, but nothing larger.
Zephram says, "Ideally, an hour to mix a new mutagen. Barring that, however, I'm ready."
When you have rested and replenished, you set out on your new mission.
This time you move carefully through what cover and concealment there is, which is plentiful in this wildly lush and overgrown city.
The battle is strangely quiet. You don't see or hear the combatants, and occasionally you hear the screams of the wounded or the detonation of some destructive magics. You come across a blood trail once, which led to the strangely crushed body of a drow warrior (his equipment is also crushed and broken).
As you approach, the laboratory is revealed to have once been a much larger structure, but today, only one crumbling dome remains.
A hole in its top belches forth a noxious cloud of sickly green smoke, and pools of smoking liquid cover the area around the ruins.
Zephram looks at the structure, not even realizing that he's voicing his thoughts, "That does not look inviting or terribly safe, does it? I rather wish I'd prepared an extract of Delay Poison."
Zane draws a scroll and begins an incantataion, the vellum dissolving in a swirl of material that develops into a strong gust of wind, blowing the fumes away from the group's approach.
Sylvianna scans the area with a keen eye, looking for any sign of hidden enemies.
Zephram asks Sylvianna, "Should we sneak up to ensure the way is clear before brining the other, less careful, folks?"
"Yes, we have a better chance of spotting any traps or hidden enemies and approaching unnoticed." the elven ranger responds, slipping her bow over her shoulder.
Zephram nods, "Then let's be about it." He turns to the others, "Don't let us get too far ahead."
.
Never his strong suit, Zane follows maintaining distance along with Nakoda, attempting to be as stealthy as he is able to.
Sylviana stopped, thinking she heard something.
Too late, she realized that it was the dry rasping of spidery legs.
Its invisibility broken, A hideous monstrosity burst into view—a nightmarish, centaurian fusion of drow and spider--as with a deft flare of word and gesture, the Drider cast a Lightning Bolt at you, catching Sylvianna and Zane in the bright flash of the bolt.
They take electrical damage, Ref save DC16 for half.
Round 1_____________
It turned to Nakoda and Zephram and unloaded another Lighting Bolt at them as well.
They take electrical damage, Ref save DC16 for half.
Then, chuckling evilly, it backed up until it had cover from you.
Players take their turn in order of posting.
Already on the alert, Zane manages to easily avoid the worst of the lightning, responding to the enemy's ability to cast spells with a swiftly uttered arcane phrase, his body beginning to flicker in an out of existence as he moves forward.
Reacting a hair's breadth too late, Sylvianna's body jerks in agony as the bolt of lightning catchers her full on. Dashing around the stucture, she moves to approach the creature from an unexpected angle.
.