-5 levels (-5 to hit; -25HP)
sickened (-2 to almost everything)
Uuurgh...
You and Ragnar manage to finish off the melee foes but another hail of bolts flies at you:
As well as 3 more rays. "Fortunately" these are of the scorching variety:
On Caldir
On Ragnar
Party go!
How close are the crossbow foes and the spellcasting foe? Move and attack the spellcaster as many times as I can.
Touch AC=22 or 20 if reduced by sickened
-20hp
-4 levels
sickened
How close are the crossbow foes and the spellcasting foe? Move and attack the spellcaster as many times as I can.
[dice=rapier]1d20+18-6
[dice=dam]1d6+11-2[dice=dagger]1d20+16-6
[dice=dam]1d4+11-2[dice=rapier]1d20+13-6
[dice=dam]1d6+11-2[dice=dagger]1d20+11-6
[dice=dam]1d4+11-2Touch AC=22 or 20 if reduced by sickened
-20hp
-4 levels
sickened
Have to cut through the x-bowmen to get to the spellcaster (whom you still have not seen).
Bothersome rays! Come out and face me weasel!
Move action to engage x-bowman
Ragnar hacks through one of the bowmen while you wound but not kill another. The remaining 5 pull swords and engage in hand to hand.
On Ragnar:
On Caldir:
In retort to Ragnar's comments, 5 magic missiles blast out at him:
Party action
-5 levels (-5 to hit; -25HP)
sickened (-2 to almost everything)
-48 HP (-73 total)
~frustrated by the magical beating he is taking, Ragnar's muscles bulge as his eyes go wide and spittle sprays from his lips while he bellows out a furious roar~GAAAAAAAHR!
-20hp
-4 levels
sickened
You and Ragnar both drop a foe a piece. 2 still remain on him and 1 on you.
On Ragnar:
On you:
A corsucating ray lances out at Ragnar:
dealing points of STR damage!
Next round.
-5 levels (-5 to hit; -25HP)
sickened (-2 to almost everything)
-48 HP (-73 total)
-8 STR
GORUM!
You hack down the remainder of melee foes and look about for the spellcaster but find nothing.
***end of combat***
~coming out of his rage, trembling like a leaf in a strong wind~ Man! I thought DEVILS were tough....
"Didn't I warn you to look out for a spellcaster? I hope we get the drop on him if we encounter him again."
-4 levels
-20hp
sickened
I must have missed that part, but I won't forget the next time! Filthy buggers...give me a foe with a blade any day. Let's clear the rest of the ruins, if we can, and then we should see if the NSN can fix us up againt this energy drain and sickness.
-5 levels (-5 to hit; -25HP)
sickened (-2 to almost everything)
-8 STR
The sickness is a 24HR effect.
Ragnar regains his STR after a few minutes.
The levels are the levels. OUCH!
There are 2 doors to the E that open to storage rooms with nothing of real value in them.
There is a single door to the W that opens into the hallway you saw from the first room you entered and a door to the N that opens into?
You figure your invisible spellcaster fled through that door.
The slain foes have a total of (what you later discover to be):
8 potions CMW
8 +1 leathers
8 MW rapiers
8 MW hand Xbows
2400 GP of gold, gems, and items
Open the door to the North.
-4 levels
-20 hp
sickened
"A large fireplace in the east wall of this room overlooks a large
marble bath set in the floor, filled with clear water."
There is a door in the middle of both the W and N walls.
You figure the W door leads out to the hallway and the N door to ?
Will once again open the door to the North.
"Now is not the time for a bath Ragnar so don't get any ideas."
-4 levels
-20 hp
sickened
There's no scrubbing wenches here, so count me out.
The door appears to be securely locked against intruders.
"Doors locked, be ready for trouble."
~smiles gamely~Maybe they store all the scrubbing wenches back there!
After a brief struggle, the door yields to you manipulation.
Within: "Despite cracks in the wall, a sunken section of floor where the foundation has partially collapsed, and a few other signs of the
devastation surrounding the area outside, this comfortable
lounge is clean and almost comfortable looking. A private bar
runs along the western wall, and a long divan that someone
seems to have been using as a bed sits in the middle of the
room facing a large, ornate fireplace."
There is a nice fire in the fireplace and what appears to be a 3/4 full drink of spirits sitting on the bar.
Doors in the N wall, the WN wall, and the WS wall.
"See if you can find anything useful in here or tells us more about the occupant."
Does anything clue is as to size of occupant.
As you begin to search the room, suddenly all four doors suddenly open on their own!
Well that can't be good... Looks about a little wild eyed.
Searching the room, but keeping eyes out on the doors, you determine that it was previously occupied by a medium sized female that was enjoying the luxurious furnishings and provisions.
"Maybe the Tiefling stayed here?"
Keep going N.
Looking through the N door.
This crumbled room is open to the outside. It is also the den for a nest of Shadows. They attack!
They seem to have been almost waiting for you and swarm over you, their inky blackness making your hairs stand on end.
2 on Caldir:
2 on Ragnar:
They are unable to penetrate your defenses!
-5 levels (-5 to hit; -25HP)
sickened (-2 to almost everything)
Ungh....I hate these thing!
"You and me both."
-4 levels
-20hp
sickened
Rangar shatters one of the two he faces, while you hack one up pretty good.
Round 2:
On you:
On Ragnar:
You both resist!
-5 levels (-5 to hit; -25HP)
sickened (-2 to almost everything) !
Ragnar hammers through the second of his shadows while you take out your first.
The last one attacks Ragnar:
To no avail...
Last round?
Ragnar hacks through the remaining wounded shadow.
***end of combat***
"Nice job! Now let's see if these shadow things left us anything useful."
If we go back to the inhabited room there were unexplored exits right?
A thorough search of this crumbling room shows up nothing of value. You do, however, get the sense that these creatures were specifically placed here to guard the entrance to the building and that someone probably created them recently from the souls of folk killed during the explosion.
There was one unexplored 10'x10' room remaining on this level:
"The contents of this storage room have been removed, leaving
behind nothing but empty shelves. An old bedroll and a stained
sack sit on the floor."
The sack contains spoiling bread and cheese, and the bedroll is
unremarkable.
There remains only the door that you first saw before exploring the rest of the building:
"The once-grand banquet hall lies in ruins, shattered
chandeliers and crushed tables cluttering the floor under the
fragmentary remains of a roof. Yet to the west, the wall of
the manor’s easternmost wing still stands, and in the middle
of this wall looms a towering black stone door, six feet wide
and fourteen feet tall."
Approach the big door and look for traps, disable, then open the door and look inside.
You are JUST able to disable a particularly tricky sonic glyph of warding. After a few minutes, the lock yields to you as well. You notice that this is not the first time this lock has been picked; the other time being apparently within the last day or so by someone at least as skilled with the art of tumblers as yourself.
Well crafted stairs lead downward into what looks like a small lit room some 50' below. The walls are of reinforced masonry and also look to be well made. The ceiling of the stairwell is about 8' in height. There is a smell of ozone and smoke rising up from below and you can hear what sounds like the noise of machinery working in the distance.
As you open the door there is a slight tremor and the pillars of flame surrounding the area belch out an extra burst of fire.
~looks about at the flames with some suspicion~I don't mean to be a baby, but maybe we want to be fully rested before we venture down? Just saying...
"Do you want to go back to the Boot or rest here?"
Hells, the NSN hideout is closer and I think we would have a better chance of getting properly healed if we go there. I like the Boot, but not for resting!~grins at you knowingly~
"Okay Ragnar NSN it is, but this better not be a ploy so you can ogle Janiven."
I'd do more than ogle that one, but I don't think a guy like me can get the time of day from her. My hope is that Ariel can heal us and take care of the touch of the dead and this sick feeling in my stomach. You must be way tougher than me, cause all I want to do is find a nice quiet place to puke. Let's go...
Warning the Dottari guards about what you have faced so far, you make your way back to the NSN sanctuary only to fiend that Arael is currently out with Janiven providing aid to the city's populace. A runner is sent to find them as you are brought food and drink and given a comfortable place to rest.
After several hours a ragged looking Arael and Janiven return and you share your story with them while they tell you about their efforts to contain the chaos that it sweeping over the streets of the city of Westcrown. Apparently the Mayor has fled and the Dottari and Hellknights are now striving with one another for authority over to the city. Devils, mostly minor, are sighted on the streets and have been attacking the populace and the worst urges of many have led to looting, robbery, and worse.
Hearing of your injuries, Arael goes to his stores and hands each of you a potion. I only have these two, so hopefully you don't face any more lords of death in your travels. Ineheritor with you my friends and thank you for all your efforts. With that he wearily heads off to rest.
Each of you has receive a potion of greater restoration.
"Thanks for the potion. Unfortunately we may have to face the creature that did this to is again, he escaped, we never even got close to him. Hopefully we surprise him next time."
Chug potion.
Looks at you darkly-No more sneaky vampires for me. Give me the hosts of hell and I'll let you handle the vampires. Maybe next time you can blast him with the gold bird statue straight away and save us some time.
Swigs potion.