During the team's downtime, Kate divides her time between praying and meditating over her phylactery with Sister Maria (and she invests her 6,000 gp reward into inlaying gems and crystals known for their healing and amplifying properties), ministering to the refugee women, and enjoying the company of Dr Grimm.
When Derrik arrives he prepares himself.. most likely going to get a viciously worried display from Jewels and the others.. and rather than fighting it.. he relents allowing a bit of time to calm them. When time is alotted Derrik notices that slowly during his Working sessions upon his armor that he begins to feel somewhat of a bond and that the runes begin to make sense. A rune upon the Chest piece that runs down to the waist.. creating the word " Strength ". He strikes the armor, conditioning it and the rune glows red, brightly. It begins to link with another rune which glows gold and spells.. "Determination" in the symbols. This creates a chain-reaction other runes flaring at his strikes though not fully.. One only showing the first letter "J".
Afterwards.. Derrik seems to piece together the runes are paths to unlocking whatever gift was bestowed upon him.. and the more he had to work with the more might he could garner. Placing the Armor back upon his form he notices that he felt a boost in physical might though no where near the ferocity that Jewels- The thought dropping from his mind quickly. He was not a young boy.
The Great Shark and his assassins stood at the edge of the canal, peering into the water at The Slime-Shrouded Master.
Have you found the lair of The Fierce Ones, Slime-Shrouded Master? asked the black-clad captain of the Cthulhu cult's assassins.
I have, responded The SSM, in a deep, tuba-like voice. It lies several miles south and east of here, in the vast swamp you know as The Everglades.... "Pandora's Box", it is called.... There, you will find not only The Fierce Ones, but also those who created and support them.... It is a nexus for the last pitiful shreds of resistance to His Demonic Atrocity's rule.... Destroy it, and we shall be well rewarded by our Dread Lord Cthulhu....
The Great Shark nodded and grinned, baring teeth filed to razor-sharp points. It shall be done, Slime-Shrouded Master, and we shall have our reward. He looked at his assembled team of black-clad assassins. Let us find Pandora's Box in The Everglades, my barracudas and piranhas! Let us circle them quietly in the dark of night, and strike without warning! Let us enrich the waters with their blood, and feed with frenzied abandon!
The black-clad assassins hooted and howled in an eerie cacophony that echoed across Lido Key for several seconds, then followed their captain aboard a sleek, shark-gray speedboat, which jetted off across the aquamarine waters of the Gulf on its southward course along the keys to The Everglades....
Grimm, puppyless, spends time with Kate focused on strengthening their relationship. He is often lost for hours deep within his research on a head band, that kind of makes him chuckle when he thinks about it as it reminds him of Ralph Macchio in Karate Kid. His hopes are that science and alchemy combined will be enough to expand his mind intellectually to help him hone skills and create new and useful formulae as well as some inventions that he is hoping to take beyond the current tinkering phase. He is using the money that was rewarded to him on production of such an item, because well, the booze has been free thus far, or as free as it can be considering the circumstances.
Pandora's Box sprawls over an area of dry land amid the bogs and waterways of the Everglades roughly 700 ft east-west by 800 ft north-south, at a point approximately 6 miles from the south most tip of the Florida peninsula.
A marina with 7 docks jutting out into a harbor about 200 ft across, almost 300 ft long (from the north most quay to the south most dock), and about 15 ft deep occupies the south central section of The Box. A 100-ft-by-40-ft boathouse overlooks the western docks (docks 1 through 4, with 20-ft-wide docking bays), while an aquarium of equal dimensions overlooks the eastern docks (docks 5, 6, and 7, and the southward-pointing, T-shaped dock 8).
A 40-ft-wide air strip runs some 620 ft from north to south along the west border of The Box, with eight 60-ft-by-100-ft hangars lining the east side of the paved strip. At the north end of the air strip stands a 120-ft-by-80-ft motor garage.
The eastern border of The Box is made up of three warehouses lining the eastern docks of the marina, a 140-ft-by-100-ft greenhouse north of the warehouses, a 40-ft-by-80-ft library next to a spa of equal size north of the greenhouse, and a row of five 60-ft-by-100-ft residential bunkers runs along the north border.
Nestled in a vast yard framed by the aforementioned buildings are four 40-ft-by-60-ft laboratories, two 20-ft-square storage sheds, two 30-ft-high observation towers, a medieval-style forge, a kennel, two large workshops, a kitchen, mess hall, and recreation hall including a cantina.
Grimm gets to work developing admixtures and bombs.
dr. hoffmann begins helping krar design a robe a robe to help his fighting style/unarmed combat.
[ooc]6,000 towards monk's robe
Koran designs his hammer to channel the supernatural power of his rage.
add the furious enhancement to the earthbreaker.
it is now a large living steel +1 furious earthbreaker
mephos begins wearing a headband created to enhance his spellcasting ability. +2 headband of alluring charisma.
Sweaty and exhausted from work outs with HN-Kitty, Sun flops onto Radsworths bed. Breathing heavily, she takes his pillow and throws it at the back of his head.
"Hey Rad, whatcha doin?"
Grumbling, Rad crumples up a half-used scroll and tosses it into his trash can.
"I WAS working. Honestly child, couldn't you have chosen to study a path that discourages you throwing things at me all the time? Everywhere I go I feel like a moving target."
Rad goes back to his work, carefully copying the multitude of old scrolls and tomes he has checked out from the library. With the new realization that his enemies can either work through others or disguise themselves, Rad spends much time on the strange magic that empowers divination.
"Divination is a difficult study for me Sun Mi. Some parts of Cthulu's mythos are easy for me to understand. Take Necromancy for example. The language is certainly foul to speak and it leaves the tongue oily, but the magic is easy to use. All things are neatly labeled and all spell keys are additive. Raugug et Exhus is literally Ray that Exhausts."
He looks back down to his primer.
"Divination is a language built around what-if's and maybe's. It's even worse for me than Illusion. Regardless, we will need information from time to time here at Pandora, and hopefully I can learn to provide it."
1st: Comprehend Languages, Identify, Detect Charm, See Alignment, True Strike.
3rd: Summon Monster III, Heroism, Fireball, Fly, Slow
Total Cost = 2500 gold. (10+25=35 x5) (375+90=465 x5)
It is just before midnight on Thursday, the 11th of April, when the assassins strike. Having silently paddled canoes into the marina at Pandora's Box, they crept up on the eastern watchtower in the central yard between the residential bunkers and the laboratories and began a stealthy ascent to where a lone sentry armed with a rifle fitted with a night vision scope stands guard....
Sentry's Perception check
Stealth check
Barracudas' Stealth checks:
Shuriken coated with giant wasp venom plus sneak
Barracudas' composite longbows:
plus sneak
longbow:
plus sneak
longbow:
plus sneak
The sentry in the east watchtower falls dead without a sound....
"Uh huh."
Both Rad and Sun Mi look up at Aaron, who has made his way into the room.
"And what about the magical language of chickenshit? How does that work out? Is it yellow and flowery with the hint of scared pussy?"
Clenching his fists at this side, he shoves his way past Sun Mi and jabs a tan finger at Rad.
"I heard an interesting story today professor. Seems some of the women are very much aware of the fact that you were willing to let them all die rather than risk one of these precious Box operatives. What a f%~@ing joke."
He reaches around his shoulders for his backpack and over turns it, dumping several books onto the floor.
"Save your lessons a!#!@@@. I'll find a different teacher."
Turning, he looks over his shoulder to Sun Mi.
"Don't get to attached Sun Mi. This one isn't worth the air he breathes."
Stalking out of the room, he leaves Rad and Sun Mi in silence.
At the west watchtower, three other barracudas ascend stealthily to where another sentry scans the darkened landscape....
Sentry's Perception check
Barracuda Stealth check
Barracuda Stealth check
Barracuda Stealth check
The sentry fails to perceive the three deadly shadows creeping up on three sides of the tower....
Barracuda comp longbow plus sneak
Barracuda comp longbow plus sneak
Barracuda comp longbow plus sneak
The west sentry is forever silenced.
The Great Shark cups his hands around his mouth and gives out three loud frog-like croaks that echo in the night....
Seconds later, a score of black-clad barracudas pour out of the shadows on all sides of The Box, and begin to seek entry into the residential bunkers, where personnel are apt to be in bed asleep....
Lol!
Two assassins creep to the door of the bunker currently occupied by Derrik and Jewels....
Fortunately, they are both awake, and both armed and armored, having just returned from a late-night sparring session at the gymnasium. Both are preparing to remove their armor and hit the showers, when the assassins outside their bunker door drink potions of invisibility, followed by potions of silence....
Derrik and Jewels can attempt DC 15 Perception checks to notice that the door to their bunker has silently swung open....
Two assassins creep to the door of the bunker currently inhabited by Radsworth and Sun Mi, drink potions of invisibility and silence, and throw open the door....
Radsworth and Sun Mi can attempt DC 15 Perception checks to notice the door swing open without a sound....
Though unable to be seen in his armor, Derrik was perspiring profusely.. in his experience very few things have even made him break a sweat. The training was ONE of the ways Jewels did so to him. This session he attempted to forgo much of his defensive prowess and take pointer from Her and Koran's style.. Striking to deal the most lethal of strikes. Sometimes even going a few without his shield to get a feel for Dawnbringer in both hands. There was something about fighting her that awakened much thought in Derrik.. among other things. He even attempted some maneuvers that worked around synched switching of places and back to back fighting as well as simulating expert double teams.. they were a flurry of pain together.
Derrik feels he had learned something about himself and Jewels.. and his battle-sense was sharper than a blade afterward. As they both wind down and Derrik is placing a arm around Jewel's waist complimenting her on the job well done.. he easily spots that the doors, which required manipulation by an outside source due to previous... experiences..., Flung open.. but even odder.. it made no sound. Not a small amount.. not a loud creak as it normally does or even when it is oiled.. No sound at all.
He tenses up on Jewels slightly turning her towards the anomaly and says..
" I don't remember that door being open... we were careful about that... last time right? "
Gripping Dawnbringer in one hand and whispering to Jewels " Something isnt right about this.. doors here just don't open..and we not hear anything. "
Initiative from Derrik, Jewels, Radsworth, and Sun Mi, please....
Initiative for all four assassins
Initiative
Kate, Dr Grimm, Captain Kermit, and Dr Hoffman are drinking in the cantina within the recreation hall, and listening to a Miles Davis record, when The Great Shark and three barracudas enter, invisible and silenced by potions imbibed a moment before they opened the recreation hall door.
Perception checks, DC 15, to notice the door quietly open, seemingly on its own....
Also, Initiative from Kate, Grimm, Kermit, and Hoffman....
Initiative
Perception
Initiative
Hey, guys! That door just opened by itself, which means either ghosts or ninjas.... Neither would be good, so look out....
Initiative
Perception
Initiative
Uh-oh....
Captain Kermit!
Barracudas!
The Great Shark!
Dr Hoffmann!
Derrik!
Jewels!
Dr Grimm!
Kate!
TBD: Prof Radsworth and Sun Mi!
Eureeeeeeeka!
Captain Kermit pulls an air-horn out of a pocket of his cargo shorts and blasts the signal for enemy raid....
Hope that was loud enough to be heard where it needs to be....
The three assassins dash invisibly into the recreation hall, 30 ft closer to the cantina bar at which Kate, Grimm, Kermit, and Hoffmann sit on barstools (swift action to stand); they are now a mere 10 ft from all four of the characters at the bar, encompassing them in magical silence!
They fire arrows with their composite longbows, becoming suddenly visible, all targeting Kermit at PBS range.... plus sneak
plus sneak to confirm crit
plus sneak
33 piercing damage to Captain Kermit!
The Great Shark springs 30 ft forward, bringing him 10 ft away from Kermit, and whips a shuriken coated with giant wasp poison at the frog-man, appearing out of thin air! plus Fort save vs giant wasp poison....
But the shuriken flies far from the mark and silently smashes a bottle of Jose Quervo tequila....
The two invisible assassins silently move to flank Jewels....
Rapier plus sneak to confirm crit
Rapier plus sneak
13 piercing damage to Jewels!
Dr Hoffmann swears, but no sound is made! He stands as a swift action, clambers over the bar as a move action, and pulls out a potion of gaseous form as a move action....
In his three-armed smoking jacket trying to relax, Grimm realizes that he has stashed a couple of vials of formulae for emergency use. He quickly grabs the one in his left pocket and imbibes the feral mutagen. He rapidly convulses until he js transformed into a monstrous creature with a large maw and wretched claws.
Derrik rushes into action.. moving into the fray, not concerned about his own safety and grabbing Jewels swapping places with her much like their sparring... Then forgoing the Protection of his shield dropping it and Swinging Dawnbringer down with fury upon one who would attack innocent!
In his three-armed smoking jacket trying to relax, Grimm realizes that he has stashed a couple of vials of formulae for emergency use. He quickly grabs the one in his left pocket and imbibes the feral mutagen. He rapidly convulses until he js transformed into a monstrous creature with a large maw and wretched claws.
Oh.... Mother.... What the f#!! did my baby just turn into!?
Jewels rages, draws her +1 greatsword and swings at an assassin with Vital Strike.... .... Her blade chops deeply into the assassin on Derrik's left!
Derrik rushes into action.. moving into the fray, not concerned about his own safety and grabbing Jewels swapping places with her much like their sparring... Then forgoing the Protection of his shield dropping it and Swinging Dawnbringer down with fury upon one who would attack innocent!
The assassin dodges Dawnbringer (AC 16), and both make AoOs....
Rapier plus flanking sneak
Rapier plus flanking sneak
But Derrik is unscathed, thanks to his superior full plate armor!
Jewels rages, draws her +1 greatsword and swings at an assassin with Vital Strike....1d20+13 4d6+10.... Her blade chops deeply into the assassin on Derrik's left!
The assassin's dying scream is silenced by his own potion....
Kate climbs up onto the bar as a move action, at an angle behind Dr Grimm, so she can reach over and touch Captain Kermit, burning water breathing to cast cure serious wounds....