The Last Breaths of Ashenport

Game Master FabesMinis

"Onwards Father Rowan."

Akahale sets off towards the nearest buiding (i.e. the one across the road), investigative senses a-tingle.

"Perhaps we can buy an umbrella."

Yes, it is are not raining here also, as Tony Hancock once said. Or in English, yes, still raining.

Manny gets up and shuffles along after the others. As the exit the building he looks upwards, as if the rain is a personal affront to him.

"No way am I spending hours de-rusting you!" He mumbles to IT, and works a minor magic. In moments the rain above Manny and IT is bouncing off of invisible domes that hover above their heads. WIth a big grin, the wizard steps out into the street,...

,... and into a big mud puddle. He stops, drops his head onto his chest with a sigh, and says,

"The feet. I always forget the feet!"

"Galoshes."

"Ahh, the rain finaly I get to take a shower and wash my dingy armor. all of those fish scale on my suit is starting to ferment I do believe. Maybe we should go to the little park with the defaced statue?"

So we are going to meander around town? Fabes do you have the map of the town.

"Ahh, the rain finaly I get to take a shower and wash my dingy armor. all of those fish scale on my suit is starting to ferment I do believe. Maybe we should go to the little park with the defaced statue?"

So we are going to meander around town? Fabes do you have the map of the town.

There was one way earlier in the thread, hope this link works...

Map of Ashenport

That's great, Rowan. Thank you! :D

Wander around town? Oh I hope not! :) Hm,... how do I do this with a crazed character,...???

"Hmmmm,..." Manny looks up one street, and then the other. HE blows a raspberry, and despite his magical umbrella looks like a soggy shaggy doggie.

"IT IT, find me the Alderman's house!" He declares to his stalwart mechanical companion. The bedraggled mage looks to his silent partner and says in a much lower voice.

"It will be one of the larger ones, probably near to the church. So let's start there." He murmurs, then stands back up straight and says in a normal voice, "And step on it! I want to check his personals and see what's really going on around here!"

It proceeds toward the church.

The church is number 11. Any particular route? i.e. via the docks, or through the square (no. 4)?

The most direct route, which appears to be through the square

Akahale follows IT, nostrils aquiver and alert for any signs of life from the passing houses. Particularly 2, which is a shop if memory serves, and 6 which is labelled and ought to be interesting in some way.

"Yes lets take a look at a couple of buildings. This large one in front of the church looks interesting. building 10"

The comrades leave the inn...

Behind the constant rains and stone-thick clouds, the lightening of the sky is all but imperceptible. Still dawn has come, and Ashenport should be as well.

It is not. Even as the first few moments of morning creep past, the town remains utterly still. No doors slam, no shopkeepers huddle against the rain as they rush to start the new day's business. Other than yourselves and your fellow outsiders, not a soul stirs. The only signs of life are a few large gulls, undaunted by the rains, the perch among the town's roofs, like flies converging on a bloated corpse.

Akahale makes a particular study of the shop he saw earlier, but he sees no signs of life.

As the group enters the southern edge of the ash grove square...

Akahale, It, Rowan, Mandrake

Akahale, Rowan

I am using your 6th Initiative roll. This is a note for my own reference really.

"Aha. The lost villagers perchance."

Akahale raises his voice about the driving rain.

"Greetings. Are you gathered to ask Melora to stop the rain? It seems remarkably persistent."

"Melora, schmelora, tell me your hear for a fight" Seram smiles with glee

Initiative - surprise round. Those of you not surprised can take ONE action. Surprised characters can take NO actions this round.

Block 1
Grafire (surprised)
It
Mystic Cultists

Block 2
Seram (surprised)
Manny

Block 3
Rowan
Thuggish Cultists

Block 4
Akahale

The men do not seem to hear Akahale, or if they do, they aren't in the mood for talking. With wild eyes and large flails they charge from round corners and out of the mist. Lurking, barely visible, stand two others, chanting and gesturing.

Block 1 is up (excluding Grafire). I am working on the map!

Akahale gets a block all to himself :D That's what happens when you roll a 1 for init.

>>>>MAP<<<<

The orange chaps are thuggish cultists, and the blue chaps are mystic cultists.

IMPORTANT INFO FOR THIS COMBAT

Mud Due to heavy rains, all the ground terrain is difficult ground.

Rain All creatures more than one square distant have concealment (-2 to attack rolls). Perception checks take a -2 penalty. All naked flames are automatically extinguished.

Tree A tree is an obstacle, occupying 1 square. It requires a DC 12 Athletics check to climb.

Walls Walls require a DC 20 Athletics check to climb. Most buildings are between 2 and 4 squares high.

It advances, It's crossbow ratcheting into place on It's shoulder.

2 squares north, minor to arm shoulderbow, then ready a ranged basic attack on first target to give me LOS within 10 squares. Please go ahead and roll for me if it happens.

Surprise round, It: so only one action.

Surprise round, It: so only one action.

D'oh! Just the minor to arm the shoulderbow, then

The spellcasters amongst the cultists continue to chant and look ready for action.

Standard - readied action.

Block 2 is up! Seram is also surprised, sorry, forgot to note it. So only Manny can act.

Batter up!

The slightly soggy sorcerer peers at the vaguely visible chanters through the morning mists and rain.

"Well! That's just rude!" He declares, lowering his staff until it points in the general direction of the chanters.

"I mean, we just met, and if I interpret the language correctly, he's asking me out for a drink!"

"Or, he's summoning something nasty to eat us. Either way, Rude!"

I'm getting odd images when I look at the map, I'll try iot at home later. Fire MAgic Missile at Nearest Chanter within 20 spaces! Already subtracted the -2 from rain concealment from the roll,...

To hit, 1d20+9=15, DMg: 2d4+7=11

"Follow me we'll head straight ahead and deal with the baddies going clockwise around the tree before they can reorganise and concentrate their attacks!" Rowan gasps as he heads towards the nearest mystic cultist.
Guy in blue at N-7, so Rowan runs to C-11 then D-10 and finally to E-10 with the intention of continuing running next round to close in on Blue 1

>>>>MAP<<<<

Rowan advance and Manny makes ready with his own spell.

Manny can't really see any mystics well enough. I readied him an action instead. Akahale's turn.

Keeping behind his egg-mate, Akahale allows his eyes to whirl and prepares to cast doom on the first enemy he can see properly.

Readied action for when something comes into range.

Block 1
Grafire
It
Mystic Cultists

Block 2
Seram
Manny

Block 3
Rowan
Thuggish Cultists

Block 4
Akahale

Block 1 is up. You are no longer in a surprise round.

2 squares north, then ready a ranged basic attack on first target to give me LOS within 10 squares. Please go ahead and roll for me if it happens.

" Alrighty guys lets keep our group tight. If at all possible we should keep together. We could easily be flanked. Lets get our ranged people locked and loaded."

Grafire moves forward to F,13. In defensive mode.

Do we intend to stay to the west side of the loop?

" Alrighty guys lets keep our group tight. If at all possible we should keep together. We could easily be flanked. Lets get our ranged people locked and loaded."

Grafire moves forward to F,13. In defensive mode.
Do we intend to stay to the west side of the loop?

"I figure if we take the blue robed one over there, we'll weaken their resolve and more importantly make them come to us without letting them be able to gang up,"Rowan tries to reply to Grafire's remark.

One of the cultists appears round a corner, and It lets fly with a missile, which falls short.

The cultist cries some arcane syllables aloud and Grafire and It feel themselves pelted with chill wind and frozen in place.

Grafire 28 vs ref, It, 25 vs Ref. 12 damage to Grafire and It, and they are both immobilised until the end of the Mystic Cultist's next turn.

>>>>MAP<<<<

Seram and Manny are up!

" Alrighty guys lets keep our group tight. If at all possible we should keep together. We could easily be flanked. Lets get our ranged people locked and loaded."

"I am prepared to correct the misconceptions of these deluded persons,"

"I figure if we take the blue robed one over there, we'll weaken their resolve and more importantly make them come to us without letting them be able to gang up,"Rowan tries to reply to Grafire's remark.

"I see two blue hooded figures." Akahale peers through the driving rain. "They are hooded so that we may know they are evil cultists."

Move to F11. Total Defense, +2 to all defenses

Acknowledged Seram. Manny's turn.

MAnny moves up next to IT and examines the frozen mechanical,...

"They, They froze him!" He stammers, incredulously. "He's already a tin can, and they froze him! How redundant!" He glowers indignantly as he lowers his staff towards the blue robed cultist.

"Let's see how YOU like it!" He growls, and lets loose a stream of frozen air and water that rushes towards the blue-robed caster,...

Move forward till just south of IT, that should put caster Blue #1 within 8 squares of me. Ray of frost on Blue #1, Ranged 10, Vs Fort, if hit Dmg and target is slowed until end of my next turn.

1d20+11=26, 1d6+8=14

"Ha!" Manny laughs at the cultist, then sticks his tongue out at him.

"Get 'im, while he's still on ice!" The aged wizard hollers to his companions,...

Ack, I should have said they aren't literally colour coded. That's just for my and your reference. But they are all wearing light blue grey robes, so that's ok. Sorry for the confusion, folks. Oh and Manny hit.

The cultist grunts as Manny fights ice with... ice.

>>>>MAP<<<<

Rowan's turn.

Akahale still has a readied action as soon as anything comes within 10 squares of him.

Right-o.

Right-o.

Rowan makes a double move first to F-10 then to G-10 before going to H-9 and then finally using the last two steps as each move being difficult terrain costs 2 squares of movement per 1 actual square of movement ends up on H-7 intending next round to head around behind the figure ahead hoping to catch them in a flank by the time the others going straight for him reach that location

"I'm going round to try and catch him when you confront him," Rowan tells the nearest comrade namely Seram.

>>>>MAP<<<<

Akahale's turn.

Eldritch Blast (Ref) v Blue 1 (inc curse) (1d20 9=15, 1d10 7=10, 1d8=2)

Brushing rain out of his eyes, Akahale ranges alongside Manny and curses the cultist he can see before missing with the now familiar tendrils of dark energy.

Blueboy 1 is cursed, otherwise, no good came of that.

Block 1
Grafire
It
Mystic Cultists

Block 2
Seram
Manny

Block 3
Rowan
Thuggish Cultists

Block 4
Akahale

Block 1 are up. Map is unchanged.

It looks to me like It's ready should have gone off after Red 4's move, so I'll roll that for now, and then should be in block 3 after Rowan, right?

It's bow pivots and points at the cultist approaching from the east and launches a dart.

Shoulderbow to red 4 (1d20+10=29, 1d6+4=6)

Apologies, yes. I forgot. Sigh. And I tried so hard not to. Yep, you're now Block 3.

It's missile finds its target.

Grafire.

Fabes:

It