Ialda inches closer, passing over the mosaic dragons, until she reaches the closed double doors. Strangely, she finds them unlocked so she opens them, wary of any attack. Instead what she sees is a room completely covered in fog and mist, where she cannot see more than 5' in front of her. She cannot tell the dimensions of the room because the fog engulfs the whole room. As she and party look at the fog, you all hear from the East, from further inside the fog, at least you guess 20' away from you, a female voice that calmly says, "You have killed almost all of my guild mates and Cruncher I must assume, since he did not return. May I ask what I did to offend you? Did I or my men kill one of your parents, lovers, siblings for you to seek such revenge against me? Pray tell what I have done."
Know. arcana
"You might be able to save us all some time, lady. We are here for Vanthus. He's wronged us and I'm here to bring him back to his family, dead or alive."
Chez will move up beside Ialda and prepares to poke anything which approaches the door.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Vanthus is not here, but he's my lover. He left this morning to take care of some business. But since you're after him, I can't allow you to continue. Give me a few seconds and I'll send you all personally to see Norgorber." You all hear some spell-casting.
As she hears the woman's reply following by arcane words, Aeronniell shouts to the others "She's warding herself against those of good hearts!"
Her fingers twitching on her bow, she gives the mist in the room a long look.
"Ialda! Don't go in there! In fact, get ready to close the door, regardless if this trick works again!"
Aeronniell works to hide her anxiety and once again attempts a commanding tone in her voice.
"You! Inside! Approach Us!"
Aeronniell tries to focus her mind on the woman inside the room but is unable to picture her in any way, shape or form.
"Mmm, nope! Didn't work!"
Kowaru suddenly has a flash of insight as Aeronniel mentions that the woman inside the room has protected herself. "Yes, we wait out here for her. She can do nothing to us within the room." He glances at his allies, and lays a single finger to his lips. He then begins to tread into the room, recalling the times Master Ping had made him tread upon the rice paper, stepping lightly. [i]If I can't see you, can you see me?[/b], he wondered. He moved past Ialda and hugged the left wall, trying to listen to hear where the woman is at within the mist.
Move: Stealthing into the room, so I'll move 15'. I'll end up in the square directly northeast of where Ialda is right now.
"Or she's castin' on the ape mon. Close dat door. Dey can come ta us." Baolo backs up ten feet.
Disgusted by the serpentine decor, Xarethi takes up her spear and waits for an opportune moment to use it.
She prepares to cast a spell, conjuring motes of blue glittering light to her hand.
Ialda moves to the side of the door, ready to slam it behind Kowaru, if he had to exit quickly. "Come on out, Miss. We aren't heading in there with all the fog. We can wait you out, you know."
"Scared of a little fog? After everything you've killed down here!? Or is it that you are scared of me? I just thought it would give us some time to chat, to figure out why you're here and now that I know, I will send you all to hell!"
"Come and get me then, Princess!"
"As you wish! I, Rowyna Kellani, will kill you all in Norgorber's name!" The confounding mist disappears and some 35' away from Ialda stands a blonde woman garbed in a chain shirt, wielding a rapier and a buckler strapped to her left arm. Natural Pic of Rowyna It is a little difficult to see her, though as multi-colored lights swirl around her person. She also wears an unholy symbol of the god, Norgorber, around her neck. You do not see her pet, Gutcrusher, though you do hear grunts and movement coming from behind the purple satin curtain, in front of which stands Rowyna. She looks very confident, despite the fact that she is outnumbered 6 to 1.
Round 1 Initiative Order:
Chez
Rowyna Kellani
Gutcrusher
Xarethi
Aero
Baolo
Ialda
Kowaru
Doing his best to watch where his feet fall on the floor, Chez advances forward and thrusts out his rapier, while maintaining a sturdy defense. Her boisterousness almost has himself convinced that his blade is going to pass through an illusory image of herself.
Should Chez's well placed rapier strike draw blood he will call out, "Yield, and we'll show mercy."
Chez moves in quickly before anyone can react and thrusts his rapier, while concentrating on his defense, and aims his blade at Rownya's ribs, but at the last second, the Mistress of the Lotus Dragons parries his blade with her shield, having it glance off harmlessly off her finely polished chain shirt. "Typical male, thought I would be caught unawares! It is you who has fallen into the spider's web, little fly!" Even more surprising than Chez' failure to penetrate her defenses is Rowyna's smile right before she literally vanishes from Chez' sight and reappears instantaneously behind him! "Now, Guts, come and aid your mistress!" She whistles and from behind the curtain steps a massive 10' black-furred gorilla, ripping it down in the process and moves to flank Chez with his 10' reach! The rogue priestess smiles and jabs her rapier into Chez' back, puncturing his abdomen, as the blonde warrior spits up blood and only through sheer force of will does he not collapse! Rowyna smiles as she pulls the blade out and screams, "Guts, finish him!" Fortunately, for Chez, the big ape's blow misses!
Rowyna smiles back at the party in the hall and Kowaru, and points to Chez, "Your best warrior at death's door in a matter of seconds! Your souls are forfeit!"
Aeronniell winces as she watches Chesley eagerly rush forward, stopping herself just short of shouting "no" towards him as he advanced.
Feeling the divine thread connecting her with her goddess stretched thin on this endless day, the elf attempts to to take aim at the large ape in the room before the combat gets too intense for her to aim.
for
In tracking the spells that Aeronniell's cast so far today, I missed the CLW she used in May 2012 in the encounter with Nemien. She's actually cast all five of her 1st level spells, so she shouldn't have even been able to cast Command earlier.
5/16/12, Nemiem Fight: CLW
3/12/13, Cruncher #1: Bless
3/22/13, Dragon Ambush: Bless
3/23/13, Dragom Ambush: Command
4/01/13, Bottom of Stairs: Bless
Xarethi steps forward into the room, conjuring a brilliant light in the air directly in front of Rowyna.
Ialda hurries into the room, holding her flail threateningly. She swings at the arrogant Rowyna, hoping to knock some of the cockiness out of her.
Attack
Damage
Despite cover modifiers, Ialda's arrow hits the large ape, causing it to grimace in pain and stomp his chest in anger! Rowyna looks at Aero in disgust, "You will pay for hurting my baby, you wench!"
Ialda steps in to flank the rogue priestess but even with Chez providing a distraction, Rowyna calmly deflects her flail with her buckler to bounce off her armor without injury. Ialda can also feel a chill of unnatural cold, as she senses an invisible aura of black energy protecting the priestess.
"Wind and waves bring ya might ta Baolo ta send de servants of Norgahbah to de Boneyawd." . Baolo moves forward quickly through the doorway to the opposite corner of Kowaru and looses an arrow at the giant ape.
Seeing Chez so easily taken down, Kowaru acts swiftly. He races towards Rowyna and attempts to grab her, holding her fast to prevent her from harming Chez any further. "You wish to kill us, sister? You will only succeed in your own demise. Call off your pet, and tell us where to find Vanthus."
Move to -O57. I believe that gives me flank with Chez, since he still threatens. I'll attempt to grapple her - hopefully, I'll roll higher than a five!
No such luck. The dice, they hate me still.
The swashbuckler, tries to regain his breath. Hoping to draw some attacks from foes wanting to finish him, Chez takes up a defensive stance.
Rowyna chuckles at how Chez fights to stay conscious, "You've already died pretty boy, you just don't know it yet!" She smiles at Ialda and Kowaru, grips her rapier and thrusts it into Chez! The party gasps, as the rapier rips through Chez' armor, skin, and bone, and punctures his spinal cord! Chez lets out a small scream that is cut off by the gurgling blood in his throat, before his eyes go black and his body crashes to the ground motionless, all life gone from his eyes! Rowyna looks up with satisfaction, staring at the blood trickling off her rapier to the stone floor, "One more soul for Norgorber, five to go!" She then 5' steps to N57.
Rowyna screams, "Attack, Guts, let's kill them all!" The ape rushes forward, charging Ialda, landing a solid blow to her chest cavity that cracks some ribs!
"Chez, no!". Ialda's eyes fill with tears as her friend falls. "Now, I'm going to kill you, you b&$%%!". She akes a quick five foot step to N 56, trying to stay out of being caught between the ape and it's master.
Attack
Damage
Rowyna gasps as the green-skinned woman's muscles seem to burst out of her clothes and armor and the 2-handed flail smacks into her ribs too quickly for her to dodge! The rogue priestess screams, as ribs crack and she coughs up blood! "How dare you strike me?!" she says, while wincing in severe pain.
Round 2
Chez survived that... he has to...
Aeronniell still doesn't the two deadly swings at Chez distract her from the even more disturbing thought weaving it's wave through her mind.
"Really? You keep a giant ape near your bed? Ugh, disgusting!"
for
"Storm and salt ya bumboclot!" Baolo also switches from the ape to Rowyna and fires an arrow into her back.
"No, not Chez!" Xarethi cries, also taking up her spear and flinging it toward the witch's corpse.
Blinded by her tears, the thrown spear goes wide, imbedding itself in the wall behind Chez's body.
Keeping consistent with his attacks so far, Kowaru moves 5' south to O57 and tries to grab Rowyna again and surprise, surprise, misses again:
When Kowaru misses, Rowyna vanishes and instantly appears in O56, now flanking the monk!
Enemies' Turn Round 3:
The rogue priestess, still in shock over Ialda's blow, provides the flank for Guts, but concentrates on the green-skinned barbarian, whom she perceives as the major threat! She lashes out at Ialda's right shoulder but at the last minute Ialda realizes it was just a feint! The rapier punctures Ialda's left ribs and though in pain, she still stands! "Take that you whore, for striking me!"
Meanwhile, Guts cannot deny the flank he has on the monk and grunts, as he pounds his chest and throws 2 heavy blows at Kowaru, breaking ribs and jaw, as the monk falls (-2 hps)! Rowyna screams "Yay Guts, 4 more to go!"
"", cries the half-orc as he sees his friend fall limply to the floor. Unrestrained fury breaks through Kowaru's usual calm demeanor, and he fixes his gaze on Rowyna. "No more. This ends now!" He reaches to grab her, but he telegraphs his moves to the woman, who ducks away. He doesn't even see Guts coming up behind him, only hears the beast's approach, turning at the last moment to see the creature's fists pounding onto his chest, shattering bone with the force of the impact. And then, everything was blackness.
Round 3
Aeronniell shouts her frustration at the heavens as the monk falls to the ground in a crumpled heap.
"No, Kowaru!!"
Swallowing hard, the elf nervously nocks another arrow and debates her choice of target before finally setting on Rowyna, hoping to end her endless tricks.
"Don't let those two surround you, Ialda!"
for
for
Baolo watches the arrow from Aero bury itself in Rowyna "Nice shot Rowyna! Evah see a sea urchin bumboclot? Ya 'bout ta be one!" Baolo steps back 5-feet and pulls out one of his dwindling colorful arrows, a scintillating blue from some exotic bird. He nocks and fires right at Rowyna's neckline.
Both arrows strike the rogue priestess, as she screams in pain, and her world spins for a little while and it appears she's about to fall, but through force of will, she fights to stay up!
"I told you before that all I wanted was Vanthus," Ialda breathes heavily, "but now I'm not leaving before I bash your head in!"
Attack
Damage
Missing her target, the barbarian moves to p 56, trying to avoid becoming pinned in.
Seeing Rowyna teeter, Aeronniell looks about her companions in desperation.
"Xarethi! Use your magic! Finish her! An arcane bolt, a splash of acid, a bolt of frost! Anything!"
Xarethi hears Aero and nods, flashing an icy ray of cold water at Rowyna.
Round 4: Enemies' Turn
Rowyna adopts a defensive posture, ready to block all attacks, as she spits up blood, and looks in disgust at the 4 party members. "It's not over yet...Norgorber will not let me fall! Guts, kill her!", pointing at Ialda!
Guts easily clambers over the chairs in the southern part of the room, with his natural climbing skill, and moves closer to swing a punch at Ialda and connects, dislocating her jaw in the process and nearly taking out the barbarian but she refuses to fall, kept conscious only by her rage!
Baolo sees Rowyna watching him and preparing to dodge and decides to shift targets again. "Yu rass claat haad eaz Rowyna. Mebbe ya pet not so haad ta hit." He takes another step back and draws one of the Lotus Dragon arrows. He draws back the bowstring and fires the arrow at the beast looming over Ialda.
Ialda moves to P 54 (with a 5' step) trying to inch her way away from the threats, knowing another punch would mean the end of her.
Baolo'a arrow strikes the ape, but it was only a glancing blow and Guts still looks relatively healthy and angry now! Rowyna screams at Baolo, "You miserable coward! How dare you hurt my baby! You will die today, I swear it!"