"Easy, Ardanto! Come on, you've seen me do weirder stuff with my spells ..." Daurros follows behind Finn, his rapier held aloft by a near-invisible hand of force.
Finn sends some ghostly torches dancing into the darkened room.
You step into the room. It is a large cavern with a very high roof. Stalactites hang from above. Great beams have been put into place and the silks hang from them. Some hang in small sheets others from floor to ceiling many feet across. Water drips from some as others hang dry. a cascade of colors assaults you as you look upon the light and shadows, purple, red, Orange, yellows , blues and many colors in between. Smoke from the fire outside hangs in the air and makes the shadows seem alive as they move across it. In places you can see many feet across in others walls of silk block you. The silk and shadow surround you as a maze.
Finn
Ardanto is going to cut the silks down as they pass them, (I have seen the enter the dragon mirror fight too many times to leave them standing).
Daurros will return the rapier to his hand, and begin using Hand of the Apprentice to pull down the silk sheets.
"There's something big up ahead," Finn whispers, "and I think I saw something off to the side as well..."
Daurros re-draws his rapier with his HoA. "Where?!!" He remains near the back, as wounded, squishy, arcane-types should.
You move forward into the cavern, slashing and pulling silks down as you pass, yet Finn is uneasy. The burst of movement comes from the left as silks tear and fall and the creatures leaps into your mist. Finn stabs at the moving beast to no avail as it leaps upon Ardanto.
It is a large lizard like creature it foams at the mouth it's eye wide in savage glee, they glint in the darkness. It's skin an ashen grey covered in blood and parts and bits of it's skin hangs about the beasts frame as if sliced and cut.
All this you take in mere moments as it pounces from the shadow upon Ardanto. Snem is first to act as the glowing ball strikes at the beast with a bolt singing it but seeming to do little else.
Init
Beats 15[pounced]
Snem=11[acted]
Daurros=11
Ardanto=7
Finn=7
Thoven=7
Guard=6
Finn backs up and strikes at the horrid lizard with a pair of vicious strikes.
attack 1: 1d20+4=15 2d6+7=16, attack 2: 1d20+4=11 2d6+7=15
add action point to first attack: 1d6=4
Daurros sends his rapier flying at the lizard. The creature moves faster than he expected, but Daurros tries to correct his mental aim ... "Ardanto! How badly are you hurt?"
"You can declare that you are spending an action point after you have already rolled the d20, but you must do so before the Dungeon Master reveals the result of your roll (whether the attack roll or check or saving throw succeeded or failed."
Fort: +3(class) +2(con) = +5 (1d20+5=13)
Action point to improve fort save. (1d6=2)
Ardanto lets out a particularly girly scream of pain as he is "pounced" on and rending by the big lizards (having Jurasic Park flash backs here, "clever girl".)
He tries to counter attack the lizard wailing his weapons in its face and midriff.
In his panic he slaps his weapons against the creatures armoured hide (I guess).
Guard is not that surprised to find a creature lurking in the shadows of this room, but has to turn to face it properly and also to bring his shiny warhammer into a striking position.
He then throws the weapon down on the lizard, but it only scrapes on the creatures hide.
Warhammer attack (1d20+5=18, 1d8+3=4)
Daurros sends his sword flying at the beats inflecting little damage as Ardanto in his panic misses the beast. Finn thrust his large spear twice once piercing the beats savagely. Thovern misses in his haste as Guards blow seems to slide off the creature harmlessly
The beast which in the light looks to be a mutilated carver seems to play no heed and mindless assaults Ardanto whop falls under the beasts slashing talons
"Come here, Beasty! Try me!" Guard screams in the face of the monster, while watching Ardanto fall.
He mentally rearranges the power he is able to use, dividing it evenly between the warhammer and Snem.
Snem, getting that Powerup from Guard, blasts away at the lizard as soon as possible, hitting him straight.
Soul Blast with Essentia. (1d20+9=26, 1d6+3=6)
Guard meanwhile gets his Warhammer back up and lets it drop on the monster, laying all his anger behind the blow:
Warhammer attack with Essentia and Driven by failure (1d20+10=27, 1d8+8=16)
Seeing that the previous attack had some effect on the monster, Guard finds some strength to immediately strike again.
second Attack with Action Point (1d20+10=22, 1d8+8=13)
"Gurgle......" Ardanto slumps dramatically to the floor, blood oozing from his wounds.
Fort: +3(class) +2(con) = +5 (1d20+5=22)
10% chance of becoming stable. (1d100=36)
Furious at Ardanto's collapse, Finn howls with rage and stabs again at the lizard-thing.
Under an assult from Gaurd and a fast lung from Finn the mutilated carver screams takes one last lung at Thoven and dies upon Finns spear. Suddenly it's eyes burst, green smoke pours forth from the sockets and acidic blood corrodes the skin. Splashes of the acidic blood splash onto the unmoving Ardanto but the others avoid the Hissing blood. Soon all is left is a husk of flesh and a pool of boiling blood.
"Damnit... I hate it when they do that.
Can somebody tell me why that happens?
Oh, and I think Ardanto needs some healing." Guard speaks, then looking down his own body to check for damage.
Fizz! "Gurgle"
If Thoven doesn't heal Ardanto first , Finn will pour a healing potion down Ardanto's throat.
Daurros kneels down to check on his friend. "Thoven, I think he's dying. Please use the wand!"
Thoven moves to aid Ardanto he uses the wand heavily using seven of the wands charges but healing many of Ardanto's wounds.
Ardanto's eyes flutter open, "Oooooo my head...." he staggers to his feet offering thanks to Thoven and retrieves his sword and glowing hand axe.
"I guess it didn't like the light?"
"The light, your face... Who knows?" Guard chukkles.
"Everyone caught their breath?
Left it is, then. If nobody objects." the warforged decides, moving on.
As you move though the maze of silk and shadow a tunnel can be seen ahead to the east
Finn
You can in the darkness see what looks to be two more tunnels to the north and one to the west
It's hard to see but your eyes are better then most in the shadow
Ardanto
As you fallow the others, your head pounds, its hard to think straight really almost as if your in a daze. Almost absent minded you scratch at the skin of your chest though the armor.
-2 Int based checks and skills do to the pounding head and just overall foggyness of your mind
"Can you all see the tunnels to the north and the west? No? So which of the three should we take?"
Finn points in all three directions, glad to see that Ardanto has been brought back from Dolurrh's grim plateau.
"Stick to what you have done. We went left before, we go left again. Easiest to get out again."
Ardanto blinks in confusion at Finn, "I feel like the morning after the night before," he scratches his chest, worming his hand under his breast plate to get at the itch. "Don't let me choose a direction, it always ends up with me lying in a pool of blood." he chuckles, grinning at Guard's joke.
... grinning at Guard's joke.
"Hey, watch it where you point that nose, or I beat you!"
Finn shrinks back to normal size. "Alright, so we go left; that sounds good to me."
He falls in line behind Guard again.
Daurros puts his hand on his friend's shoulder and laughs. "Hey, it's your ... 'distracting' our foes with your blood and guts that let's us take 'em out. It's a good plan, I think."
You moves though the tunnel Finn conjurers up his floating lights once more and you make your way out of the room of silks. Unbeknown to you something drifts silently thought the shadows toward the group Thoven only notices the danger as the thing falls from above and digs deep into his back
As he turns he looks upon a small furry creature matted in blood, it's skin seems to have been cut and craved it wields a small curved blade with its tail and large parts of skin and from arm to leg almost like boneless wings. It looks up at him with large eyes filled with rage
Init
Snem==15
Daurros=15
Creature=12
Ardanto=11
Thoven=11
Finn=10
Guard=10
"Damnit, what's that now?" Guard asks to the people behind him, blocking his way to the back.
"You take care of that small thing, I'll keep your backs free.
Snem, help them."
Guard will stay put, watching the back of the others. He thinks that small monster can't do too much harm (for now).
Snem hovers back to the creature, as far as he can get, then letting a blast out:
Soul Blast with Essentia. (1d20+9=28, 1d6+3=7)
Finn tries to squeeze through and get in a stab at the creature. "Silver Flame! What are all of these monsters?"
"What in the name of Siberys is going on here?!" Daurros exclaims. Tired of his ineffectual blade, he points his fingers and two glowing darts of force strike the creature.
Ardanto tries to force his way to help Thovan, thrusting his blade at the creature, careful not to hit the priest.
Longsword +6 (1d8+3 19-20) (1d20+6=10, 1d8+3=6)
But his blow is a long way wide.
Snem blasts the little creature as Daurros's magic darts slam into it as well. The little beast stabs and bites at Thoven only to be held off by his armor and buckler. Ardanto moves forward but the creature evades his blows with ease. Thoven misses his attack do to his pain and even Finns fast thrust can not hit the elusive target.
While Guard keeps on the ready on, back turned to the group, Snem continues to Soul Blast at the creature:
Soul Blast, second round. (1d20+9=27, 1d6+3=8)
Finn tries to kill the thing yet again.