As Jorzan lays eyes on the thing that was a boy and which must be Kevin, he rocks back in surprise and revulsion and his mind is suddenly transported to another time and place...
"Who's turn is it?" one of them wonders aloud, voicing the question they were all thinking. It was so hard to know, to keep track of things, or time, huddled here in the almost pitch blackness as they were. "All I know is that I'm hungry. Too bad we can't eat the dark, there's sure lots of that." the dark haired lad says gruffly.
The comment elicited a few weak chuckles, but the truth was, they were all far too weak, tired and miserable to have anything to laugh about. They were fed just barely enough to survive and some of the stronger kids often stole food from the weaker ones. Not when he was around though. For although he was nowhere near the biggest, none contested that he was the fiercest, and he always tried to make sure everyone got an even share. Sometimes though, it still wasn't enough.
The flaxen haired girl who's head rested on his leg right now was one of those he strove to take care of. For the last two feeding sessions he had given her his share over the grumbling protests of his own stomach. But it still wasn't enough. The wounds from her last 'training session' with the hated 'master' had barely begun to heal and she was so light and thin it almost seemed she should be floating on the air.
He stroked her hair again and begun to whisper his regular litany once more "Just hold on Kiana, feeding time must be coming soon. And you just had your turn a little while ago so you will have lots of time to recov..." but suddenly the boy was interrupted by a blinding flash of light as the door was thrown open. As one the other children wailed in fear and scuttled further into the darkest corners. Reflexively throwing one arm up over his eyes and the other around the thin shoulders lying on his leg, the boy blinked his eyes rapidly trying to return his sight. Before he could fully see though his arm was thrown off the bony shoulders he held on to and he was roughly pushed back by a cold, metallic hand. "Lucky you, pretty, pretty, Master wants to play with you again." came the hated, screeching, gurgling, voice, evoking the sound of metal grinding flesh as it easily lifted up the waif of a girl.
"No! No! Don't let them take me! Jorzan! Jorzan please! Please help me!"
Jumping to his feet and rushing towards the figures now silhouetted in the doorway the young boy growls and throws himself at the Punisher. Yet before his fingers can but barely graze his friends slender ankle a solid metallic foot hits him squarely in the chest, sending him flying back into the room and nearly shattering his rib cage. As the closing door quickly steals the remaining light from the room a last long scream rips out of the young girls throat "Jorzan! Nooooooooooooo!"
Barely able to breath, like a puppet with it's strings cut young Jorzan lays sprawled on the floor. Weakly raising one arm he reaches out to the fading light and whispers "Kianaaaaaaa..." The evil, rictus grin of the Punisher and the hopeless horror on the face of his friend the last things he sees, his injuries send him swimming into the realm of unconsciousness and his head thumping on the ground echoes the grim finality of the slamming door. He never sees her again.
...sucking in a breath Jorzan suddenly returns to the present and his eyes once again land on the boy. In an instant he is engulfed in a towering rage and the shadowdancer swears revenge on Ormir and whichever other abominable beings are responsible to doing such a thing to the child. A moment later though he sinks into a deep sadness as he realizes the effect seeing her brother like this will have on Cassandra. It will shatter her little heart. Vowing to keep her from that pain as long as he can, the rogue looks around the room to see how best his skills can be applied to the current situation.
Perception:
Karthan takes a 5' step, clearing the way for others, and casts Flaming Magic Missile at the chest.
Karthan's magic rockets out and decimates the vile , smashing through its leathery hide and spilling its innards on the floor. As soon as this happens, there is a sudden racket from the woodstove, and, hissing and steaming and clanking, the thing grows legs and arms and stands up to a full 12' in height! It bellows and belches fire and smoke and wields a heavy and brutal-looking mace.
After looking around Jorzan finally looks back at the boy and answers "You must be Kevin, yes? We are with the man there who rescued you, Justahl. And we are also with your sister, Cassandra. We are here to help you."
Well, the troll had proven substantially less dangerous than Kelne had anticipated. It seemed Karthan's haste spell was overkill under the circumstances. No matter, he was sure he could put it to other use once he'd finished the creature.
Stepping forward, he laid into the trollpire, blade slicing effortlessly into the undead flesh. As the creature staggered, he cleaved its head off with a reverse stroke. That ought to put paid to it.
"Rather less dangerous than I'd thought," he said, looking down at the mangled remains of the creature, before turning to those nearby, "What say we say hello to its handlers?" Jorzan had mentioned others lurking down the stairwell, and he was in a rather preemptive mood. As soon as those others grasped their beasts had failed, they were going to start trying other, more extreme measures. No sense in giving them time to think.
Lin gives the large Northerner a toothy smile as she turns towards where the troll most likely came from. "Indeed, lets finish this and remove this threat forever." She moves up alongside Kelne, intent on using her superior reach to keep enemies from being able to charge him easily.
Catching the sounds of the battle ending on the other side of the room and being of a similar tactical mind, Aylaeth says to Livain and their mosterous ally, not quite sure if it will understand her or not"Perhaps we should assure that no other foes of this ilk are waiting to follow this abomination, should we not? But first, ah, creature, you seem gravely injured. May I offer you assistance?"
While she speaks to Monster, Tora'an flies the short distance to the Southern doorway and extends his senses of smell and evil detection.
Karthan attempts to identify the furnace golem...
Knowledge Arcana
Min's face twisted into a grim expression as he dredged up a faded memory that involved this construct, a few scholars studied such creatures and he had been privy to their long winded discussions. All and all, the memory didn't instill him with hope that this would be an easy battle. He gripped his blade tighter and spoke loudly enough so everyone could hear him. "This thing can withstand a lot of damage unless we strike it with adamantin weapons. Spells that can be resisted won't affect it at all and fire of any sort will heal it. Its highly resistant to cold, but if we can damage it with a sword or spell imbued with that we can slow it down..." The last part of the memory made his face twist even more, he didn't relish burning alive. "If it gets a hold of you it can stuff you inside its furnace and cook you alive."
@Kelne and @Lin: You both rush across the empty ballroom to the staircase Jorzan pointed out, following the trail of ichor left by the trollpire. The stairwell is still leaking the last bits of alchemical smoke, but you can neither hear nor see any signs of activity. In the distance, outside, sounds of a great battle can still be heard.
@Jorzan: Kevin's unsettling eyes widen in shock. "Ca-...NO! Oh no, is she here? Tell me she's not here! She can't see me like this! Oh no! Oh no!"
"How does it deal with Acid?"
Kelne slipped quietly down the stairs, on the lookout for any soldiers. It sounded as if the dwarves had provided a significant distraction, and the soldiers might have moved on after unleashing the trolls. Or they might be lying in ambush below.
His heart softening to the boy even more, Jorzan replies gently [b]"We shall be sensitive to her feelings Kevin, and we'll find a soloution; none of us wish Cassandra to feel pain. But I promise you, she will love you all the same no matter what they have done to you. But for now, we must focus on destroying this...stove" and he smiles and winks, trying to bring a smile to the tortured boy's face.
Hey, just a thought, but what would do you think of, during combat anyway, shortening the 'if ya don't post fast enough you get DMPCD or skipped' rule to a 24hr max? Cause it can really slow things down when everyone is waiting for just one person to go...
** spoiler omitted **
As the boy's whistle pierces the air, the monster raises his eyebrows and turns his head towards the sound.
He bounds back into the chamber to meet the boy.
The monster waits as the boy climbs his fur to sit on the creature's back, then the pair observe where their new friends are headed.
The Skyknights and Cassandra's escorts are currently scattered about in three places:
1. Kelne and Lin are heading quickly for the southeastern stairwell in the western ballroom, just the two of them.
2. Min, Jorzan, Karthan, Ada'an, Zan, and Gray are all in the tapestry doing who-knows-what.
3. Everyone else is gathered in the Promenade at this point, or is in one of the ballrooms, near the doors to the Promenade.
@Lin: The stairwell Kelne is starting down is going to be very tight for you; it's 15' across. You'll fit, but it's gonna be snug.
"How does it deal with Acid?"
As far as Min can recall, the furnace golem does not have any particular immunity or vulnerability to acid, though the thing's tough hide () will still absorb the initial damage.
@Jorzan: Kevin sort-of smiles; his face folds into a deathlike rictus that might be called a smile, but it'd be a stretch. "Yes, sir. I...um...I've never seen a stove do this before! Ah-heh." He's trying to joke, but it's obvious the lad is terrified.
Ya, I Thought you did, but always over-eager PbP drive was trying to short him a few hours I guess : p
"That's the spirit lad! Now I know you're Cassandra's brother!"
As the...monster, she supposed, gallumped away without a word back to the young boy, who seemed to be it's master or owner, Aylaeth simply stared off after it for a moment, non-pulsed. 'What an interesting young man. I shall have to speak with him at some point' she thought to herself as she mentally shrugged off responsibility for the big hairy creature.
Switching her gaze slightly toward her Aellar friend she calls out "Livian! Are you with me!" before turning and directing Tora'an to move further down the Southward passage. As he moves, the pegasus lord continues to extend his senses, trying to assure that nothing takes them by surprise.
Aylaeth Perception:
Tora'an Perception: Plus Scent & Detect Evil
Through the message spell she sends word to Damian and any of her companions who are within range
@Justahl:
@Min
Spells, spell-like abilities, and energy attacks (even nonmagical fire) ignore damage reduction.
This is why Karthan cast Flaming Acid Arrow on the Trollpire. It ignores DR, unless the trollpire has Resist Fire as an ability, not DR.
This should also mean that the Damage Reduction on the Furnace Golem should not apply to the Acid Arrow spell.
Spells, spell-like abilities, and energy attacks (even nonmagical fire) ignore damage reduction.
Sir Justahl was engaged in a brutal pounding fight with the monstrous chest when a series of firey missles into the chest end the fight.
"Well done Karthan! Dare I assume you have dealt with the Jester..." His voice trails off as he turns and sees a uniformed half-elf in elven chainmail and a uniform tabard. Suddenly conscious of his nudity, he turns a cherry red.
"Ah, I beg your pardon Sir Knight, you seem to have the advantage of me."
He looks past him to Karthan, arching an eybrow. Who the hell is this?
When the stove unfolds into life, his first impulse to attack is tempered by the fact his hand is still stuck. He takes a full round to peel his hand free.
With the undead trolls dispatched, Damian looks for a new threat. Aylaeth seems intent on scouting ahead alone, while Kelne and Lindorevia are heading through the door in the ballroom he is currently in. He lands Keythan on the ground, as there may be no room to maneuver aerially in the next room. With Livain en route to back Aylaeth, Damian follows Kelne and Min's bonded dragon. When he arrives at the stairwell, he stops and dismounts. "Keythan, head back and stay with Brook. There's not enough room here. Lin, you too. I'm afraid that this is one of the places where your size and reach are a curse, not a blessing." He draws his sword and shield, securing his lance on Keythan's saddle. Damian starts down the stairs behind Kelne, who seems to have disappeared somewhere. His armor makes little noise, but his boots still fall heavily on the staircase.
Lin turns and nods to Sir Damian. "As much as it pains me to leave you, I shall do as you ask Captain Damian. Good Luck and may the Inheritor protect you both." She turns back and returns to where she was previously standing, guarding the door patiently as she waited for what came next.
Min finished his speech and began saying something in Draconic to himself, his chest glowed faintly as something beneath his armor began shedding light with greater and greater intensity. As he finished speaking he touched his free hand to his armored chest and suddenly there was three of him. Each regarded Sir Justhal curiously before advancing towards the strange golem.
With his side to the strange pair on his right Min spoke quickly, expectingthe thing to lumber towards him any moment. "Captain Damian sends his regards."
"We have taken the fight to them."
"The Red Jester has been released from what ailed him."
He moves his hands in a quick pattern of gestures. "This thing is largely immune to arcane energies and fire...and as to the knight beside me, apparently, they have need of something from me - though we've been a bit busy dealing with issues here to find out precisely what. A letter of some sort, I gather."
And with that, a stream of acid flies from his hands to strike the golem, causing its blackened hide to sizzle and sputter.
Ranged Touch
Acid damage, no SR. Turn 1 of 4.
As Lin stands guard she comes to a realization, most of their casters were out of the room and without them thy would have no way to detect invisible foes. She spoke to those who remained in the Promenade. "I am going to shut these doors, we need to secure this room until the others return because I won't be able to see an invisible enemy." She tried to shut the door with her large claws.
As Min gets in position, Kevin helps Sir Justahl get unstuck from what remains of the mimic.
@Kelne: You glide silently down the stairs, deftly avoiding the few remaining caltrops left from the bags of them Jorzan left on the stairs earlier. As you do so, you hear the heavy tread of the cavalier, Captain Lamorak, descending behind you. He doesn't seem to know where you are.
@Kelne, @Captain Lamorak, @Aylaeth, @Livain: You hit the first landing and glance out the window; far below, past the courtyard filled with wolfguards and regular Ormirian troops, past the town proper, past the gates and in the snowy plain before the Iron Gates of Ormiria, a massive pitched battle is under way, but it is not Grippen and his dwarves; indeed there is no sign of the stout Forgelander. Instead, locked in combat with the warriors of Baron Ormir, is something you did not expect to see.
Dragons.
Roughly a half-dozen white dragons and one gigantic red dragon are rocketing about, blasting the soldiers of Ormir with their breath or rending them with their claws and jaws. On the ground, meanwhile, nearly a battalion () of soldiers clad in good, strong plate mail armor, gleaming silver in the moonlight, fight on the walls, at the gates, and press forward into the town, meeting heavy resistance on all sides, but clearly making good progress in spite of it. These warriors in mail, supported by white dragons and flying a standard that is a sable-trimmed ivory field with stylized draconic jaws in crimson, have the stout men of Ormir's army rather badly outmatched. This may go some way to explaining the meek resistance you have thus far faced.
Suddenly, down around at the bottom of the next flight of stairs, you hear voices: "Their numbers are few, but they have dragons and mages, so be on your guard. They will most likely have crushed the trollpires by now, but I doubt they know we're this close. We will need surprise to stop them. It's likely they're here for the boy, and we cannot let them have him. Move out!" You then hear dozens and dozens of footsteps charging up the steps, easily 60 men or more.
Kelne drew Sir Damian most of the way back up the stairs, making sure their attackers would be coming uphill to get to them and that they could call back to the others easily, "We can hold them here for a while," he said quietly, sword poised to skewer the first target to present itself, "There's not enough space for them to make use of their numbers. What worries me are the other entrances."
Damian stands next to Kelne on the stairs, leaving just enough room between them that any enemy would have to face both their swords trying to get between them. He assesses the warrior as a commander on the battlefield, having seen his skill with a sword against the undead troll. "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself earlier, but seeing as we are soon to be bonded as brothers in battle, I am Captain Damian Lamorak of the Third Army of Izmir. Have you got a shield? We have the high ground, but we must hold them off as long as we can. They won't be able to charge up the stairs, and if we fight smartly, we can hold them off for quite some time. The others will have to hold their staircases as well, but I have utmost faith in my soldiers. If any of them make it past us or them, Lindorevia and Keythan, the dragon and griffon that were just here, should be able to hold them off until the others return from the tapestry."
Lin finishes closing the doors on the west side promenade and continues to hold her ground.
Once again knowing it's direct physical ineffectiveness against the construct, Jorzan's shadow companion nevertheless floats to a position behind the thing so that it can help distract it from the other combatants.
"Constructs. My whole bleeding life it seems, I'm tormented by constructs, like they follow me around or somthing. Have I mentioned lately how much I hate these $#@!$#% things!" the shadowdancer mumbles darkly, mostly to himself.
Not knowing how much it would effect the metal guardian he fires off one of his daybreak arrows at it anyway. His aim is true but at the last second the stove golem moves and the arrow 'tings' as it ricochets off it's shoulder, barely leaving a scratch.
Daybreak arrow:
Knowing there is little he can do against the construct, Jorzan begins looking around the room even more, checking in the boxes, peering into the crystals trying to find anything he can use against the moving stove. As he moves, an idea occurs to him 'What was it Kelne said?' then he voices it, doing his best to mimic the Northerner's accent. "Ah, Golem, Guard! Stop! For the Glory to Ormir, Stop!"
Jorzan Perception: (don't know if I needed to re-roll that or not, he got a 31 last time)
Jorzan Bluff? for voice:
Knowledge(arcana)? for gems:
Ada'an Perception:
@Aylaeth:
The ceiling is a massive, arched affair, painted with many murals dedicated to the wealth, health, strength, and virility of the Baron. The room itself is a perfect square, 100' on a side, and with two exits on each wall except the one where Kelne is currently standing, which of course has the doors to the promenade in addition to its two exits.
@Jorzan: As you and little Ada'an toss out command words and passwords, the Golem continues to get up and prepare to fight. Perhaps this guard is programmed for a greater degree of lethality. Looking around, you realize quickly why this room is so maddeningly devoid of anything useful.
No windows.
One door, that requires a secret passphrase.
Traps.
Guards.
This is a prison cell.
It's fancy and big and decked out like a bedroom, but really it's just a prison cell. It also occurs to you that you won't be able to see anything in the gems from far away; each one appears to have been specifically chosen for its opacity. In order to look inside any one of the gems , you will have to get right up adjacent to it and probably press your face against it.
Doing some quick calculations and running through battle strategies, the martial minded magus quickly realizes that, while the narrow stairs did provide a good possibility for defence, even with the all the Skyknights and Karthan's allies, there simply weren't enough of them to properly defend all of the stairwells. And nearly half their number were in another dimension!
Quickly slipping off of Tora'an to give her companion better manoeuvrability she calls out through the message cantrip "Livian, Tora'an, retreat back to the Promenade! With only two entrances, that will be our best place for defence! Go! Quickly! I shall cover your retreat!"
While she speaks Aylaeth takes out her new wand of Lightning Bolt, preparing to use it on the first sign of agression she sees. However before she fires, as soon as she calls to the first face she sees "Hold! Do not come any closer if you wish to live!"
Intimidate:
If they do anything but stop though, she fires.
{Just in case) Lightning Bolt Damage:
Meanwhile Tora'an backs up as far as the entrance to the stairs but stops just outside of it once he can move freely. He had never left his andaieu alone to face danger before and he wasn't about to start now. Watching her slowly approaching back, he also keeps aware of danger from any other sources.
Perception:
Knowing he would be all but useless for battle until he found armor, Sir Justahl reluctantly turns from the battle at hand and starts looking faster and less decorously for his armor. His weapons were here right? His other equipment must not be far. He will also look into the gem/prisons. Would other allies be prisoned here?