The undead creature finally scoring a hit against her, Beseth barely manages to avoid letting it's poison seep into her veins. She swings her shields once more, scoring what looks like a decent hit before whiffing with her lighter shield.
...actually managing to score a strike on him. On the bright side, Beseth had managed to take down her target, and Mak followed along a moment later. That left six of the undead - and two without a partner for flanking, somewhat reducing the threat they posed.
Beseth was carefully managing to ward off the blows, but Mak wasn't quite so fortunate, and several blows rained down on him. There was a roar of rage from the stairwell a moment later, followed by a white blur as Hadran's companion shot forward, charging the undead assaulting Mak from the north and slashing out with one of her hands.
At the very last moment, anger flickered behind her eyes, and her attack slightly altered trajectory before ripping into the undead. It wasn't enough to drop the creature, but it was definitely hurt now. The two mercenaries continued their actions a moment later - the one by Beseth swung out at an undead there, while the one by Mak stepped closer to him and held out a potion bottle. "Here - this'll help." he said, sounding a bit worried for the dwarf.
Makallun'abad grabs the potion, takes a step away from the skeletons and pulls the stopper on the vial. Chugging the contents down, he settles into a lower, more defensive stance to avoid further blows.
Makallun'abad takes the potion (move action), takes a 5 ft. step away from the skeletons, uses the potion (standard action) and then changes into Inner Sphere Stance (swift action).
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
Finally managing to down one of the undead, Aer'Besethir remarks, "This is taking too long, time to take out the big guns. Bring destruction upon your enemies in my name!" And as she speaks, rage envelopes her and seeps into the atmosphere around, effecting all who accept it Or at least those fighting against the necromancer and his undead :) She then goes into her guarded stance to offset the difference in defensive strength.
Standard action, activate Inspire Rage, sharing Guarded Stance, Move action activate Guarded Stance, Beseth's AC is unchanged, but she is now using her raged statistics. Guarded Stance Rounds remaining: 3
Once more, Hadran's (non-fatal) blow managed to land on his target, smacking the impressively resilient man around - whatever he'd chugged earlier likely had some kind of effect on things. Meanwhile, Mak and Beseth weren't hitting anything... but the skeletons certainly were, with the one Midfoviing had charged turning to face her.
Fort DC 15 (Beseth):1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17 Fort DC 15 (Mak):1d20 + 13 ⇒ (10) + 13 = 23 Fort DC 15 (Mak):1d20 + 13 ⇒ (17) + 13 = 30 Fort DC 15 (Mak):1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28 Fort DC 15 (Midfoviing):1d20 + 11 ⇒ (17) + 11 = 28
Totals... 3 damage to Beseth, 5 damage to Mak, 7 damage to Midfoviing, and nobody's poisoned.
Getting hit as Midfoviing had mostly seemed to be making her even angrier, despite the red color staining her clothes where she'd been struck, and the girl wasted no time at ripping into her foes.
The girl slammed her claws straight into the undead's chest, then lunged forward with a snarl before biting what remained of its throat and ripping its head clean off - and she whirled around to claw at the western skeleton attacking Beseth, even as the two mercenaries stepped around to continue their own deadly dance.
Five of the undead remained out of the original eight, and most had been damaged by now - a concentrated assault would probably cause some serious damage now, especially because light attacks clearly wouldn't cut it. Their leader just scowled as he took a step backwards and raised a symbol of Asmodeus into the air. The five undead abruptly vanished from where they were, reappearing in front of him in a loose half-circle and blocking the way forward.
Like this, in the eastern hallway on the map. W = Wall, U = Undead, H = Hadran, N = Necromancer.
W | W | W | W U | U | ---- | W H | U | -N- | W U | U | ---- | W W | W | W | W
Hadran takes a 5' step back so the undead will need to leave the Necromancer to follow him.
Full Defense
"Give up Necromancer. I see you must have given yourself properties of the dead. Looks like I have to use the edge of my blade now. This will end poorly for you."
Hadran steps back in a defensive position waiting on his allies to come help.
Moving back as he had, Makallun'abad was easily able to get clear and focus on recovering his energy. Hadran was still next two two of the undead, and one engaged him as the other swung out at Beseth.
One of the undead actually managed to hit Hadran, though the immense vitality of his body easily threw off the poison that was trying to seep into him. The two mercenaries still looked a bit bewildered, but Midfoviing turned towards the undead, then took a deep breath and spat out an icicle that shot through the air-
Ranged Touch Attack:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
-and broke against the wall instead of actually hitting something. She let out a growl of frustration a moment later, her entire body tensing as her own bloodrage continued. "Don't. Hurt. Hadran!"
That was when the door behind the Necromancer opened and a woman in richly-decorated robes looked out.
"What the Nine Hells is going on out here!?" she demanded. "I can't concentrate with all the racket you're making!"
Mak:
As the door is opened, you feel like the very stones themselves are exerting a greater presence.
"Well, last I checked this wasn't the Nine Hells, so I'd have to say nothing in the Nine Hells is happening here." Beseth comments as she continues her assault on the undead.
Guarded Stance rounds remaining: 1, also forgot to mention this last round, Beseth continues her performance.
"What is going on? Even the earth itself is reacting!" Makallun'abad exclaims as the woman enters the room. Glaring at her, the Earthen Defender stands his ground, too wounded to rush the skeletons again.
Makallun'abad readies and action to use Swift Claws on the first enemy to close on him (standard action).
Both of Beseth's blows struck the undead she was facing (the southwestern one), further damaging it after the harm it had already suffered. Hadran, too, was able to land a solid blow on the undead that had struck him, and it was unlikely the creature could withstand more than one or two other blows.
Further back, Midfoviing slumped slightly as her bloodrage left her, and she looked a bit more tired... but none of the undead were rushing away from the cluster by the enemy, either, and she looked at the injured Mak. "I can... heal..." she said, panting slightly. "But you'll be a bit tired afterwards."
The necromancer, on the other hand, turned to the woman, a scowl on his face. "These people just burst in and killed our guards! I'm doing what you hired me to do!"
"I didn't hire you to disturb my ancestors!" she shot back, clearly not pleased with the way he'd handled this situation.
With her guarded stance ending, Aer'Besethir starts up a new guarded stance, continuing her performance as she does and strikes out at the undead again.
"Looks like she appreciates the undead about as much as everyone else here, give it up Necro-boy."
Free Action: Continue performance, Standard: Attack, Move: Activate Guarded Stance...Boy I hope I can convert to the Unchained version of Guarded Stance. Guarded Stance rounds remaining: 3
@Beseth: You'll need to use either all standard rage powers or all Unchained rage powers, without cherry-picking from each list. Pathfinder Unchained is, however, a legal rulebook to draw things from, and we can discuss any changes you'd like in the discussion thread.
Incidentally, part of the purpose of this scenario was allowing you to test out your builds and see what you do or don't like, and you'll have the chance to retrain afterwards.
Beseth and Hadran's attacks both struck home - and Hadran's foe would definitely fall with the next blow. Beseth's lower offensive power meant it took longer to defeat an enemy, but if she could manage that much damage again, her foe would also collapse.
Neither undead cared about the escalating argument behind them, though. The walking dead weren't known for having intelligence or initiative.
Meanwhile, Midfoviing placed her hands on Makallun'abad's back, and the water within his body seemed to move in different ways as she focused.
Healing (Mak):2d6 + 2 ⇒ (5, 1) + 2 = 8 Mak has taken 3 points of nonlethal damage, unaffected by DR. This will not heal until the next time you rest for eight hours.
"In case you haven't noticed, they're monsters!" the man was saying. "If you didn't want guards who fight to win, you should have hired somebody else! If you want me to stop, then fine, but I'll make sure no mercenary ever helps you again! We have a deal and I'm doing my pa-" A pained cry came out of the man's mouth as a red arm emerged from the air and covered it. A silky-smooth voice could be heard a moment later as a tall, handsome, red-skinned man appeared.
"Oh my, what a... fascinating situation you've all found yourselves in." he said, mouth twitching upwards. He looked down a moment later, seeming slightly surprised to find the necromancer's face still tightly in his grip. "Celeena, darling, shall I take care of this for you?"
"You haven't specified the limits of your help, devil. I'm not making any agreement with you until I've had a team of lawyers get the terms in triplicate." she shot back. The new visitor laughed.
"Oh, you are such a treasure. Still, I can't abide stupidity." his wrist twitched slightly, and with a sickening snap, the neck of the Necromancer broke. The undead promptly collapsed into piles of bones as the force animating them vanished, and the devil shook his hand a bit as he let go of the dead man. He looked over to the three of you a moment later, smiling indulgently, only to frown slightly a moment later.
"...Who are you?" he asked slowly - and every bit of divine power within your bodies reacted, screaming that this was not someone to reveal yourselves to.
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"Isn't it normally polite to introduce yourself before asking others to do so?" Aer'Besethir responded to the devil, her words containing no malice or hatred for the creature, whom she much preferred to the undead.
"I understand that rules are very important to your kind, so you should follow them and introduce yourself first."
Makallun'abad scowls at the demon, fists clenched at his sides. "I've no name to give the likes of you," he bites out. He maintains his posture at Midfoviing's side.
K.Planes:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21 Hope that gets at least what he is
"We may not know who you are but I know what you are devil. Tell us what are you helping achieve here?"
Hadran grip tightens on his blade the best it can in his fatigued state as his celestial blood flows it seems to fill the blade with a hint of divine energy that will cut through the devil.
Just talking of his celestial bloodline, I got no power left :)
Status AC: 21 DF: 1/10 Fatigued for 1/6 rounds. Fast Heal 7/10
"Just the fulfillment of a contract." the devil said, raising one hand and lightly gesturing towards the woman. "Speaking of, what have you learned in there?"
"I never agreed to tell you." she answered... and the devil sputtered with laughter.
"Very well, then." he said, crossing a hand over his chest and bowing slightly towards her. He turned back to the three of you a moment later, glancing towards Beseth. "Well, I'd be happy to introduce myself... for the right price, of course. It really depends on how badly you want to know, and you can always trust me to follow through on a deal." The woman - Celeena - withdrew into the rear chamber a moment later, though she left the door open. "Other than that, though, I think we're about done here." He gestured to the collapsed bodies of the undead, and they flew through the air and back into their coffins, which promptly shut on top of them. "By the way, is that adorable little dragon-thing yours?" he asked, nodding towards Midfoviing. "If she's too much trouble, I could take her off your- no? You're sure? Hm. How sad." he shrugged. "Another time, perhaps." A circle of hellfire appeared on the wall next to the devil, and he walked straight through it - the portal vanished a moment later.
One of the two mercenaries still alive let out a hissing breath. "That was-"
"Don't say it! You don't want his attention!"
"...You know, I think I'm going to stop being a mercenary after this job. The pay ain't worth this." he said, shuddering slightly. "Never liked Janks that much anyway, and he was getting weird the last few years. Ah, his stuff's all yours if you want it." the mercenary added, looking towards you and gesturing towards the man with the snapped neck. "Call it, uh, compensation for him causing so much trouble for you. Fair?"
Makallun'abad sighs at the mercenary, slumping slightly and shaking his head. "Do yourself a favor - find yourself a nice, quiet line of work and don't ever get involved with this nonsense again." The dwarf walks over to join the rest of his companions, his stone armor looking beaten and generally in rough shape.
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"So what now?" Beseth couldn't help but ask, they had taken care of the mercenaries, but what remained before them was no mortal creature, and regardless of what they did here, it would survive. "I have no idea what this woman plans to do with the devil, but she didn't order it to attack us, and she left us alone here." Honestly the half elf was a bit confused, if these men had been hired as bodyguards then why wasn't the woman more worried about people having made it down here to her?
"I can hear you!" Celeena said from inside the next room - which wasn't that far away. "And the correct answer to what I want to do with him is 'as little as possible'. You can't avoid dealing with devils if you're even moderately noteworthy in Cheliax, but only an idiot would deal with them more than necessary or allow them an opportunity to exploit you!"
Makallun'abad shrugs, before crossing his arms and nodding. "She seems sane. I'm not sure if she's well-meaning, but she obviously isn't intent on having us killed. I suppose all we can do is go take a look at what she's doing," the dwarf suggests.
Midfoviing followed along behind Mak, slowly getting her energy back after the rage she'd gone through. The last room was an archive of some kind, full of documents and items - and one item in particular had been placed on a table in the middle of the room.
It was a rock. Biggish - about twice the size of a normal man's head - and rather roughly shaped.
"You know, if I were a paranoid woman, I'd wonder if you wanted some information just so you could sell it to him." Celeena said, narrowing her eyes. "It would be just like him to have 'heroes' raid a place and sweet-talk me into giving out information of my own accord, show up in person for some banter just to try and drive it home, maybe rough me up a little if I didn't spill... fortunately, I don't actually care if this information gets out." She slapped the rock, and it wobbled slightly on the table. "If you really must know, my family had rumors of an old stone. They said that when it was used to help forge items, those items somehow responded better to druids and the like. Thought it might be something with a tie to Gozreh, but it's not predictable enough to be worth much." she sighed and shrugged. "Probably needs some kind of ritual to make it work, and I was never big on working in a forge anyway. If you want it so you can bring it back to your boss, I'd be happy to sell it to you. Say, 2500 in gold bits."
Mak:
As you set eyes on the rock, you feel a shaking in your bones, a fire like a volcano preparing to erupt. Within the stone is you.
Makallun'abad gasps, the stone resonating with him on the most primal level, but he frowns at her request. "I don't have that kind of coin. Is there anything else I could do?"
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"It's just a rock, what would make it worth that kind of money? You said yourself that you couldn't activate it, and even if it does do what you say, without knowing how to activate it, it's worthless." Beseth wasn't very interested in the rock, that much was obvious, who would be with such uncredited claims.
"Boss, we have no boss. What's to keep me from taking you here to the guard for forging deal with devils. That type of behavior is frowned upon in Absalom. This is not Cheliax. Now what are you really doing here and who was the devil?"
"If you're just going to call me a liar when I've been acting in good faith, then to Hell with you." the woman snapped, clearly irritated by Hadran's insinuation. "I was making you an offer you're free to pass on, not trying to force you into anything, and you might be surprised at how tolerant the guard will be if there's no proof of wrongdoing." She slipped a bag over the rock.
Makallun'abad fixes Hadran with a hard look, before turning back to the woman. "You will likely not believe me, but I will say it straight," he begins, before taking a deep breath. "That rock... it belongs to me. It was stolen, torn from me long ago. I will do whatever it takes, within reason, to retrieve it, but I do not have the means to pay for it as you ask." The Stalwart Peak sighs, his shoulders slumping a bit. "Is there no way to barter something else?"
I don't really know how to phrase this without it either coming off as "give it to me or I will punch you in the face" or "please it's mine you have to give it!" :/
Can this be a piece of his power here. Then they were telling the truth. He must feel it. Why? Why did... I must try and fix this.
"Please forgive my rudeness. That necromancer put me in a fowl mood. My friend here wishes to have the rock it is very important to him. You seem not to be on the best terms with that devil. Perhaps we can serve you in a way to benefit all parties. What if we deal with the devil and free you from whatever deals you may have and in return you give the stone to my friend here. How does that sound?"
In fairness, most deities aren't very good at asking mortals for things - they're usually more of the "do what I tell you to, and praise me while you're at it" type. XD And I strongly encourage playing up whatever personality you feel your deity has.
"If you don't have the money now, find a way of getting some. I'll be in town for awhile, and I prefer coin above favors. Rare goods of equivalent value might be an acceptable alternative, since the big one apologized, but that's as far as I'll go." her gaze narrowed slightly. "And don't get any ideas about taking it without paying, either. I've got a contract for the protection of myself and my things, and I don't need any freeing from it."
Makallun'abad grits his teeth and clenches his fists, but takes a deep breath to calm himself. "Would you at least allow me to hold it? I swear to you, on the name of the mountains I once protected, that I will not steal it. I simply wish to hold it once more." He approaches the woman, doing his best to not appear threatening. "Just for a moment, that is all I ask. Then I shall return it to you, and we can go on our way to find means of gathering the coin you ask."
I hope this gambit works, because I really would rather not have my deity have to kick this woman in the throat for being a <expletive redacted> with something that doesn't even belong to her.
(Well, as far as she's concerned, it's a magical object that's belonged to her family for generations... regardless of whether or not she's correct about being the true owner, it's her view that the item in question is unambiguously hers to do with as she pleases. On the other hand, the Fire Beneath The Mountain is known for an explosive temper... and he just watched someone literally put a bag around a piece of his soul. XD On the other other hand, you wrote that Makallun'abad was Neutral Good. This does not necessarily mean Neutral Nice, of course, but deities who claim to be good are expected to behave that way under a reasonable definition of the term, especially at important moments - and this particular situation is an alignment-affecting one.)
Hadran walks forward and pulls out a bag. He counts out 250pp onto the floor.
"Here is your payment. Now the rock please. Thane come collect that which is yours. You may pay me back for this. I trust you would do the same for me."
Before placing the rock on the table, the woman carefully counted and examined the pieces, clearly looking for any evidence of wrongdoing. Most people didn't walk around with pockets bulging with coins, after all. Eventually, though, she deposited the rock back onto the table and slid the coins into the freshly-emptied bag.
"Pleasure doing business." she said - though she didn't sound like she'd enjoyed it too much. Still, coin was coin, and it was a very respectable amount - and with that, she began heading towards the stairs that would (eventually) lead to the exit.
I thought the devil had gone for some reason. Yep looking back he left through a portal. The guards know his name though.
As the woman leaves he motions to Thane to come take his prize. He then looks back to the men if they are still there.
"You there come here a moment. You were about to speak of that devil a moment ago. Can you tell me it's name? Or anything about the deals it has with the woman?"
The two guards glanced at each other, then nervously shook their heads. "I... I don't want his attention." the one who'd mentioned wanting to stop being a mercenary said, shuddering. "Let's just... let's just say he's a big shot, okay? And she was worried about being so far from home, right? Well, deals with devils in Cheliax are a bit more common, especially among nobles, so she took out a standard contract. Nothing with souls or anything, just protection for herself as she travels. I think she paid in cash for the help, but those guys are serious about the terms of their agreements. I once saw a guy who implied a devil was trying to cheat someone... yeesh. Still having nightmares about it."
