Before he even has a chance to throw the flask of holy water, Dantrian is engulfed in flames as his companions descend upon their skeletal foe like a pack of wild dogs. When the dust and fire clear, he replaces the flask of holy water. Thin trails of smoke wisping off of him, he stalks into the guard room and cranks the winch to raise the portcullis.
The portcullis creaks upward as Dantrian turns the winch.
As the portcullis slowly creaks upwards, Janos sniffs the air and the definite smell of burning fur fills his nostrils. He looks over to Dantrian and sees the smoke rising from the hulking form of the alchemist. "You ok, old man? That fire was a bit close, it smells like."
"Ah. Literally adding insult to injury now, are we? How quaint." He cranks the winch a few more times, "I will recover shortly. I need only take a minute to prepare another restorative." He continues to work the winch around in its revolutions, then looks about for a means to lock the portcullis in its open position.
Old man?! The nerve of these thoughtless fools!
"That's ENOUGH!" Tibideau blurts out in exasperation. "Dantrian, I don't know if it's the beast thing, or lack of sleep, or some other problem, or what, but you need to stop treating us like we're against you. We're not! We're your friends! Take a joke! Relax! If we yell at each other and get mad, we're going to get sloppy and die in here! We are a team!"
He takes a deep breath and faces the others. "And we all could be a little more sensitive!"
Anton looks nervously behind them, checks the corners, peers into the thick pools of darkness that surround them.
TTibideau is right, Dantrian. If we're divided in any way here the spirits will seize on it in a moment.
Janos lifts his hands in innocence, though it's an odd gesture with the bloody handaxe being present. "My apologies. I meant no offense. I was only concerned that the fire had hurt you more than you had realized. No one doubts your vigor, especially seeing you in this form."
His tone still even and passive, Dantrian turns from the mechanism and regards Tibideau. "Yelling at one another? You're the only one yelling, Mr. LeClerc. And given your claims, I trust the irony in that is plainly evident." He shifts his focus away from Tibideau and addresses the group as a whole, "It is true that if we're to survive the horrors of this place, we must of course cooperate. Naturally so. But if there is anything that is going to kill us, anything that we ourselves have any control over at least, then it's acting like brash, thoughtless brutes. In the fervor of conflict, B'yelka nearly lost her life a minute ago; not because of any interpersonal conflicts or disagreements, but because she over extended herself. Drosil courted disaster just a day ago by rushing into that rotted building outside the prison." He pauses briefly, his gaze fixing steadily with Janos'. It is obvious he is wordlessly referring to Janos' tryst with Kendra, though the alchemist remains respectful enough not to bring it up again. "Were any of those examples wrong, in and of themselves? No. As Anton said earlier, B'yelka showed considerable bravery to rush to Drosil's aid as she did. But the line between bravery and fatal foolishness can be a blurry one. It is acting without thought, without even taking half a moment to consider the possible consequences," his eyes flick up to Janos' for a moment before he focuses on Tibideau once more, "that will see us or those around us ruined."
He then adds as an aside, "And if you believe I am so petty as to not do everything in my power to preserve your lives because of an ill conceived joke, then frankly Mr. LeClerc, you think less of me than you should."
He massages the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, trying to ignore his name in bloody grafitti as it creeps, oozes, and swirls over the walls, ceilings, and floor.
"Mister Almaeus is right. We need to be smarter about this dirty business. But, Tibideau is also correct." B'yelka steps closer to Dantrian and says to him, "When you were my tutor you worried as much about me as my learning. Yes, you were a stern teacher, but you were open, too. When I struggled, you paused and explained the task again." The diva pauses to let her soft words sink into Dantrian's heart, she leans in close and in an almost whisper she says, The last thing you said to me was, Υπάρχει έντονη σκιά όπου υπάρχει πολύ φως. Remember that in your anger, there is hope. Be patient with us, our hearts are near to yours.
B'yelka reaches out and takes the hand Dantrian is not pressing into his eyes, and sings a short verse, healing some of the burns on her old teacher's body.
Tibideau lowers his voice and softens his tone. "You're right, I shouldn't be yelling either. What I meant was, I know this mission is making all of us a little bit crazy, foolish, and on edge. But it would be better if we all could be a little more light-hearted and nice to each other. We don't have to choose between being utterly devoted to the mission and having a laugh every now and then. And when we screw up, maybe it's best to be kind about it." He feels frustrated that he can't properly explain himself. He give a thankful glance to B'yelka.
The group's discussion is interrupted when a thick grey cloud of smoke comes hissing up through the iron grate covering the oubliette. It whirls in around itself collapsing into the form of a gaunt pale man wearing torn pants and rotting boots. His face is black, with beady white eyes, and his mouth is impossibly large and filled with triangular fangs. Above his head he hefts a massive axe. The specter looks at the party with a face-splitting grin and then screams an insane, blood curdling shriek. This can only be what remains of The Lopper!
Anton:
Drosil:
B'Yelka:
Dantrian:
Tibideau:
Janos:
Lopper:
Initiative
Lopper 26
Party 25
The spirit flows forward, his legs unmoving as he darts halfway into the wall next to Janos. The Lopper brings his huge spectral axe down at the ranger in an overhand blow. Janos leaps out of the way of the clumsy blow, easily dodging it.
_____________________________________
Not again... Drosil, upon seeing the manifestation, moves closer and draws the arrow he's held on to for just this purpose.
B'yelka begins singing, The thing is in the wall! She moves back away from the lopper carefully.
Tibideau scratches his head as he cocks it to one side. "I must have had too much brandy in my coffee this morning." He backs away slowly, while reciting a spell and focusing all his attention on Janos.
Janos leaps back from the clumsy strike and stares at the ghost. Here was the source of the axe's curse and, if Dantrian was right, the source of the threat against him and Kendra too. The ranger snarls a bit and swings the axe back at it's owner. "Die by your own instrument, Lopper! I'll end you!"
None of that matters now! Anton shouts, referencing the disagreement the party just had. Janos, give the Lopper back his axe!
He lines up a shot but between the fact the ghost is in the wall and his companions are blocking line of sight, he decides against it, not wanting to waste an arrow.
I can’t see anything from here, I’m moving up.
Anton rushes past his companions . He keeps a keen eye on the Lopper and makes sure to stay out of his reach.
Recognizing the spell Tibideau is casting, Dantrian draws a flask of holy water and slides past Janos and Drosil in a rush, making a little more room for Janos in the already tight corridor. "Drosil, B'yelka, mind your feet. You may find yourselves inadvertently crowding Janos in a moment. Janos, if that spirit continues to focus upon you, draw it into the open!"
HP: 22/24
AC: 17 (11 T / 16 FF)
CMD: 18
F/R/W: +4/+4/+1
Hero Points used: 1/3
Prepared Mutagen: Strength (darkvision) [X]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (3+1): cure light wounds [X] [ ], shield [ ], open [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
mutagen: 1/10 rounds, 7/30 minutes
The spirit flows forward, his legs unmoving as he darts halfway into the wall next to Janos. The Lopper brings his huge spectral axe down at the ranger in an overhand blow. Janos leaps out of the way of the clumsy blow, easily dodging it.
Not again... Drosil thinks, upon seeing the manifestation. He moves closer and draws the arrow he's held on to for just this purpose. He stabs at the specter, but hits only wall.
B'yelka begins singing, The thing is in the wall! She moves back away from the lopper carefully.
Tibideau scratches his head as he cocks it to one side. "I must have had too much brandy in my coffee this morning." He backs away slowly, while reciting a spell and focusing all his attention on Janos.
Janos leaps back from the clumsy strike and stares at the ghost. Here was the source of the axe's curse and, if Dantrian was right, the source of the threat against him and Kendra too. The ranger snarls a bit and swings the axe back at it's owner. "Die by your own instrument, Lopper! I'll end you!" Again, Janos ends nothing but a corner of one of the bricks in the wall.
"None of that matters now!" Anton shouts, referencing the disagreement the party just had. "Janos, give the Lopper back his axe!" He lines up a shot but between the fact the ghost is in the wall and his companions are blocking line of sight, he decides against it, not wanting to waste an arrow. I can’t see anything from here, I’m moving up. Anton rushes past his companions. He keeps a keen eye on the Lopper and makes sure to stay out of his reach.
Recognizing the spell Tibideau is casting, Dantrian draws a flask of holy water and slides past Janos and Drosil in a rush, making a little more room for Janos in the already tight corridor. "Drosil, B'yelka, mind your feet. You may find yourselves inadvertently crowding Janos in a moment. Janos, if that spirit continues to focus upon you, draw it into the open!"
--------------------------------
The Lopper's spectral axe and hands along with his leering face emerge from the wall as he swings his huge axe at Drosil. "Boo!" Part of the blade passes through Drosil's chest. Where it touches the fetchling his skin splits open in a long tear, which gushes blood freely. After the blow, the murderer's spirit slips back into the wall, out of sight.
________________________________________________________________
Just after the Lopper's axe tears Drosil's flesh, Tibideau finishes his chant and Janos instantly grows much larger. Tibideau whistles appreciatively. "Never gotten to try that one before!"
His attention switches to Drosil, who looks a little green around the gills. "Sorry, I'll deal with that little problem shortly!" he assures the fetchling.
He moves up behind Janos's newly large form and crosses his arms snootily.
AC 18
HP 20/20
Buffs:
Mage Armor
Janos suddenly finds the corridor shrinking on him. He glances back for help, but sees that the others are smaller too. It's not the corridor shrinking, but him growing! "LeClerc, you need to tell me when you do things like that!"
The newly enlarged Janos steps back from Drosil, leaving a gap between them. "Come on Lopper! You want your axe back? It's right here!" He prepares to strike out at the ghost wherever he appears.
Tibideau realizes his faux pas almost immediately. "Yes, I'll warn you and all that next time!" He shrugs. "But a good shock builds character!"
Seeing the spirit disappear into the wall, Anton's disgust builds.
Come now, Lopper. You spent your life hiding in the most unlikely of places, waiting to spring out on your unsuspecting victims. I can see that's what you're doing now. Watching us from afar. Hidden. Laughing to yourself.
He slips a ghost touch arrow onto his string.
You're victims would cower in terror before you finished your heinous act. You think us weak and helpless as your victims?
[spoiler=Readied attack]
[/spoiler
Still channeling the power of her song, the lyrics take a subtle turn,
"Even if you did, I doubt one could overcome it and we'll still be stuck if we can't lure it out of this impossibly tight hall." Dantrian keeps his reply to B'yelka in the common tongue, so the others might grasp his intent. He then slides past Anton and out in to the more open room around the oubilette.
HP: 22/24
AC: 17 (11 T / 16 FF)
CMD: 18
F/R/W: +4/+4/+1
Hero Points used: 1/3
Prepared Mutagen: Strength (darkvision) [X]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (3+1): cure light wounds [X] [ ], shield [ ], open [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
mutagen: 2/10 rounds, 7/30 minutes
Drosil feels the ghostly blade enter his flesh, not exactly cutting, but draining his energy. He feels his energy ebb, and looks down to see blood flowing from the wound. He attempts to stem the flow of blood, but is unsuccessful.
The Lopper's spectral axe and hands along with his leering face emerge from the wall as he swings his huge axe at Drosil. "Boo!" Part of the blade passes through Drosil's chest. Where it touches the fetchling his skin splits open in a long tear, which gushes blood freely. After the blow, the murderer's spirit slips back into the wall, out of sight.
Just after the Lopper's axe tears Drosil's flesh, Tibideau finishes his chant and Janos instantly grows much larger. Tibideau whistles appreciatively. "Never gotten to try that one before!" His attention switches to Drosil, who looks a little green around the gills. "Sorry, I'll deal with that little problem shortly!" he assures the fetchling. He moves up behind Janos's newly large form and crosses his arms snootily.
Janos suddenly finds the corridor shrinking on him. He glances back for help, but sees that the others are smaller too. It's not the corridor shrinking, but him growing! "LeClerc, you need to tell me when you do things like that!"
Tibideau realizes his faux pas almost immediately. "Yes, I'll warn you and all that next time!" He shrugs. "But a good shock builds character!"
"Come on Lopper! You want your axe back? It's right here!" Janos says, preparing to strike out at the ghost wherever he appears.
Seeing the spirit disappear into the wall, Anton's disgust builds. "Come now, Lopper. You spent your life hiding in the most unlikely of places, waiting to spring out on your unsuspecting victims. I can see that's what you're doing now. Watching us from afar. Hidden. Laughing to yourself." He slips a ghost touch arrow onto his string. "You're victims would cower in terror before you finished your heinous act. You think us weak and helpless as your victims? "
Still channeling the power of her song, B'Yelka's lyrics take a subtle turn, asking a hidden question of her old tutor. She stays in the mouth of the hallway, keeping her distance from The Lopper. Her hand moves to her belt and draws the Siphon.
"Even if you did, I doubt one could overcome it and we'll still be stuck if we can't lure it out of this impossibly tight hall." Dantrian keeps his reply to B'yelka in the common tongue, so the others might grasp his intent. He then slides past Anton and out in to the more open room around the oubilette.
Drosil felt the ghostly blade enter his flesh, not exactly cutting, but draining his energy. He feels his energy ebb, and looks down to see blood flowing from the wound. He attempts to stem the flow of blood, but is unsuccessful. As the torrent of red drips from his torso, it dissolves into grey smoke which flows into the cracks between stones in the wall disappearing from view.
-------------------------------
The group waits tensely for a moment, B'Yelka's clarion voice the only sound in the dungeon. The axe emerges from the floor at Dantrian's feet in a rush of grey smoke. The blade goes right through Dantrian's leg just below the knee. A real axe would have sliced the leg clean off. This one just leaves him shivering with cold, as the skin of his leg splits open in a ring where the axe passed through and begins gushing blood. The crimson torent resolves itself into hundreds of thousands of little squiggly letters. DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeus
As Dantrian's vision is filled with his own life spilling out onto the dungeon floor calling his name over and over, an exlposion of black glitter slams into the leering ghost halfway out of the dirty stonework floor. Tibideau's hiss follows as the curse clings to the spirit. Anton's shimmering arrow slams into the side of the Lopper's grinning face a milisecond later, somehow sticking into the spirit. The Lopper's head cracks to the side from the force of the impact, and then he rolls his neck in a circular motion accompanied by a loud cracking, before it rotates 180 degrees like an owl to stare at Anton. The undead fiend's beady white eyes expand rapidly, his face warping into a hideous nosferatu as he shrieks at the paladin.
___________________________________
"Out of the way!" Janos roars, his bigger lungs bellowing sound throughout the corridor. He waits for Anton and Drosil to clear the path and tries to slam the Lopper's Axe down on the spirit.
I see you now, you son of a b*tch..
Anton can barely see anything of the Lopper. He hides in the ground like a coward but for just a second his nightmarish visage looks in Anton's direction and it is the only chance he needs to put an arrow in his eye.
"Even in death you're a fool." Dantrian's words are cold and quiet as he pops the cork on the flask of holy water and dumps its contents atop the Lopper's ghostly head. He draws a second flask after dropping the empty one to clatter across the floor.
HP: 17/24
AC: 17 (11 T / 16 FF)
CMD: 18
F/R/W: +4/+4/+1
Hero Points used: 1/3
Prepared Mutagen: Strength (darkvision) [X]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (3+1): cure light wounds [X] [ ], shield [ ], open [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
mutagen: 3/10 rounds, 7/30 minutes
B'yelka moves up near Drosil and draws a scroll, she reads from it, in time with her song and heals Fetchling's grievous wound. "Tibideau, we may need that healing wand!"
When the foul undead proves too weak to avoid his curse, Tibideau laughs so hard he almost falls over. "Sloppy subterranean sneak!"
Tibideau nods at the diva's suggestion. "I couldn't agree more!" he replies as he swiftly snatches the wand from his bag.
"Drosil, move next to me!"
AC 18
HP 20/20
Buffs:
Mage Armor
His wound no longer hemorrhaging, Drosil nods his thanks quickly to B'yelka and rushes into the next room to help bring down the spirit. He launches himself toward the spirit and drives the arrow into .
The group waits tensely for a moment, B'Yelka's clarion voice the only sound in the dungeon. The axe emerges from the floor at Dantrian's feet in a rush of grey smoke. The blade goes right through Dantrian's leg just below the knee. A real axe would have sliced the leg clean off. This one just leaves him shivering with cold, as the skin of his leg splits open in a ring where the axe passed through and begins gushing blood. The crimson torent resolves itself into hundreds of thousands of little squiggly letters. DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeusDantrianAlmaeus DantrianAlmaeus
As Dantrian's vision is filled with his own life spilling out onto the dungeon floor calling his name over and over, an exlposion of black glitter slams into the leering ghost halfway out of the dirty stonework floor. Tibideau's hiss follows as the curse clings to the spirit. Anton's shimmering arrow slams into the side of the Lopper's grinning face a milisecond later, somehow sticking into the spirit. The Lopper's head cracks to the side from the force of the impact, and then he rolls his neck in a circular motion accompanied by a loud cracking, before it rotates 180 degrees like an owl to stare at Anton. The undead fiend's beady white eyes expand rapidly, his face warping into a hideous nosferatu as he shrieks at the paladin.
Janos roars, his bigger lungs bellowing sound throughout the corridor.
"I see you now, you son of a b*tch.." Anton can barely see anything of the Lopper. The apparition hides in the ground like a coward, but for just a second his nightmarish visage looks in Anton's direction and it is the only chance the paladin needs to put an arrow in his eye. The Lopper shrieks again as the second shaft sprouts from his skull. Anton quickly pops around the corner, leaving space for Janos.
Janos waits for Anton to clear the path and then rushes forward and tries to slam the Lopper's Axe down on the spirit. His blade meets only the stone of the floor producing a loud *CLANG*.
"Even in death you're a fool." Dantrian's words are cold and quiet as he pops the cork on the flask of holy water and tries to dump its contents atop the Lopper's ghostly head. The wraith sees it coming, and quickly ducks into the floor. The holy water splashes away harmlessly on the stone. Dantrian draws a second flask after dropping the empty one to clatter across the floor. He watches as the blood rapidly pumping out of his leg first turns into his name, and then into grey smoke, rushing back to the Lopper and filling in some of his wounds.
B'yelka moves up near Drosil and draws a scroll. She reads from it in time with her song and heals the Fetchling's grievous wound. "Tibideau, we may need that healing wand!"
When the foul undead proves too weak to avoid his curse, Tibideau laughs so hard he almost falls over. "Sloppy subterranean sneak!" Tibideau nods at the diva's suggestion. "I couldn't agree more!" he replies as he swiftly snatches the wand from his bag. "Drosil, move next to me!"
His wound no longer hemorrhaging, Drosil nods his thanks quickly to B'yelka and rushes into the next room to help bring down the spirit. The Lopper's axe lashes out at him as he squeezes past Janos, but it misses him thanks to the black glittery curse nudging the blow aside. He launches himself toward the spirit and drives the arrow into the top of the Lopper's head.
--------------------------------
The Lopper swings his big axe out of the floor in a one handed arc at Janos, but again, Tibideau's curse nudges it aside at the last second saving Janos a painful blow. The wraith disappears into the floor, once again out of sight.
___________________________________
Miss
Miss
Anton takes the opportunity to quickly search through his quiver. He locates one of the undead bane arrows and nocks it, ready to fire again.
He's still here... Come on, come on, come on. he whispers.
Janos moves into the smaller room where his added reach may be more beneficial.
B'yelka stops singing and moves past Janos into the center of the room, near Dantrian. She is watching the floor arond her intently, and ready to jump away from the Lopper's possible attack.
Dantrian's eyes narrow in understanding as he watches his blood reinvigorate the Lopper's ghostly form. "Ahhh. A parasitic spectre, are you? Clever."
Realizing their foe is feeding off his otherwise trivial wound, Dantrian draws an extract and drinks it.
HP: 21/24
AC: 17 (11 T / 16 FF)
CMD: 18
F/R/W: +4/+4/+1
Hero Points used: 1/3
Prepared Mutagen: Strength (darkvision) [X]
Prepared 1st Level Extracts (3+1): cure light wounds [X] [X], shield [ ], open [ ]
-Ongoing Effects-
mutagen: 4/10 rounds, 7/30 minutes