Now that she has the chance to tend to her own injuries, Ansha produces a wand of infernal healing and applies it to herself. Slowly, her wounds close themselves, the acid burns diminishing quickly.
Not sure how many rounds we have until the next encounter, which will determine how much she is healed from it. Also, I really need to pick up UMD so I can at least try to use this CLW wand in Ansha's inventory.
As the Pathfinders recover, they are approached by Lady Gloriana Morilla.
"What a disaster," she says with a crestfallen look on her face. "It is good that you arrived when you did--without your assistance this really could have turned into a massacre. As it is..." she looks around herself. "This is something short of utter disaster, I suppose. Thank you."
"Don't let me stop you from recovering," she says. "I can fill you in on the events before your arrival while you do so, and I expect that there will be more fighting before this day is done."
"It started when Grand Prince Stavian publicly executed Kalbio, the man who was to be exalted to nobility today. I...had hoped that the Society might be able to work with that him in his new station. In any event, the Grand Prince then ordered the death of all those in attendance and the Senate was attacked by the Ulfen Guard, Stavian loyalists and other foreign forces."
"As the melee got started, a Lion Blade leaped up to the presentation platform and stabbed the Grand Prince through the heart. Contingency magic teleported the Grand Prince away, but it was clear to everyone that the wound was fatal. Civil war is imminent, and today's madness will be but a taste of the bloodshed in store for Taldor," she pauses for a moment to let her words sink in.
"Taldor's best hope lies in Princess Eutropia now. Sadly, the Grand Prince named High Strategos Maxillar Pythareus as his successor before the ceremony started and the succession is sure to be contested now."
Gloriana pauses for a moment while a senatorial aide rushes up to her and gives her a message.
"I need to do what I can to contain this catastrophe. Your battlefield is here," she says. "Earl Calhadion Vernisant is rallying the Stavian loyalists in the Arcade of Triumphs. Until this resistance is ended, the massacre won't be over and fighting is likely to spill out into the streets." Gloriana regards the Pathfinders with deadly intent in her eyes.
For recovery: the scenario presumes you can recover your hit points and such before the next battle, but at the same time people are still being killed. Do your recovery swiftly, but you aren't limited to a small number of rounds.
Prepared with their orders from Lady Gloriana Morilla, the Pathfinders hurry to the Arcade of Triumphs, where they come upon signs of renewed slaughter. Earl Calhadion Vernisant, riding atop a large lion, slices down with his sword as he cuts a fleeing noblewoman in half. Accompanying him are a pair of incorporeal undead creatures who are babbling incoherently as they drain the life out of their victims.
The earl spots the Pathfinders as they rush in and raises his sword in a salute. "I thought I smelled a whiff of treason still in the air," he says as he regards you. "This is for Taldor! This is for Justice! Honored ancestors, follow me into battle!"
The creatures following Calhadion are allips, undead creatures formed from the souls of those who succumbed to madness before their death. The babbling of an allip affects those who approach within a large radius of them and is known fascinate those affected.
Religion 18:
These allips appear to be a more powerful variety of the creature than is common. Calhadion Vernisant appears to view them as his followers, though the nature of allips makes this unlikely. The touch of an allip can drive those it attacks to insanity (Wisdom damage, including Wisdom drain on a critical hit).
Four minutes have passed since the last set of combats started, so minute/level spells are probably still active, unless perhaps if they came from a scroll or potion. Round/level spells will have expired by now.
If anyone has played 9-08 Birthright Betrayed with this character, I need to know it. Also (for the purpose of keeping the game moving) make a Will save if you get within 60' of the undead creatures - one for each.
Party turn! (Barely! The party got like 15.83 initiative and the monsters got 15.6 or so.)
"There's no honor in slaughtering civilians! No honor in killing those who are unarmed and unarmored! Your actions serve madness, not honor. And your madness will die with you. To arms, Pathfinders! For Taldor, for GLORY!"
Hiram casts haste and moves 60' closer to the enemy!
"You there!" Calhadion addresses Hiram over the sound of the allip babble and the pair of bardic performances. "I shall put an end to your traitorous, misguided ways. For Taldor and the Lion!"Calhadion challenges Hiram and charges him with Ride-By Attack, so no opportunity attack...but he misses.
The allips similarly charge Hiram, but fail to make contact with the agile bard.
Wow, my dice were so bad this turn...Party turn! Round 2 begins.
Male Human Bard (Arcane Duelist) 10 | Bardic Music: 11/25 | HP: 67/76 AC: 32 CMD: 28 CMB + 8 | F: 9 R: 13 W 10 ( 12 vs Charm and compulsion) | Perception: -1 Sense Motive: -1 | Init +8
Archibald continues to provide distraction from the Allips with his patriotic tunes.
This time he tries to be straightforward - he proceeds towards the count while trying to dance his way past the count and lions reaches as he dances with his blade, acting like he is aiming a deadly blow.
He then shifts tactics last moment and tries desperately to disarm the count of his deadly sword This will provoke
Disarm:1d20 + 16 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 16 + 2 + 1 = 33
Glorymane then gets in on the action and roars to life trying to bite the lion!
Reaching into her beltpouch, Ansha speaks an arcane command word. Using her pearl of power I to regain magic missile. She then takes a step back into the doorway.
Gaius's Blindness spell settles in on Calhadion, robbing the man of his sight. Archibald's deft maneuver robs the earl of his sword as well, though Glorymane's bites fail to find purchase.
Archibald, I moved your mini. Especially if you are describing your character maneuvering around, you'll need to do that yourself.
Tytus advances on the exposed earl and strikes at him with his weapon, though it fails to get past the earl's fine armor, as does Obsidean's blast spell.
"Saluxer, I can't see! And my sword!" Calhadion Vernisant cries as he is deprived of his precious weapon as well as his sight. "You will have to defeat these traitors. Ownward to Glory!" Spurred on by its master, the lion attempts to savage Archibald. While its claws rake along the surface of Glorymane, Archibald only narrowly misses having his throat torn out by the savage lion. Archibald only avoids a critical hit due to the Haste bonus, but the lion's grab attempt on him fails. He takes 9 damage.
The allips scream incoherently at Hiram as they attempt to drain the bard of his sanity, moving about to flank him as they do so. A combination of dodges and force shields prevents them from touching him however.
Gaius, your character sheet still isn't where it needs to be. I had to spend time figuring out where you got Ill Omen from. It doesn't specify what revelation your Oracle is at all, and now that you have put in class features, I still don't see Misfortune listed. Get it together.
Tytus strikes Calhadion twice, as the earl is blind and unable to defend himself. Obsidean also lands a blow against Saluxer as Gaius's spell settles in on the lion, granting it misfortune. Archibald attacks Calhadion with a flurry of strikes, but the earl's armor is impressive and only one blow lands.
Hiram expertly stabs at the allip next to him, though due to its incorporeal nature he is unable to land a critical blow. Unless you have Ghost Touch and I didn't notice.
Earl Calhadion encourages his animal companion from above despite the hits he has taken while Saluxer is unfortunately unable to land a strike on Archibald.
Meanwhile Hiram finally takes a blow from one of the allips as their ghostly touches slip past his guard.
Hiram Will Save DC 19:
Hiram takes 1 wisdom damage on a failed save and none on a successful save.
Hiram strikes the Man Allip three times, but his blows are stunted due to the creature's incorporeality, and it continues its maddened assault.
Tytus strikes Calhadion once and Archibald's rapier sneaks past the earl's fine armor twice. As the final blow lands, Calhadion ceases encouraging Saluxer and slips from his saddle, bleeding profusely.
Glorymane also bites into the lion with a final roar, striking it once.
Standing over its fallen master, Saluxer roars and attempts to savage Archibald, but its ill fortune and Archibald's deft footwork prevent it from gaining purchase.
The allips attack Hiram again and this time the Man Allip touches him.
Hiram Will Save DC 19:
Hiram takes 4 Wisdom damage if he fails his save and none if he succeeds.
Man Allip and Saluxer are bloodied. Party turn! Round 4 begins!
HP 73/73; Init +6, Perc +11; AC 30, T 18, FF 22, CMD 23; F+6, R+15, W+8,
Hiram Will:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 Hiram's eyes start to go slightly crossed as the creature hits him!
As a move action he begins to speak on the nature of true patriotism and the effort to Make Taldor Great Again. Bladethirst to add Ghost Touch to my rapier!
Archibald connects twice with his rapier against the formidible lion, though it continues to roar in defiance. I realize that the lion has damage reduction that none of you are bypassing. The result is that all of your attacks thus far have been blunted somewhat. It wasn't actually bloodied last turn, but it is bloodied now.
Knowledge (Planes) DC 15:
Saluxer is a Resolute creature.
Hiram's attack effectively stabs into Man Allip, dealing a terrible blow to the creature, though it manages to maintain its unearthly existence.
Obsidean and Tytus land heavy blows against Woman Allip, but its incorporeal nature stems the tide of their destructive attacks. Saluxer hits Obsidean with a claw for the opportunity attack, dealing 14 damage before DR.
Meanwhile, Ansha's Acid Splash strikes Saluxer and sizzles slightly, not seeming to hurt the creature at all. Whether it hit or not would depend on cover, which I'm not taking time to really figure out right now. More importantly, the lion has acid resistance. If Ansha makes the knowledge check above and wants to re-take her last turn, she can go ahead.
Saluxer attempts to savage Archibald once more and catches the Taldan bard within its massive jaws, biting down and holding him fast. Archibald takes 13 damage from the bite and is grappled.
The allips attack Hiram again and the Woman Allip manages to touch him. Remember to apply your Wisdom damage before this save.
Hiram Will Save DC 19:
Hiram takes 3 Wisdom damage on a failure and none on a success.
Saluxer is bloodied properly now. Man Allip is bloodied and Woman Allip is not. Party turn! Round 5 begins!
