Making a decision, Alie throws a pair of force missiles at the closest cultist, which slam with a satisfying thud into the man's torso.
Valeros takes the momentary distraction this provides to deliver a vicious cut to the man's abdomen, which drops him; Valeros then retreats down the corridor, the final cultist taunting him as he goes.
Male Dwarf HP: 23[23] AC: 23 Firebolt 7[7] +3 (1d6) Channel: 5[5] 1d6 Endure Elements
Is anyone hurt? If so Fog will channel o heal whil there are no cultists about. If not, Fog is waiting to see what happens, as I can't see any enemies, and going looking for them in cramped conditions doesn't seem too sensible...
Alright. To keep things moving, I am going to assume that Kovar stays on delay...
Talhaearn backs up, and attempts to taunt the remaining cultist, but his heart is just not in it.
Fog continues to delay, ready to heal if any of his companions become particularly injured.
Wadi continues to maintain his readied action.
Kovar continues to delay, waiting (perhaps futilely?) for the cultist to come into the other room.
The remaining cultist snorts at Talhaearn, and rummages through the pockets of the downed cultist in front of him, drawing a potion which he quickly downs.
If he doesn't come to us, do we run down the hall to the right turn? Is sounds like a good place to trap us doesn't it? It also only allows us to fight one at a time.
Heh. I didn't have much of a plan. I kinda felt bad for making all the other guys wait at the back out of melee and with cover from range. I had imagined that Tal might follow my lead by making a strike and then pulling back and if he was dumb enough to follow everyone would get a chance to smash him, but I didn't make it clear. So it was a completely meta game reason because I thought people might be getting bored :P
Looks like he might not be that dumb after all.
Sorry to delay further, but I'll post in the morning. Too tired to get my eyes to focus tonight and I'd probably end up doing something stupid.
Valeros laughs, glancing at the bleeding puncture on his leg where the point of a cultists sword caught him, "What the hell? You all don't want to dance?" When Fog rushes in he laughs, "That guy knows what I'm talking about! How bout you princess?" he teases Alie.
Readied action- if the cultist begins to move in, Valeros will charge in to meet him at AE9 and attack.
Longsword 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (18) + 9 = 27, Damage 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Okay. It looks like pretty much everyone is delaying...
Fog steps forward, and calling down the divine fury of the Dawnflower, throws a bolt of fire at the remaining cultist, who (just) manages to duck out of the way, the flame singing the hair on the top of his head, filling the corridor with the acrid scent of burnt hair.
Valeros: You can't charge through allies' squares, so I am modifying your ready to make sense - moving in front of Fog, and then readying to attack.
With Father Fog moving forward, Valeros sighs, moves in front of the Cleric, and then readies to swing at the Cultist if he should approach.
With everyone else hanging back, the remaining Cultist takes the opportunity to drive his shortsword through the left eye of the unconscious cultist, who jerks spasmodically, and then goes still.
A fanatical gleam in his eyes, he then charges forward, an unintelligible battle cry springing from his lips!
The man misses horribly, and then receives a crushing blow in return from Valeros, which sends him reeling.
@Talhaearn: You can't ready a full round action (standard + move); you can only ready a standard, move, swift or free action. For the sake of simplicity, though, delaying and then acting after the cultist achieves the same result.
Talhaearn, sensing an opening, tumbles through Valeros' square, and then between the cultist's legs, springing-up on his other side, and taking a vicious stab at the man's kidneys...
Diminished Fate: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10.
...However, the blade twists in Talhaearn's hand at the last second, the sweat from his exertion causing the hilt to be slippery, and a blow which *should* have been a critical wound simply becomes a vicious strike.
Sorry Talhaearn, but *something* is forcing melee critical confirmation rolls to be rolled twice :-/ You do get a normal hit with sneak attack, though :-)
Wadi then pops-off a bolt of flame, which jumps over Fog's head, past Valeros' shoulder, and slams full into the Cultist's face, burning him badly. He falls to the ground, breathing shallowly.
@Wadi: It was a little more than -4 to hit; the Cultist had cover from Fog *and* Valeros, as well :-/ Fortunately, because he charged, his touch AC dropped by 2, so it was still a hit ;-)
With the final cultist down, the corridor becomes deathly quiet, disturbed only by the faint sound of dripping water echoing down the passage.
Searching the bodies, you find:
Chain Shirt x 3 Heavy Wooden Shield x3 MW Shortsword x3 A potion
Perception DC 25, or Spellcraft DC 18:
Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds
A note
Spoiler:
Baillaset,
Trusted ally, go to Oppara, find that miserable stink hole our brethren call a temple to our lord Zyphus, and instill some fear and carnage in their ranks for Bustrani’s miserable failure. Tell them all that you have been sent by Zyphus. They’re fools, they’ll believe it. And tell them that Zyphus wants them to trap the temple and lure their fellow cultists into accidental death. Tell them the final cultist will replace Bustrani and rebuild the temple. (The last part is true, so don’t dispatch all of them.) Then spend your time watching them destroy one another, feasting on their corpses, and keeping them afraid. Use the Zyphus granted power I instilled in you to curse every last one of them. That should make things more entertaining. Feel free to pass this note on to the one you feel most likely to survive; it will give him a little added incentive to perform his part adequately.
Conditions: Male Human Sorcerer 8 HP 58/58 | AC 14/18/22: (MA,Shield), T 12, FF 14 | F: +6, R: +3, W: +7 | CMD 15 | Perc. +2 | Init. +1
Resources:
Elemental Ray 7/7; 1st L spells 7/7; 2nd L spells 7/7; 3rd L spells 5/5; 4th L Spells 3/4; Fires of Hell 1/1
Spellcraft 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
Wadi scans the note quickly before handing it to the others for perusal. He then turns to Hustavan. "So Hustavan, does the name Harvestman Quint mean anything to you?"
"Harvestman... Quint?" No, I don't know that name. 'Harvestman' is a title used by senior clergy in the Cult of Zyphus, though... Probably something akin to a Bishop, I would guess?"
Valeros pauses looking chagrined with his sword midair above the cultist when Fog indicates he intends to revive him. The warrior sheathes his sword and puts the cultist in a firm headlock while Fog gets ready.
Cooincidental use of the word charge. Didn't consider it one mechanically and no bonuses applied. Sorry for the confusion.
@Valeros: No worries! For clarification, though, you can't ready a move action + a standard action (as I mentioned to Talhaearn), so it didn't matter other way - moving then readying was your best bet ;-)
With Fog's application of healing magic, the Cultist's breathing stabilises, he groans, and then his eyes flicker open and focus on the party. Recognising his predicament, he begins spitting and cursing, gamely writhing to try and free himself from Valeros' grip...
"What do we want to find out from this evil cultist?" Alie was preparing to take over trying to get information from the captive, once the group was sure what it wanted to find out.
To begin the interrogation, Alie asks her questions very sweetly to the prisoner.
"We don't want to hurt you anymore. There's no reason we can't find out what we need then work out something with you. Who is this Harvestman, and where is he located? We'd also need to know about the rest of the traps in this place...we and my painting have already almost been burned to a crisp. What sort of curse was referenced in the note?"
Alie wipes her face and becomes a mask of fury. "oh, you'll tell us everything you know, or so help me, I'll have this wolf devour your entrails while you watch him!".
She turns to the wolf, "Here boy, come get your snack," as she points to the cultists midsection.
@Alie: Just so you are aware, when you Intimidate something that is a larger size category than yourself, you take a -4 penalty on the Intimidate check. Fortunately, a 16 is still a success.
The cultist's gurgling laugh is cut-off mid-gulp.
"Don't feed me to the damn wolf!
I have no idea where the Harvestman is - he certainly isn't here - he just sent his servant, Balliaset, to chastise us for our failings, and to rejuvenate this Cell. As for the traps, I don't rightly know - me and the boys here have been hidden in the tunnels in-between the levels for nearly a week, to avoid them."
(He certainly appears to be quite malnourished.)
"I don't know precisely what the Curse is, you understand, but I *think* that we have all been cursed with unluck... all the better to send us into Zyphus' embrace, and keep us away from that filthy harlot Pharasma."
Conditions: Male Human Sorcerer 8 HP 58/58 | AC 14/18/22: (MA,Shield), T 12, FF 14 | F: +6, R: +3, W: +7 | CMD 15 | Perc. +2 | Init. +1
Resources:
Elemental Ray 7/7; 1st L spells 7/7; 2nd L spells 7/7; 3rd L spells 5/5; 4th L Spells 3/4; Fires of Hell 1/1
"That's better...you should probably be more care how you spray your bodily fluids next time." Wadi says. "Now tell us where the stairs leading down are."
Male Dwarf HP: 23[23] AC: 23 Firebolt 7[7] +3 (1d6) Channel: 5[5] 1d6 Endure Elements
"Ok, Someoine Tie this one here, we can collect him on the way out, and let's get moving. I suggest Alie go down the rope first, if he's telling the truth,a nd there is a rope."
Valeros knocks the recalcitrant cultist out, and the party continues on down the corridor.
Eventually, the tunnel ends in a small room, where rivulets of water cascade down the walls, flowing to the center of the chamber, where it plunges through a shadowy sinkhole. Glowing green algae coats the chamber’s walls and ceilings, painting the entire room in an
eerie light.
A piton is hammered into the wall, and from it hangs a knotted rope, which goes over the edge of the sinkhole, and into the shaft below.
Anyone who goes down the rope can give me a climb check ;-)
Kovar is able to determine that the phosphorescent algae is not dangerous, being a common subterranean denizen of moist, well-irrigated cave walls. Moreover, in a pinch, it is potentially even edible.
Alie is able to determine that, beyond the magic that the party has brought with them, there is no magic in this room, nor in the sinkhole.
Peering over the edge reveals that the bottom is indeed visible in the light cast by the various light sources the party has with them - 30' below the mouth of the sinkhole.
Still waiting for someone to actually climb down - Kovar has indicated that he is waiting for someone else to go first ;-)
"Oh. Yeah. Ya'll waitin on me then, eh? Alright." Valeros unslings his backpack and begins rummaging around. "I'll be damned if I'm climbing down some slime slick rope in Trap Manor. I got my own trusty rope and hook." Valeros secures his grappling hook, throws down the rope and begins climbing.
Huh. Had lost my dot for updates on this one.
Climb: Take 10 for 18
