"Well...this is a STORY right? Then the evil dragon should be sitting on its pile of treasure! In the biggest hall the castle has? Right? I just hope there is no kidnapped damsel hidden away in the tallest tower or whatever. I'm not sure I can take that. Should we prepare to face the dragon now? Cast whatever defensive wards we intended? Or should we wait in case it takes too long to find the dragon? He is kinda' expecting us, isn't he?"
Niklos shrugs. "There's bound to be some minions between us and the big bad, right?"
_HRF.jpg)
"Still, now seems like the time to make sure that everybody is resistent to electricity. Sound good to everybody?"
Assuming everybody agrees (or doesn't disagree) she'll cast lots and lots of resist energy spells (and lament the fact that she doesn't get communal resist :-))
"Resistance would be a great boon! And yes, surely this climactic moment will follow the story pattern..."
Over the noise of the Fortress moving, Niklos overhears a shrill voice yelling orders on the other side of the door. The same door that Algon is proudly marching towards.
Sighing again, Edda comments quietly to the group, pullinging a card just in case.
"For now...let's back the idiot's move here and see where things play out. Be ready to leapfrog him if needed. Just remember we can't let ourselves get bogged down in his kind of stuff and ignore the prize!"
Hrain rolls his shoulders under his armour, pulls his helm down, and draws his terbutje. "Today we play the part of legends!"
Niklos continues to hold back, hoping Algon's entrance will allow him to slink in unnoticed.
"Suddenly everybody wants to be a hero. Boys will be boys :-("
"Yes, lets follow him up. And try and keep him alive. First, its the right thing to do. And, he might be useful"
The doors open dramatically inward as Algon pushes through with his strong arms. On the other side, brilliant banners of a splendid variety of colors flutter in a picturesque courtyard of white flagstones and carefully tended gardens. Four ogres stand in an arrow formation in the middle of the courtyard and on the shoulders of the foremost one stands what looks like a gnome adorned with dozens of trinkets, chains and pendants.
"Foes!" she yells in a shrill voice. "Onwards, you flatulent piles of idiocy! Kill them and you will be spared the whip tonight!"
Whispering a few words of power, Niklos fades away from view.
Addressing the gnome
"Dear, may I suggest that you surrender? Otherwise we'll be forced to, well, probably kill you. It seems such a waste"
She then stares at the gnome, inflicting a -4 on his AC. Will save SC 19 to reduce the duration to 1 round. Plus, of course, cackle.
She then starts to laugh out loud. Its quite disturbing the sound that is coming out of the nice middle aged womans mouth.
"You know who will surrender? YOUR CORPSE! After I kill you! But it won't! Because YOU'LL BE DEAD! Hyahahah!"
The strange gnome kicks her heels in the neck of her mount, and the whole formation rushes forward. As the ogres are moving, the rider grows larger until she's as big as a human.
The furthermost ogre manages to strike a blow against Algon, but the paladin intercepts it with his shield, a deafening clangor resonating through the courtyard. Unfortunately for him, the rider sweeps in from above, bringing a flail against his shoulder.
Uncowed by the dent in his armor, Algon slashes twice at the ogre, inflicting deep gashes. "I shall drag you to the ground and vanquish you, filthy evildoer! No mercy for the wicked!" he roars.
Edda, looking fierce in her Bear-like face and furred features, quickly responds with bear-like claws clutching at the air with spellcasting!
"They're MINE!"
Hrain steps up next to Algon, standing beside the brave knight, and swings at the ogre in front of him.
->
->
Niklos leaps in from the shadows, forgoing his cloak of magical hiddenness in order to sink his rapier into the nearest ogre's thigh. He remains mobile, continually re-positioning himself so that his opponent is forced to rely on its wounded leg if it seeks to strike him in recompense.
Marinda looks disappointed, but not surprised, at the gnome.
"Well dear, lets make sure that you aren't much of a danger"
She then inflicts another evil eye on the gnome, this time giving him a -4 on attack rolls. And continues to cackle
As Algon and Hrain drop the foremost ogre, the rider jumps on the one behind it and spurs it to move forward. As the towering beast passes by Hrain, dodging the tentacles sprouting from the ground, it throws his balance off for a second before the two focus on Marinda.
The mount's swing with a club goes wide, but the gnome's flail reaches the Reader's chest with considerable strength .
The ogre that Niklos hamstrung attempts to retaliate, but his damaged tendon gives way and he's forced to use his arm to steady himself against the ground. Meanwhile, Algon is busy carving the other one with his longsword.
"Leave her foul beast! Do you fear to face our might?!" Hrain shouts at the ogre and the gnome attacking Marinda before swinging at the ogre himself to defend her.
->
->
Gritting her teeth, Edda waves her hand at the gnome-like being!
"Shut-it ogre-lover!"
Components S, M (a bone needle and sinew thread); Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels);Target: one creature; Duration instantaneous; Saving Throw Fort negates; Spell Resistance yes; A rare spell without verbal components, lipstitch sews the target’s lips tightly together if it fails a saving throw, such that no clear speech, bite attacks, spellcasting, or use of command words is possible. The target takes 1d6 points of damage as the stitches weave through flesh. The victim can still make enough noise to be heard at a distance with a DC 10 Perception check. he thread created by lipstitch can be burst with a DC 20 Strength check as a standard action or can be sliced open with a piercing or slashing weapon (wielded by the target or an ally) as a full-round action. Cutting the thread provokes attacks of opportunity, while making a Strength check does not. Either option causes 1d6 points of damage and 1 point of bleed damage. The target has a 20% chance of failing to cast spells with verbal components until the bleeding is stopped. The effects of multiple castings of this spell do not stack. Optionally, the thread can be removed more carefully over the course of a minute with a DC 20 Heal check. If the check fails, the target takes damage and bleeds as described above. If the check succeeds, the stitches are removed with no harm. Creatures with no mouths are unaffected by lipstitch. Creatures with multiple mouths lose the use of only one mouth per casting—the particular mouth is chosen by the caster.
Niklos continues to harass the ogre, trying to keep it in within the radius of Edda's spell. His second stab glances off its hide, nearly wresting the hilt from his hand, but the follow-up is more successful in piercing the debased giant's natural defences.
Marinda takes a step back and casts a larger channel
Excluding the gnome and ogres
"I'll- arhmmmhmm!"
The rider is silenced by Edda's spell, black thread binding her lips. In a blind rage, she attacks Hrain, swinging her flail with surprising strength, enough to overwhelm the paladin's strong defense. The ogre she's riding on reels with the blow, but he still stands.
Of the two ogres in the radius of Edda's spell, one is too busy observing the lethal, blood-gushing gash that Niklos just tore into his femoral artery to resist the tentacles. As his body collapses backwards, black appendages wrap his corpse.
The other has more fight left in him, but as he's forced to kneel, Algon climbs his knee and with a shout pierces the giant's hide with his longsword. As gravity drags him back to the ground, the cut grows larger, and viscera spray the Ever-Seeking. Soaked in blood and gore, laughing in battle-lust, Algon looks more like a nightmare than a paladin.
Niklos dashes towards the remaining ogre, attempting to leap over its opportunistic swings to stab at the distracted rider.
Hrain howls wordlessly as the flail reaps its bloody toll on his proud form, swinging back at the rider with as much force as he can muster.
->
->
->
Drawing a card, Edda powers it up and throws it quickly at the gnome!
Marinda will just throw another channel. A smaller one this time. Excluding the bad guys.
And cackle
Niklos' rapier bites the overly large gnome in a place that the tales would rather not mention, if not to say that it hurt her. A lot.
She pivots on her mount to bring her wrath onto Niklos, but in doing so unbalances the ogre: Algon uses that moment to step back and inflict a grievous wound on the mount, causing it to collapse.
But as the creature falls, the gnome keeps her balance and again her size increases, standing on the ogre's corpse and towering over you. The head of her flail now is as massive as one of you. A muffled screech filters through her sewn lips.
"'Ey, thanks for givin' me a bigger target!" Niklos mocks the gnome.
For all his bravado, the scoundrel's first stab is foiled by him slipping on a puddle of ogre blood. The following attack, however, is a graceful lunge, preceded and precipitated by an improvised pirouette to keep himself from falling over. "Whoops!"
Edda growls.
"Great! Another guy who has size envy!"
She then pulls and throws another Harrow card!
"I think this fight is pretty much over"
Marinda just watches as her companions finish off the remnants.
The giant gnome finally falls on the ground. Her form shifts back, reverting to the small figure she had been, before melting into ink like the ogres had earlier.
The way forward, as well as to the sides, is clear.
Edda cancels the remainder of her tentacles spell, and waves forward.
"Time to open the door and see what's next my friends."
She then approaches the doors to the front and right, looking for traps, or anything else of use or sinister nature.
She also casts Detect Magic and scans the area for auras, just to be sure.
Niklos takes a moment to look through the gnome's belongings, whistling all the while, before moving after Edda. He also takes a look at the door, and then sneaks through to take a look.
"Does anybody require any healing or are we all fine?"
She also turns to the paladin
"Well done Sir Knight. Truly you are worthy of the name "Paladin"
The door appears to be safe, if ominously large. They don't appear to be locked, but their size means that when they open, they will be loud. To be sneaky, it would be best to find a different way.
"Of course!" boasts Algon, almost glowing. "I am the foremost epitome of virtue in this Realm! Onwards, then, to the lair of the beast!"
Edda immediately turns to the obviously insane caricature of a Paladin.
"Sir! If I may? Wouldn't it be better if we dealt with the rest of the dragon's minions FIRST, before we confront him? That's an inevitable conclusion in my mind. Better to make sure we search out his assistants who could flank us, and make sure they are dealt with before hand correct? What do you say Squire Niky? Do you agree with my assessment?"
"Sir Algon, I think Lirotha is correct. There may be hostages that we need to free before confronting the dragon. Otherwise, innocent lives may be lost!!"
"Where would you suggest we go, then, squires?" harrumphs Algon. "To the sides?"
"Yes! Of course! Don't soldiers call those...flanking maneuvers? Sir?"
Niklos nods along with Edda and Marinda. "Yes, let us clense the castle of evil-doers! Lead the way, Sir Algon! I think I heard something beyond this door..."
Confused as two persons talk to him at once, Algon proudly follows Niklos. The door opens into a circular room. Candles, scrolls, and bizarre statuettes fill the nooks lining the walls here, all facing toward an alabaster and jade altar near the room’s center. A stone stairway runs along the room’s outer wall, spiraling upward.
"What a bunch of junk! Nikky, better check for traps or valuables."
Still, Edda quickly checks for magical aura using detect magic.
Following occurs after we loot the room. But I won't be posting again until tomorrow night :-)
"Sir Algon, is that a cry for help I hear from above? Somebody might be in trouble!"
Niklos takes a quick look around the room, but is ready to move up after Algon as soon as he advances.
"A cry for help! Not to be ignored!"
Algon rushes upstairs, and a few seconds later he calls to you, deep disappointment in his voice. "'tis empty, fair squire! Your ears are playing tricks on you!"
The altar is covered in alabaster and jade, which would be valuable but lengthy to extract and cumbersome to carry. They would be worth roughly 400 gp.
Edda sighs.
"Junk. Let's move on."
Niklos glances longingly at the immovable valuables, but soon hurries up after Algon to see the room above.