Thirst - A Ravenloft PbP

Game Master Celestial Healer

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (16) + 7 = 23
1d4 + 1 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 1 + (4) = 7

Urdin's move distracts the Surgeon long enough for Angalia to drive her blade in.

Angalia's blade cuts deeply, wounding the Surgeon.

MAP

Nathaniel
Erfan
Res
Surgeon
Eliva
Urdrin
Angalia

“Hang in there, I’m coming,” mutters Nathaniel, rifling through his pack for the potion of healing he knows is in there. He finds the potion, pops the cork and quickly downs the contents, feeling a warming sensation flow through his body, somewhat soothing his injuries. 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

“Move aside if you would Erfan,” he requests, “I’m going to try to jump across those bugs.” 5 foot step to M14.

Nathaniel steps back and swigs a potion.

Erfan
Res

Unable to harm the bugs without risking his allies and the Surgeon apparently beyond his capacity to affect with magic, Erfan reaches out towards Nathaniel and whispers words of power, rendering the ranger invisible before stepping aside. Cast vanish on Nathaniel. He's invisible for two rounds or until he attacks. Stepping to N13 after casting.

Res moves out of the spiders and toward the Surgeon to cut off her escape. "You are surrounded surgeon! Your demise is imminent!" With that Res tightens his two hands on his great sword and takes a swing at the Surgeon.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (16) + 4 = 20
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 4) + 3 = 11
Res moves to K9

I thought Erfan had a crossbow... Still, I'm sure Nathaniel will be able to take advantage of his invisibility.

Erfan shields Nathaniel from sight, while Res advances and cuts at the surgeon with his blade. His sword cuts deep, and the Surgeon's eyes blaze with rage.

To the party's continuing dismay, some of her wounds appear to close of their own accord, although she is still badly injured. She attempts to take retribution against Res, feinting with her blade before trying to strike a vital area. Bluff 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29. To hit 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16. Ouch. 1d4+5+2d6=3+5+6=14 damage. With her advance knowledge of humanoid anatomy, the Surgeon strikes at a vital place, almost incapacitating the cleric of Gorum where he stands.

The spiders advance on Eliva, climbing and biting her as she attempts to loose her arrows upon the Surgeon. 1d6=4 damage and DC 11 fort save vs poison.

14 damage to Res. 4 damage to Eliva - DC 11 fort save (poison).

MAP

Eliva
Urdrin
Angalia
Nathaniel
Erfan
Res
Surgeon

Eliva curses and shoot at the surgeon again, then moves out of the bugs, drawing a flask of acid.

Attack: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12
Damage: 1d8 ⇒ 6
Fort Save: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (15) + 4 = 19

"Aaaah no you don't wench"
*Urdrin Slashes at the surgeon once again*
Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Damage: 1d10 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6

Man Jeremy, your luck with d20 rolls for this fight has not been great has it?

With the swarm of insects having scuttled out of the doorway in pursuit of Eliva, Nathaniel charges back into the room, drawing one of his hand axes out of its sheath as he goes, trying to hack into the Surgeon.

Move to L9, draw axe as part of move, attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22 Damage: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Don't forget the +2 to hit from being invisible! Though I'm pretty sure a 22 is going to hit anyway.

Eliva unleashes another arrow, which passes harmlessly by the Surgeon. Urdrin continues his assault, but fails to harm his target. Nathaniel, with fresh vengeance in his eyes, is more successful.

Nathaniel, with +2 favored enemy damage, it will actually be a total of 6.

Angalia
Nathaniel (posted)
Erfan
Res
Surgeon
Eliva
Urdrin

[ooc]1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11

Confounded by the Surgeon's un-natural healing, Angalia misses.

I’m forgetting all sorts of bonuses, thanks Fate and CH for the reminders.

Erfan
Res
Surgeon
Eliva
Urdrin
Angalia
Nathaniel

Res falls for the Surgeon's feint and her scalpel makes a large gash in his neck barely missing his jugular. As the blood flows from his neck, Res feels as if he is on the verge of unconsciousness. Although he knows he may not survive another cunning blow from the Surgeon, he feels she too may be near collapse, and with her strange swift healing, this may be the only chance to strike her down.

He takes another swing with his greatsword and swings at her abdomen hoping to open up a large enough wound that even her strange healing cannot overcome the damage.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 3) + 3 = 10

The blade of his greatsword finds flesh and rips through her mid section opening up a large gaping wound. As he watches the crimson pool grow, Res staggers back and roars at the Surgeon, "You had your chance, now prepare to see all those tortured souls you mutilated again in hell!"

Five foot step to L10

Hoisting his spear and swallowing his fear, the gnome charges boldly into the fray.

Move to K10, attack the Surgeon with longspear. 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6. That's gonna miss horribly.

The Surgeon eyes the PCs surrounding her like a trapped animal, visibly trembling. She throws down her scalpel, even as her new wound slowly starts to close. She realizes she is outnumbered.

At the same time, the summoned spiders vanish into nothing - the magic that brought them into being having reached its total duration.

The Surgeon calls out desperately, "What is it that you want?" You are once again aware of the stiffness and awkwardness of her movements.

At this point, you have two options. You can talk to her, or you can stay in combat initiative order. Bear in mind, her wounds are continuing to heal themselves.

In case you are going with the kill option...

Eliva
Urdrin
Angalia
Nathaniel
Erfan
Res
Surgeon

MAP

"It was going to be information, but now I'm not sure I see any reason to let you live."

Angalia's tone is uncompromising.

Nathaniel is extremely loathe to let this monster live, but he also desperately wants to know where Gilbraith is. Which means getting this creature to tell them where General Milrosk’s regiment has been deployed to

Not lowering his shield, he deftly kicks the scalpel away. “Take off your coat and throw it to the floor,” he says. The lump under her coat and her awkward gait may be the result of a deformity or an old injury, but the ranger doesn’t wish to take any chances as far as nasty surprises go.

If we are staying on initiative, assume that kicking the dagger away is part of my next turn.

Angalia keeps her dagger at the ready, unwilling to trust this creature.

Readied action for first sign of trouble from the Surgeon.

The Surgeon begins to act and then hesitates, as if weighing her options. Her eyes dart about the room. You get the feeling she may be stalling while her wounds slowly heal.

If someone wants to try Intimidate, it may do the trick. Diplomacy is also possible, although given that you nearly killed her, she is not disposed to like you.

“Do what I say,” growls Nathaniel, raising his axe. Intimidate: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24

His manner leaves little doubt that he won't hesitate to use the weapon if he thinks the Surgeon is not going to co-operate.

Angalia's expression suggests that she's keeping her dagger to herself with difficulty.

What was under the cloak, did we ever find out?

Angalia's expression suggests that she's keeping her dagger to herself with difficulty.

What was under the cloak, did we ever find out?

No - I'm curious though.

The Surgeon hastily removes her coat and drops it. The lump is under her clothes as well. She seems more concerned now, however, given that she no longer has ready access to her extracts and potions. "You'll never make it out of here, you know," she says. "This whole realm is like a prison."

*Urdrin keeps his axe at hand, but seems hesitant to attack an unarmed enemy*

Despite the lump being under her clothes, without the coat is there any more clue to its shape or nature, or for that matter what might cause her limp?

“How and if we get out of here is our concern, not yours,” Nathaniel answers brusquely. “Tell us where General Milrosk’s regiment has been deployed to,” he demands suddenly, hoping to catch her off guard.

Res kicks the coat away from the Surgeon to keep it out of her reach. The blood has stopped flowing from his wounded neck, but he knows he has lost a lot of blood and will not stand another blow. Nonetheless, he readies his greatsword in case the Surgeon makes any sudden moves.

The Surgeon looks confused by Nathaniel's question. "That's it?!" she asks incredulously. "That's what this is about?"

"They've moved south. There is an outbreak of some strange plague across the border in Borca. It imbalances the humors, inflating the sanguine and causing feelings of euphoria that overwhelm the victims who often succumb to asphyxiation. I've been studying it - it seems arcane in nature, but I cannot determine the cause from here. The sanguine oozes in my laboratory were based on specimens I had received."

"The soldiers are stationed at the border to prevent entry. Lord Vlad does not want the plague spreading into Falkovnia." Her wounds continue to heal as time passes.

Nathaniel - the lump appears to be part of her anatomy. It moves a little, which is unsettling. Her difficult movements appear to be a response to pain - a Heal check might provide more insight.

Nathaniel finds that his eyes keep drifting towards that disturbingly quivering lump. He forces himself to look the Surgeon in her monstrous face. “Do you know a man named Gilbraith?” he asks. “He joined the regiment recently.”

He fidgets with his axe, aware of the Surgeon’s self-fixing wounds and not sure what she might try once she is completely healed. He forces himself not to look at the horrid lump and instead study her for any signs of a pending attack.

As Res carefully watches the Surgeon for anything suspicious, he notices her stiff movements and her lump. He watches more intently trying to discern the cause of her discomfort. He is also fascinated by the swift rate at which her wounds are healing. Heal Check: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21

As she discusses the impending plague, he asks, "What have you learned from those oozes that you were examining?"

"I don't know a Gilbraith," she says. "Unless he was sent to the dungeons, he is none of my concern."

Then she turns to Res. "The oozes were my own experiment, trying to replicate the humour imbalance in the fluid specimens I received from the victims. It's an arcane disorder, possibly of fey origin. They call it the 'laughing plague' because of the feelings of euphoria and the way the victims literally laugh themselves to death - expiring due to inability to breathe properly. Beyond that, I don't know what is causing it. Keeping those infected out of Falkovnia seems a wise precaution, though."

Res: The stilted movements remind you of various congenital defects that you have seen in the past. That she gets about as well as she does is remarkable, if that is the case. Many patients with those types of bone disorders do not live to middle age.

The profile of the lump looks tumorous, but by its movements, it may be alchemically altered. Combined with the supernatural healing, you would surmise that the Surgeon has alchemically transformed her body in various ways, in addition to her mutagen.

If your conclusions are correct, the Surgeon has a variety of chronic defects and medical conditions that would have killed somebody who was not under constant care (probably her own). She seems barely impeded, although she must be in fairly significant pain.

Having had his question answered, Nathaniel can contain himself no longer. “Keeping the nation safe, how noble of you," he says sarcastically. "How do you live with yourself?” he asks angrily. “The tortures you have inflicted on those poor people out there,” he gestures back with his axe towards the door, and for a brief second his gaze wavers from the Surgeon. “No one, no matter their crime deserves to be tortured and mutilated in such a way. If they have even committed a crime – I’m sure in a proper, civilised country half of them would never have been locked up!”

"I'm not sure she's done anything to her "patients" that she hasn't already done to herself."

Angalia can't keep her eyes away from the twitching lump.

"Not that that makes me like you any more," she adds to the Surgeon.

Res agrees with Angalia's observation, "You may be right."

Seeing the hardship the Surgeon seems to have suffered from birth, Res almost feels sympathetic to her plight and what she has had to do to overcome it. However, it may be all a trick to lull them into releasing her. To understand better, he continues questioning the Surgeon. "These prisoners, what are they to you? Insects to poke and pry for your own amusement, unwilling volunteers to use to develop some miraculous cure for your type of ailment, or fellow sufferers like yourself?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (17) + 9 = 26

The Surgeon regards Nathaniel skeptically. "Civilized? That word can scarcely be used for any of these lands. These subjects, were they not to be sent here, would instead have found themselves impaled as Lord Vlad's dinner entertainment."

When Res adds his speculation, she seems truly caught off-guard. "That is of no concern to you. I have my own research and that which Lord Vlad bids me to undertake."

Sense Motive - She would still kill you all, given the opportunity. She clearly is content to speak with you for as long as it takes her to heal completely. Beyond that, you get the feeling she is calculating a means of escape or retaliation.

Res, sensing that the Surgeon is just stalling until she can strike again, gets impatient. "Nathaniel, do we have enough information from this vile creature? Now she is just biding her time until she can kill us. If she is of no more use to us, I think it is time to dispose of her. She will remain a threat to us as long as she is still alive."

Turning to the Surgeon, Res continues, "I have been quite curious about your amazing swift healing talent. It suddenly has occurred to me that it is almost as if you are", Res pauses to watch her reaction, "regenerating."

Turning back to the others, Res tells them, "If I am correct, when we are ready to slay her, I suggest first using acid and fire to inhibit her regeneration capability. Then we should be able to kill her with ease. A punishment far less severe than what she and Lord Vlad have inflicted on these poor prisoners."

Another sense motive check to determine if her reaction confirms Res's theory 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (6) + 9 = 15

Eliva looked around the room for any sign of valuables or escape routes the Surgeon might flee to, even as she kept her bow trained on the cruel creature.

Perception: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
And readied action to attack if she either tries to attack a friend or flee

"You're grasping at straws," the Surgeon muses to Res. Sense Motive - You missed the mark. Your speculation about fire and acid have convinced her you are taking a stab in the dark. "Just go. No one needs to know you were here."

Eliva - You notice some shifted furniture near the eastern wall, as of something concealed.

“If you think we are going to let you live, you are sadly mistaken,” says Nathaniel grimly. “There is no way in Hell I am going to risk ending up back here at your mercy, and I won’t let you continue torturing and maiming people. We’ll give you a choice you never gave your victims – a clean and quick execution, or you can take your chances on fighting your way past us.” Out of a probably misguided sense of fairness, Nathaniel nudges the scalpel back towards her with his foot, despite the evil this woman has done he can’t quite bring himself to just attack her where she stands. “I’ll give you till three to decide. One ...”

If possible Nathaniel also readies an action to attack her if she attacks or flees.

Eliva's eyes narrowed and she made her way quickly over toward the eastern wall to take a closer look. "What do you have here?"

The Surgeon's eyes dart about wildly. Suddenly, she reaches to scoop up the scalpel.

Attacks of Opportunity from Urdrin, Angalia, and Res, and Nathaniel's readied action are called for.

I’m not sure if Nathaniel gets an AoO and a readied action, probably not, but I will roll both for good measure just in case.
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (5) + 6 = 11 Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6
1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17 Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 4 = 6

Nathaniel brings his hand axe down as the Surgeon reaches for her knife ...

By the way, it probably makes no difference, but after he dropped his battleaxe, Nathaniel drew and is now using a cold iron hand axe.

Angalia has been holding a readied action since the conversation started.

"Nath, you know I love your noble nature and I wouldn't want you to change, but did you have to let her near the scalpel?"

Angalia's dagger flashes.

1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14 - and misses, no doubt.
If she gets an AoO,
1d20 + 7 ⇒ (9) + 7 = 16
I don't think the dice roller likes Angalia.

Res immediately reacts as the Surgeon attempts to pick up the scalpel. He swings at her arm trying to sever it before she can pick up the scalpel.

Attack: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24
Damage: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (4, 5) + 3 = 12

Possible Critical Hit: Attack to confirm: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (9) + 4 = 13
Additional damage if critical hit confirmed: 2d6 + 3 ⇒ (3, 6) + 3 = 12

Do I get one too? I was in spear range and haven't really moved since. I had the impression that Erfan was just standing there, quietly sticking a spear in her face the whole time...

If so, 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12, I probably miss anyway.

*Urdrin abstains from taking the attack of opportunity despite how tempting it is. He'll wait until she's armed and ready to fight back. His honor expects nothing less.*