"Yes! You see, then! You UNDERSTAND that he must die and the world must BURN and they all must pay for their insolence. It's not enough to kill them in their dreams, we must burn their bodies and harvest them for Mog-Lathar, and then HE WILL SEE HOW DEDICATED I AM. And Drune will wail with fear beneath my boots!"
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While Bodta is not very emotive and frankly is rather boring, he is quite perceptive, especially when it comes to others. He barely needs to try, in order to understand that this guy is loopy...but as he looks closer..
...he easily comes to the same conclusion as Senzo and Ferabas. He gives the paladin a small, slow nod of agreement. His right fist tightens so that those close can hear the sinews strain
He's ready to spring into violence, only waiting to be sure everyone is also ready. He moves a bit closer, feigning interest in what the bad guy has to say, allowing the others to get into a better position.
"Yes, come closer and give me the Key and Book. Then we can end this for good." He chuckles. "Well, not for good. But forever."
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Ferabras' glittering black teeth spread in a false grin as he replies, "I confess, I am a bit nervous to step into the magic circle inscribed in the floor, Master Caligaro. Perhaps you could come to us, and we can talk of the Key and the Book without shouting across the room?"
The man's eyes narrow suspiciously. "What? Why would you distrust me? I who am to be your god?!?"
He nods slowly, as if considering. "I suppose I can meet you halfway. The circles are no longer active. I have learned as much as I can from them." He steps toward the center of the room, but you spot movement in the room behind him, as if something were lurking just beyond line of sight.
"Now, give me the Key and the Book. It is time to return home in GLORY!"
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As the weirdo moves, Bodta slowly & casually moves to the other side of the room, allowing his companions to position themselves--and so they're not all bunched up. As he stops, he faces the bad guy, and he also shifts his positioning--mainly keeping his right fist closed, but opening his left in a 'sword-hand' position
Who carries the book, and would like to hand over this man's just rewards? he makes a tiny shift at these last two words, ready to spring forward and unleash violence...
A series of nods and steely gazes signals the dance has begun as everyone springs into action!
Round 1:
Senzo, Karnhia
Nahum
Zora, Ferabras, Bodta
EVeryone seems to speed up as Karnhia murmurs her spell! Riddy's missile hits the man and he sneers. Senzo's trip, however, seems poised to hit him, but hits some sort of strange ward around him!
He steps back five feet, his eyes ablaze with insanity and seems to concentrate, disappearing!
From the other room, a shadowy demonic form looking like a horned human skeleton smothered within a bone-tight hide of slimy leather launches itself from the vortex of hell and attacks Senzo!
for damage!
for additional damage!
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Bodta blinks at the priest's disappearance, and blinks again at the demon attacking Senzo. He trusts the spellcasters to come up with some way to reveal the hidden, and he falls to his strengths...
He takes a couple quick steps, and flies through the air, spinning and throwing a hooking heel at the demon. As he lands, his left sword hand comes across aiming at one side of the neck; then the hand snaps back into an elbow targeting the other side. Finally, a right punch drives toward the demon's middle
<--THREAT!!
The elbow is particularly effective, angling upward and cracking just under the thing's jaw!
Ferabras and Bodta tear into the demon, who dissolves into shadowy stuff, which trickles away! Zora prays for Senzo and Karnhia invents some new ways for Nahum to reproduce with himself. And a donkey.
ROUND 2:
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"Where'd that yellow bellied no good rotten ....." The curses spew at a hasted clip, allowing Senzo to exhaust his swears in both Dwarven and Taldane.
Using his newfound speed and mystical aid, he unleashes on the demon. He opens with a headbutt, then swings his elbow across the jaw. After the follow through he reverses and strikes with the same elbow coming back. The effects of the spell and his own training spur him further. He strikes with the web of his thumb in the demon's throat and then finally throws a knee to the groin.
for
for
for
for
for
"Where'd that yellow bellied no good rotten ....." The curses spew at a hasted clip, allowing Senzo to exhaust his swears in both Dwarven and Taldane.
Senzo steps into the room, and prepares a massive headbutt if he somehow sees/senses the erstwhile foe:
for
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Kharnia steps out of the stairwell, looking into an empty room at the far end. Empty, of course, but for the nightmarish visions of Korvosa, none of which she wants anything to do with. "Not only are you a weakling fool, but you think mere parlor tricks are enough to deal with us?" she spits as she weaves her own spell.
A mystical third eye opens, and his location appears clear as day. "Trust me. You should have stuck with being your caravan's cuckold. He's right there" she adds, pointing at a five-by-five area.
He is standing int eh X-marked square. Judging by his odd assortment of things, you believe he is an occultist, who has been corrupted further by the dream planes. He now has nightmare-themed powers!
Nahum suddenly reappears as a lightning bolt lances out to arc through Bodta and Ferabras! damage!
Nahum gestures toward the room filled with the hellish vision of Korvosa. "This is what you're causing! This is the result of resistance! I could create paradise, but you wouldn't share your toys. NOW YOU BURN!" His eyes are wide and burn with madness!
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Zora enters the room...
...and her lips thin with reaction to the scene. "Hell," she says hoarsely, softly. "Pharasma.... is this a message of your final judgment for me? Do you feel I have failed your teaching so....?"
She tries to shake it off, but doubt assails her a moment. Still... there are wounded. And a madman.
"Be silent," she says in little more than a whisper. "Be silent, damned souls, and be silent, you who damned them."
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Zora enters the room...
POINT OF ORDER: I think OMB is referring to the southernmost room, the one only Senzo is currently in, unless I'm mistaken--so for now, I'm guessing you're safe!
<--dammit, I had such a cool visual in mind for Bodta's evasion...
The Oread is taken by surprise as the crazy becomes visible, and he takes the bolt full in the chest.
He drops to one knee & one hand, shakes his head, and settles his gaze on the caster. He jumps forward, with a vicious straightforward punch to the face (first strike of this match!! trying to stun the caster. He continues with a blur of strikes, making a single shout and ending with a percussive ki'ai as he tries to land his final punch.
Use 1 ki for extra strike. First strike is attempt at Stunning Fist.
<--if this hits, Fort save DC 17 or stunned for 1 round
The spell of silence falls over the room as Zora murmurs her command, but Ferabras utters a battle cry before the spell falls completely and attacks the insane man. Still, he barely hits his arm but cuts deeply! Bodta's fists find the man and seem to hit, but aside from his first blow, the rest seem to be blocked by a stony covering on the man's skin, which causes dust to rain with each blow! Nahum smiles at the monk's frustrated look! (Strangely enough, Ferabras' blow, though almost glancing, didn't seem to be impeded by the stone skin.)
Round 3:
Senzo, Karnhia
Nahum
Zora, Ferabras, Bodta
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Kharnia thinks to herself I really need to get him a better set of wands as she levels her pistol with the silenced occultist. "That'll only stifle the sounds escaping that sorry excuse of a mouth he has. He is one with the occult, adept of mind magics!"
She closes her eyes only for a brief moment as she sacrifices the memory of a spell before taking a shot.
The spell crackles and hits him right in the torso, leeching vitality and precious life-force from the man.
"Want me to share more?"
Riddy's magic missile hits and bypasses the stony protection! Karnhia's bullet-spell hits and seems to drain the man of what color he has left. He makes a face as the spell strikes.
Senzo's kick strikes him, and despite being reduced by the stoneskin, sends the stricken man reeling. Still he shakes off the stunning with a herculean effort of will!
He concentrates and a small bead of electricity flows from a thighbone stuck in his belt and flies to between Karnhia and Zora and explodes into a ball of lightning, hitting everyone but stopping just short of himself! electricity!
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Fera sees the change in the madman's skin tone and thinks to himself in the silence, I don't know what Karnhia just did, but I know the madman didn't like it, so I approve! He then manages to avoid much of the blast of electricity, and his infernal blood shields him from the few fat, electric sparks that still hit him. With a fierce grin, he redoubles his attack, slashing at Nahum's stony skin!
Nahum reaches forward, his wounds knitting before your eyes! But Ferabras's sword finds tender parts and his mouth finds the vile man's throat! He pitches forward, to his knees, mouth opening and closing in the field of silence. He looks confused as he topples to the ground, dead.
In the closet you find ceremonial robes worth 200 gp, a small cabinet of tiny drawers containing 50 occultist implements worth a total of 500 gp, and a glass dome covering a mask of a thousand tomes.
The dreamstone still churns and floats in the far room. It seethes with built up energies, but Zora and Karnhia recall that the ritual that brought you to the dreamlands can be used, in combination with the Key, to create a portal that will destroy the Dreamstone once and for all.
The ritual takes some time, but once done you chant the words from the Lethargica Paginarum and a swirling maelstrom begins to build. Using the Clavus Somnus, you make a motion like inserting a key into a lock and turn it. The portal suddenly focuses, and following the directions in the book, cast the Dreamstone into the vortex. It hangs for a moment, still in the air, then is torn into a billion pieces as the vortex destroys it! A groaning sound, like an old oak tree in the wind, echoes through the dreamscape and you feel a sense of falling into blackness...
You awaken in Madame Carrington's parlor, your missing friends standing over you, looking worried. Giurescu, Madame Carrington's Phantom, smiles.
"Welcome home, friends and saviors! All across Korvosa people are awakening from the first good night's sleep they have had in ages, and it is all due to you! My love wishes me to thank you profusely for your good work and let you know that you will always be welcome in Old Korvosa!"