"Ah, now you are on a hot streak, but like all who have ever faced me you to shall fall." Feeling the stinging burn of the flames on his flesh, Aletoriss steps back while diving a vial out of his pouch. Tipping it back, he quickly swallows the cool mixture that soon sends relief through his aching body.
Round 7:
"I gave you an opening there, Aletoriss, by not tripping you and you healed yourself instead. Interesting, I must have hurt you pretty bad." Eli smirks, as he steps 5' closer and tries to finish you off, but your agility and the armor's protection help you in your hour of need and both blows bounce off harmlessly!
"And that is why I will win this duel, I am faster...smarter...better than you. Even when I am YOU!" With a duck and a weave, Aletoriss spins and stabs at his enemy ending up next to Eli instead of in front of him.
Perception
AVZ successfully feints Eli, but unfortunately, does not take advantage of the situation as Tempest fails to pierce his enemy's breastplate armor.
Round 8:
"You almost had me there, Aletoriss. You're tricky. Guess I should take you more seriously. Time for you to die!" Eli goes back to his training and trips you. As you fall, his weapon comes down on you but you parry it away. However, as you lay on the rooftop, his weapon comes down again and this time, you cannot avoid it, as the blade cuts deep into you, the flames searing your skin a little. You know you can't take another hit!
"OOH THAT SMARTS!" Aletoriss cries out in pain. "Well there you have it Eli, I fold. You are the better warrior, the one worthy of the name Eli Wynnstock...Sand Stalker, and there is the rub. You see I am only a fraud without the Sand Stalkers, nothing in the tales of Eli Wynnstock were done without them and here at the end I am alone. Your arrival has exposed my deceit and they have turned their backs on me, and now you will have your victory. Yet, you will still be under the thumb of that notorious Jackal......unless. Eli take this victory to restore your pride, and then together we can restore your life and take care of Father Jackal once and for all." Alteoriss crawls back away from Eli towering over him as he speaks, trying to once again convince him that the criminal is the one who really needs to pay. "Kill me and you will feel better tonight, perhaps even tomorrow.....but then He will call upon you to do more dark and evil things and the feeling of victory will be hollow. Let me help you end that torment."
Eli seems shocked at AVZ's words, as they move him. "You're actually conceding defeat? Funny, I thought it would feel better defeating you, ending your life. I still feel empty inside, though I love seeing you crawl." He raises his khopesh but gives up the AoO due to your crawl movement. "You speak some truth, your death would be only a temporary reprieve from the evil I have done. By the gods, I thought killing you would bring me inner peace. I will never be free until Father Jackal is no more. Go save your friends, Aletoriss. Redeem yourself in my eyes and vanquish his evil. Atone for your harm against me! Your friends, they are being held underneath the One Source Merchant's Guild warehouse. Now go do it!" Eli shoots you a smile, before a voice out of nowhere screams, "Traitor!" Two small bolts hit Eli in the neck, piercing his jugular and you see poison dripping from the tip. Eli screams in pain, dropping his khopesh, as he grips his neck, trying to stop the blood flow, but the poison in his system acts quickly and his eyes gloss over and he collapses to the ground. As Aletoriss scans the roof, 2 figures appear out of nowhere, dark-skinned elves, wielding a hand crossbow in one hand and a rapier in the other, their hair silver and eyes white and pupilless. "Sentimental fool! Father was right to have us follow him tonight and look who he delivered us, the leader of the Sandstalkers!" The drow smile, causing Aletoriss' skin to crawl.
Tyronel and Abd al Halim are looking to the building for clues as to the battle when Eli's scream alerts them to danger. Unfortunately, not before a bolt hits the cleric in the back of the neck, causing a deep wound! As the two look around, you see a drow materialize out of nowhere, ready for battle! "You all go down!"
While Quzman and Mahath converge on the other side of the building, the ranger's wolf (I assume he replaced him) starts growling and alerts the pair to danger and they quickly move, just as two hand crossbow bolts soar past their head, missing their mark. Two drow appear out of invisibility, frustrated that they missed!
Aletoriss is shocked to see Eli fall and then the drow emerging out of the darkness. He looks at Eli contemplating briefly, hoping for a way to bring the man with him. Knowing he is unable to, Aletoriss quickly gets to his feet, and bolts off the roof letting his magic ring carry him softly to the ground a second time.
Ty pulls his bow, and fires an arrow directly at the Drow that appeared from nowhere.
Attack
Damage
Halim cries out in shock and pain as the bolt thunks home into his back. He arches his back violently, hoping he can somehow get out of the way of the burning pain of the embedded missile.
Mahath casts haste on himself, Quzman and his faithful canine companion. Then he says "Can you hold them while I check on the others; I'll return if I can!"
Unless Quzman says something to indicate he needs Mahath to stay with him, he will use his move action to move to -C3.
Quzman perks his ears up at Dhalky's warning growl, "What is it girl?" he queries right before the tell tale click of the crossbows being fired. Ducking behind his shield, he turns to Mahath, "Yes, go. Father has proven that he leaves no loose ends. If he knows of us, he surely knows of the others standing out in the temple.".
Quzman whistle to his companion to attack as he quickly charges the other target.
EDIT:
Round 1: Drow Attack
The drow on Tyronel grimaces at the arrow in his stomach and he suddenly vanishes from sight. The next thing Ty feels is a rapier piercing his chest, as the drow reappears again, a smirk on his face.
One of the drow on Eli follows suit and walks off the ledge, allowing his natural levitation take him down to the ground, as he quickly reloads his hand crossbow. The other one moves as well and drops off, reaching 20' above the ground, as he also reloads.
The unwounded drow on Quzman disappears from sight. Mahath feels a blade strike him but not penetrate his force armor, as the drow reappears next to him!
The wounded drow disappears as well and stabs at Quzman but the rapier bounces off the ranger's armor, as he appears.
Ty moves back to D 16 and lets loose a volley of arrows at the Drow.
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
Attack
Damage
With cold, methodical movements, Mahath retreats from the drow beside him and utters an arcane syllable, manifesting bolts of power that drive into the elf.
Step to D-2 and cast Magic Missile at the drow in C-4.
Damage
Quzman whistles for his friend to follow his target to try and protect the mage.
As Quzman turns his attention back to the drow beside him.
Eli tries to duck into the shadows alongside the building while he digs another potion out and drinks down another dose of healing magic.
Round 2: Drow Attack
The two levitating drow shoot Quzman and his wolf, hitting the wolf:
The prone drow stands and draws AoO from Dhalky, if still up. If not, he gets up, takes 5' step, and stabs at Mahath but misses:
Dhalky nips at the elf's heels as he tries to stand, and tears a chunk of flesh from his calf.
EDIT:
Actually, Dhalky's jaw latches on to the drow's neck and rips out his jugular, as the prone drow dies a bloody and messy death!
The remaining 2 drow, having seen how their brethren went down in seconds before the party, levitate back up and over the roof, out of the party's line of sight. Eli is in front of the building hiding behind a column and this round, he drank his potion.
If Ty doesn't see a target, he circles around the building with his bow drawn, looking for either his friends or enemies, whichever comes first.
Since Ty does not have darkvision, Eli is hidden from him as well. When you say circle the building, do you mean north side or south side or entire building?
Quzman quietly whistles for his companion to join him as he moves closer to the building for cover. "Mahath, are you alright? That bloody Jackal has played us again it seems. Eli, Aletoriss, or whatever his name is came down this side I thought, though I do not see him now. If you are OK, we had best find Tyronel and the priest and make sure they are the same."
Eli pulls out his wand of healing and uses it to further mend the wounds he suffered from fighting Eli.
"I am well, thank you. We should connect with the others. If none of our foes survived, perhaps their material remains can help guide us. We should act quickly, though, before the guard can respond."
Mahath will check the body of the nearest drow for anything that may help them: anything useful or anything that might help us track them down.
"Can we recover any bolts that we are certain belonged to one of the fleeing drow? Perhaps I can use one, in conjunction with the crystal ball, to see where it is they are going."
Ty does not see anyone as he rounds the building and catches up with the rest of his companions. As the party regroups, you find Abd is not moving and as you examine him, you realize he is not breathing, as the bolt is protruding from his throat. You quickly determine that he has passed. Mahath has heard that drow poison causes sleepiness but in rare occasions, when injected directly into a major artery, it has been known to cause death. The guards on patrol accost the players when they see the dead drow but after learning it was in self-defense, leave the party alone.
"Is everyone okay," Ty asks as he comes up to his friends. "Are there anymore of those evil elves running around?" After being assured there was no more threats, the archer heads to revive Abd.
After as much death as Ty has seen already, and his own personal journey to the other side, he barely flinched. "The Dawnflower has called another home," he said quietly to the gathered group.
Aletoriss stumbles out of the shadows of the municipal building, shocked to see the others there. "I am surprised to see you all here."
Ty smiles. "Are you really surprised that we are here, Eli...er, Aletoriss? You don't know us as well as you think, if that is the case. We can work out all this identity business in due time. But now, we have our mission that we've been on for all these months. Let's try to go get our friends back, if we can figure where they are currently being held."
Eli smiles at Ty's kind words, "All right then...if everyone agrees." Aletoriss looks at Quzman, shame and hope in his eyes.
Oblivious to Aletoriss's unspoken plea to Quzman, Mahath furrows his brow and says "Of course. Haleen's safety has always been paramount to me, and Rayhan's involvment only makes that sense of responsibility even more acute, if such a thing is possible."
Quzman calmly watches Eli during the short exchange, his countenance only changing when he hears Tyronel's report about the priest. Looking at Aletoriss, "I did not come here for your benefit, but to protect those who could not be swayed from following head long into the dark. Sadly, this has cost us another of the Lady's faithful."
He turns to Tyronel, "Let us bear Abd al Halim's remains to the temple, so that he maybe cleansed by the rising sun with this morning's dawn. I can not in good faith leave one of the Dawn's chosen lying in the street. After that, we can track down these foul creatures, and rescue our friends."
Quzman starts to make a makeshift litter out of materials at hand in preparations.
Aletoriss' heart sinks as Quzman announces the death of Abd al Halim and, as Aletoriss hears it, lays the blame of all those who have died in this mess at Aletoriss' feet. "I see. Then I shall be out of your way." Determined to make things right, Aletoriss heads of down the street taping the healing wand to his injuries again.
Quzman swears under his breath as the hot headed young man starts to walk off, "Son of jackal headed....Mahath, can you see if you can talk some sense into this Aletoriss. I never would have thought someone who went to such lengths to avoid a debt would turn suicidal so quickly. It seems this Father Jackal has a vendetta against all of the Stalkers, Aletoriss included. If we wish to rescue any of our friends, we will need to act as one, if we hope to avoid this <glances down at Abd> again."
"Tyronel, see if you can lift him with me."
Mahath purses his lips at the delay over the fallen ally, but doesn't speak.
"Aletoriss, in your time with the Sand Stalkers, you've done a tremendous amount of good for the people of this region. I believe the noble ranger is wounded because on of his deity's tenants include a focus on honest. But he is one of the truly faithful, and it is just a matter of time before his eyes open again to another of the Dawnflower's tenants; redemption. Stay with us. Help us free those wrongfully abducted. Earn the Dawnflower's redemption in the eyes of her followers."
Ty reaches down to grab the remains of Abd with his friend. "I've seen so much death, as you have too, that I'm starting to become numb to it Quzman."
Aletoriss turns back hearing Quzman's words and then Mahath's explanation. He listens quietly and then returns to Abd's fallen corpse as Ty is bending down. "Allow me, I hate that another soul is gone because of the evil of Father Jackal and his consorts. I am sorry Quzman...brother... I never meant harm by actions. The real Eli is dead, killed by the dark ones who are in league with the Jackal somehow. Eli had lured me out to get his revenge but the drow killed him for betraying the location of Jameen and the others. Let me help you take Abd al Halim to the temple, let me lead you to where the others are held captive, let me earn your forgiveness. It means more to me than my own life."
Quzman watches as Aletoriss returns and takes Ty's place on the makeshift stretcher and nods. "I can see real Eli, the Eli I knew, in you, at least some what. It will be hard to overcome what has happened between us. You are my brother, as you have been, but that does not mean I fully trust you again. As Abd tried to tell me, and Mahath has spoken again, I shall look for the Lady's understanding and ways beyond truth and vengeance and to her as an example of a redeemer of wayward souls. It is a lot for a man such as I make out, but as I once was granted a second chance for the error of my ways by Garavel, so I shall grant one to you."
Pulling himself to stop and with sincere conviction in his face he looks Aletoriss in the eyes, "Well met, I am Quzman Garhani of the Badawi. May the dawn always shine on your travels.", before he allows himself to continue onward towards the temple with the fallen priest.
Mahath keeps an eye out for trouble as the others bear their fallen ally. "It is only logical that one cannot seek redemption unless one strays from the light to begin with. Give it time. I'm certain in the tribulations we are certain to face, none of us will lack for opportunity to prove our mettle." Mahath's tone bears no convinction in the faith of the Dawnflower, but he is obviously familiar with it nonetheless.