"I cannot fly, nor become invisible. I can summon something that could do one or the other, but not both."
Becoming whisper-quiet, Saphren sneaks around the perimeter of the south tower to get a better vantage point.
CRASHHH
A ballista bolt flies into the north tower once more, causing more rocks to crumble. Saphren quickly looks around the south edge of the tower and heads back north out of sight.
There is indeed a second entrance into the drow-occupied tower from the south side; a large hole.
Lyr patted himself down and drew a handful of potions from a pouch. "I forgot I had these. Flight. and two for invisibility. What is the plan?"
"Well, Saph can probably sneak in the back entrance while someone else comes in from above," suggests Brenna.
"I, er, don't know how to fly," says Brenna. "Never done it before. I can try, but no guarantees that I won't wind up skidding along the ground like a rock."
"The spell does the work. Your intent is all that matters for basic flight." He handed a flight and invisibility potion to Brenna.
Then he handed an invisibility potion to Saphren.
"Take hands before you go invisible so you aren't fumbling for each other. Brenna, carry Saphren to the top of the tower. We will cover you."
"Drink up."
Brenna nods and does as instructed. "Hang on Saphren, may be a bumpy ride," she jokes.
After having fallen in with the Crying Leaf forces, your life has been a whirlwind of strange activity. An elven mercenary group named the Shin'Rakorath appear to have teamed up with an elven village to attack... monsters from children's stories?
Drow elves. They are purple-skinned, evil cousins of the elves who live underground, live in a matriarchy, and want to take over the world and blot out the sun. The fact they even exist came as a shock to you, but here they are, and now you're in a war with them, fighting alongside several elves.
You're late to the party. The elven forces are now encamped in a dense forest around an ancient, ruined elven city named Celwynvian which is occupied by drow. At first, you were working with th e front lines, your obvious arcane power being used to great effect. That is until you half-killed a regiment with a mistimed fireball. After that, you became less of an asset and more of a "what do we do with this damn gnome?".
That's when Eviana Nirgassan got a message. Her general, Kaerishiel, a grumpy elf who did not like you at all, was pinned down. She quickly gave you your instructions:
"We have an elite team who have been doing special missions against the drow. You're probably a good fit. Here are directions to the tower. Go there quickly and quietly and help out as best you can. We can't lose Kaerishiel! The movement is counting on you."
You're given descriptions of the team. Two elves, one a blonde chatty fellow, an other a little grimmer in a cloth mask. A huge, noisy human woman. A female gnome, and an acerbic, brawny half-orc. Join with them, and save Kaerishiel!
Dutifully, you take the orders and strike out into the city. You manage to avoid a few patrols (gnomes are good at being hidden), and finally spot the tower. A large, intact tower has a ballista on it, and is blasting a much smaller tower that has the elves you need to save in them! Seeing an opening, you react by instinct...
Brenna and Saphren down the potions. Brenna then very, very uncomfortably feels herself rise from the ground, and she wills herself southwards, carrying Saphren below her. As they approach the tower....
A fireball explodes on the roof! The drow scream as they are burned, and turn away from the two of you as they look for the culprit.
(+2 in surprise)
Brenna
Besh
Zoso
---
Drow:
Yellow Soldier (33 dmg)
Soldier (16 dmg)
Red Skirmisher
Green Skirmisher
Skirmisher
----
Saphren
Lyr
Brenna says quietly to Saphren as she flies toward the tower, "I'm gonna drop you by the ballista and then set down by the stairs, and we can wreck the drow that will be in between us. Then I'll move in and head off the ones on the southwest side, sound good?"
Bumps ain't a problem. Saphren assures as he downs the potion that renders him unseen. The strong rogue has no problem holding onto Brenna as she flies and tries to keep his hands in uncompromising locations. Maybe put some handles on your armor Bren. he jokes quietly.
As the fireball detonate he responds with worry. Friendly fire? Or do we have a friend somewhere? He tries to see where the bead of fire came from.
Hope that stops before we get there...
At Brenna's suggestion he nods at first then recalls she can't seem him, so he responds quietly That'll work. Gonna want to flank with ya after my first hit.
(assuming he's high enough that the tower isn't blocking his view) Saphren tracks the bead back to the west of the tower. Soon after, he notices a second bead approaching. This time, however, rather than exploding inferno, there's a *poof*, and a brief flash of light as glitter explodes over the roof of the tower.
From the west, you imagine you can faintly hear a forlorn: "awww... that's not right"
Lyr notched an arrow and waited for a target.
As Saphren and Brenna land, there's an explosion of glittery dust which thankfully avoids both of them. The drow nearest to the west are both hit by the spell, which blinds them both!
The drow panic, and not detecting Saphren and Brenna, two bolt down the stairs and out the bottom of the tower while the remaining three remain at the top.
Saphren
Lyr
--
Brenna
Besh
Zoso
---
Drow:
Yellow Soldier (33 dmg) (blind - 8)
Soldier (16 dmg)
Red Skirmisher
Green Skirmisher (blind - 8)
Skirmisher
From southwest of the tower, Brenna and Saphren can hear: "Oh! Uh, hello? No? Ok, what if I do this?! Er, I mean: THIS!"
Sounds and smells of burning flesh and hair waft in your direction.
Beshtori backs away from the drow, trying to keep his distance.
Smiling broadly as he lets two of his enemies flee down the tower Saphren begins to move to the drow that was not caught in the glittery cascade. His steps have a rhythmic cadence to them. After he strikes with a power attack and turns visible he continues to move and moves back to his starting place.
Brenna appears, slashing a drow. They look at her in panic before fleeing down the stairs to get to Besh as their discipline completely crumbles. Saphren then poofs into existence, and a drow looks down to find the brawny half-orc's falchion embedded in his stomach. Saphren kicks him off the side.
Down on the ground, the little gnome blasts the two incoming drow with fire! He completely annihilates the first, while the second nimbly leaps to the side, completely avoiding the spell.
Saphren
Lyr
--
Brenna
Besh
Zoso
---
Drow:
Yellow Soldier (33 dmg) (blind - 8)
Green Skirmisher (blind - 8)
Skirmisher
|
Zoso finishes his summon and calls a Lantern Archon into the battlefield 35ft ahead of him. The Archon proceeds to fly over the tower and light rays the skirmisher drow on the ground. Zoso draws his bow and readies for a clear shot. "Shall we begin the ground assault my friend?" he asks Lyr with a grin.
"From the looks of things up there, it is barely needed." Lyr said, making a rare joke.
"I am going to head for the other tower to see if I can get our people back in the fight."
"Comin' through," says Brenna as she passes to one side of Saphren and then rushes the drow facing him (yellow-ish?).
She smashes into the drow in her heavy armor and steps across from him as she knocks him down.
Looking at the easy flank Saphren laughs, almost feeling sorry for the dark skinned drow. His feet move in a familiar cadence that allows him to strike and move back to guard the stairs down. But his overconfidence might have caused the green skinned one to miss except for the fact he was prone and easier to hit.
Lyr rushes towards the north tower, and peers in. He leaps back as an arrow is loosed before a familiar voice barks out "That's our rescue you fool!"
Kaerishiel stands up from behind a boulder. The grim, difficult elf looks positively overjoyed to see Lyr.
"Calistria bless us all am I happy to see you. I heard fighting but with that ballista we didn't dare show our faces."
=================
=================
With no small amount of joy, Brenna tramples a tiny drow as she repositions herself. The force of her charge knocks him prone. The other drow is blind and doesn't respond.
The drow counter-attack, with the two on the roof swinging wildly and missing as they can't see anything. On the ground, the drow screams and charges right for the little gnome, but his blow is deflected.
Slinking in behind Brenna, Saphren lashes out with his falchion, and stabs the yellow-clothed drow in the back of the neck, killing him instantly.
Saphren
Lyr
--
Brenna
Besh
Zoso
---
Drow:
Green Skirmisher (blind - 8)
Skirmisher (-7)
Tori takes a step back from the menacing drow, and raises both hands in a gesture reassurance: "Whoa! I don't think you've thought this through."
No one is more surprised when four balls of energy burst forth from zir palms to strike the drow in the chest.
Saphren mercifully ends the life of the blind drow on the roof. After the blade hits he uses his spring attack to start down the stairs.
With the drow on the tower defeated, Brenna rushes to follow Saphren down the stairs.
Saphren disembowels the drow in front of him, who dies badly. Zoso then pops out from the tower, and sends a single arrow in. The arrow slams into the drow's back, and with a zap the archon finishes him off.
End of Combat
Loot:
- 20 drow poison bolts
- 4 potion os cure light wounds
- 4 mw studded leather armor
- 6 mw hand crossbows
- 4 short swords
- 10 fire bolts
- 10 acid bolts
- 2 potions cure moderate wounds
- 2 mithral shirts
- 2 mw bucklers
- 20 +1 bolts
- 2 mw rapiers
Kaerishiel emerges from the tower. Although he obviously was not too pleased to deal with any of you earlier, he is positively enthusiastic.
"You saved all of us from a bad spot - this could have gone very differently and I can't thank you enough."
He then spots the gnome.
"Oh! And this is Beshtori. He's a sorcerer who had been working with the troops - Eviana has asked that he join up with your lot."
You see a shy self-effacing gnome with mottled brown/white skin and hair so green it almost hurts your eyes. Looking somewhat harried by the recent encounter, Besh smiles shyly at Kaerishiel: "Aw nuts! I had a whole speech prepared: I AM USIDORE, etc, etc. There would have been fireworks and everything!"
Turning to the rest of the group, Besh's smile broadens: "Hi! Yes, I am Beshtori Sankral, people usually call me Besh or Tori. My really close friends call me Beshti, or they w..." Besh's excited chatter sort of trails off lamely here, and zir smile fades.
Eyes cast toward the ground, ze mutters: "... anyway, I can sort of do magic stuff. Sometimes..." and, gesturing idly with one hand, produces a sort of fizzle and quiet popping sound.
Coming out of the tower Saphren is splattered with blood and gore but seems unwounded. He carries his Falchion in one beefy hand and a sack of loot in the other. He wears a queer smirk as he approaches Kaerishiel. He starts to speak, pauses, starts again, pauses, and then finally says We accept your thanks. Glad to help out a team mate. dropping the loot he offers the elf his bloody paw to shake.
Best Toyee? Saphren mispronounces. Then that was your fireball that blasted the enemy before we went it. he says grinning. And it was your glitter that almost exposed us. His expression goes from a smile to a frown. But he adds Good casting, but next time you gotta coordinate the plan with the rest of us. Deal?
Eyes wide, Tori takes an unconscious step back from the huge half-orc. Gulping: "Y... Yessir!"
But then, ramping up to a rapid chatter again: "But wasn't it incredible and explode-y?! It was was all like 'kablooosh' and, well, there wasn't really anything to catch fire which was kind of boring but then the drow were all like 'aahh, it burns' and then the second time... uh... that didn't quite... Huh..."
Besh sort of drifts off into half-heard mutters, and making various arcane gestures in the air: "If I go like... but then, if I go like this..." Sparks dance alarmingly between fingertips and you aren't quite sure if ze is practicing, experimenting, or planning to cast fireball again just to be sure ze can.