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What has gone before:
The group of adventurers was resting in a local watering hole after a successful adventure when the owner of the tavern, a woman by the name of Lila, informed them that someone named Athena of the North, a relatively well-known wizard, requested their presence, likely for help with some sort of quest. Agreeing to meet her, they travelled past farmlands and through hills before arriving at her tower, where they were greeted by a talking dog.
The dog, whose name was Thor, chatted with the group while waiting for his mistress to arrive. When she finally did arrive, Thor reminded her that she had summoned them to play the pronoun game discuss the Mountain, or Dragon Mountain as it is known by the local inhabitants, which is a mountain that would reappear for a year or two before disappearing for decades. It was called Dragon Mountain because a majority, yet not all, of the stories about the mountain make mention of a dragon, although even in the stories that do mention the dragon vary as to it's specifics.
After discussing the situation and agreeing to the mission, Athena provided the group with some journals and maps, as well as a teleportation spell to get them to the small village of Harker's Ferry. She also made mention that there would likely be other groups looking for the mountain for their own purposes, and that they would likely not be interested in cooperation. The group was lent a portable hole to carry the basic supplies that they were given, then they rested for the evening.
The next morning after a quick breakfast, the group was sent through a teleportation circle to Harker's Ferry, where they stopped at an inn and learned the history of the city from a storyteller named Fredric. They also heard his story of the mountain:
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Before the beginning of history, in a place far from here, it was born.
A place of mystery, enchantment, and danger.
A mighty dragon, his name so powerful it cannot be spoken aloud,
had a lair on the top of a mountain. This lair was fill with gold,
jewels, diamonds, and more. He kept this lair for an age, untouched
and unmolested by any mere mortal.
One day, a powerful skeletal Lich Lord came to the mountain.
On its peak the battle was lain.
In the end, both lay dead, And the treasure unclaimed.
Finding the mountain is nigh unto impossible,
as it moves in out of our plane,
staying for only a short time.
The cycle is repeated every twenty years,
with the mountain appearing in a different place each time.
The location of the mountain could be discerned from certain artifacts,
but the location and identity of these items is lost to the ages
________________________________________________________________________
As the storyteller left, a man named Arik informed the group that a friend of his had actually been to the mountain and returned on it's last trip to Golarion. Arik recommended that the group find his friend, a man named Lothar the Shiv, to learn what they could about it. Resting again, the mayor approached the group in the morning about hiring horses, and after some haggling, they managed to rent a wagon and the horses to pull it.
During their travels, they battled bandits and discovered from the survivors that the leader of the bandits, the same Arik who had spoken to them the night before! had been the one to set the bandits on the group. There was a tense and extensive discussion about what to do with the survivors, before intimidation and fear won out and the survivors were allowed to leave.
Following the trail of Arik, the group arrived in Twin forks. After some divination magic and an failed attempt at teleportation, the group realized that they had gotten closer to their goal.
Deciding to pursue the lead that Arik had given the group, a man named Lothar the Shiv, they discovered that he resided in town. As they were asking around, they met another wandering adventurer, a Tiefling battlemage named Zoren. After a few tense moments of discussion, the group decided that having another competent adventurer at their back was the right decision, and so they allowed him to join their question for the Mountain.
Continuing on, the group eventually arrived at Lothar's house, where they made egress into the building. They were then accosted by a group of men who claimed to work for Lothar and who were clearly also spoiling for a fight.
And here is where our story picks up...
Zoren places a hand on his hilt and readies a spell on his lips, if this group wanted a fight, the Magus was ready to bring it to them.
Amelia slips off her hat of disguise, reverting to her invisible form. She then soars through the doorway and over the heads of the mob, ending about 15 feet in the air. "I'm ready for damage control," she whispers through the group's message, with a slight tone of exasperated amusement.
J'Victus moves off to the side as the paladin makes his speech, his weapon comes out with ease. Well that is one way to defuse a situation... His eyes roam over the crowd looking for any clue as to what this group is capable of.
With Ahadiel distracting the mob, Mihail use this opening to cast vanish on himself, cloaking himself from Lothar's men and slips out of the side window (if he had one) or doorway (if not) to distant himself from them but close and safe enough to assess their numbers and have Amelia within his sight.
"If you fight a sorceress, your bound to get burned...."
The seconds stretch on as the two groups face off... until Amelia breaks the tense silence, calling down from above. "C'mon guys, we're all just being a little dramatic. We can talk about this, right?"
"I don' know why you're after da boss, and I don' care. Da boss don' like you. He said we should take care of you. But me, I'm a nice guy. I'll make you an offer. You can drop all of dose fancy weapons, strip outta dat nice armor, and walk away from dis. Or me and da boys will chop you inta stew meat. Whatcha say?" The leader, a man you learn is named Artur by the shouts of "You tell em Artur!" from the crowd of men behind him, waits for your response.
Like all of the men in the crowd, Artur is wearing armor, and he himself carries an obviously magical greatsword.
As J'Victus scans the crowd, he can see that most of them are armed, and that the majority of the 20 person crowd before him are wearing full plate and wearing shields and carrying drawn swords. Artur is also wearing fullplate, but he carries a greatsword instead of a sword and shield.
There is also a Half-Elven person among them wearing robes with a spell component pouch. She has a wand drawn.
"Okay, yeah, if we get started with the burning and the slashing and such I don't think any of this is bound to end well," Amelia calls down. "For any of us, I mean." She pauses. "But mostly for you guys. Sure you don't want to take the easy way out?"
Etna standing in the front with Ahadiel
"Oh I bet you boys would enjoy it if I go out of my armour,
as it is written on a number of your men's faces.
And me removing my armour is not happening."
Enta then in a diplomatic voice adds
"And so you know your about as threatening to us as the last bunch of bandits we turned to ash, and had their leader crying like a baby."
and continues with a bit of intimidation
"So I recommend you take our offer to go home before you regret it."
J'Victus looks over at his companions or at least the ones that did not step out in the front lines. He give them a knowing look and the shifts his eyes to the half elf with the wand.
The may have some fire power back there. Take the one out first.
He looks back at the crowd and then at the person doing all the talk...
All right, You bore me. Who want to die first.
Zoren is stoic, hand still on the hilt of his undrawn blade.
He'll kill when the time is right, not before. He'll not be the one to slay men unless they force him to.
"Seriously stand down. Losing your lives for money isn't worth it." Fuego urges them.
"No, I don' tink you understand. I'm holdin' all da cards in dis hand. You can spew all da nice werds you want, but I ain't gunna change my mind. Da boss wants you stopped. He don' care how. Neither do I. So either hand over all of dose shiny tings, all of your money, and anytin' else of value, or we'll kill you. Pure and simple. So what's it gunna be?"
As he speaks, he activates his blade, which begins flaming.
Etna laughs at his flaming sword
"Oh You call that a flame to be scared of, I can show you real flames.
Or are you flaming mad we don't cave in."
Cards...you want to play cards..ok
Since the human pulled out his sword and ignited it, J'victus pulls out his own weapon.
You can see that we are not impressed and are waiting on you to do the bidding of your cowardly "boss". I call your bet.
Watching for the mans reaction and not seeing it come fast enough.
Well...We are waiting.
"Oh Please, light the kindling to your own cremation.
It'll just mean more stuff for us and some pocket change being added."
Amelia watches from above as her companions draw their weapons and trade threats. Shrugging, she pulls a small handful of pistachios from her pouch. Then she whispers down to the party through the active message spell, "So... are we fighting now, or what?"
Chuckling, Artur says "Kill em all boys!"
As tensions begin to break towards actual combat, the female mage amongst the enemies casts a spell.
As the mage begins to cast, the rest of the battlefield fades into a blur in Amy's vision, her focus narrowing as she tracks her enemy's motions with an expert eye.
There. Even as the words of the spell leave the mage's lips, Amelia has begun to swoop down over the heads of her allies, drawing a sprinkle of licorice root from her pouch as she responds with a spell of her own. "Festina," she mutters, before rising back into the sky.
Etna, if needed moves, to line up a good number of the thugs and casts Lightning Bolt
I call dibs on the mage. Try to avoid me with your spell but if you can not..oh well. I am going dark. Be ready
J'victus disappears in a globe of darkness that moves across the area towards the mage. He makes sure to avoid those that seem to be able to pierce his darkness spell.
Zoren is slowed down and then sped up again in in instant, he feels a bit odd but shrugs it off, Ah magic...
He leaves his hand on his hilt and with his free hand casts a spell, a small ball of fire appears at his fingertips and races into the midst of the foes. Once it reaches the center, away from where it could effect his allies, Zoren sees the small seed flower into a huge fiery explosion.
"Boom".
Fireball - -
In his mind the Tiefling hears his blade whisper, "Draw me. Plunge me into your enemies, let us taste their blood together..."
The Magus sets his jaw in defiance at the blade goading him onto such a fight to satisfy it's own lust for death regardless of the consequences for Zoren. Hopefully, the enemy warriors will believe that defiant look is meant for them and not the very blade that rests upon his hip.
Still unseen, Mihail sneaks near the mage, ready to bombard her with a thunder call if she ever tries another spell.
(Fort DC 22 or stunned for 1 round).
As the enemy mage casts her spell, Amelia then goes and casts one of her own
Zoren then throws a fireball into the group of enemy combatants.
fail
save
fail
fail
fail
fail
fail
save
save
save
save
fail
fail
Over half of the enemy combatants fail their saves and take full damage. The female mage appears to be unaffected after saving.
Etna moves and lines up 6 of the enemies who took damage from the fireball and then unleashes lightning on them.
save
save
fail
fail
fail
fail
Ahadiel then engages Artur in a battle of blades, striking him once critically.
Though injured, Artur's boys are determined to see your group fall. They swarm around the people who aren't flying, with only one moving into a flank with Artur and the rest moving around J'Victus, Zoren, and Etna, with J'Victus and Etna each getting 6, and Zoren getting 7. Though wearing full plate, they move as quickly as if they were wearing no armor at all. Even so, only half of each group may attack their intended target, as the others had to move into range.
The boys land a single hit on J'Victus for minor damage, a pair of hits on Zoren for more damage, then all three of the attacking enemies on Etna manage to hit, including one who critically hits, for a massive amount of damage. the boy flanking Ahadiel also manages to land a critical hit on him, for fairly massive damage as well.
Artur then attacks Ahadiel, hoping to end the fight before it truly begins.
Neither blow connects, however.
J'Victus then attempts to cast his darkness spell defensively.
Successfully casting the darkness spell, the world goes black and white around him.
The female mage, on her action, Casts a spell:
This causes Mikhail to become visible as he harms her with sound.
and J'Victus' darkness disappears.
Amy snaps her fingers, and Zoren and J'Victus are filled with a sudden surge of confidence. She then rises through the air, ending about 30 feet above Artur.
Fuego tosses a fireball in round 1.
(1, 1, 4, 5, 3, 5, 5, 3, 2, 6) = 35
(5+5+5+4)(1)+(3+3-6)(1)(2) = 19
I think Fuego already did roll the damage.
Mihail sings in a cringe-worthy tone. His cacophonous evocation attracts little clouds together to form a big cloud above the mage. When it is fully formed, it sends a flash of light down at the magic user that culminates in a deafening boom.
(Fort DC 22 or stunned for 1 round).
Mihail mutters under his breath and his form disintegrates from the backdrop. Unseen due to the vanish spell he casted on himself, he sneaks behind the face of the building to hide.