The Harbingers

Game Master Nimon

The Dream Shifts, you are all running out of the spire down a hallway and you can see light ahead of the entrance. Behind you is a large Golem creature that seems resistant to many forms of damage. Xara is clutching a strange wooden shard.

Roll Initative. The hallway is 10' wide, the Keeper is 50' behind you, you approximate 100' to the door.

Initiative 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16

Knowledge: Religion: 1d20 + 6 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 5 = 18
Spellcraft:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

If needed, Xara will summon another celestial eagle to block the golem's path, and hopefully distract it enough to let them get away.

Eagle attacks:
Claw 1: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19; damage: 1d4 ⇒ 4
Claw 2: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 3 = 19; damage: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Bite: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4

"We have to get the shield shard out of here, no matter what. It's too important!"

Initiative: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (16) + 2 = 18

Xara - what shield shard? If it is that shard, could your eagle carry it out?

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14 Initiative

Using his new found sight, Akor will attempt to discern a weakness to this golem. 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13 Knowledge(Arcana)

Clouded Sight says I can't see anything beyond 30ft, does this mean that I can't fire my bow at targets beyond 30ft, unless I can see them with my Darkvision?

Edit: Also, if we blow a Hero Point in this dream, is it gone in the waking world, back in the Manawastes?

Jazismus runs away from the creature with the rest of the group.

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

I suppose this is my line of work, I will stall him all I can for you guys to take the shard

I will try to cover the rear as we retreat fighting defensively against the golem making a trip attack whenever he is close enough to do so, using reach of course.

Initiative 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

Trip 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18

1d20 + 6 ⇒ (20) + 6 = 26

Order of Initiative
Keeper
Belros
Xideus
Herani
Xara
Akor
Jazismus

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11 Unarmed attack against belros

Belros your trip is sucessful
Xideus can give me an action
Herani can give me an action
Xara your eagle is not as effective as it should be, even though it hits, I will assume you continue to move your max movement down the hall after the summon.
Akor you can give me an action, with your new limitations with sight you can notice light ahead but not see it clearly.
Jazismus I will assume you are doing a double move unless you say otherwise.

Since my attack is a standard action action I make a move action to stay 10ft. away from him to keep it at reach but trying to cover as much space to protect the others that are non-combatants

"There appears to be light ahead. Not sure what it is exactly, but it could be our way out. Let us make our way towards that" Akor proceeds to do just that.

Double move is good. If fight breaks out and we can't get away start Inspire Courage(+1) as an action.

Double move for me too.

Double move it is for me as well. I doubt my spells will have any effect on a construct such as this, my vote is to head out and regroup.

Are these memories we're reliving, or does it seem to our characters that we're leaping about from one time period to another? If it's the former, I would assume that even if we don't have knowledge of events from just before the scene opens, our characters would, and it's our job to guess/improvise dialog to match that. If it's the latter, then shouldn't we all be a lot more surprised when we keep popping from one place to another?

Xara shakes her head. "An eagle could take it, but we can't risk losing it ourselves. We have to get it further away than just outside these walls. The shield must be reassembled."

Sorry, I will clearify. Right now you are dreaming and remembering events from the past, and playing them out so to speak. You had some nasty things done to you to make you forget these things, but the nature of the manawastes is removing those effects from you. So far you are all doing well with the improvisation.

The Construct slams his fist on the ground from the kneeling position sending a shock wave down the hall.

Give me reflex saves except for the eagle.

Reflex: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 2 = 11 --> Herani stumbles and bumbles her way down the hall.

Cheap trick!

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (10) + 3 = 13

Watching Herani stumble Jazismus forgets to watch his own footing.

1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

1d20 + 3 ⇒ (15) + 3 = 18 Reflex

Akor stumbles slightly, but manages to keep his footing as he runs. Every so often he looks behind him to check if he can see what is pursing them. If the golem comes within Akor's line of sight he will attempt the roll from above. If needed he'll fire an arrow as well. Depending, he might use a Judgement, possibly surged..

Reflex: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 Not sure the DC so will wait to post.

Belros, Herani and Jazsimus fall to the ground. (Possible Xara too will have to wait until she rolls). You all can give me actions now. Here is initative recap. Akor the golem is not pursuing just yet, so I will let you modify your actions.
Belros
Xideus
Herani
Xara
Akor
Jazismus

Xideus braces himself as the shock wave pushes past him, almost knocking him off his feet. He chides the members of the group who fell, "This is no time for a nap!"

My further action will depend on if Xara falls or not since she has the shield shard and it seems pretty important.

Reflex: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12

Xara stumbles and falls, the shield shard temporarily leaving her grasp before she collects it up again.

Reflex save: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 1 = 11

Trig, Xara's eidolon stumbles also and falls on top of his mistress.

Glancing back over my shoulder at the golem: I stand up and move toward the light. <-- Hmm, that sounds rather strange.

I will remember that one Xideus... with a cold stare to accompany his words.

I will try to stand up in my turn and move further with the rest of the group covering the rear

Xara and Trig will both scramble to their feet as soon as they are able and move towards the light with the others.

Akor pauses to help Xara get up to her feet "Come on my dear, your carrying something far too important to be enjoying the cold comforts of the floor"

Xideus turns and reaches down to help pull Xara up to her feet with his left hand while he keeps an eye on the keeper and his scimitar ready in his other hand. "On your feet." He follows closely behind Xara and Trig, heading towards the exit.

"I'm up, I'm up! Watch the fur!"

Trig flashes one of his teasing, toothy smiles at Xideus, then follows Xara down the hallway. He hands Xara the potion first, however, just in case he has to turn back and make a suicide run of it to hold off the golem.

You look back just befor you reach the door and the Golem creature sends electricity out of his body through his outstretched hands, just as you notice that the wooden shard of the Shield of Aroden hits sunlight for the first time in centuries and glows with a blinding white light, the lighting hits the white glow and reflects back on the Golem and knocks him over, after the last one of you exits the Spire the opening closes.

The Dream shifts you are all talking to Arodeth about the Shield of Aroden. Arodeth is extremly surprised, but she doesnt understand. This is the last missing shard, and according to legend being held by the evil Tar-Baphon sealing his fate. Did Nex retrieve this shard, did he release that evil? Why? She reads from the book of a thousand whispers "Eye will take the eye of a son, the twelve will become one." as she reads this she looks at Akor's new eye. The prophecy is coming true, I need to travel to Lastwall and study the other pieces of the Shield. You must go to Nex, I have a contact that is very influencial, his name is Lord Elemion...

The Dream shifts for the last time, you are betrayed by Elemion, he casts magic that erases your memmory and employs an inquisitor and alchemist to use other means to make you forget. You hear a piece of a conversation that ment nothing to you at the time Why not just kill them now Lord? The Harbingers might be a joke, but they do have powerful Oracles and Diviners amongst them. If I should kill them here they will sense it. I am using much of my power just to prevent them from scrying, something that extreme will penetrate my defenses. I owe Lamashtu tribute, let them die in the wasteland where even they can not see.

You are about to wake up. When you do you will be Level 3. You all earn the Teamwork Feat Shake it Off (+1 save per adjacent allies max +4) and have all become strangly close to each other. Sometimes you finish eachothers sentences, or know what the other is thinking. Those of you that learned some secrets of Words of power, I assume you will share this insight with your team-mates. Everyone gets 3 words of power related to a spell they can cast. You can use a spell with these words in a spell slot, or your normal spells. Reminder full hit points on progression. I will wait for you all to post any questions, dialogue then I will continue with what happens in the morning. The rest of the game will be more linear, thank you for enduring through it so far, hope has been fun. [/ooc]

this has definitely been the most fun opening to a game I have ever played or ran. Thanks Nimon!! I can not wait to see where this goes

Thank you, it has been fun so far. I assume we to level to level 3, full hp -- also, do we get level 3 WBL for equipment? Will have to read up on the words of power, not familiar with them.

I am not sure what WBL means. You will have some more equipment be fitting a level 3 if that is what you mean, but I will handle that once you reaquire your gear.

Xara is updated, but I'm unsure how to incorporate these words of power. I wanted to make a combination based off the grease spell, using a 20-foot line instead of a 10-foot square, but I can't find a grease effect word. Also, I'm uncertain how to calculate the equivalent spell level. Do I start with the effect word, since that has a listed level, and go from there?

I had also thought to create a combination with force block and grease to make some mage armour type thing that also greases weapons that hit her, but I don't think the system is that complex or flexible.

So by allowing us three words of power, that means we need to select at least one target word and one effect word, leaving the third up to us? I can see Xara using boosted selected servitor I, which would allow her to use a first level slot to summon 1d4+1 pets, something you can't do normally until you get summon monster III, plus she can do it as a standard action instead of a full-round action. Is that an okay combination?

Everyone - it is up to Nimon, but probably most of these level/word of power questions should be on the Discussion/OOC thread rather than clogging up the game thread.

Xara- Good questions, I will answer this in the discussion section when I get home from school tonight so I can quote pages from UM to guide you.

The next morning you all wake up aware of who you are, and you remember the Dwarven female now, she was a contact of the harbingers working for Elemion. She was betrayed with you, apparently her dwarven heritage made her more resistance to the magical/mental effects.

On your feet! You are to fight a real match today. I hope you are ready to die scum! The angry gnoll snarls as he throws you your daily slop.

Xideus opens his eyes, sits up, stretches, and smacks his dry lips together. He looks around, a bit disoriented at first, then notices the gnoll in front of him and smiles a toothy grin.

"Good morning." He rolls his eyes at the gnoll's comments and retorts, "What a coincidence! I was about to ask you the same thing."

Xideus picks up the bowl of gruel and begins to take a couple bites. "Ugh! Absolutely disgusting!" He puts the bowl to the side and begins to dust himself off. He neatly folds the bed-rags he was given and places them in the corner.

Akor wakes up at the sound of the Gnoll's voice and says at the same time as Xideus "I was going to ask you the same thing"

As Xi eats the gruel and utters his complaint the Inquisitor can't help but laugh at his friend"Why am I not surprised that was foul tasting?"

Xara wakes groggily, looking about, softly calling, "Trig? Oh, right. here."

She sits up, rubbing her temples. "Does anybody else finally remember the past while and who we are?"

"Indeed. I will gut that bastard Elemion."

Xideus I intend to rip Elemion's heart out and feed it to a dog while he can still see it, but for now let's focus in our current smal detail of a fight

Grinning wickedly: First I will fry him - then I will heal him - then I will fry him again - then, should any of you wish to make him understand your feelings, I will heal him again.

And with this I mysteriously switch religions to a vengeful Calistrian.