SR's - Great Southern Isles (PbP) (Inactive)

Game Master stormraven

Ushari...
The pirate leader attempts to marshal his internal resources... but fails to break free of her enchantment.

Errata - Ignore the comment about Fin's Shield spell not protecting her from behind. According to RAW, it does. It doesn't affect the combat result but it is a factor.

Straehan...

The Dire Rat savours the bite it took out of Straehan. Since no traps were sprung, the gnome is a gift. It bites down on the windpipe of the unconscious meat, trying to smother the last vestiges of life from it. Fortunately, something in Straehan struggles to live, forcing ragged breaths into his lungs.

Round: 16

ORDER: Fin, Straehan, Jayse, Pirate Bosses, Pirate Lackeys, Boo, Cave Beast, Ushari

Map: Mining Village

F's HPs: 2|36
J's HPs: 10|32
U's HPs: 17|24
S's HPs: -10|28 Diseased & Dying (death @ -14)

Ushari barely notices the killing blow administered by Jayse. She also is oblivious to the approaching Fin. Her attention is solely fixed on the pirate sergeant who had thought to force himself on her. She approaches him, and holds her rapier to his throat . As she thrusts the blade forward, a flick of the wrist angles the blade so it enters his body in the groin area...he sees no trace of humanity in her eyes.

Move action, walk to BS96
Standard action, Attack MW Rapier 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23 Crit 18-20/x2
Damage 1d6 + 1 + 2d6 ⇒ (5) + 1 + (3, 6) = 15 sneak attack

Ushari vaguely regrets that the pirate's frozen features can't show desperation, fear, or pain. Her rapier bites deep, but the sergeant is strong and the blow doesn't finish him.

Round: 17

ORDER: Fin, Straehan, Jayse, Pirate Bosses, Pirate Lackeys, Boo, Cave Beast, Ushari

Map: Mining Village

F's HPs: 2|36
J's HPs: 10|32
U's HPs: 17|24
S's HPs: -10|28 Diseased & Dying

Perception 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (19) + 10 = 29

Wary for any more bastards lurking in the trees, Findelgwing walks up to the others. She then points to the jagged gash in her back and gasps a single word, "Heal!"

Judging by the amount of blood on her and on Whoosh, it looks like she's been rather busy.

Seeing that Ushari has her hands full killing a pirate, Fin swaps out for Twang and motions for the girl to step back so she can free up her schedule. Yet it's clear from the way she grimaces as she pulls back her bowstring to fire that she's in quite a lot of pain.

Twang 110' 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 6 + 2 = 13 fave, should be at least another +5 considering the guy is at Dex 0 right now.
dmg 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 fave

Ushari's bloodlust is broken by Fin's rasped word, and as she notes the elf's condition, she cannot help but agree with her diagnosis.

She steps away from the paralyzed man, and asks Fin, "Where is Straehan?"

At Ushari's question, Findelgwing's face contorts in anguish and she lets her arrow fly, teeth clenched. She lowers her head and her shoulders slump. With anxiety in her voice she says, "Dun knooow..."

Ushari had not known Fin for very long, but hearing the note of anxiety in Fin's voice caused her heart to constrict in fear for the plucky gnome. Knowing how close the elf girl was to him, she responds softly, "I am sure he is OK, Fin. Don't worry, we will find him." Her hand strays to her vest pouch, where her magical Coin of Finding was secreted. I hope this works, otherwise it may already be too late.

Wary for any more bastards lurking in the trees...

The lesson hard-learned, Fin scans the trees and determines that the nearby trees are 'bastardless'. :) Emphasizing the point, she puts an arrow into the back of the helpless pirate. Still, the sergeant doesn't drop.

Your turn, Jayse.

Even Straehan's reserves of strength deplete themselves and he slips closer to the gates of oblivion. His breathing slows.

S's HPs: -11|28 Diseased & Dying (Dead @ -14)

Jayse turns to see Fin's return and their treatment of the final pirate. Fin notices that he is practically covered in blood, torn clothing, and cuts. And he moves with an obvious limp as he crosses the grass to stand next to Ushari. He notes but doesn't comment on their treatment of the held pirate.

What do you mean you don't know where Straehan is. Where did you last see him? Was he okay?" As he speaks, he recharges his weapon with mental energy while straining with his senses for signs of danger.

If we're still in combat rounds…
Move to stand next to Ushari.
Standard - Recharge Psychic Strike.
Perceptin 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (2) + 10 = 12.

Fin shakes her head and wonders why the hell Ushari is just standing there with her hands in her pockets when she and Jayse are obviously in A Bad Way™. Was she distracted by the pirate scum that refused to die?

Holstering her bow momentarily, she winces, readying Whoosh to finish the bastard and hopefully get Ushari's attention back on focus. At Jayse's question, she shakes her head 'no'. "Strae say run. Fin run."

She hefts her blade, "Fin hunt."

Sense Motive 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8

Ushari notes the look in Jayses' eyes and at first ignores it. This man WILL DIE! Then, something awoke in her, maybe something akin to guilt? She was no cold blooded killer any more, right....RIGHT?? Plus, the news of Straehan missing meant she needed to take a prisoner, no matter her lust for revenge.

She reluctantly lowers her blade and instead raises her hand, allowing another wash of healing energy heal herself and her companions.

Standard action: Channel Energy 2d6 ⇒ (1, 6) = 7 within 30'
Exclude the Pirate from the channel.
Use 2/5.

After completing her healing, she turns to the pirate prisoner and hisses, "Surrender or die!"

What is the current lighting situation?

Just gonna give you a bulleted list cuz its easier and looks cool: :)
* We are still on Rounds, in part because (a) this Held pirate has a chance every round to break out, (b) you are in combat-mode until you say otherwise - I didn't want to presume that, and (c) tactically you might still want to do something in combat-mode before we 'switch it off'. Once it is off, I'll just put the pirates to their deployment positions, adjudicate what happens to Straehan, and go from there.
* With the perception checks rolled, nearly entirely by hearing, you can tell that a few pirates are still moving through the woods north of you back to the 'village' at a quick pace. You presume all the others have already gotten back to their rally point and are hatching their next nefarious plan.
* Evening is falling and with the rising mist, all sight is now reduced to about 100'. In the dark woods, human vision is slightly impaired but in the more open areas you guys are all equal.

Just to save you some time.... this pirate was part of the southern group and has no idea what happened to Straehan for sure, any more than Jayse or Ushari can, but he can probably give a guess. Given that he is Held - its gonna be tough for him to 'surrender' since he can't speak or move. :)

Jayse - given the situation, if you want to amend your actions, feel free.

Ushari - Since the pirates get their turn before you get yours, we'll keep your action on record but you will be able to amend it once we get to your turn in the order.

Nope, his actions stand, and I'm fine staying in combat mode if it means we can try to hunt down some more of the stragglers and mount some kind of rescue attempt for Strae.

Jayse nods at Fin's hunting suggestion. "I say we get any information this fellow is willing to trade us for his life, then head north, both hunting for straggler pirates as well as anything that will help us find Straehan."

That's a lot to say in one round… maybe he speaks fast? :)

Up to 17 hp.

Ushari nods at Jayse, "A good plan, Jayse." She motions to the held pirate, "Fin, keep a close eye on him too, as the hold I placed on him should end in a few seconds."

No matter how much he tries, the pirate cannot escape Ushari's spell until it elapses. His body collapses. Seeing that he is surrounded and badly wounded, he surrenders.

Ushari - any change to your actions?

No, her stated action will not change.

Once the healing energy has been expended, Ushari turns to their prisoner. Her voice is cold and devoid of emotion.”Wise choice you made there. Now, if you answer our questions truthfully, you will live. Now, first question: Where do you keep your prisoners?”

FWIW - when I post next I won't be updating the map until I have a better idea of what you guys plan to do. The map is too huge to give you any sort of decent overhead shot of the whole field.

In the light forest, Fin, Jayse, and Ushari hear the distant jingle of equipment as the few remaining pirates race back to the village. The forest is nearly silent now.

Straehan...
Deep in the cave, the rat regards its meal. By all rights, the gnome should be dead already. The drooling beast moves closer once again, intent on crushing the windpipe since smothering it didn't work. Before it can secure its bite, its ears prick to an odd sound. Wary of a trap, the rat backs away and stares down the misshapen corridor.

A mist creeps in, eddying and pooling as it moves slowly towards the beast and its victim. The rat chuffs its discontent. Mists don't often come into the cave... and this one seems to slither and scratch against the rock walls in a disturbing way. Then a strange scent tweaks the rat's nose. It is sweet and floral. The rat bares its orange teeth and snaps at nothing it can see...

Having enough, the Dire Rat flees quickly. It dodges the mist and moves erratically, as if it expects a predator to drop on it. The mist pauses only briefly before flowing up to and across the hapless gnome. In a probatory fashion, tendrils of mist enter his nose, mouth, and the porches of his ears. His body shakes briefly then the mist recedes and seeps into the stone floor.

A moment later, with the blood rushing to his head, Straehan awakens with a start. Truly, he feels as bad as any creature can and still be alive.

Round: 18

ORDER: Fin, Jayse, Pirate Bosses, Pirate Lackeys, Boo, Cave Beast, Ushari, Straehan (uncommonly staggered)

Map: Mining Village

F's HPs: 9|36
J's HPs: 17|32
U's HPs: 24|24
S's HPs: -10|28 Stabilized

"Thank," Fin says, nodding to the short woman. She steps a few feet away, seeking to blend in with the surroundings to better keep watch for trouble, bow at the ready. Should any foe dare to show their face or the downed man get any bright ideas, she'll be ready to plant a shaft in their flesh.

Perception 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28
Stealth 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28

Twang 110' (readied) 1d20 + 6 + 2 ⇒ (19) + 6 + 2 = 27 fave
dmg 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8 fave

O_o; Whoa!

NICE rolls!

Just then the mage comes walking up, right? RIGHT?

Sigh. Color me jealous. :D (though I am glad at least one of us is rolling hot in this extended encounter.

Jayse approaches the crouching (?) man, holding the blade to his throat. "There's only two ways this goes down. One is you're not as helpful and honest as you possibly can, and I kill you here and now. The second is that you are as helpful and honest as you can, and I will simply tie you up. When all this is said and done, and we have the villagers alive, I'll release you to them and honestly tell them that you had a hand in their liberation. What'll it be? And if you stall, you also die."

Move action to get next to the pirate.
Standard Action to Ready an action to strike him if he does anything but answer honestly that he'll helpful to us.
Mindblade 1d20 + 10 - 1 ⇒ (10) + 10 - 1 = 19; power attack.
--> damage 1d8 + 8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 8 + 3 = 13; power attack.

Sense Motive (to see if he's deceptive in his answers) 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27.

I dunno, man. Those are pretty good rolls too. :)

The pirate agrees with a curt nod, wary of the blade at his throat. "How can I help you?"

"Start by answering my question. Where do you keep your prisoners?"

"They're in the mine - right-hand branch."

Jayse - he seems truthful. I'll tell you if that changes.

Cool.

"How long have you been with this pirate outfit? Is the mage the leader? What do you think we're most likely to run into now that we've killed off a portion of your crew? Will they run or try for another trap?"

"Been with'em maybe 3 years. Boo ain't the Captain, but he'd like to be. With me captured and Scurvy dead... gotta figure Boo is calling the shots. I don't know WHAT he'd do."

"So were you or Scurvy the leader? And if so, which of you?" Boo is the mage, right?

Correct. Boo is the mage. Scurvy is one of the dead sergeants.

He looks at you curiously, "Me and Scurvy are lieutenants. The Cap'n is the leader and he's gone to sell the women with a few of the boys... meaning a few of our boys as guards and whatnot."

It's Jayse's turn to look confused, "I thought your ship was busted. Where has he gone to sell them? And how long until he and the guards get back?" He pauses for a second, "How many did he leave with your group in this area, all told?"

"We loaded them up in a cart and the Cap'n took'em overland. He knows some village or something here-abouts with a slave market. He didn't say exactly how long it would take - maybe a couple of weeks. How many of who, did he leave? Women? Villagers?"

"Of you, the pirates."

He grimaces, "Well the smartass answer is 'Not Enough'... but there was 19 of us before you came along."

Ushari - how are you going to spend your turn?

As Jasye interrogates the pirate prisoner, Ushari nods in satisfaction. He is doing a fine job, she thinks. As her eyes roam over to Fin watching for any surprise attacks, she notes the elf is still badly wounded. She chants softly and a soft white glow surrounds her hand.

She slips quietly behind Fin, and softly touches her shoulder and Fin feels her wounds close further.

Cast CLW on Fin 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Straehan...
In addition to feeling utterly wretched, Straehan's dignity is bruised. He glowers upside-down. Hanging like a veal is bad enough but this damn robe keeps falling down around my face like a prom-queen's dress on the big night!

He musters his strength and with a leaden hand rummages through his belt-pouch until he grasps and frees his one lockpick and nearly passes out from the effort. Right! Step 2 - getting free!

Depending on how long the interrogation goes, I'll periodically insert Straehan's actions.
Fin - you can maintain your present posture and nice rolls indefinitely or do something else as you wish.
If you guys expect a protracted discussion and planning session just let me know how many rounds I can skip ahead... i.e. "we'll continue questioning the guy for 3 rounds. Fin will hold a defensive position." The only caveat would be that as the only healer, I'd like Ushari to declare her actions for each round. But that can be sped up to "Ushari will use 2 channels and 1 CLW over the next 3 rounds." Rolls for her can be included or left up to me... your call.

Round: 19

ORDER: Fin, Jayse, Pirate Bosses, Pirate Lackeys, Boo, Cave Beast, Ushari, Straehan (Uncommon Stagger)

F's HPs: 15|36
J's HPs: 17|32
U's HPs: 24|24
S's HPs: -10|28 Staggered

I'm actually happy to move on. I think we should scoot back north, retracing Fin's steps to here, then try to get to the cave. Jayse's last question would be where he thinks they'd keep Straehan. Other than that, he's good to tie the guy up and head out. The CMD to break from a knot tied by Jayse is 46 (20 + 26), of course we'd also stick a sock in his mouth to keep him from screaming out. Tie him to a tree as well?

Also, don't count on me posting much tonight. Family time. :)

Ushari considers the wisdom of saving her divine energy, and realizes she needs to expend more of her energy for her cmpanions.

Channel Energy 2d6 ⇒ (5, 4) = 9 within 30'
Exclude pirate from channel.
Use 3/5.

...there was 19 of us before you came along."

Upon overhearing the lieutenant's words, Fin thinks back trying to count how many she took out or wounded. There was the human she split in two at the camp and the elf shortly after him. Then in the woods she slew one of the bosses, and yet another elf.

Four...

Of the few humans who got away, she knew that one was hurt fairly badly from her bow, but not enough to drop him.

For his part, she knew Straehan burned one to death and that the other two were in wretched condition when she was forced to retreat. She wondered how many Ushari and Jayse had taken out. There were clearly two dead men on the ground nearby plus the tied-up man they were interrogating. Jayse had also killed off the look-out, Crow, earlier that day.

By her reckoning that was 7 dead and 12 to go, 3 of whom were injured pretty badly. As Ushari heals them yet again, she wonders if the injured pirates would still be injured if they were to give pursuit right now. And how many spells did the man in the robes still have at his disposal...?

OK, read thru the combat a couple times now. Here's the kill tallies that I've observed:
F: 2 elves, 1 boss, 1 human
J: 2 elves, 1 boss, 1 human
S: 1 elf
U: —

This means we've got an uninjured wizard along with another 9 pirates, who could either be injured or healed by this point. Do we try to mount another assault before they can finish regroup and re-prep spells (knowing that U is running out of healing), or do we ourselves regroup which would also allow the enemy to recharge?

Fin whispers to Ushari and nods at the pirate boss saying, "Ask 'got heals?'"

Sense Motive 1d20 + 9 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 9 + 2 = 28 fave

The elf watches the pirate's reaction, primarily trying to discern if he's being truthful about their number and whether or not they have access to healing magic.

Ushari's healing nudges both Jayse and Fin into feeling decidedly less abused.

Jayse, trusses the pirate up with consummate skill. Did you just bind his hands or hands and feet?

F's HPs: 24|36
J's HPs: 26|32
U's HPs: 24|24
S's HPs: -10|28 Staggered

Ushari - are you going to use any more healings? Are you going to ask Fin's question or should I assume you asked it?

Tied hand and foot, with a sock for a gag and then preferably tied to the base of a tree so he can't inch-worm somewhere and give us up. Is 50 ft of rope enough for that? :)

LOL! Sorry you need 51' for that. You fail - epically.

Straehan...
When his strength returns enough, Straehan crawls slowly up his own body and tries to unlock the manacles holding his legs.

He is surprised when the tumblers click and he falls free onto the rockpile, rolling down to the floor.

Straehan lies there for a moment, breathing heavily, exhausted again. He wipes away the vestige of a joyful tear with a sooty sleeve.

Step 3 - Get the f!#+ out of here!

Mike - I truly appreciate you spending the time to go through the posts to tally up the dead and wounded. That's a flattering kind of initiative and I appreciate it. Just to fill in the blanks for you guys...

(2) Dead Sergeants
(1) Captured Sergeant
(6) Dead Elf Pirates - including baldy from before
(2) Dead 'normal' pirates

Of the living...

(1) Boo - Mage extraordinaire and resident a$$hole - full health
(2) Normal Pirates - full health
(1) Normal Pirate - about 25% wounded
(1) Elf Pirate - about 25% wounded
(1) Normal Pirate - about 50% wounded
(2) Normal Pirates - about 75%+ wounded

Ushari - are you going to use any more healings? Are you going to ask Fin's question or should I assume you asked it?

Sorry about that, just got back from lunch.

Ushari bathes her companions with her healing glow once again, and stares at the pirate prisoner, "You heard the question...answer it." If he seems to not understand, she will respond "Do you have any healers in your group?"

Channel 2d6 ⇒ (4, 4) = 8 within 30'
Use 4/5

Another blast of healing leaves Fin only slightly injured.

F's HPs: 32|36
J's HPs: 32|32
U's HPs: 24|24
S's HPs: -10|28 Staggered

The pirate looks at Ushari then Jayse, confused. "I answered his question."

Ushari - Fin whispered that question to you while seriously stealthed. The Pirate didn't hear it. I'm happy to assume you just repeat the question as if it were yours, just let me know.

Straehan drags himself to the wall, then stands up, and staggers down the corridor while clinging to the uneven wall for support.

Post 2K! Gents, please check the OOC thread.