Fairwind pelts across the room, hanging back to gauge the foe and brings forth a burst of fire against their pallid opponent.
Brujo looks on with wild eyes. The undead thing shakes his foundation. He draws his crossbow and fires.
Leo launches himself after Caine and then after their erstwhile foe
"Excuse me but you picked the wrong time and the wrong place for an introduction, but have a piercing smite on behalf of Kelemvor!" Leo lunges forth as his sword glitters with silvery spikes that disappeara as quickly as they manifest.
Fairwind and Brujo both launch attacks that Barthus loftily ignores, while Leo has better fortune. As another blade slices into his immaculate white skin, Barthus sighs gently as one of his wounds heals over. He looks the paladin in the eye.
"The younger generation really have no manners at all do they?" he remarks calmly.
Against his will, Leo finds himself nodding understandingly and looking reproachfully at Commander Caine. The Commander takes advantage of the vampire's momentary distraction to swipe at him again. In response, Barthus casually slaps him with his mace.
"Watch and learn from your elders and betters. You are in my country now." A faint glow forms around him and Leo feels a deathly chill sweep over him.
Dominating Gaze v Will on Leo (1d20 9=26.
Mace attack on Caine (1d20 12=20, 1d8 4=12).
Desecrated Ground (Burst 1) v Fort against Leo and Caine (1d20 9=22, 1d6 3=8, 1d20 9=15, 1d6 3=4).
Caine's greatsword slices true once more, as the warlord takes full advantage of a minute opening in Barthus' defences.
For Rev
For Rev** spoiler omitted **
Commander Caine
Yes. I was somewhat surprised that you were bloodied and indeed had assumed that'd you'd fully healed yourself up. My bad for not asking.
For Rev
Leo strikes again but falters missing as he stands upright and silent, gazing ahead of him at some point beyond the party and the battle thats being waged.
To DM only:
Leo only
React in any way you feel Leo would if a charismatic vampire took him over and he knew darned well that said vampire would use him against his friends. I can't see anything that says you lose the ability to think, just the ability to act. It's entirely up to you. Going blank sounds like a very natural reaction to me.
Perigia's bolt of frost strikes true and Barthus looks across to the genasi.
"How charming. Fire and ice. Your talents would make you a most welcome addition to my ranks. Do consider the offer seriously." His tone remains entirely polite.
Snaggletooth gulps hard and whispers to Cronin.
"You should have let me keep the cloak. Now he can see me." Even so, the kobold starts to scuttle towards the back of the room, crouching low behind coffins and boxes to keep himself inconspicuous.
Cronin advances and, with a grand gesture, brings down silvery flames on the opponent.
Sacred Flame vs Ref (1d20+6=17, 1d6+6=9)
Rev
Cronin
Daylight in this case. You get the radiant vulnerability, so it balances out a little.
Cronin ** spoiler omitted **
Necrotic damage from zone (1d6 3=4).
Never heeding his own growing wounds, Commander Caine concentrates on hitting Barthus hard and succeeds. Cronin senses his skills are needed closer at hand and advances on the vampire, searing it again with holy flame and between them, the two friends manage to break Leo free of his domination. Although shattered by the experience, the paladin is restored and able to defend himself once more.
1d20+8=21, 1d8+3=11Quarry 1d6=4
Fairwind runs up to the vampire and slashes efficiently following up with a roll away.
To her surprise, Fairwind's blades fail to make any impact on Barthus. The vampire smiles serenely and shakes his head at her.
"No, no my dear. You have to hit me much harder than that if I'm to take notice of you. Who would like to try next? This should be educational for you all."
"Gorram..." Fairwind mutters, "That shoulda sliced clean through 'im..."
Brujo shakes, overcome with fear and hatred for the vampire. He drops his crossbow and draws his blade. Quickly covering gournd he stops near Cronin and thows his blade at Barthus.
Not giving the enemy time to recover Brujo ignites his blade.
To her surprise, Fairwind's blades fail to make any impact on Barthus. The vampire smiles serenely and shakes his head at her.
"No, no my dear. You have to hit me much harder than that if I'm to take notice of you. Who would like to try next? This should be educational for you all."
"Enough Vampire, its time for your villainy to end!" Leo snarls.
Leo sidesteps behind the vampire as his sword gleaming silver once again swings at his undead foe even as Leo breaths a prayer to Kelemvor under his breath hoping to ward off any further attempts by the vampire to dominate him...
I'm afraid I must decline your invitation," Perigia saya. "Sorry to leave you out in the cold."
Brujo's sword flies from his hand and fails to break through Bathus's defences, like Fairwind's before him. His bolt of incendiary flame has better fortune and more blisters arise on the immaculate skin.
Free of domination, Leo ignores the pain coursing through his body from the zone of evil surrounding Barthus and strikes. His blow finds a surprising opening and his divine challenge brings the vampire round to face him.
"Do you never learn? You cannot possibly withstand me, so please cease trying. My patience is wearing a little thin."
Another wound heals over, and Barthus looks Leo in the eye once more. The paladin has no hope of resisting the vampire's gentle voice and he is once more dominated. With catlike grace, Barthus swings his mace over his shoulder, inflicting severe damage on Commander Caine.
"Your lesson in leadership continues sir. Today, you learn how to die first."
He laughs softly at the party. "So amusing, watching you all dance to my tune. I applaud you, really I do."
Necrotic damage from zone (1d6 3=8).
Sheets of ice pour from the tip of Perigia's wand and strike Barthus hard. For the first time you see him flinch slightly.
"Very well. If you insist on such discourtesy, we shall see what rougher magics will do for your spirits."
His head goes back and he speaks a chilling word of evil. From the coffins, creaking can be heard.
Snaggletooth puts his hand over his mouth and his eyes bug out as he skitters away from the coffin and around the back of the vampire, hunting for an opening. Recklessly, he hurls one of his daggers at Barthus, but accomplishes nothing as it falls far short.
Leo unleashes another Holy Strike upon the fiend
So soon as he swings his sword Leo slows as he turns his blade upright as he quivers in response to some vile command.
Pausing he glances across the room past the vampiric foe at his fellow adventurers...
Cronin advances on the vampire, menace in his eyes. "I say again, back to the darkness!" A brilliant flash of light bursts forth from his holy symbol, bathing the combatants and inspiring his allies.
Rev
Miss Repeat the attack against a second target within 5
squares of the first. If you miss, repeat the attack against
a third target within 5 squares of the second. If you miss
again, repeat the attack against a fourth target within 5
squares of the third. Your weapon then returns to your
hand.
Brujo
Good question. I think, in this instance as there are no other targets you'd want to hit you can send your blade around again to attack Barthus. It's a daily power and if you had to attack allies on a miss due to you only having one legitimate target, would be pretty useless.
Roll again for the second, third and fourth attacks and on the first hit, the blade returns to your hand. Your blade circles Barthus, searching for an opening.
Opportunity Attack 1d20+9=18, Damage 1d10+5=15, Normal Attack 1d20+9=20, Damage 1d10+5=14
"Pour it on! It will fall!"
For all his brave words, the Commander cannot breach Barthus's defences. Not only that, but he feels further dark energy coursing through him from the zone of unholy ground he stands in.
Necrotic damage to Caine from desecrated ground (1d6 3=7).
shortsword; sneak attack; quarry - 1d6=1, 2d8=13, 1d6=6 - total 20
"Laugh this up, creep!" Fairwind shouts as she runs up behind the vampire and slashes with her shortsword.
Fairwind's attack marks the impeccable white skin and you can see the wounds you are inflicting are growing in number. Barthus raises a gentle hand to touch Leo's arm.
"Chastise our reckless young friend."
In some corner of his mind, Leo protests, but his training takes over and his longsword rises and falls expertly, wounding the ranger.
Barthus applauds. "Education is sometimes painful, but we all learn, do we not?"
Leo winces slightly as the desecrated ground he stands on inflicts further damage on him.
Leo, Holy Strike v Fairwind (1d20 8=27, 1d8 4=10).
Necrotic damage to Leo from desecrated ground zone (1d6 3=5).
"Aggh!" Fairwind winces in pain, and she cries "Preacher! Leo! You gotta fight it! It's me here! Come on!"
Barthus
Perigia
Snaggletooth
Cronin's goddess supports her servant's efforts as a blinding shaft of divine power floods over Barthus, causing the vampire the first real pain you have seen him endure and ensuring that Caine, Leo and Fairwind will all benefit from her blessing on their next attacks against the fiend.
The vampire's eyes darken and the fiend beneath the skin begins to show itself under the benign exterior.
"That was more than discourteous, priest. That was a challenge. Very well. This lesson will be sharp, but thorough. Painful even."
On My Next Turn
Allies within 5 squares gain +1 Power Bonus to AC and 7 temporary hp.
Brujo's sword flies in and adds a further cut to the collection being amassed by Barthus.
The vampire allows an expression of mild annoyance to cross his face. Then he turns his attention to Leo. Almost lovingly, he brings his mace down hard on the paladin.
"So will you all fall. One by one."
The long fangs bare and he pulls the unprotesting knight towards him, sinking his teeth into the exposed throat and drinking deeply. Tenderly restoring the Leo to his place, he breathes deeply, looks around and smiles.
"Your education continues apace does it not?"
Barthus attack on Leo (1d20 12=27, 1d8 4=8).
MAP - for ease of reference - unchanged.