The man with the pick stops laughing just in time to feel Testudo's lance pierce directly through him. He tries to speak, but coughs up blood instead and crumples to the ground.
The zombies, seeing their master fall, grunt in rage and slam themselves into the nearest targets - Gwen and Testudo. Their attacks are nowhere near lethal, though, and Gwen and Testudo shake them off easily.
Most of the theatergoers who had been trapped in the room rush away, looking for an exit. But one man approaches. He's a tall, frighteningly thin man of advanced age with short, gray hair that clings to his head as if it were bathed in cooking oil and a white beard that's been meticulously trimmed and braided. He wears a blue silk shoulder sash over long white robes, and his fingers are encrusted with bejeweled rings.
"Thank the gods you saved me! I'm not sure what this city would do without me, quite frankly. Who knew peasants like yourselves could bring such glory to Taldor?"
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Testudo rises to his full height... with the boost from roshi, that's pretty tall.
Peasent? Good Sir, I am Testudo Graeca, of the house of Graeca, I am no peasant!
He looks at his comrades for a moment and then has the gumption to look embarrassed for a moment before continuing.
And even if my companions ARE peasants, they are made of the strongest stuff in the inner sea!
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Locke!!! Now zat is no way to treat an upstanding member of the nobility! Tereze overacts being scandalized.
She turns to bejewels man.
Please accept our sincerest apologies Sir. While we would normally be honored to spend time with your esteemed personage, zere may be other noble lives at stake... So do you know where zese zings may have come from or why zey are here?
"Well, if you were more than peasants, you'd know not to speak to me that way. But I can look past all of that since you saved my life! I have no idea why these creatures are here, and I don't really care. I shall stay with you, however - that seems safest for all involved."
Perhaps coming with us would be dangerous for you sir, you might want to head out with the others instead of deeper in with us. Either way I can heal you if you are hurt now.
"I'm not hurt, but thank you. And no, I'd rather stay with you. Yes, yes - the Emperor would prefer if I do, I'm sure of it. He wouldn't want anything to happen to me, and anyways, I must give him a full report of the situation. Yes, I'll stay with you I believe."
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Well zen shall we continue to see if we can find where zese zombies are coming from?
Lead on Sir Graeca! She nods to the door to the southwest.
Then she approaches the well dressed man and gives medium curtsy in her gown.
Your Lordship, I am Tereze Amnell, if you would do me ze honor of accompanying me, I am sure together we can find everything ze Emperor would wish to know about zis situation.
You head through the door in the southwest, and come upon another gruesome scene. On the marble floor lie the entwined bodies of multiple combatants. The hands of noble corpses grip daggers, makeshift clubs, and even a gem-encrusted rapier. Mixed in are the twice-dead bodies of zombies, their gray skin fetid and rotting.
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Locke views the scene, shaking head at it.
"This day truly is a mess. Though, did none of these people have any bodyguards to speak of?"
Locke looks forward at the door, then raises a finger, then pointing at the door.
"Someone just now quietly closed the door. Perhaps another crazy cultist with a bone pick?"
STEP FORWARD AND PROCLAIM YOURSELF FRIEND OR FOE, LESS I BE FORCED TO RUN YOU DOWN!
The group sees the door cease its opening, hearing the sounds of glass shattering and weapons being drawn from the other side of the door!
Standing on guard in the room appear to be two male figures dressed in black robes that very poorly conceal half-plate armor beneath, both of them wielding sharp pickaxes. Behind them is a woman, dressed similarly but boasting black-tinted full-plate, dominates the chamber with a commanding presence as she wields her own pickaxe that almost seems to glint menacingly in the light. The remains of what appears to be glass vials lie shattered on the ground before the two male figures.
Initiative Order:
Round 1:
Minion 1 & 2
Deanaris
Fiona
Locke
Tereze
Gwendallyn
Testudo
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Testudo laughs uproariously as he slams his visor down.
He thrusts his lance forward....
But he slammed his visor down a little to hard, and it spins to the side, causing his attack to go very wide.
With this declaration he blunders out of the way, attempting to raise his visor for a better look, accidentally fixing it.
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Locke's bomb flies true through the doorway, shattering onto the woman and covering her in a lovely explosion of flames; though her fellows seem to duck under a large portion of the blast. The flames do catch the thick, luxurious velvet curtains draped across the northern part of the chamber; causing streams of smoke to start billowing from the doorway as the enemies inside begin to cough!
Initiative Order:
Round 1:
Minion 1 & 2 (-4 each)
Deanaris (-20, On Fire)
Fiona
Locke
Tereze
Gwendallyn
Testudo
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Gwen takes a moment to study the small battlefield as she positions herself for a better grapple. She moves forward and grabs the first enemy standing before her by the heavy armor and without issue yanks him out of the doorway back into the room with her companions. "You're mine now, boy. Shouldn't have worn all that heavy armor, because it's not going to save you from me." She whispers into his ear.
Tereze, seeing Gwendallyn having the situation firmly in hand, lets loose a sling bullet at the enemy; her attack unfortunately bouncing off one of the exquisitely carved marble pillars in the room.
"You're mine now, boy. Shouldn't have worn all that heavy armor, because it's not going to save you from me." She whispers into his ear.
"I belong to Zyphus, not you!" the grappled minion screams at Gwendallyn as he struggles in her grasp. Unable to use his heavy pick while being restrained, he rears one of his gauntleted fists and punches her squarely in the face! His other ally moves into the room to join the melee, leaving an opening for Tetsudo to take advantage of!
The advancing minion lets out a battle cry as he charges into the chamber. He raises his heavy pick back for a mighty swing, the weapon's ebony hilt glinting maliciously in the flickering light, and brings it down upon Locke for a critical strike!
Fiona moves into position, then quickly mutters a few words and gestures towards the woman.
The woman succumbs to Fiona's hex, collapsing to the ground in an unconscious heap. Unfortunately for Fiona, the fire burning the slumbering woman immediately wakes her back to consciousness! While on the ground, she curses as she pulls out a vial and drinks it to heal her wounds from the bomb.
Initiative Order:
Round 2:
Minion 1 & 2 (-4 each. Red grappled)
Deanaris (-2, On Fire, prone)
Fiona
Locke (-44)
Tereze
Gwendallyn (Grappling, -8)
Testudo (Can make AoO on Minion (Blue))
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Gwen sneers a bloody smile at the pitiful punch for her face and she spits blood into eyes of the cultist. ”Pathetic.” She twists her left arm up between the man’s armpit and pins his one arm to his body as she locks with her right wrist, which pushes his other arm into a painful joint-lock. She smashes her forehead into the man’s nose. ”No, boy, you belong to me! Zyphus cannot save you.”
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POOR DECISION TO TURN YOUR BACK ON A TURTLE KNIGHT FOUL CULTIST!
Roshi even get's in on the action, nipping at blues heels.
Before stepping to the side to allow Testudo a strike against red.
He strikes out with pinpoint accuracy against red as well.
YOU DARE TO STRIKE OTHERS AND TURN YOUR BACK ON A KNIGHT OF TALDOR?! HAVE AT THEE!
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Locke clenches a fist, and the immediate worst of the punctured lung's damage closes up.
"Damn son of a....."
Locke withdraws past Tereze , tucking up the mantle with both elbows, unfolding a pair of demonic bat wings from the back, heading upwards in the corner of the room with a few uneasy beats of the new wings.
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No Locke!!! she reacts as the vicious hit to her masked companion.
Tereze's eyes narrow farther as she feels her life energy slide from her into her two companions.
Trusting that Fiona's slumber hex will work, Tereze settles on the ground and quickly casts a healing spell on Locke to eliminate his grievous wound.
Testsudo lance skewers the charging minion, and Roshi finishes it off by cleanly severing one of the enemy's legs from its body with a sharp bite from its strong jaws!
Slumber hex on blue minion, DC 18 vs. Will or fall asleep.
The enemy in Gwendallyn's grapple goes limp, though not due to the head lock she currently is engaging in!
Locke clenches a fist, and the immediate worst of the punctured lung's damage closes up.
Locke finds this room's gilded ceiling rises to 15 feet above, and has no issue flapping up into the reaches.
Trusting that Fiona's slumber hex will work, Tereze settles on the ground and quickly casts a healing spell on Locke to eliminate his grievous wound.
Seeing her target rise aloft into the air, Tereze has no concern for immediate melee threats as she adjusts in the air to deliver her healing to her ally.
Gwen sneers a bloody smile at the pitiful punch for her face and she spits blood into eyes of the cultist. ”Pathetic.”
Gwendallyn finds an unconscious body in her grasp, with a snore being the only response to her!
Before stepping to the side to allow Testudo a strike against red.
Seeing his original target now pretty much wrapped up, Tetsudo lunges his lance through the doorway to strike at the prone enemy in the burning chamber. His sharp lance pierces straight through her full plate into a vital area, and she offers nothing but a bloody gurgle before lying motionless on the scorched marble floor!
Out of Initiative!
Post Combat:
Locke (-24)
Gwendallyn (-3)
Minion (-4, sleeping and grappled, fate being determined)
The fire in the chamber continues to burn, sending increasing amounts of smoke billowing out of the room into the pillared chamber. While not immediately a danger, the fire could potentially continue to spread to other areas of the theatre. A quickly-scorching door is visible on the other side of the burning chamber.
The well-dressed man accompanying the group, previously cowed into silence by the imminent danger the combat provided, peers from around the corner of the room behind the party. "Glorious effort! Nothing represents the fine Taldan tradition than running your hapless foes through with a lance, I must say!" the noble exclaims from his safe spot away from combat. The light from the flickering flames glint off of his almost ostentaciously bejeweled fingers as he makes a shooing motion towards the group. "The Emperor would be most displeased if the Theatre burned down. Go do that...adventurer thing...you lot do and put out that fire, would you?"
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Locke wrote:
Locke clenches a fist, and the immediate worst of the punctured lung's damage closes up.
I will assume this is activating your Spontaneous Healing, correct?
Gwendallyn finds an unconscious body in her grasp, with a snore being the only response to her!
If you wish, you can instead full-round coup-de-grace (non-lethal or lethal) the minion instead of regular grappling.
With the combat concluded, Locke descends, the new appendages still in a process of mastery. Taking some effort, the wings tightly fold up against Locke's back again.
"Thank you, Tereze, that cultist packed a mean swing. Took me completely off-guard."
To write down later, cultists with a peculiar type of weapon.
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TRULY!Testudo roars to the noble.
A LANCE IS A WEAPON WORTHY OF BEING A KNIGHT! IT KEEPS THE FILTH OF HORRID CREATURES AT A DISTANCE AS YOU SKEWER THEM! HOHOHOHO!
As the flames flicker, he gulps.
MY DEAR COMRADES... I DO NOT SUPPOSE YOU HAVE SOME WAY TO SNUFF OUT THE FIRE. I AM THE TURTLE KNIGHT YES, BUT I HAVE PROWESS WITH TURTLES, NOT THE WATER THEY MAY LIVE IN!
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"Well...we can either deprive the room from as much oxygen as possible by closing all doors, though that wouldn't solve the problem. We could try swatting those areas out."
(looks at the body of the fallen cleric, then over at Testudo's bulgy arms)
"Testudo, would you say you can use the body as a makeshift sandbag, to hit the fire with?"
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As the others end combat Tereze calls forth her healing mist to aid her friends.
Responding to the nobles suggestion she lands back on the ground and curtsies to the envoy.
One adventuring zing coming up She says with a smirk and sticks her head through the doorway.
Then finally when the danger is past, she rushes over to see if any of the enemies can be saved.
Assuming any of them were simply bleeding out, after saving them she looks up at the envoy.
I expect you will want zem to stand trial for zeir crimes. A simple death would be much to easy for ze harm zey have caused.
Tereze's magic makes quick work of the flames, the billowing steam wafting out now instead of the soot-filled smoke. She is unable to find any signs of life left in the bodies left after the combat, all of them quite dead from the incredible amounts of damage dealt to them by lance and neck-snap.
The nobleman watches the magical downpour with awe, obviously impressed with such displays. "Brilliant, I say, brilliant! Couldn't have done better myself...well, actually, of course I could have!" he boasts with guffaw. "No time to dawdle, chop chop! The backstage area should be right through that door ahead," he urges; clearly giving the indication that he has no inclination to actually go first, though he probably will take credit for it later.
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Testudo rides forth on Roshi.
ONWARDS! TO ADVENTURE! TO HEROICS, TO....
The knight falls silent for a moment as he sees what's on the other side of the door. Your not sure, but you think you hear the soft "Squeak" of metal grinding against metal as his fist twists around the lance hilt. For probably the first time, his voice is level and a normal volume.
Such... Butchery...
When I find the filthy, wretched scum who did this...
Roshi looks up and gives a soft whine. A deep breath can be heard under the visor.
NOT TO WORRY! He proclaims.
WE SHALL HAVE VENGENCE IN THE NAME OF THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LOST!
He points his lance ahead as roshi toddles in.
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Gwen watches as Testudo suddenly stops and for the first time since meeting the oread, he is strangely quiet. She steps into the room to see what could possibly have quieted the knight and as her eyes fall upon pile of corpses she gasps. ”By the Gods, why?” She clenches her first at the wanton slaughter before her eyes are drawn to the movement. She also points out the movement to the others.
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Locke, relieved the new body modification didn't freak anyone out, had been tidying the mantle back, when the others quiet down.
Also, being the only one utilizing a bow, Locke takes the arrows the cultist was carrying.
Standing close to Gwen to look into the next room, Locke puts a reassuring gloved hand on the back of Gwen's shoulder.
"We'll get to the bottom of it, and mop the floor with whoever is responsible." (lets go thereafter)
"You there, in the pile of dead people! If you are alive and hiding, come out, we are not those death cult freaks."
(waits a few seconds for a response)
If there is no reply, Locke looks over to the others.
"I could take a warning shot. So far any survivors were frantically excited to be alive."
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Tereze is grim as she steps through the door.
May ze Gray Lady judge zem all kindly. she whispers sadly.
Then she looks back at the Envoy and says in a louder voice:
You will need to have ze Pharamites visit zis place once it is safe.
Then she follows the others into the room, staying well away from the pile of corpses until whatever is moving reveals itself.
"I could take a warning shot. So far any survivors were frantically excited to be alive."
I doubt any warnings would help, no matter who is in zere...