DM Salsa Presents: The Curse of the Crimson Throne (Inactive)

Game Master AdamWarnock

Zev steps into the gap left by Paulus, and with a furious bellow yells, "Move up, or outta the way, let me get at them!" Roaring he taps into the inner orc that has shown itself with his mutagenic change. Then he swings with all his might at the one he can reach. His increased might was much more than he had ever borne, and his greataxe flew with an intensity he was not even aware he had.

Free 5'
Free, Rage +4 Str/Con, +2 Will, -2 AC
Enlarge: +2 Str, -2 Dex, -1 atk/AC
Mutagen: +4 Str, -2 Int, +2 Natural armor
Total: Str 27 (+8), Dex 10, Con 19 (HP 32/33) Int 13, AC: 12/7/11
- Attack +7+1, damage 3d6+12+1

Standard, attack Red 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (20) + 7 + 1 = 28
Confirm 1d20 + 7 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 7 + 1 = 26
Damage 9d6 + 36 + 3 ⇒ (2, 6, 4, 3, 4, 4, 6, 4, 4) + 36 + 3 = 76

Nic yanks her rapier back out of the last poor sod to come at her, kicking the body aside and flicking the blood off her blade as she turns to face another. Her body has settled into the rhythm of battle, of stabbing, thrusting, spinning and parrying, the flush of exertion rising in her cheeks, her chest rising and falling with her movements. She lunges for her next foe, only to end up slipping in what may have once been a liver as Zev cleaves effortlessly through one of the men.

Attack (inspire courage): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9 On whoever I can reach, 5-foot stepping if needed.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9

As much into the actions and heroism of others as he was, he really didn't seem to be doing much on his own. But Zev's strike and others as well were able to match up with rhythmic beats of the poetry without much effort as he continued his quotation. As some of the enemy fled, he added mirth instead of fierceness, and as the face of Zev's combatant flew out the door, the last two lines of poetry had a ironic and sarcastic bent.

"O go you onward; where you are
Shall honour and laughter be,
Past purpled forest and pearled foam,
Gods winged pavilion free to roam,
Your face, that is a wandering home,
A flying home for me. "

@Zev: Awesomely brutal.

As she takes a deep wound from her opponent, Mercy's look hardens;

"I will bring you the gift of peace... Alas not the one you wake from to reflect on a life best changed, nay your intent will be met in kind cur!"

Inspired by her fellow half-orcs stunning display of martial prowess, the holy warrior of Sarenrae brings the hard edge of her scimitar to bear:

Buffs: Inspire Courage - +1 to Attack & Damage

Melee: Silvered Scimitar: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 4 + 1 = 23

Critical Threat?: 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 4 + 1 = 19

Silvered Scimitar Damage: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 + 1 = 3
Silvered Scimitar Crit Damage?: 1d6 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 + 1 = 7

Now that he is stabbing through Elise, things get a little awkward for Rhasuel. He is patient and waits for an opening.

attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 1 = 19
damage: 1d8 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 1 = 10

Elise Delays.

Seeing how their fellows are being cut down, the others begin to flee. One of the thugs groans pitifully at Mercy's feet.

Out of Combat, and into the fire.
>:D

Mercy will stand over the downed thug, partially to protect him from further harm, partially to keep his actions in check should he rouse.

"This one is our prisoner... He may provide us with information, but I pray his words will come not from threats but from the need to unburden... to redeem..."

Paulus nods his agreement with his sword-sister's words, placing a hand on her side and expending the last of his spells for the day.

CLW: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

"If you insist," Nic mutters, rolling her eyes. She wipes her rapier clean on her cloak with a sigh. "And I was just getting into the swing of that, too..."

They crusaders leaving so quickly, left a bad taste in Cal's mind. He'd had more poetry to recite, but the battle was over so quickly. He put away his sword and checked his violin case for scratches before addressing the group.

"If they're running, We should get moving now. They'll be back with reinforcements. Let's get moving. Zev, if you can get the page, we'll head for the bridges. We probably won't make it without some fighting, but we need to get the injured to safety."

Paulus nods in agreement with Cal's words, patting Mercy on the shoulder before moving over to Zev. He would be somewhat vulnerable, carrying the child, and the priest would make sure he made it through, if it came down to it.

Rhasuel sighs in relief as the force flees. Let's hope they learned their lesson. We should move before they have time to recoup.

Annabelle strings another arrow up, but is relieved that the 'crusaders' finally saw some sense. While they had time, she looked for the arrow she missed with.

Percentile to fine arrow - 50% 1d100 ⇒ 30
Don't know if you wish to go high or low with the percentiles, or wish me to declare it before rolling, Salsa?

Just declare it when you roll. It'll be more consistent that way.

Mercy keeps a booted foot on her downed foe;

"Does this one come or do we leave him? He may offer insight into who we face and their strengths and weaknesses..."

Nic shrugs, pushing her hair back over her shoulders and giving it a shake. "Might as well bring him, Sister, if you're willing to carry him. Maybe rough him up a bit if he doesn't talk." She falls in next to Zev again, as per the previous marching order. As an afterthought, she pulls off her cloak and drapes it over the girl in the half-orc's arms, tucking it in around her. May as well keep her warm. Thing needed cleaning anyway, she reasons, deliberately not looking at anyone.

"Well, let's get out of here. Like Strings and Whiskers said, they're likely to bring more. I could probably take a few, but I'd rather not get stabbed again if I can avoid it."

Zev roars angrily at the one that stayed behind, as the rest of the enemy runs away. He's furious that he didn't get to lay waste to more of them, but lets his fury abate. He just has to wait for the effects of his mutagen and extract to wear off. Having expressed his anger at the fight ending so soon after it started, he collects the young woman as requested and prepares to make a hasty return to the citadel.

Mercy nods, then looks to Paulus - perhaps the only other member of their company who would likely assist her with this prisoner;

"May I petition your strength Brother? Both of us will make lighter work of this burden..."

The holy warrior slips an arm around the felled and groggy Crusader and lifts him to his feet.

"Walk with us and live... Become a burden and my friends will cut you loose of this mortal coil.."

"Surely, Sister." Paulus comes over to Mercy and the Crusader, grasping his other arm to help tug him to his feet.

In a gentle, almost kindly voice he adds, "Perhaps you were just swayed by the wrong crowd in this chaotic time. Cooperate and redeem yourself." He gives the man a small push to get him moving.

The man does as he's told, but says nothing.

As you leave, you hear bells, cheap ones of iron, and many, many shouts. It seems that the Crusaders have noticed intruders into their turf, the lone prisoner smirks, but still keeps his mouth shut.

"Well, this is going to be... interesting," Tallienda says with a forced smile, "I think now would be a good time to run for it!"

We're going with a modified version of the chase rules. You'll have a series of obstacles to get past, and a pool of chase points. The rules are as follows:

How long is the chase time-wise? My Mutagen lasts 10 minutes.

Being responsible for carrying the page, Zev's options are fairly limited. As they near the cart, he leans down and puts his shoulder against the thing and pushes.

Cart Obstacle Str check 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12
Rhasuel is right behind and his the cart mere fractions of a second behind the huge Xev. His impact overcomes the cats need to stay put and the two force it aside without much trouble.
Assist success. Obstacle passed.

For the sake of keeping everything easy, it ends when the mutagen runs out.
So, so you want to go for the second one?

Reflex Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Calcedon notes the danger of the slashing hooves of the horse and runs up to it, trying to set it free from the post. Narrowly dodging a kick, he manages to untie the reins and the cart horse skitters off down an alleyway.

Obstacles both passed. Chase Points increase by 1 to 4 total

"Hell's bells", Annabelle blurts out as she half-stumbles forward. She regains her gait, in time enough to watch the horse bearing down on them.

Reflex 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17
Strength 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

Chase Points: 4

The small, ragtag bunch manages to bull through the cart's contents and skirt the horse's bucking and rearing.

As the group rounds a corner, a rope snaps taunt at about ankle height. To make matters worse, a lone imp decides to join in and harass anyone and everyone.

And here are your choices.

• Intimidate DC 20 to scare off the imp before he slows you down. (+2 to check if you strongly present a holy symbol of a good deity.)
• Reflex or Acrobatics DC 15 to avoid the rope -OR-
• Hit an AC of 10 with a slashing weapon to cut the rope. -OR-
• Only deal with the imp and find another way around. (Perception DC 18)

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13

Calcedon swings at the rope after quickly pulling his sword. Being in the front of the group, he hoped no one else would be entangled in it. He kept the sword in hand if the imp wanted to get to close, but as of yet it hadn't decided.

Reflex (avoid the rope) 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Annabelle leaps gracefully over the remnants to the rope, hoping that she could avoid the mischievous fiend harrying the party.

Still helping Mercy with the crusader with one arm, the other slashes with his scimitar at the rope in the way, hoping to clear the path so they may continue unimpeded.

Slash: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19

As she hefts the Crusader, Mercy reaches for her angelic symbol of Sarenrae in an attempt to ward off the imps attention;

"Back imp! Lest you seek to return to the hell of your birth!"

Intimidate DC20: 1d20 + 4 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 2 = 10

Intimidate 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (2) + 7 = 9

With his arms full of the young page, Zeverin relies on the others to handle the rope, hoping he wont have to fret over it much. He at least tries to get the imp to leave them alone, but finds himself at a loss for a worthy threat. "Outta my way, you flapping bastard, or I'll... have... to smack you around."

Intim: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
Rhasuel's threats also lack that certain something needed to convince an incarnation of evil to go away.

Giving Nic a little more time to post. I know she's around.

Sorry, I thought we'd already succeeded. >.>

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

Nic's feet tangle in the rope and she tumbles to the ground, her shoulder crunching into the cobblestones.

Well, partially. The rope has been cut, but you still have an imp buzzing around. DC 20 Intimidate to scare off. If anyone else who hasn't rolled for it wants to try, fell free to do so.

Just as a refresher, the rules for this chase are below. We are on round 2 of 15. Nic can attempt to intimidate the Imp to gain another Chase Point. Your current Chase Point total is 4.

• You gain 1 point by overcoming 2 obstacles in a round.
  
• You lose 1 point if you fail to overcome 1 obstacle.
  
• Overcoming 1 obstacle does not cause you to gain or lose any points.
  
• Only 1 character needs to overcome the obstacle for the group to overcome it.
  
• Unless a character states otherwise, I'll assume that everyone's assisting the character with the highest roll.
  
• The Hellknights and the page cannot assist.
  
• If you have less than 0 Chase Points, the Crusaders catch up and the group will need to fight their way out.
  
• If you get 10 Chase Points, the group manages to get ahead of the Crusaders' scouts and out of Old Korvosa.
  
• If you do not get 10 Chase Points after 15 rounds, the group makes it out, but with the Crusaders on their heels.

"Oh, shove off, you little sod! We don't have time for this!" Nic growls, swatting at the imp with the back of her hand.

Intimidate: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Chase Points: 4
Round: 3/15

Paulus and Calcedon slice through the rope with a pair of chops, allowing the group to rush through, but find themselves slowed down by the imp as it pulls and tugs on armor, hair, clothes, and sword belts.

You round another corner, the sound of boots on cobble thundering behind you. Signs, awnings, and various stacks of crates and barrels line this street. And numerous side alleys are choked with even more goods.

Here's your choices for this round.

• Intimidate DC 20 to get the Imp to leave. -OR-
  
• Bluff DC 18 to try and trick the Imp into running into something and fall behind. -OR-
  
• Bluff DC 25 to get the imp to attack the thugs chasing you. (This grants you a Chase Point automatically)
  
• Perception DC 15 to see something you can block the path behind you with. -OR-
  
• Dexterity check DC 12 to weave through the alleyways.

Bluff DC 18: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26
Edit:Oooo... Can I change my choice after the roll? :P

Rhasuel has had quite enough of this tom-foolery and yells, Behind you! A paladin! at just the right time to make the little pest fly head long into a low hanging sign for one of the seedier local taverns.

Perception 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (14) + 5 = 19

Zeverin, still hauling the prone form of the young page, looks about for some way to block the way between them and the thugs. He spots a stack of poorly stacked crates that should do the trick, given a hearty 'bump'.

Dex check to weave through the streets 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

Annabelle tries to dodge down a few alleyways to confuse their pursuers. However, the two she chose ended up just being a switchback to the main road.

"What? A pAladin? Whe--"

CRUNCH

The imp flies headlong into a wooden pillar as he turns to see where Rhasuel's paladin was. Dazed and more than a little upset, he tries to catch up to the group and only succeeds in getting squashed by a bunch of crates Zev had just knocked over. That mess also serve as an effective barricade to the Korvosan Crusaders chasing you.

Chase Points: 5
Round: 4/15

The gap between you and the thugs is widening, but there are still other obstacles for the party to overcome before they reach safety. The recent rains have soaked the cobbles paving the streets, and it seems that a pack of stray dogs are not happy by your intrusion.

You challenges this round.

• Acrobatics DC 15 to avoid losing your footing on a particularly slick patch of cobble.
  
• Handle Animal DC 20 to coax, or intimidate the dogs out of the way.
  

Can I a wild empathy check instead of Handle Animal?

Wild Empathy 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (10) + 2 = 12
Eh, no go. Would've been a 10 with Handle Animal.

In her experience, Annabelle generally has a positive rapport with animals. Distracted by the incoming thugs, she her soothing motions look a bit more frantic than she intends. "Nii-iice pooches.."

Handle Animal: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Calcedon bangs his shield with the pommel of his sword, creating a fair bit of a racket. The dogs with their sensitive ears were startled enough to back off, with a few of them turning tail and running. "We'll get you a nicer dog later, Annabelle!" He laughed, and pressed on through.

Yep, but don't worry, Cal's got you covered.

Poke
Where is everybody?

My girl's birthday party. :)

Will post later today

Happy birthday to her then. :)

acrobatics: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Rhasuel nearly falls on his face after slipping on a wet patch of pavement, but can't tell exactly where it is to warn the others.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

Nicoletta, running full-pelt across the cobblestones, trips over Rhasuel and falls heavily on her side, her feet tangled in the old man's robes.