@Aylaeth: "That must be one of them KILL HER! DESTROY HER! WE WILL USE HER LIGHTS FOR GARLANDS!" is all your warning is met with. Your lightning bolt fries the first soldier to come around the corner, but after getting smacked he still keeps coming, as do the dozens and dozens behind him.
"Kelne" Kelne said, giving Sir Damian a nod and tilting the shield on his left arm so the man could get a better view of it. The light wasn't all that good, and it was very possible his armour was further shrouding him in shadows. It was why he'd purchased it in the first place after all, "You'll have to tell me what brings you to Karthan when all this is over. I daresay you've earned a bit more than a letter of introduction from us if we're in a position to help."
Before he had the chance to add anything more, the mob came around the corner of the landing. Kelne fixed them with his best glare, leveling his sword - strangely pristine after being liberally splattered with trollpire blood - threateningly at them, "I am through inviting you lot to surrender. You can either sod off downstairs and fight the invading bloody army, or we can kill you here and now. You don't have the element of surprise, and you're too late to stop us from rescuing the boy."
The others must surely be close to rescuing Kevin by now, though it might be a minute or two before they arrived back on the scene. Let them realise he'd overheard their leader's orders - it might give them pause. Kelne had no compunctions about encouraging the troops to fight the invaders. Red and white dragons were not, as a rule, on the side of sweetness and light, and he was quite happy for two enemies to tear chunks out of each other. Although, of course, since they had dragons along themselves (interesting that the troops knew that), it might well be assumed they were in league with the invaders. A wing of the army besieging Omskoldsv, perhaps?
Gray now to the entrance of the room takes everything in. Seeing the small boy and naked holy man standing next to each other he frowns. Then becomes even more unhappy when he sees the furnace come to life. First order of business is to protect the boy he has been sent for. The second to hide and cover up the Paladin's "Holy sysmbol." He begins to move closer to the odd pair.
"Justahl I can't say I approve of your hobbies. Gray says with a slight smile.
Sir Justahl turns an even deeper red than before as he continues to ransack the room.
"YOU didn't take a card from that Jester!" He snaps back.
"Consider doing something helpful about it and help find my armor!"
As Gray crosses the room to get closer to Justahl and Kevin, the Furnace Golem finishes rising from its prone position and starts thundering across the floor. It hasn't taken but a few steps when Karthan lets loose his acid-drenched magic missiles (), which immediately start digging into the thing's metal hide, wearing away at the metal.
Sir Justahl and Kevin find the trunk with the Paladin's clothes and armor , but as soon as he takes out a piece of armor to put on, the knight remembers it takes nearly four minutes to get into plate mail, and the group does not have four minutes right now.
@Kelne and @Damian: Of the dozen or so Ormirian troops rounding the corner, one is a wolfguard. He smiles cruelly and shouts. "IT'S THE TRAITOR KELNE! SLAY HIM! EAT HIS HEART! FORWAAARRRRD!" This wolfguard then hangs back and smiles smugly up at the cavalier and fighter as his company charges forward.
That smug smile is quickly wiped from the wolfguard's face, though, as the two sodliers surging up at Kelne misstep horribly and trip on their way up, crashing to the ground, knocking the third soldier off target, and making that side of the stairs much more difficult to ascend.
"IDIOTS!!!" he screams at them "The baron will eat YOUR heart! I will see to it! Get up and fight! FIIIIGHT!"
Damian lends his powerful voice to rebuffing the oncoming attackers. "Turn back! While you dash yourselves against our shields, your true enemy will throw down your allies and swarm up these stairs to consume you in fire! We will cede not an inch, and stand to block you as you flee them!" He carefully goes down a step to thrust his sword into one of the fallen soldiers, drawing blood from the wound as he pulls it out. He keeps his shield up, prepared to defend himself and Kelne from those nearby. Those who attack from behind the first line of enemies with their long halberds will find that they are sufficiently constrained.
"If you want my heart so badly, come and claim it yourself!" Kelne taunted the wolfguard, stepping down to join Damian and ruthlessly driving his sword into the second fallen soldier. He'd given them fair warning, and given all this talk of eating hearts, they really weren't entitled to any mercy.
Karthan will step up to Justahl when he gets a chance - he's still moving 60' per round for two more rounds - and cast Mage Armor on him. [b]"It's all I can do for now."[/b[
Min couldn't decide exactly what to do and with the armored man coming up on his left. He decides to do something reckless. He moves hard and fast, forward and to the right, trying to draw the damn things attention. He tries to roll out of the things way as it takes a lethal swing with its massive mace.
He counts his blessings as one of his duplicates vanishes with the passing of the mace and luckily fate saved him from a horrific strike from that thing. As he recovers from his badly executed roll, he finds himself just to the right of the large construct. With his strength training he easily holds his Holy blade in his left hand as he begins executing a serious of movements with his freed up right hand. He aims the palm of his free hand at the ground beneath the constructs feet and moves it in a circular motion as if he were rubbing a slick surface. As the air around him frosts with the energy suddenly radiating from his being he speaks a single word in draconic. It came out though more as a bark then a word. "Khuiemyi!"
"Iceshroud!" (Grease Spell)
The spell slicks the floor beneath the constructs feet, covering it in a sort of grease or ice. Its hard to tell, but as it fully forms the large construct teeters and falls hard on its backside with a deafening crash of metal and cracking stone slabs.
I checked out the +3 weapon rules and found that a +4 weapon ignores Adamantine DR... So please let me know what K check I need to make to know that my life bow can do that. This isn't a shot at anyone but I know for a fact that Min wouldn't just know offhand that he could pound the crap out of this thing with his bow. Please let me know how I can earn this legitly. Thanks ;).
@Kelne and @Damian: The wolfguard captain sneers at Captain Lamorak's clarion voice, and the deleterious effect it has on his troops. He continues his invective in a mostly futile effort to counter it. "Ignore him! You have them otnumbered 30 to 1! Run them through! We will destroy these intruders and still get back in time to turn away the massed heretics at our doorstep! FOR ORMIRIA! FOR THE BARON! FIGHT!"
A new soldier rushes in to take the place of the one Kelne slew, while another soldier helps up his fallen, wounded comrade. The wounded soldier gets in a nick against Kelne and the third manages to draw blood from Sir Damian.
And yes, the squares are 5'. Far as I can tell everything you did was perfectly legit, so on we go. Nice post! :-)
As Min maneuvers around, weaving his magic and bringing the furnace golem crashing to the ground, little Kevin is throwing items of clothing at Sir Justahl so the paladin can at least get dressed.
Everyone in the Promenade: There is the sound of dozens of voices and the crackle of lightning, and then charging footsteps. The west doors are closed, so you can't see anything but you can hear charging soldiers. One of the doors to the east ballroom is still open so you see troops come spilling out of the northeast stairwell in that room, led by a wolfguard.
Lin turns to Brook and nods to the saddlebags. "Brook please retrieve a Starstone for me, be quick now." She moves towards him a little to help bridge the gap so she can start eating down one of the stones and ready herself for the harrowing battle ahead.
As the noise in the western ballroom increases she grimaces, knowing full well what she has to do. "Keythan, if you can understand me, Sir Damian needs you so lets go." She gestures with a powerful claw at the closed western doors and trundles back towards them before looking back at Brook. "Brave ones, perhaps you too should pass into the tapestry, at least to hide yourselves and find the others. So they know what is happening here." She gave them a weak toothy grin.
Min, hurry back... I need you...
She couldn't abandon Sir Damian and the Forgelander to fight alone... She would be bloodied this day but she would make her enemies bleed in return and freeze they're bones until they shattered into dust.
=)
As the soldier stands, Damian slices at him with his blessed longsword. Still fighting carefully, it isn't a fatal wound, but the soldier looks like he is nearly defeated.
Captain Lamorak deftly counters against the soldier who attacked him, allowing the young man to strike a blow against him while leaving himself open to Damian. The first strike slashes at his sword hand, severing it at the wrist, while the second stroke opens his throat up. Damian says a lightning quick prayer to Iomedae to petition Pharasma not to judge him too harshly as his remains tumble down the stairs. "We will hold you back as long as it takes! We will not budge, not an inch, not an inch! Every moment you spend failing to budge us is another of your allies fallen behind you!"
Maiathreen silently curses in elvish as he pulls out his rod of extend and casts shield. He then pulls out a wand and moves to where he gets a clean shot at the soldiers at the north stairwell. He points the wand at them and sends a small reddish orange pea at them. When it reaches the center of the group it explodes into a large fireball.
As the soldiers continue to pour up the stairs Aylaeth takes the time to line up one more shot with her wand and unleashes another bolt of lightning, is crackling heat frying every body along the length it travels. She then turns and bolts up the stairs.
Lightning Damage:
At seeing Tora'an at the top of the stairs and seeing his disobediance of her direct command, she knows she should be angry but in truth she feels nothing but gratitude for her loyal companion. Grinning her love for him and leaping up onto the saddle in one smooth movement she calls out "To the doors!" and then louder "Livian! See those doors are shut!" she would leave it up to the Aellar which side of the doors she chose to stay on, but the Slyph knew which side she could be on. She had sworn not to let anything pass those doors while she yet lived and she intended to be good to her word. Battle wise as she was, she was not merely seeking to throw her life away. She knew that, upon Tora'an, she would have a huge tactical advantage over the ground based troops. Yet even still, with their incredibly overwhelming numbers, the end result was in little doubt, for she and Tora'an were but two against the storm. Hopefully, she would at least buy the others time enough to escape. Regardless though, one thing was certain, the soldiers of Ormir would know this day what is was to face a daughter and magus of Lesotho!
The instant his rider was upon his back, even before the words were fully out of her mouth, knowing her mind almost as well as she did, the great winged stallion leapt into the air, his almost unbeliveable speed taking them to the doors of the promenade almost instantly.
As the Elf sends the construct crashing to the groud Jorzan calls out "Nice work! But my friends, I am not sure we can beat this thing as we are now. Perhaps a retreat is our best bet? We do have Kevin after all and I do not think that construct can fit through the door or the hallway we came in through. As well, our allies may have need of our assistance as the enemies I heard in the stairwell must arrived by now."
As he says all of this, knowing that the Paladine would not have time to put on all of his armor and knowing as well that his own arrows or weapon would have little effect on the construct, Jorzan rushes over and aides the naked Knight in retreving all his gear from the crate.
Zan meanwhile simply continues to hover behind the collapsed construct.
Gray nods. "I agree Jorzan. Im not much of a fighter to begin with. I dont think can hurt this thing much. And with a naked man and a boy to protect it maybe best if we leave this room in haste."
He looks back to the door they entered just to make sure its still open. But until everyone agrees to retreat Gray moves to put himself between the boy and the construct. And waits to see what happens next.
Kelne lashed out at the guard as he rose to his feet before turning his attention to the new arrival, launching a pair of heavy chops at him. If there were others ascending the other staicases, they'd be arriving at the top about now, but he was confident someone would give them a yell if they broke through. In the meantime, a few more casualties might just break the soldiers' nerve.
His blows had rather less effect than he'd hoped for, but he scored a wound on one of the men at least and kept up the verbal attack, "How very like the Wolfguard," he called mockingly, "Send others to do the work, then berate them instead of pitching in. Come on, men, clear a path for him. Let's see if he can back up his brave words!"
Min grimaced at the thought of the golem bearing down on them should they try and flee or pursuing them all the way out into the Promenade...
He yelled over the sounds of grinding metal as the construct flailed in its attempts to rise again. "We should strike while its unable to fight back! Or do you feel like having its fire on our backs when it pursue's us over what it is thats its supposed to guard!
Lin rests her claws on the door handles, holding the western ballroom doors closed as she leans her shoulder against the heavy doors and listens to the noises outside.
Her body was tense, even more so by the intense cold buidling beneath her massive chest. The starstones were potent and she would only use them in times of great need, this was one of those times. Sadly though she didn't have Min to protect her and would have to rely on her magical Izmirian armor to save her from the worst of her unseen enemies blows.
Livain flies up towards the ceiling activating her wand as she does so. She quickly drops the wand down to Maiathreen who pockets it as she pulls out her longbow. Nocking a tier 3 flamestrike arrow, she pulls back on the string. Releasing the arrow as the string reaches the side of her face. The arrow slams into one of the soldiers causing him to falter for a moment as he regains his balance the arrow explodes in fiery death. She whispers a quick prayer for their souls, no matter their destination.
Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.) To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for non-humanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.
Activation: Wands use the spell trigger activation method, so casting a spell from a wand is usually a standard action that doesn't provoke attacks of opportunity. (If the spell being cast has a longer casting time than 1 action, however, it takes that long to cast the spell from a wand.) To activate a wand, a character must hold it in hand (or whatever passes for a hand, for non-humanoid creatures) and point it in the general direction of the target or area. A wand may be used while grappling or while swallowed whole.
Knowing there simply was no time to don the armor he needed now, Sir Justahl abruptly knelt in a prayer position.
"My Lady, grant me this boon. Not for myself, but for Cassandra, and Kevin, and my companions in this Holy Quest. Grant to me the armor I need to aid them now."
A silvery fire washes over Sir Justahl, resulting in a mirror bright and gently glowing suit of armor. Now feeling (and looking!) like a proper knight again, he slowly stands again. He pulls his shield out of the chest and looks at the automaton.
"Now then..."
CURRENT HP 71 (86%)
CONDITION: Nominal, 2 points Con damage
AC: 25 (+7 armor, +5 shield, +2 Dex, +1 Amulet)
"I think we should...ah, Justahl thinks otherwise."
Karthan gestures for Kevin to get behind him, towards the corridor, He casts another Acid Arrow at the golem.
"Let's move."
Ranged Touch Attack
Acid Arrow 1 Round 2 of 4
Acid Arrow 2 Round 1 of 4.
Sighing, Jorzan mumbles "Had a feeling he might think that..." and then begins stuff into his magical haversack the pieces of Justhal's real armor that he's not currently using.
In the Tapestry: The giant Furnace Golem, flat on its back after falling victim to Min's magic, attempts clumsily to stand but its primitive joints cannot function well on the slick surface of the magically ed stones and slips and falls right back down with a resounding *BOOM*
Kevin yells out a little yelp of joy at seeing the giant metal guardian bite the dust, then looks across the 50' of floor between himself and Karthan and nods. "I'll go with you, sir, I'll be right there. I don't want to leave this knight's side, not after he got me out of that gem!" The young boy bares his claws, and the phylacteries on his chest burble and drain just a tiny bit as claws extend out of Kevin's fingers, and he bares his sharp little fangs, snarling at the flailing construct.
In the SW stairwell:The wolfguard snarls at Kelne's taunts. "There are just two of them! This is idiotic! You lot!" The officer points at the soldiers at the bottom of the steps. "Circle around to the north stairwell and join the others, we don't have time for this!" Fully half the remaining troops take off down the stairs. The wolfguard smiles as blood is drawn on both Kelne and Captain Lamorak. He draws a pair of magical short swords off his hips. "Fair enough, Kelne. You're right; if you want something done, you should do it yourself. I'll end this quickly enough. Out of the way!" With that, the alpha wolfguard begins liesurely ascending the stairs toward the two of you.
AC 23/12/21, HP 32
Saves: F/R/W - 6/5/3
CMB +9, CMD 22
While he works he whispers a message to the half-orc "Karthan, what can you tell about these gems? Would it be dangerous to touch them? If there are any more prisoners in them, might be worth our while to let them out...perhaps."
Glancing over, the rogue also considers anything he might know about them.
Knowledge(arcana):
Damian switches to a more aggressive stance as some of their enemies leave, but the soldier that he swings his sword at dodges two strokes. Still, he has faith that none will pass before his allies return from the tapestry. "Come, Wolfguard! You will have no more success than your soldiers, whose futile attacks simply waste precious seconds. We do not have to fight you all, but rather simply have to hold you back until the fire sorcerer breathes flame down this hallway. I assure you, we are more than capable of holding you back!" His voice echoes through the halls, hopefully carrying to the main room. Brook should be able to understand and carry the message to Karthan that they need his magic, if Karthan cannot hear the words himself. Perhaps Belsarious will stop examining the leyline and start assisting them in combat.
Eastern Ballroom:
The flames of Enhathlad are the flames of the Land. Not magic, not alchemical, they are made by strange craft only those bitter and taciturn eastern elves seem to understand. Despite being non-magical, however, these flames' lethality should never be discounted.
Livain's arrow is brutal, and the fires spread so close to the three of you that you can feel their infernal heat licking away just a few feet in front of you. When the flames stop, all the soldiers lie still and burning on the ground. The destruction and the stench alike are permeating and terrible to behold. Between Mai's deadly fireball and the awesome blast of the flamestrike arrow, it seems all 60 men and women have been destroyed.
Just then, the company of soldiers that was in the southeast stairwell begins charging into the ballroom, stepping as quickly as they can over their fallen comrades and getting angrier and angrier by the second, crying out for your blood.
?:
Livain:
Mai:
Enemy Troops:
West side of the Promenade:Enemy soldiers can clearly be heard thundering across the marble floor. Kelne and Captain Lamorak hear it, too, though these new enemies seem uninterested in the two warriors holding the stairs...at least, for now. Over 60 men and women of the Ormirian army rush at the western doors, which are closed fast against them, and which they will have to pull open to get at those inside.
Lin:
Keythan:
Enemy Troops:
There is a clatter on the other side of the doors as The Ormirian troops grab hold of the handles and heave them open, and the fight begins. Keythan immediately steps up and lays into one of the enemy, unfortunately the Griffon terribly misjudges the distance and trips, landing flat on his side right in front of the enemy!
@Feral Boy, @Monster, @Belsarious: