The strange insulating properties of the good whiskey, that protect Ryan from the cold turn into the same properties that slow Ryan's future reflex's as his mind knows what's coming from the half-orc's attacks but his arms can no longer keep up with the sword's attack and he is left a bleeding mess on the floor.
The gun-mage watches in horror as the half-orc brute skewers Ryan, and he instructively levels his pistol at the assassin - imbuing it with arcane energy as he shifts position .
With a mouthed bellow of curses the gun-mage pulls the trigger - blasting a silent shot at the half-orc:
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He then reloads with an alchemical cartridge , hoping he'll live long enough to fire it!
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Maxim steps to the side getting totally out of the cold blast, while JJ, Ryan and Kikinnin cover behind the tavern furniture.
Unable to finish him with his two initial attacks, the half-orc kills Ryan with a devastating third one.
JJ responds back at the half-orc with precise attacks some of which pierce through the heavy attacker. He seems used to suffer because he does not hesitate into his continued attack.
The armor is of no help to the half-orc when Maxim shots his gun and blasts the offender!
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Seeing the blow land with such force, Kikinnin sees no other way into the battle than to counter the deadly force emanating from the half-orc. The black beard can't help but utter words of indignation at the half-orc, though it's lost on everyone.
"You won't live long enough to speak the name of your employer, you half-breed coward."
Kikinnin strides around the table, arriving at the half-orc's side, blade swinging at a height of the upper body, two hands on the hilt...
Abadar answers Kikinnin's pray marking the half-orc, and the dwarf cuts a deep gash on the half-orc's breast!
The surviving people runs away, some getting to safety outside the tavern, others packing at the back office finding it difficult to continue their escape.
From a point close to the stage a sudden lightning bolt emerges without a word being said. It bursts chairs and tables destroying them as it moves forwards and taking both Kikinnin and Maxim too.
The woman casts a spell with her rod without saying a word, then descends from the ceiling walking in a quarter circle. Still flying over the table, she touches the half-orc making many of his wounds to disappear while menacing Maxim with a rapier in her other hand.
The half-orc eyes Maxim covering behind the table but seeing himself surrounded he tuns to JJ and continues his sundering on him.
He surprises the young man with a powerful first cut on his right arm, but the half-orc seems tired by the numerous wounds bleeding on his body and his subsequent attacks are clumsy. JJ jumps to the side avoiding those two attacks with great skill.
After the lightning bolt it is easy for you to notice the invisible attacker is near the stage.
"Son of a ..." starts JJ, before realising he is in polite company and nobody can hear him anyway.
His wounds stinging badly, he steps forward to flank the orc, and try to finish it off.
extra +2 to hit from flanking and
+2 to hit and damage from FE
Several of the blows connect, but they only really counter the magical healing the swordsman has received.
Don't think about Ryan. Don't think about Ryan.
His gaze can't help but be drawn to the face of his friend, lying in a growing pool of blood on the ground.
Focus, or you are next.
In the middle of her work, Marigold suddenly staggers and drops down to one knee as she feels a strange tightening sensation in her chest.
Wha...is it my heart???
The feeling quickly passes but leaves in its wake a sense of dread and urgency that only continues to grow stronger. She isn't really sure how she knows it, but she knows that something is wrong back home. Her friends need her.
"J-Juraan! I'm s-sorry, there's s-something wrong, they're in t-trouble," Marigold gasps. "I have to go b-back, I have to help them! I'm s-sorry!"
And with that, she focuses all of her energy and thoughts on her friends, willing herself back their side...
:
With eyes on the half-orc, Maxim fails to react to the bolt of lightning in time!
Beard and moustaches spike from the shocking magic, the gun-mage shifts backward
With a hard smile he channels his own arcane power into his pistol
His pistol becomes wreathed in a rime frost as he levels the weapon and fires at his flying foe;
:
:
:
As the frosty shot goes wayward, he curses silently and reloads
AC = 27
HP = 109/124
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
The Oldlaw keeps Kikinnin from feeling the full heat of the electricity lancing through the common room. It's almost enough to break him away from the half-orc, but the woman's healing snaps him back to the task at hand. The black beard is done with single swings. He gives all he can to see the half-orc dead on the floor.
"Is it that?! You have to help them Marigold! Don't worry by me, I will keep up my studies here with Saureya!" Juraan exclaims back alerted.
As you focus you feel a godly hand guides you, and what otherwise would had been a plane shift large miss becomes a good enough target!
JJ smashes three times successfully over the half-orc whom seems close to lose balance under the impetuous assault.
Maxim stumbles with the bench and the lighting bolt takes him. As a result he loses aim and his arcane powered shot passes very close but misses the half-orc.
Kikinnin's faith protects him from the worst of the lightning and then swings the axe biting thrice the offender. The blade smites the evilness of the half-orc that collapses to the floor of the tavern cut in pieces.
A second lightning bolt shapes at the room blasting again the furniture around and taking both Kikinnin and Maxim!
The woman let's the pebble in his hand drop to the floor then walks in the air to the ceiling and into the other extreme of the room.
From there she says divine words and a cold cloying miasma of greasy darkness smites you.
A ball of light shapes next to JJ and the fallen Ryan. For a second it fills the room with radiant light, but when it fades out at the place sits a halfling female with a flame for one of her eyes!
Marigold blinks and looks around, realizing that the venue seems familiar but that she can't quite place it for all the fighting and blood and death that she's just appeared in the midst of. Her eyes widen when she sees Ryan's still form on the floor next to her.
"Oh n-no...nonono! R-Ryan, stay with me!"
With the rest of her companions appearing badly hurt as well Marigold begins to cast, conjuring a wave of healing for them all...
...and then taps into a well of inner strength, granting her the swiftness to conjure a second wave of healing!
:
:
Once again Maxim avoids the lightning bolt, with n'er a static tickle upon his whiskers! As the wave of cold darkness follows he manages to resist its worst.
Scowling the gun-mage levels his ice wreathed pistol and fires at the enemy mage:
:
):
:
Before once again reloading with an alchemical cartridge
JJ hurries after the wizard, striking at her as she pauses in the doorway to cast another spell.
AC = 27
HP = 106/124
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Smite Evil on dead Half-Orc
The lightning continues to harry the black beard. If I keep getting struck, it won't matter how careful my bends, I'll fall fast enough.
For the ichor in the air, Kikinnin moves in the same direction as JJ, who strikes out at some phantasmal foe at the door. He feels up to a payback, if he can find a target.
JJ manages to strike at the woman as she moves away in the air.
Maxim jumps away of the lightning bolt while Kikinnin protects himself as good as he can. All the heroes do their best to fight the coiling darkness.
Maxim shot bursts the woman freezing partly her right arm.
JJ and Kikinnin rush to the doors to fight the invisible sorcerer. While the dwarf's wounds completely close up, JJ stabs the body despite the invisibility while Kikinnin's axe swings only through the air.
Both JJ and Kikinnin notice the sorcerer moves away from them and out of the tavern. They do hear some arcane words and then an ice storm materializes in the entrance. The hailstones that pound down upon JJ and Kikinnin hurt them and make them even more difficult to find the sorcerer and pursue him.
Eyeing the new appearance of Marigold, the flying woman descends to the ground to exit the tavern through the side door, and profiting both her haste and air walk spells to run out of sight.
Bolstered my Marigold's manifestation and healing, Maxim grits his teeth and with a nod of "much ablidged" toward the angelic halfling he then bolts toward the side door of the tavern
The gun-mage pulls open the door and chases after their foe into the street...
JJ carefully works his way through the icy area. As he does so blue light spills from his wounds healing him still further. He also exits the silence, and a string of profanities starts exiting his mouth. Realising that this might not be appropriate he quickly shuts up, but it is enough to show his attitude is not a happy one.
Marigold's Round 5
Though she doesn't want to let her friends get too far out of her sight neither does Marigold want to leave the still-defenseless Ryan alone on the tavern floor.
Using the last bit of her most powerful magics, she reaches down and completely infuses his body with healing energy!
"ಆರ್-ರಯಾನ್! ಆರ್-ರಯಾನ್, ನೀವು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ಕೇಳಬಹುದು? ನಿನು ಆರಾಮ??"
"R-Ryan! R-Ryan, can you h-hear me? Are you okay??"
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Blackness had enveloped Ryan as the heat of battle quickly cooled, while his blood pooled around him. A creeping cold surrounded him, beginning in his fingers and toes and drawing ever closer to his heart. Stealing himself for his final judgement Ryan prepares, wondering to himself if Pharisma will sit in judgement as is her prerogative, or if Abadar would come.
I think too much of myself, probably one of Pharisma's functionaries will read out my judgement his soul thinks with a mental head shake.
Looking towards the unfocused light ahead Ryan feels himself warm and become more comfortable, not just once but twice and again a third time, the last making him feel as if he was resting in a field on a warm spring day. There was even a light flowery smell accompanying the warmth returning to him
My judgement draws nigh
Funny that sounded like Marigold...
With great effort Ryan opens his physical eyes and see Marigold.
"Are you dead? When did that happen?"
"ಡಿ-ಸತ್ತ? ಇಲ್ಲ, ನಾವು ಸತ್ತಲ್ಲ, ನಾವು ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿರುತ್ತೇವೆ! ನಾನು ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿ, ನೀವು ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿರುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇವೆ, ನಾವೆಲ್ಲರೂ ಜೀವಂತವಾಗಿರುತ್ತೇವೆ! ಆದರೆ ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇನ್ನೂ ಡಿ-ಅಪಾಯಕಾರಿ, ಸಿ-ಬನ್ನಿ, ನೀವು ಜಿ-ಅಪ್ ಪಡೆಯಬೇಕು," Marigold responds rapidly, a look of relief on her face when Ryan opens his eyes. She reaches down to give him a hand up, bracing her feet on the floor as she does.
"D-dead? No, we're not d-dead, we're alive! I'm alive, you're alive, we're all alive! But it's still d-dangerous here, c-come on, you have to g-get up!"
AC = 27
HP = 106/124
Weapon Equipped = +2 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Smite Evil on dead Half-Orc
Kikinnin huffs hard, as his death blow misses the essence of the spell caster. When he watches JJ bolt past him, and into the haze, he follows along, though he exits the door, and keeps to the side of the building to avoid slipping on the icy ground.
"Don't be rash, JJ. If the invisible stalker is still able, it won't do to give it a single target."
Maxim moves out into the middle of the street but he cannot spot the woman anywhere. She has most likely profited her haste and air walk to hide into the roofs or behind a building.
When Marigold touches Ryan, the cleric's wounds quickly disappear and the hole in his belly closes up.
As JJ moves through the hail, his wounds heal up. Kikinnin follows him through the difficult terrain. After they both reach out the street, they find the sorcerer is still not visible or no-where to be found.
JJ looks around, desperate to try and find the unseen assailant.
Once she's assured that Ryan is okay and able to move under his own power, Marigold hurries out the door after JJ and Kikinnin.
"W-what happened? Who w-were those people?"
"Where's everyone else" Ryan takes Marigold's proffered hand and does his best not to pull her over when he stands up. Following her outside the look up and down the street.
In response to Marigold's last question
"Dunno, just had a brief vicious meeting with a greatsword didn't see any of the others."
"M-Maxim went out the other d-door," Marigold points over her shoulder. "I th-think there were two others using m-magic because they sure disa-p-p-peared fast..."
With little idea of what exactly was going on and with no idea if another attack would be coming, she taps into her magical reserves to grant herself the ability to see things as they really are.
______________
Maxim scours the streets and buildings hoping for a sign of discord or panic from any citizens that might give away.
With a scowl he shifts back into the tavern, flashing a hard smile at the sight of a returned Marigold;
"Lil' Miss. Yer a sight fir sore eyes! We're better fir your return that's a fact."
He moves to where the downed half orc;
"Anyone recognise this brute?"
Kikinnin waits a long moment to make sure JJ's not assaulted for his pains to locate the magical assassin. When he's convinced the boy will stand his ground, and not pursue phantoms into the city, the black beard returns to the interior.
His first concern was alleviated when he sees Ryan on his feet, Marigold by his... Marigold? Kikinnin heartens as another healer joins their ranks again. "Welcome back, Miss Marigold. Not sure Ryan would have any color in his cheeks, had you not returned when you did."
His second concern takes the reins, and Kikinnin looks about the Coy Nixie to assess the collateral damage of such a dishonorable assault. First the Stormblades, now the Watchers. This only bolsters Annah's words.
The black beard brings Abadar's healing to those in obvious need of help.
When he's done what he can, Kikinnin returns to Maxim's side, standing over the slain half-orc. "Back in Occipitus, there was speaking with the dead. Can that happen here? Can we question the blaggard, even now? Given the attack on the Stormblades, and now us, how do we warn the other strike teams that they, too, might suffer our fate? They lost Todd, and we almost lost Ryan, from the looks of his wounds." Kikinnin gives the priest a good looking-over. "Praise Abadar, but you look much less dead."
JJ feels the sorcerer is somewhere forward but does not know exactly where. But when Marigold cast her spell, she is just in time to see the sorcerer run on haste the Obsidian Avenue to the south and then disappear among the buildings to the East.
Meanwhile in the interior Kikinnin will notice the remaining people in the room are dead. All others have run out in all directions.
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JJ sighs. "She is somewhere out there. And sell swords are a dime a dozen at the moment. Those spellcasters are the real threat. Poor Ryan."
With a sigh he turns and notices Marigold..."Uh.." he says, blinking and slightly suspicious of her arrival during the chaos.
"Hi.. Marigold? You're a sight for sore eyes!"
His sore eyes glance at the chaos of the Nixie... "Umm... I think I have some bad news about Ryan.."
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"S-someone just w-went that way, to the s-south," Marigold warns, still rather confused and on edge. "Wh-what happened here? Y-you think those were the s-same people that k-killed Todd Vanderboren?"
Her expression brightens a little when JJ turns his attention back to here but just as quickly slips back to confused. "R-Ryan? He's f-fine now, he's r-right here..." she manages, pointing back towards the cleric. "JJ, are you okay? You d-didn't hit your head or anything d-did you?"
"But..."
Now JJ looks confused. "He had a sword stickng out of him, lying on the ground.."
He casts a glance in the direction the wizard fled, and another back towards where Ryan was.
"Maybe you arrived just in the nick of time.." he adds hopefully.
"Maybe he just got knocked out."
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"Praise Abadar, but you look much less dead."
"And I'm feeling much less dead right now, thanks to Marigold's timely arrival"
Hearing JJ's return outside, the cleric moves towards the door, seemingly ignoring the rubbles strewn across the floor. Ryan smiles as Marigold chides the foster brother "Powerful things come in small packages, and I for one and happy for her timely return" pondering the last words he spoke "How did you know to come back? Believe me I'm not complaining either."
When you check the corpse of the half-orc for any evidence of his relations you find out: a mithral breastplate, a mithral greatsword, a belt of dexterity , an amulet of natural armor , a magical ring, a potion of cure serious wounds and 250 gp.
Both the breastplate and the greatsword radiate magic.
These items are fine crafted but not inherently magical, you find out though their current magic is due to a greater magic weapon and a magic vestment spell.
While the half-orc is divested of his wares, Kikinnin looks about for a representative of the Nixie's management.
The black beard does his best to apologize for the break out in violence in the establishment.
"In all likelihood, we are the reason that murder has been done here today. The assassins dealt a deathblow to one of the Stormblades, and now our band, the Watchers, almost lost one of ours. As one of them, I would ask you to determine the damage to property here, so we might make restitution. We can not begin to atone for the death here, but will inquire with the priests of St. Cuthbert for what might be accomplished for their powerful magics."
Returning from his wander, Kikinnin speaks to his own.
"We should drag the half-orc from this place. I would know if we still have recourse to speak with him. Might be we drag something useful from him." He sheathes his Axe, and takes up the body, looking to the others for their own ideas.
"You sure? I mean he is a half orc, and half the guards are half orcs. I'd prefer not to have to explain how we ended up alive and him dead. "
He gestures around the rest of the room. "Not to mention all the others who have died as well. Oh gods... I could have been having lunch with Sara here."
"There were plenty of witnesses to the hostility. Body being dead already, there's no one to arrest. The two other assassins are out there somewhere, and all three were likely paid to see us ended. This one isn't wearing a uniform, so I hope the guard will let us pass. All the more reason to take our leave."
"Huh...his w-weapon and armor are n-nicely made but not truly m-magical," Marigold frowns as she examines the items taken off the half-orc. "They've b-been temporarily enchanted to offer m-more protection than n-normal, that's all."
"B-but the ring is another st-story entirely," she adds. "It's a Ring of Counterspells with an enchantment to d-dispel magic on it. M-might be something you'd g-get use out of, Maxim."
The little halfling hastily stands up and dust herself off, looking around anxiously. "If we're g-going to attempt to sp-speak with the d-dead we sh-should do it s-soon and s-somewhere safer than h-here," she agrees. "Especially after all the d-death this place has s-seen..."
She glances over at Ryan and shakes her head. "I c-can't really explain it, I just...knew, s-somehow, that you all were in t-trouble, that you n-needed me. So I c-came."
The barwoman addresses Kikinnin once the situation calms down a bit and she returns to see what has been of the tavern "I... I don't think this was your fault. We should not have allowed entrance to this dangerous people... We will inform the Aslaxins of what happened today and your willingness to help fix this"
If you decide to wait a bit the Cauldron guard will probably come by to check what happened and make questions.
"Um...sh-should we wait for the g-guard or just go?" Marigold asks, still looking around anxiously. "Even with all the w-witnesses, answering q-questions is going to t-tie us up for ages..."
"I think we should just go..." says JJ, his hands grabbing the orcs amulet.
"We might be able to use this to track down who he was.." he says, hopefully.
As you pick up the amulet and move out of the tavern, you overhear the shouts of the guards arriving into the scene. Discretely, you mingle with the curious flocking into the street.
The Watchers have been attacked. What will the heroes want to do next?
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That could have been Sara or Tessa.
JJ, obviously shaken by the attack finds a different eating establishment to sit down in and enjoy a drink.
"There is no way I can go back home..." he finally admits.
"It's just too dangerous. So many innocent people killed... and why? Who wants us dead so badly?"
He write out a note and looks around for one of the many street urchins to carry it.
Dear Sara. Sometime today you are going to hear about a horrible attack that took place at the Coy Nixie. Lots of innocent people were killed by the assassins that targeted me, and a number of my friends were badly hurt. That could have been you and I sitting down to dinner and you being blasted with deadly magics.I know I have talked to you about this before, but my life has become too dangerous at the moment. For your own safety and that of Tesa I cannot be around you until whatever is happening is resolved.
Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. And don't worry about the apartment, it's all paid for. I hope this mess is resolved soon.
-JJ
Turning to Ryan he admits "I think I may need to find a new place to stay. They know too much about us...unless they were hoping to undermine Anna... they did target you after all.."
Kikinnin regards the dead half-orc body, looking at Maxim and his containment magics. "Any way we can tuck that away, so we can try that interrogation?" He doesn't press it, given the need to hie away quickly enough to avoid the complication of more half-orcs breathing down their necks. His desire to obey the Law runs deeper, he thinks, where the current representation is wholly lacking.
"Let's not linger. Perhaps we can inquire with Abadar as to who sicced the assassins on us." The black beard rolls his head towards Ryan, wondering with his eyes if the priest can perform the same spell that Jenya provided him before. "Oh, and we should still visit the Church of Pelor, and hear what they have to say for the aggressions of Wee Jas."
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"O-okay, let's get out of here th-then," Marigold agrees. "So we sh-should either go to the Church of P-Pelor or the T-Temple of Abadar first," she repeats for clarification. "Either one s-sounds fine to me b-but I think we should p-probably see if Ryan or J-Jenya can speak with the d-dead half-orc first."
As she moves to follow her friends wherever they may go, Marigold catches sight of herself in some shards of broken glass on the floor and flinches to see her new appearance reflected back at her.
"Oh g-geeze, I need to h-hide this..." she groans, gesturing to her eye. She looks around for a moment until she finds a scrap of cloth, snatching it up and winding it about her head and over her eye.
"I look like the w-world's sorriest p-pirate, but it'll have to d-do for now."
Maxim eyes the half-orcer's corpse and shakes his head;
"Sorry bror - ain't got pockets big 'nuff fir that sack o' skit... Magic or otherwise."
He mulls his options;
"Reckon I can conjure a phantasmal steed that kin carry the meat - 'course that ain't too in-con-spicious like."
Let's say you stop at a calmer section of the street to discuss your options while the chaos continues moving around you.
While the others discuss about magics and the possibility to comeback to pick a part of the half-orc body, Marigold tears a piece of cloth and conceals her eye. JJ stops one of the curious boys that are flocking to check what happened in the Coy Nixie and delivers a note for some coppers.
The Church of Pelor is definitely not far from your current position .
"Um...c-can't you just make the b-body invisible or something?" Marigold whispers quietly as they stand huddled together, planning their next move. "B-because I don't have anything that can r-really help."
"Anyway, we're not t-too far from the Church of P-Pelor, wh-why don't we head there f-first?"
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Maxim mulls their options, then grins wryly to himself...
"This might work..."
He sprinkles some powdered iron over the half-orc corpse;
"Persoon verminderen!"
As the brute's body shrinks he stuffs it into his magical Bag of Holding...
"Alright. We got some 6 odd minutes afore ugly here returns to his bloated normal sizing... Let's be gone eh?"
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When Maxim finishes his spell the half-orc shrinks to a smaller size than Marigold. Then, it is a bit easier to temporary store him into his great bag of holding stuff.
Shortly thereafter you follow Kikinnin and Marigold suggestion and walk by the Shrine of Pelor. This small and humble yellow tower is constructed with the same stone of the caldera but it has been all painted in yellow. Figures of a nascent sun are engraved in its walls.
As you enter into the shrine you find out a single priest fixing a wooden bank with a hammer. The altar is dominated with a statue of a woman with fiery wings and a scimitar in her left hand.