It takes all of Jervaise's strenght and skill at arms to strike the man, but he manages to bring his heavy blade around the shield and through the toughened green skin and wooden armor to deal a resounding blow that leaves the druid reeling and shaken.
The druid reels from the blow Jervaise struck him, and stumbles backwards. He mutters an arcane phrase and gestures to the path leading up o the hill. At once, grass and other plants seem to come alive, wrapping around your legs.
Jervaise: - fail
Goodluck: - pass
All except Jervaise react quickly enough not to be ensnared by the plants.
Yup - it's entangle
The druid satisfied sneer as Jervaise is trapped by the plants last only a moment. Then Goodluck's magic hits him, stripping him of the bark-like green layer protecting his skin.
Round 2:
Grunting in annoyance, Jervaise struggles to free himself from the plants...
He then 5' steps forward, and takes a swing at Devarre!
Goodluck holds up his hands. "Calm, fadder! I hadda know if you were actin' on yer own mind or if you was taken over by some sorta magic. I am sorry, but I hadta know! We mean no harm, fadda!"
Diplomacy:
Caelin let his sword tip lower as he thought to himself. "It is perhaps time for Jervaise's tender mercies. I can't tell if our foe is evil or simply deranged!"
Deciding to get out of the way of the others, he did his best to struggle through the undergrowth, up the hill, swerving past Devarre and onto the clear ground behind him.
The old man just glares at Goodluck with angry eyes. Caelin pushes past him, taking position among the three magic stones on the hilltop.
Nimbly, Meycho makes his way out of the entangled grass.
Showdown at Devarre's hut
The Champions of Bellis surround the old man they presume to be the druid Devarre. Only Jervaise have taken actual hostile action at this point, striking the druid with his merciful greatsword. Devarre has attempted to ensnare the heroes with entangle, and Goodluck dispelled the druid's protective barkskin spell. All attempts to calm the old man after Goodluck cast his spell have failed.
Round 2
Initiative:
Meycho: 21 (acted - double moved)
Caelin/Aumgwe: 20 (acted - moved past Devarre onto the hill)
Jervaise: 17++ (acted - broke free of entangle and stepped forwards, but could not attack)
Tae: 17+
"Devarre": 17
Goodluck: 6
Map:
- The light green area is affected by entangle. See the link for details. Any who remain in the area at end of Devarre's turn must make a DC 12 reflex save again to avoid being entangled.
- The slopes leading up the hill (the brown edges) is difficult terrain.
- The three standing stones are at least 10 ft tall and block line of sight.
Notes:
- The grid on the map in the module is impossible to line up properly with Maptools, sorry about that. In case of doubt, refer to the coordinates.
- Caelin and Meycho, don't forget your birds - if you do not specify an action for them, I will default them to following you around.
"Surrender, fool, and explain yourself!" Caelin shouted at Devarre.
Jervaise: vs DC 16 - pass
Goodluck: vs DC 16 - fail
The druid does not appear to find Taecuss magic amusing. Although still shaken by Jervaise's brutal attack, he is not affected by the elven bards attempt to make him laugh.
Ignoring both Goodluck and Caelin's shouts for reason, he then steps back points in the direction of Jervaise and Goodluck and utters a single word none of you understand. Lightning arcs out from the outstretched hand.
Jervaise's battle-honed reflexes allow him to hurl himself out of the way, leaving him unscathed.
Goodluck is not so lucky. The bolt strikes him squarely in the chest, leaving a gruesome blackened burn upon his dark flesh.
The old man's face twists into a grotesque mask of malice as he inspects the injury he has caused. Then he slides his scimitar out of it's scabbards and holds it up in a mocking salute. A thin layer of frost makes the blade glitter in the light of the setting sun.
"Come on, then...I will destroy you one by one, you meddlesome fools." he snarls.
Whatever Devarre just did, it certainly wasn't druidic magic, but rather some sort of spell-like ability similar to the lightning bolt spell.
Round 3:
Jervaise sighs, and shakes his head.
"You are deluding yourself, if you believe that..."
He then purposefully moves forward, and takes another swing...
Goodluck bows his head, gritting his teeth against the pain. "I apologize for my actions, but I have debts to discharge and I cannot allow you to kill me, old man!"
Will Save DC 17
Showdown at Devarre's hut - Round 3
Once again, the old man resists a magical attempt to incapacitate him. He ignores Goodluck's apology and focuses on Jervaise and Caelin, who are close enough to strike him.
Initiative:
Meycho: 21
Caelin/Aumgwe: 20
Jervaise: 17++
Tae: 17+
"Devarre": 17
Goodluck: 6
Map:
- The light green area is affected by entangle. See the link for details. Any who remain in the area at end of Devarre's turn must make a DC 12 reflex save again to avoid being entangled.
- The slopes leading up the hill (the brown edges) is difficult terrain.
- The three standing stones are at least 10 ft tall and block line of sight.
Notes:
- The grid on the map in the module is impossible to line up properly with Maptools, sorry about that. In case of doubt, refer to the coordinates.
- Caelin and Meycho, don't forget your birds - if you do not specify an action for them, I will default them to following you around.
Active effects:
- entangle (see above)
- Inspire Courage
Meycho puts an arrow to his bow and waits for the "druid" to use his magic again, while urging Falling Star to harass him.
"This is no druid, I am certain! Aumgwe! At this, Caelin gave a screech, asking his hawk to stay behind him.
Caelin stepped up behind "Devarre" and brought his greatsword around in a mighty swing.
Damage if hit:
Second swing, which I won't take if Devarre falls unconscious:
Confirm Crit: (probably not)
Second damage:
Finally, does it appear that Jervaise's non-lethal damage is having an effect on "Devarre"?
Almost as one, Caelin, Falling Star and Jervaise fall upon the old man from all sides. First, Falling Star rakes him with sharp talons, drawing red stripes across his face. Then Caelin steps up and cuts a deep gash into the man's side.
Finally, Jervaise smashes the man right on the head with a mighty overhand chop that would surely have killed him outright if not for the merciful enchantment on the blade. As it is, the sound of breaking bone can clearly be heard by all as Devarre collapses in a heap.
For a few moments, a deadly calm settles over the hill.
.
.
.
.
.
Then Devarre convulses and exhales....a tiny ball of bright light with arcs of electricity playing across it's surface shoots out of his mouth, flying straight at Jervaise with tremendous speed. The thing erupts in a shower of sparks and tendrils of electrical discharge as it strikes him, disappearing in an instant leaving only the whiff of ozone…
The thing is most likely a Spark. When a great storm rips across a world in the Material Plane, it sometimes tears rifts between the planes and lets loose base creatures composed entirely of elemental energy, yet embodied with a sentience resembling the denizens of its new home world. A spark does not intend to understand other creatures; it only wishes to use them as a conduit for their unbridled energy.
Sparks are able to discharge their inherent electrical energy in a manner of ways, both by touch and as bolts. They share the traits of other elementals, such as immunity to bleed, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, stunning, critical hits and precision damage such as sneak attacks.
A spark can attempt to infuse itself within a mortal host. Fueled by frenetic thought patterns and erratic actions, a spark jolts through its new world in search of a physical body, drawn by an urge to know form. Some accomplished spellcasters seek sparks for symbiosis. Sorcerers with elemental bloodlines or clerics devoted to deities with elemental domains reach an agreement with these strange creatures and allow them to ride within their bodies. Such a relationship carries a great risk of the host suffering from harmful effects over time.
"Gozreh's great green...what WAS that!?
Through the pain of the electric burn, you feel a precense in your mind. You realize that your limbs no longer respond to your directions - it is as if something is overriding your nerveous system, controlling you like a puppet. Not only your movement, but also your speech and senses.
Jervaise winces, massaging his electricity burns.
"What the devil was that, and where the heck did it go?"
Caelin turns his attention to Devarre. "Goodluck. I could use your help."
Taecuss:
Devarre is alive and stable, but will be unconcious for hours without magical healing. He has taken all of his hp total as non-lethal dmg and about half his hp total as lethal dmg.
Taecuss scouts around the area, but sees no sight of the Spark.
Meycho keeps an eye out for visible threats, calling to Jervaise, You ok pal? You look worse than after that party at the Hopping Hobgoblin in Absalom a few years back.
Goodluck shakes his head, still confused by the man's sudden exhalation of energy.
Casting Cure Serious Wounds on self:
Reflex:
Both Goodluck and Tae avoid being entangled. There is still no sign of the spark.
Please post that you move to the middle of the hill, appear to look for the Spark and answer Meycho "Nothing to worry about, buddy. Just got a bit zapped, is all."
Picking his way carefully across to the center of the hill-top, Jervaise looks around for the Spark, before giving a sigh of frustration.
"Where did it go?"
When Meycho poses his question, Jervaise smiles, and answers:
"Nothing to worry about, buddy. Just got a bit zapped, is all."
Now that you are paying careful attention, both Jervaise's movements and speech seem a bit...rushed. It may just be the excitement and after-effects of the electrical attack, but his tone has an unfamiliar ring to it.
Looking at Jervaise with worry in his eyes, he says Elyin, are you sure you are ok?
"This 'Devarre' still lives, though he will be unconscious for a long while. Perhaps we should take him back to the cabin, restrain him, and ask questions when he is revived."
Looking from Meycho to Jervaise, he adds, "Should we rest ourselves?"
"I could do wit' some rest, myself. The old man was quite spry."
Showdown at Devarre's hut - Round 4
The Campions of Bellis move about the hill with the three magic fey-stones. There is no sign of the elemental creature that flew out of Devarre. The druid lies unconscious, but stable where Jervaise dropped him.
Initiative:
Meycho: 21
Caelin/Aumgwe: 20
Jervaise: 17++
Tae: 17+
Goodluck: 6
Spark - ?
Map:
- The light green area is affected by entangle. See the link for details. Any who remain in the area at end of Devarre's turn must make a DC 12 reflex save again to avoid being entangled.
- The slopes leading up the hill (the brown edges) is difficult terrain.
- The three standing stones are at least 10 ft tall and block line of sight.
Notes:
- The grid on the map in the module is impossible to line up properly with Maptools, sorry about that. In case of doubt, refer to the coordinates.
- Caelin and Meycho, don't forget your birds - if you do not specify an action for them, I will default them to following you around.
Active effects:
- entangle (see above)
Caelin picks up Devarre and begins to carry him down the side of the mound, avoiding the area of grasping plants. "The house it is."
Jervaise moves over to Caelin, as he struggles with Devarre's limp body.
"Here, let me give you a hand with that," he says, and lays a hand on Caelin's arm.
Tendrils of electricity arc from Jervaise's palm, leaving a nasty burn on Caelin's arm.
You feel the sharp pain of an electrical burn when Jervaise touches you. You take 16 electrical dmg.
THE CREATURE HAS POSSESSED JERVAISE!
Meycho quickly drops his bow and draws his two daggers, worry on his face, from the dread that he'll have to hurt his friend.
Goodluck freezes, staring at Meycho and then at Jervaise. "Are you sure?"