Search as you may, you are unable to find what it is you are hopeful in finding. Whether it not actually exist or simply isn't able to be seen is beyond your capabilities, or so it would seem. At last, your attention returns once more to the top of the stairs where you hear first, footsteps patiently taking one step at a time for dramatic effect. Stopping shy of where you could see higher than the humanoid's legs. A translucent wall of sorts emerges into view just steps ahead before, whoever they are, continues. You make note this person is wearing long ornate robes, a crest of random jagged design wraps around the cuffs and edging of the hood. The person's face is shrouded in black cloth.
A deep voice taunts you, "You have come into our home, and it is here you will die..." At the snap of his fingers you notice one of the candles dies out, followed by another a split second later. His laughter rings out through the halls stopping only briefly before adding, "Take too long... and we will come to you... don't keep us waiting." his tone was that of a man whom like to play with his food.
"Well, let's not keep the man waiting" Lys will motion up the stairs and then wait assuming that Gabriel and or Akari will take the front as usual. As they climb the stairs she will keep her bow pointed to the top of the stairs. She will shoot at any clear target.
Avdol calls forth Sadrazar from his chest. The falcon climbs clumsily up to Avdols shoulder and chirps in anxiety.
"We could just wait here, for as far as we know their is no other way down other than these stairs. But we run the risk of being ambushed from an unforeseen angle. At least climbing the stairs will narrow the gap of ambush possible... again as far as we know."
Saldrazar looks about, nodding his head side to side to take in everything in the room. Other than that he sides firm on your shoulder.
As you ascend the staircase following the centered red carpet, nothing but silence accompanies your party. Candles floating about the room go out one by one. Shadowy illuminations cast their menacing shadows below as you make it to the top. Spiraling into the next floor it opens up into a large room with cathedral high ceilings once more, however no pillars were present this time. This room appeared to be a library of sorts, (if used detect magic once more coats the entirety of this room).
The library consists of bookshelves to the ceiling, lining the walls. Ladders reach up almost three quarters of the height of the bookshelves, before they are cut off by an encircling cat walk. On it a few, (4),robed archers stand, bows readied. Everything from big thick books, to recipes. A few stragglers appear to be yanking on one in particular but cannot make it budge. While others hold their weapons readied at your "late" arrival. You notice a cigar chair with ornate linings, and a burly man sitting in it. He's smoking a cigar, and appears to have been waiting on your arrival. A stained glass window sits high on a wall behind him shining down its design on the carpet before the desk infront of him. A custom design, of the old gods taking flight at the top, the darker ones on the bottom, in the center a field of blue roses, and in it, only red eyes pierce through.
Velcome, to my tower! says the burly man sitting behind the desk. "You 'ave one varning... I offer you ample opportunities if you vork for me,... If you say no,... Ve kill you."
Unlike many others in the room he wasn't in robes nor his his face. Some had bows and stood back, while the ones close to you held long spears. A translucent figure comes into existence slowly as he walks towards this man. It's body is heavily garbed and a shadowy aura envelopes it. The burly man's eyes widen, and as it was though they were having a conversation withough words. The man nods and the figures dissipates into smoke.
"What'll it be?" he stands now and you notice his body morph slowly. His muscles become more corded, and he becomes more hunched. His skin appears to become barbed and his nails your black and sharp. He grabs an orb from the desk that hadn't been there prior to the mysterious figure's limited visit. Overall he seems very intimidating, the other begin heckling as you notice they, though in robes look hunched over as well.
Lys chuckles slightly"I made the mistake once of working for people without asking questions, I'm not about to make the same mistake. So I'm at least going to need some details, friend." Lys lowers her bow she keep the arrow knocked, but is not only holding the bow in one hand. she puts the other hand on her hip just above her alchemy bag.
Avdol looks about the room with a curious expression looking at the people standing within it and the books that line the many shelves. Slowly Avdol's gaze would trace its way back to the burly barbed brute and to the orb he is now holding.
"Which one of you fine people is named Darren? Any of you aware of what's transpiring down in the little town next door?"
The men are within 5 feet of the burly man, the archers are spread symmetrically apart. The diameter of the room is 40 feet, and each archer is directly across from the other.
The burly man smiles a menacing grin, though still everyone looks prepared to attack. He lowers his body only slightly as if readying to pounce should the cause to arise. You notice the orb he holds glows faintly with a shadowy smoke moving about the inside. He places it securely in his side pouch all the while keeping his gaze upon the party.
"It's simple,..." His voice now sounds much deeper, still keeping the same pronunciations as before. "You obey order, you live, you don't,... you die... Simple az that"
He pauses in turn to relate towards Avdol now, "Darren? HA! these men are nobody." A few of the others laugh among themselves, regaining composure quickly with a single glare of the burly man. "That 'town', is nothing but a stepping stone,... join us or die... what'll it be?" his tone and body language speaks clearly for itself as he speaks these last words.
"Well you will certainly need a replacement after I torched the one downstairs... What do you think guys?" Avdol looks to the others, you may be expecting a smile on Avdol's face, when instead your eyes are met with a very serious one, as if contemplating joining them.
"What would be my first order if I were to join?"
Lys is stunned by Avdol's seriousness. Better make a move before the odds are even worse. If we attack now it will still be 4 versus 7. Hah odds are not in our favor. But they are better before Avdol changes sides. If he has already decided to join them attacking now or in a minute won't make a difference. Its probably up to me to make a move, I hope Gabriel and Akari are ready."
"If you won't give me the tiniest detail now then I have no choice, but to refuse you. Avdol do as you wish, but I will take you with me should betray us. I promise you that much."
With that Lys pulls her hand out from her pouch with her (dexterity)mutagen in hand and imbibes it. A second later Lys' body morphs she somehow becomes more lithe than before, her eyes shrink, and her skin appears to harden slightly.
Akari had no real expectations when it involved Avdol's character, but he was still surprised, and outraged when the fool stated that if he'd liked the terms, he'd betray his comrades and after he'd displayed such reckless and twisted behavior before.
His thoughts were in line with Lys', but he would not wait for a man who was supposed to be their ally to even be given a chance to turn on them. His sword already in hand, Akari will turn and slash Avdol diagonally down the chest, from the neck to waist.
"I will not wait for a man who was supposed to be our friend to betray us simply to get out of a difficult situation.. filthy coward."
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Avdol's body lies at your feet, blood gushing profusely from the now gaping wound left in him. The burly man's voice becomes eager and sarcastically, "that's the spirit, keep that up and we won't have anyone left to play with!".
He now glares intensely at Akari alone, "betrayal eh?" he eggs on, "An open ended statement like that could've meant anything though for the sake of fun let's say it vas betrayal..." he moves back from the two at his sides now, careful to not look away from the party. (Or what there is left of it,lol). "I take it that cutting your friend down vas your answer towards not joining me and my cause?!" he raises his head cheekily. A ferocity made visible in his eyes as he now spoke. "keep your sights on that man, and kill them ... I tire of playing around" he nods as the archers readjust and let loose four arrows which all miss.
The man sighs raising a hand to his forehead looking utterly disgusted. "How do you miss like that?!"
Initiatives
"Vas it not his vords, 'Funny thing about cowards... they tend to live longer... '... I do believe your 'friend' ate his own vords"
"Bravo boys, I'll admit that I was worried before. We might not actually need our spell slinging friend. says Lys with emphasis on friend.
Akari will immediately turn on one of the spear-wielders, positioning himself so that his opponent was between him and the archers and slashes before the man could better prepare himself.
Akari's attack misses and the burly man smirks, "It vould seem that you share in their pitiful depth perceptive skill"
Initiatives
Akari - 20
Melee 1 - 18
Burly Man - 17
Man near boss 1 - 17
Avdol - 15
Archer 3 - 15
Gabriel - 2
Man near boss 2 - 12
Archer 2 - 10
Archer 4 - 10
Lysanthir - 8
Melee 2 - 8
Archer 1 - 5
The Melee man attack in return, (Readied action)
Misses... So he on his turn 5's and attacks Akari again
Also misses...
The burly man waits watching in excitement as his men begin fighting. The man to their boss' right, (your left) standing 10' from the party casts a spell which appears to be on himself.
Avdol fails his first save...[ooc]Avdol, you are fee to control Saldrazar
An archer reloads his bow and shoots.
missing once more.
Gabriel, there is a man holding a long spear within a 5' step from you to your right, or 10' to the left the same thing. Also 10' ahead are two other men, one of which has proven to be a caster. If you would like more details, please don't hesitate, it is your turn! Goodluck!
Sadrazar will flutter about squawking as Avdol falls. Being intelligent enough to not rush and attack. Sadrazar instead will 5 foot "step" er flutter onto Gabe's shoulder.
Should a melee attack come his way he will use bodyguard and distract the attacker.
The man with the long spear lunges at Gabe's sudden movement,
Thanks to Saldrazar's bodyguard ability, it narrowly misses Gabe!!!! Gabriel's attack goes through and the man is hit. His head launches back in momentary pain causing his mask and hood to fall, revealing his face. His eyes already rolled back in his head, he gives a gasp as his apparent scream is replaced by more blood shooting out his mouth. The man's body goes into shock falling limp, crumbling to the floor in a pool of his own blood.
The opposite man to the spell caster crouches slightly. His shadow below him begins to swirl and gain size, then from it it raises upward coiling around himself. The shadows seem to be drawn into this ability from about the room as he continues to "charge" it's power. The noise it makes increases immensely for a moment prior to it's release at Gabriel! A ball or dark matter is hurled at Gabe, missing him but causing darkness in a line from infront of the man to him to appear. Saldrazar attempts to help in the cause to block this attack but fails... As does the man
Misses...
Two of the archers simultaneously let loose attacks, one targeting Gabriel and one targeting Akari.
Both miss again.
Lys lobs a bomb targeting the boss and hoping to get his two spellcasters in the explosion.
Akari will continue to drive his spear wielder back, taking a 5ft step forward with his next strike.
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The boss smirks as Lysanthir lobs a grenade, "Foolish child, you think I'd be so veak to be defenseless to an attack like that?" He swats the bomb out of the air sending it away from him. The man to his left however takes some of the splash damage.
Having being caught completely off-guard the man appears to have been affected and badly wounded.
missing again!
Top of the Turn Order
Akari's attack proves true, slashing through the man's torso as if it were only an illusion. His body remains still a moment before it begins sliding away in opposite directions.
The Burly man now looks upon Akari with some delight and excitement. "Boy, this might be vhat I've been waiting for!
The boss smirks as Lysanthir lobs a grenade, "Foolish child, you think I'd be so weak to be defenseless to an attack like that?" He swats the bomb out of the air sending it away from him. The man to his left however takes some of the splash damage.
Having being caught completely off-guard the man appears to have been affected and badly wounded.
The burly man approaches Akari, holding himself in both a defensive and agressive manner.
Akari takes a decent hit and the man jabs him in the sternum creating a hollow sound. Briefly taking away Akari's breath only a split second before one of the known "casters" flips his wrist at Gabriel.
Everyone except Avdol and Lysanthir make a will save DC 13, (Saldrazar rolls just not Avdol himself).
Avdol rolls Stability check and Saldrazar's turn. [ooc]He should be posting within the next couple hours
Archer shoots at Lysanthir trying their luck!
another... miss...
Above everyone suspended from the ceiling, an ominous distortion begins manifesting, those opposing you seem taken aback by it, but continue fighting!
Gabriel's turn!
A loud snoring is heard suddenly from Gabe's shoulder, as Sadrazar now has a snot bubble coming out of his beak and is fast asleep.
Akari shrugs off the spell and takes a 5ft step back, and smiles wickedly at the man before he turns his attention back on the burly man.
Gabriel slashes at the man, his robes tattered as gore seeped from the newest cavity. He is still standing but both casters appear to be badly injured!
The other man now steps away and attempts to cast the same ability once more. The darkness from before having dissipated now...
...but the pain is too much for him as he once again, misses., clutching his side...
Two of the archers attack Lysanthir in unison...
Lysanthir's turn once more!
"Impressive that would have critically injured most men."
Lys picks up her bow and takes a shot at the closest archer(forgot to mention last turn. She had to drop the bow to throw the bomb).
and most likely misses as badly as the enemy has been.
One of the four archers knocks another arrow aiming it in hope to hit it's target. Lysanthir being the easiest target.
Missing again...
Akari's glare meets with the eyes of the spell caster. Though his face was covered via a mask, he was obviously effected as his body language gave off hints of fear. Small tremors caused him to loose his attention even if only momentarily from his immediate threat, Gabriel.
The swirling vortex high above in the room swirls stronger and stronger. You hear a feint gasp from a select few others in the room as they too, look in awe. The swirls of smoke-like clouds begin opening up showing that of a portal. Through it, falls Zul... oddly slowly and confidently... and somewhat annoyed...
He lands on the floor beside the man casting darkness abilities, "Gah!..." He gasps clutching his back.
The burly man loomed over Akari, his hideous smile made for all the more impression. "Did anyone ever tell you, you shouldn't look away in a fight."He says stepping five feet closer.
Akari dodges the burly man's initial attack with ease, but the man's speed is unmatched as he, in a split second, launches another attack. Countering the artful dodge Akari performed, the man gets a lethal strike square in Akari's chest.
The man slightly shaken goes for an attack on Zul.
Which lands! A swirling darkness emits once more from his hands, consuming his arm as he seems certain he'd gotten a deadly strike on Zul. Zul's Square becomes darkness, and for a moment nothing moves.
Zul stands once more and the man is once more frightened, and refrains from attacking Zul as he would stand. His head would shift over toward the burly man now ignoring the caster completely in confidence. In unison he reaches for his longspear and points at the burly man, ferocity in his eyes.
"Now now,... let's all play nice!" Is heard from the darkness and he casts a spell.
Avdol/Saldrazar, you're up!
Burly Man - 17
Darkness caster (1) - 17
Zul feron - 16
Avdol/Saldrazar - 15
Archer 3 - 15
Gabriel - 2
Sleep caster (2) - 12
Archer 2 - 10
Archer 4 - 10
Lysanthir - 8
Archer 1 - 5
Sadrazar continues to snooze upon Gabe's shoulder.
Another arrow whizzes by Lysanthir. Meanwhile the swirling vortex above begins to diminish.
"Wh-" The caster before you begins, not budging as you swipe your lithe blade with perfect precision. His mask is clean cut and half falls to the ground revealing his face. Confusion, menace and pain take their turns as he falls into a poll of his own blood. "He said..." He struggles to get out as he lies there prior to going unconscious milliseconds later.
Another Arrow comes flying this time at Gabe, "You will pay for your insolence! this time a female's voice speaks. but two separate arrows fly simultaneously.
One arrow soars high and over your head hitting the bookshelf on the opposite wall, while the other finds a small gap in Gabriel's armor piercing his skin.
Initiative turn order Update:
Akari - 20 - UNCONCIOUS
Melee - DEAD
Burly Man - 17
Darkness caster (1) - 17 - INJURED
Zul feron - 16
Avdol/Saldrazar - 15 - UNCONCIOUS
Archer 3 - 15
Gabriel - 2 - INJURED
Sleep caster (2) - 12 - DEAD
Archer 2 - 10
Archer 4 - 10
Lysanthir - 8
Melee - DEAD
Archer 1 - 5
The party notes that the burly man straighten's his stature, but his eyes are on the sword that fell from Akari's hands upon going unconscious.
Lys half expected to be mostly done with the battle by. Since the archers have thus far been ineffective she now takes the chance to help Avdol.
She fails to make anything better and only accomplishes getting his blood on her nice cloak.
Another arrow whizzes by Lysanthir's head as she ducks to try and stabilize Avdol. The burly man leans over grabbing Akari's sword and stands tall looking to his victims with an evil grimace. "You'll have to tell me how it feels to fall by your comrade's sword!"
The darkness about Zul Feron dissipates revealing him rather healthily standing there. Shrugging and in a taunting manner he says generally "Looks like you found me," The Man casting the darkness spells attempts once more charging energy but this time aims it at Gabriel.
Again a cloud of darkness starts at the man, but ends at Gabe's feet, missing him. The man moves away.
Zul pulls out his long spear while stepping forwards and stares at the man clutching Akari's sword, "wanna play?" he says giving a sinister smirk in reflection. He raises a hand snapping his fingers without taking his eyes off the burly man, "Why don't we all calm down a bit while the big kids talk... "[b] He directs his
One of the Archers above becomes stiff as a board abd the burly man begins laughing. [b]"Perhaps ze girl would like to play first?..."He says eyeing Lysanthir...
The man casting the shadowy attacks appears in utter shock as Gabriel charges through his shadows and cuts him down with ease. Upon his body falling unconscious his darkness dissipates.
They continue struggling to hit their marks, the man posing as their boss speak up now, looking over his shoulder at them, "Next one who misses,... dies!", his glare ends, resting on Lysanthir and Avdol.
"Does that include you?"
Lys feeling that she can't help Avdol turns from him with a solemn expression on her face and shoots at the burly man with her bow.
The arrow flies true at the burly man, positive it would hit him hope was within sight... he laughs, "pitiful..." as he waves his free hand and deflects the arrow with ease.
Another missed shot via an archer...
Initiatives
Akari - 20 - UNCONCIOUS
Melee - DEAD
Burly Man - 17
Darkness caster (1) - 17 - DEAD
Zul feron - 16
Avdol/Saldrazar - 15 - UNCONCIOUS
Archer 3 - 15
Gabriel - 2 - INJURED
Sleep caster (2) - 12 - DEAD
Archer 2 - 10
Archer 4 - 10
Lysanthir - 8
Melee - DEAD
Archer 1 - 5
Zul walks over, pulling his wand from his side with a flick of his wrist moving past the burly man and making a heal check on Avdol. "is that it?" Zul taunts on, infuriating the monster of a man.
Lysanthir=1
Gabe's=2
Zul=3
The archers hesitate a moment and seem to collaborate attacks to better their chances. Your guess is they fear failing their leader. The first arrow soars from Zul's left the second from his right simultaneously. This would have caught the most readied soldier off guard and struck him/her for sure, but Zul having inticipated the possibility had already raised a shield previously turns before. The arrows pierce only the air around Zul as it hits a barrier and falling to the ground. "Gabriel, I am unfamiliar with... This" he says in a sarcastic tone towards the burly man.