The Forgotten God (Table 3) (Inactive)

Game Master Rednal

As you worked with the bodies, you found a note tucked into one of their pockets.

Around the time you were finished, Vegazi returned, leading a group of four horses. These particular steeds were obviously quite cared for, if a bit roughened up by the day's events, and the half-orc looked at what you'd done with obvious approval as she neared. "Town'll appreciate it. Me, too." she said, calming the steeds and helping you tie the bodies to their backs. Most horses didn't like dead things, but these had been trained enough to handle it, and did no more than paw the ground nervously as the bundles were tied. "Ready to go?"

"Yes. What is your relation to the dead, if I may ask?" Harath asked as he loaded the last body onto a steed.

"I don't... really have a relation." she said after a moment. "Except to the tiefling. My half-sister. ...Not a good person." she added, scowling at that body. "I wish others not hurt, but glad she's gone." With that, she began urging the steeds forward.

It took several hours to reach the town - the horses couldn't move as fast as they normally could without their loads falling off, but you finally came into sight of the town in question, a place that looked home to several hundred people. It was guarded by high walls, and a pair of guards hurried forward as you approached.

"Those are Wate's horses... what happened?" One of them asked, looking between the two of you.

"So, were you following them? Or with them when the attack begin?"

---

"Found this one, beset by devils. The rest were dead, we sought to return them for proper burial. Also to return some Arwyll Estate property the deceased won't be needing any longer."

"Was following." Vegazi had said, nodding. She didn't seem able (or willing) to give much more information than that.

The guards looked at each other, paling, then moved forward to examine the bodies. They let out a cry of horror as they uncovered the face of the man who'd been wearing the best armor. "Oh crap oh crap oh crap... okay, okay. I'll get the mayor. Come on, let's... let's at least get them inside." one of the guards said, swallowing and ushering you into town. He ran off a moment later, and it wasn't long before he returned with a sweaty, paunched man approaching middle age.

He took one look at the situation and winced. "You two, take them to Arwyll Estate right now. This..." he glanced around at the increasing number of people who were stopping to watch what was going on. "This is not a good place to talk. Are you hurt at all? Go to the chapel - we're mostly loyalists of Iomedae, here, and the priest'll take care of you. After that, uh, meet me at the estate, all right?" His eyes kept flicking over to the obviously-injured Vegazi. She, at least, was clearly in need of medical attention.

"Alright. Here is some stuff marked with the Arwyll sigil." Harath says, leaving the items that were marked so that they could be reclaimed by the owners. "Let's go to the chapel," he said to Vegazi.

"Appreciated." Vegazi said. She seemed stoic enough to move despite her injuries, but few people enjoyed remaining hurt for any longer than necessary, and she was walking just a big faster than before as the two of you headed to the chapel. The lone holy man inside is a young cleric wearing iconography of Iomedae, and he looked up as the two of you approached - with the injured Vegazi immediately getting his attention.

"What happened!?" he asked, hurrying over and looking at you as he channeled positive energy into her body.

"She was set upon by some winged demons, luckily for her I got there before they killed her. I know not precisely transpired before my arrival, but there were others killed."

"First orcs, now demons..." the Priest muttered as he finished healing Vegazi. "Well, the frontiers have always been violent. I'll check our texts and storeroom to see if there's anything that may prove useful against them - if you have the time to come back a little later, I'll give you what I can." Iomedae was very much a martial deity, and expected similar things from her followers... but even Gorum, the Lord of Battle himself, was usually willing to allow his faithful to search for weapons before rushing off to fight. The Lady of Valor was no different in that regard, and if nobody was in immediate danger, there was no problem.

"You have my thanks, both for your healing, and advice and support later."

"Well, i suppose we have another meeting to attend." and starts to head that way.

It doesn't take long to get to the Arwyll Manor - it's by far the largest home in town. Mayor Proum answers the door and ushers you past the foyer and into the humbly decorated parlor room. The adjacent dining room has been outfitted as an impromptu morgue, with the bodies of Wate and his comrades laid across the sagging wooden table and covered in white linens.

Along with Proum are an elderly woman with wrinkled skin and a head full of curly gray hair, and a tall man in his late forties. Proum wastes no time introducing the woman as Shovann Orda and the man as Gallus Crevac. The two were friends of the late Wate Arwyll, and together with the mayor, the four of them served as an informal governing council for Arwyll Stead. Now, just the three of them remain.

"All right - could the two of you please explain everything that happened today? Include every detail you remember, please, no matter how small you think it is - it may be important." the mayor asked, taking out a sheaf of parchment and some writing utensils.

"Well, I was coming down the road and came upon this woman fighting off two gaav... little yellow flying devils. Everyone else was already dead. I don't know what killed them, but there were other devil bodies around before I got there. They disappeared when the last one was killed. We brought the bodies here for proper burial, and delivered the goods that were marked to the Arwyll Estate. Anything before I showed up would have to be related to you by her. Oh, I found this note." and Harath hands over the note to the man.

The three of them carefully examined the note, then looked up at Vegazi. "You're this... hunter?" they asked.

"Is that what it says? Can't read, but probably." the half-orc answered calmly, raising her hands and shrugging. As she did so, a bit of light glinted off a ring she was wearing, and all three of the locals looked at it.

"...Where did you get that?" the mayor asked. The ring itself was relatively straightforward, and bore both the initials 'A. A.' and the crest of the Arwyll family. Vegazi looked down.

"Long time ago. Many years." she said. "Freed human held in orc camp. He gave ring as thanks." Perhaps unsurprisingly, the council members quickly pressed for more information - and eventually established the prisoner's identity as one Adil Arwyll, who had died in battle some years before.

The council members didn't seem friendly, exactly, but nor did they seem reluctant to answer any questions you might have, and you could ask things at any point you wanted to.

"OK, so Vegazi here was tailing the group, if I understand things correctly, and they got in a fight with the devils. Whatever happened, it came down to just Vegazi versus two devils, I came in and evened the score. We brought back the bodies so they could be taken care of properly. So, I hope we're all in good graces here? I'm new in this area, so forgive me if I don't know much. It appears there is some problem with a "Hell's Fury" tribe. Are they related to the devils, conjurors of some sort?" he asks of no one in particular, then turns to Vegazi, "And you, do you have some bone to pick with the tribe? Or just generally a devil-hunter? You were quite informed regarding the capabilities of these devils, a characteristic of a dedicated hunter on a mission."

He pauses a moment. "I have wandered a long way, and I am not especially knowledgeable when it comes to geography. Where am I? In relation to Magnimar or Hollow Mountain?"

"There have been... more devils." Vegazi said slowly. "Name of tribe not just for show, to frighten enemies. Such things disrupt nature, hurt animals... I do not like that."

The Mayor looked at you a moment later. "You're at the northern tip of Lastwall, right by the borders with the Hold of Belkzen and Ustalav." Two of those names, at least, were reasonably familiar to you - and you were quite a ways east of where you'd originally been.

"So, you are against this tribe, do they summon these devils?"

Vegazi shook her head. "Do not know." she answered. "But devils usually need summoning to appear, or some sort of pact. It is... reasonable assumption." She seemed to be having a lot of difficulty explaining the concept. Finally, the mayor simply clapped his hands together.

"Well, I'd like to learn more about your relationship with the Arwyll's, Miss Vegazi." he said. "They're all gone now, and our town will never be the same - the least we can do is try to understand their history. I've arranged for some rooms as the Blissful Badger, our town's only Inn - in the morning, if you're willing, I'd appreciate some help fetching Grev. He's a local hermit, but knew the family well - and I don't think it's safe for too many people to be outside of town on their own."

"I suppose I can help. I'd hate to leave your town plunged into chaos. And the cleric at the temple was nice, unlike clergy elsewhere that would prefer coins to rub together before healing. Where is this hermit?"

"He lives on a homestead down the road. We may need to see about getting some others back to town as well - I can get you a map before you set off." Such simple things, yet so useful at times like this.

"Alright. Vegazi, are you to come along as well?"

unless someone has more to say, Harath will head to the temple once more before heading to the Inn for his arranged room. since the cleric wanted to see him again.

The cleric was able to offer a bundle of fire raining arrows - an unusual item, workable with Vegazi's bow but not particularly good otherwise. He seemed a bit disappointed that he couldn't offer more, but that was the extent of what he'd been able to put together right now.

Soon afterwards, you're able to reach the Blissful Badger - a fairly sizable Inn that seems to double as a tavern and meeting spot for a significant portion of the town. You're promptly offered your choice of rooms up on the second floor.

Any of the rooms marked B1 - let me know which one you want.

"Thank you. Hopefully the huntress can put them to good use." Harath says to the cleric in thanks.

bottom right one

Getting to your room is easy enough - and shortly afterwards, a small boy delivers a bag with 100 GP in it, apparently for the services you rendered in bringing the bodies and gear back to the town. The hour grows increasingly late as the sun dips below the horizon and even the locals start to leave.

Anything else you'd like to do today, or are you ready to rest?

nothing i can think of. is Vegazi in the same inn somewhere?

She's in the room across from yours (the B1 on the bottom left).

alrighty, ready to fade to black tonight

You're woken in the middle of the night by the sound of something crashing straight through your window - two tiny imps, and they chatter wildly before striking out at you with their stingers while you're still caught by surprise. I believe your powers are off, so...

Sting vs FF: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (9) + 8 = 17 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2
Sting vs FF: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1

Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23

Both of their attacks managed to stab into your body, though they weren't especially powerful - and your innate vitality managed to shrug off the poison the creatures were trying to hurt you with. Even as you fully woke, however, you could hear noises coming from both within and around the building - yelling, screaming, and the sound of weapons being used.

Init (Enemy): 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
Init (You): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17

Once you were over the surprise, however, you were rather faster on the uptake than the tiny foes.

Though woken up before morning, you were able to gain the equivalent of eight hours of rest (for all mechanical purposes) before the demons crashed into your room.

concentrate: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20 vs DC 17
acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18 vs enemy CMD

Harath rolls off the bed away from the creatures, manifesting Force Screen.

The tiny imps began jabbering in their native tongue - laughing, apparently - even as they zoomed around to either side and struck out as soon as they'd flanked.

Sting: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (18) + 10 = 28 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Sting: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

They were being rather impressively accurate, even if the stings were too weak to cause serious harm to you. (Don't forget to keep either your stat bar or an extra part of your post updated with the damage, though. Players should be tracking that here in PbP.)

Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19
Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

Their poison continued to fail when confronted with your natural vitality - not that either of them seemed to have noticed. They seemed happy enough just causing harm to a mortal.

Harath 5ft stepped to try to move towards a position they couldn't flank him in, a corner.

acrobatics: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (15) + 5 = 20 pretty sure ill need it since the corners all have beds i think, so it's an elevation change.

He then lashed out at the nearest of the little bastards.

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (6) + 4 + (2) = 12

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (1) + 4 + (4) = 9

Your first blow managed to strike one of the imps - though it didn't do quite as much damage as it should have, and the creature's wound slowly began to heal right in front of your eyes. They were tough little things for being so small, but at least they couldn't flank you any more.

Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 2

Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12
Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

They were also proving impressively accurate - and as the first of the attacks plunged in, you could feel poison start to work its way through your body. Any Surge to overcome that is a guaranteed success - or you could look for another way to overcome it. Otherwise, imp poison.

I'll just take the poison. spending an MP on that when i have 5+ more chances to roll low against the poison seems like a waste

Harath once again struck at the creature he had stricken before.

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (4) = 12

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (5) + 4 + (3) = 12

bleed from last round: 1d4 ⇒ 3 should still hit, since Fast Healing is usually (Ex) and only magical healing stops the bleed

fort vs poison: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (12) + 7 = 19 since it says 1/rnd i figure i should roll again

Actually, we've gotten commentary from JJ on Bleed and Fast Healing. Basically, the intent of the rules is that anything that cures HP damage - regardless of source - should stop Bleed.

And yeah, poisons work as described in their entries unless I specifically note they're using something else - which is rare, but does happen. ^^

The first blow you managed impaled one of the imps, but their rapid healing abilities continue to function, slowly healing the damage that had done. Both chattered in glee as they saw the poison get into your body, and the two of them quickly redoubled their efforts.

Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10

This time around, however, their luck wasn't nearly as good - and both stings bounced off of the Force Screen you'd manifested earlier.

Harath attacks in hopes of finishing the wounded creature off.

will use a terror on hit as well, DC 15 will or shaken for 1d4 ⇒ 2 rounds

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (17) + 4 = 21
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (2) = 10

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (10) + 4 = 14
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (1) + 4 + (1) = 6

The one blow that hit was just barely too shallow to drop the imp, and it said something that was almost certainly very crude as it continued to peck away at you with its stinger.

Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (10) + 8 = 18
Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 for Damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3 Don't forget to keep your stat bar up to date!

Fort DC 13: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13

Meanwhile, you could continue to hear sounds from downstairs and outside - and they were getting louder, not quieter. Whatever was happening seemed like it was getting worse instead of better.

If you expect to do little except melee attacks, you can roll for several rounds at once if you'd prefer. ^^ That's always an option, actually - helps speed things up when combat starts to get drawn out.

yeah, i just kinda worry about doing that in case i wanna change my mind, dont want to get to a messy retcon with "future knowledge" of dice rolls, or autopilot myself into death by accident

used a terror last round on the hit, so the imp hit should DC 15 will or be shaken for 1d4 rounds (though the -2 to hit wouldnt have brought the hit down to a miss anyway)

Harath attacks again, hoping to even the odds.

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (1) + 4 + (1) = 6

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (14) + 4 = 18
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (1) = 9

Also a perfectly legitimate plan.

The first strike didn't manage to take down the demon, but the second one did - and that left one of the little monsters, unbloodied and currently unafraid as it jabbed at you.

Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

...And it was also completely lacking in skill, as its stinger simply got stuck in the wall for a moment and didn't even require you to dodge.

Eager to size up the fracas below, Harath focuses his energies on the remaining imp with renewed zeal. This time, he opts for a mental assault, chastising himself for not trying it earlier to even the odds sooner.

concentration: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 vs DC 17 to cast defensively
dmg: 3d10 ⇒ (7, 6, 4) = 17 (DC 16 will negates)

Tip: When using an ability, note which ability you're actually using - and also how many power points it's costing you. In this case, I know it's a Mind Thrust, but still. XD If I ever need to check for rulings - like, say, whether or not DR/PR applies in this particular case - that helps.

Will: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20

Your bolt of mindspun power crashed into the demonic little creature... only to break against the focused evil of its own will. The little devil just snorted and said something in its own infernal tongue, though the meaning was fairly obvious anyway - 'Evil isn't that weak'. With that, it renewed its assault upon you, jabbing out viciously with its stinger.

Sting: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9

...And missing just as badly as its last attack. In a way, being this terrible was kind of a talent.

Harath attempts once more to Mind Thrust the beast. It could not hold up forever.

concentration: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (17) + 8 = 25 vs DC 17 to cast defensively
dmg: 3d10 ⇒ (4, 6, 9) = 19 (DC 16 will negates)

dangit, sorry, that was an omission of negligence, not by any purpose. 3 PP (in addition to last round's PP) subtracted

Will: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

This time, the creature's mind was unable to properly orient itself against your mental assault - probably because of its feelings of frustration after missing so badly twice in a row - and that single thrust knocked it out of the sky.

Lesson learned? If one power wasn't working, doing something else might be a better plan. Both of the things were down now, leaving you free to head out the door (or the window) to see what was going on. This moment of peace was also a good chance to prepare or manifest anything else you might want to use before looking into whatever was happening here.

Harath first looks out the window to see if the brouhaha is contained to the inn.

It isn't - from what you can tell, events outside look like total anarchy, and the sounds from downstairs suggest that the rest of the Inn isn't being spared from the violence. Numerous flying devils can be seen darting through the sky, and more than one fire seems to have been started throughout the steading.

Do I see any mustering of the guard? Or church-related forces?

perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (20) + 7 = 27

***

After he is done peering out the window, Harath first moves to his door, manifests Biofeedback (1 PP, DR 2/-, 4 minutes) and heads out towards Vegazi's room.

EDIT: damn, that 20 would have been nice on an attack. when you said "numerous flying devils" did you mean many of the same type as before, or many different kinds. if different kinds, how big is the biggest? are there any ground-based devils?

The devils seen outside were significantly larger than the ones that invaded your room - but most do look similar to those you killed before meeting Vegazi... And unfortunately, you can't see much of the ground from that room.

There was no need to go all the way to Vegazi's room - she was out in the hallway, and appeared to be in the process of slamming an imp into the ground, over and over, until it finally stopped moving. "Harath." she said, looking up as she saw you. "Devils here. I believe the Hell's Fury tribe is behind this attack." Fwack. Fwack. Splat. "I do not wish to be mistaken as an invader. Will you help me get outside? There are more devils downstairs - and we need to find out what's going on."

"Sounds good. Maybe snag some cloth to cover your features."

He waits a moment for her to do so, or reply in the negative, and then heads downstairs with her in tow.

She tried, but there honestly wasn't much she could do to disguise her features, and eventually she gave up - it looked even more suspicious. As you came down to the bottom of the stairs, two roiling masses of flesh reared up and focused on you, clearly preparing to dart forward.

"Lemures!" Vegazi shouted. "Not strong, not smart, but tough!"

Init (Enemy): 1d20 ⇒ 16
Init (You): 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

They were also much faster off the mark than the two of you, and a nasty smell came off of their bodies as they roiled forward and lashed out with their misshapen claws as they howled from fatty, tumorous faces.

Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

Neither blow actually managed to hit you, though one came fairly close.

You have 2 minutes left for your Force Screen.

ok, if two of them have a melee on me, then that means i am either on the bottom-most step of the stairs or at the end of that small hallway. I want Vegazi to back up so the lemures have to come forward single-file to hit me, so i only face one melee attack per turn.

"Back up a step!"

When Vegazi does, Harath attacks one of the Lemures and backs up five feet.

atk: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (3) = 11

The attack squelched, sinking into the creature's hide, even as Vegazi backed up to get out of the way and give you room to retreat. As she'd said, the creature's hide was tough, and resisted some of the damage you dealt. The mass of its flesh surged forward a moment later as it lashed out with both of its claws.

Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18
Claw: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11

The first blow was closer than the other, but they both closed on empty air - and left the creatures open for a countering strike.

ah, 2 claws not two lemures hitting me. If my attack hit, they should take 1d4 bleed... not sure if it hit by the description. Posting 3 rounds of attacks since they have a low chance of hitting me. These attacks are not counting any bleed dmg they take on their turn.

Harath flashes a few more strikes at the creature.

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (2) = 10

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (5) + 4 + (1) = 10

rnd3
atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (3) = 11

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (5) + 4 + (4) = 13

rnd 4
atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (13) + 4 = 17
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (3) + 4 + (1) = 8

atk: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12
dmg: 1d6 + 4 + 1d4 ⇒ (4) + 4 + (1) = 9