Barel has been uneasy in this town since his arrival and likely picks up on the strangeness also. He prepares himself by stepping forward somewhat and holds his hammer by his side...mostly without threat.
All the people in the plaza, with the exception of the old man shimmer as they change shape. Immensely tall humanoid figures of silvery radiance, their mouthless faces turn to the intruders.
The tallest and most imposing of them (AA) bears a quarterstaff and speaks. "Leave here now. I shall not ask twice."
The old man squawks and hustles towards a grating as the angels wait impassively for the group's response.
"Dammit..." Thom curses as he sees the angels true nature for what they are.
"Even angels can be misled, Raya" He mutters to her grimly.
Turning his attention back to the lead angel he replies, We have no quarrel with you, we just want to talk with the old man there."
"That is not permitted. Leave."
Raya realises that the angels will be bound by whatever vow they have made. Nothing she can do or say is likely to sway them.
In the meanwhile, the ragged man rummages feverishly through his pockets and finds a sugar lump.
"No more cakes and ale," he cackles.
Thom walks over to Raya seeing the look of frustration n her face. "Yeah, Raya I think you are right there....and I think we ALL know what things he knows are." He gestures at the lead angel. "You don't extract a vow from a Host of angels AND set them to watch over him for something trivial." He sighs, rubbing his temples. "I think we should do as they say...for now. We can return later." This last remark is directed more at Ruinblade than Raya.
A furtive look crosses the old man's face as the discussion continues. Mad he may be, but he has enough residual sense to spot a distraction when he sees one.
Stuffing the sugar lump into his mouth, he stamps on the grating and vanishes.
The lead angel's head snaps around.
"LEAVE. Else we must take you for enemies sent to distract us from our task."
"I agree," Lanthair says. He does address the angels, however. "To what task have you been assigned? I ask so that we can assure that our paths do not cross in the future."
"That is not for you to know. We are bound to secrecy. Should our paths cross again, the meeting will not be a long one."
James carefully removes his dark glasses putting them in his top pocket; "Of course not, you never reveal your purpose, just keep us fools hanging." his tone sardonic and full of scorn. "We might leave; but know you this - that the task before me will be completed. I don't need the aid of some futile host. Evil will be defeated, despite the help of your graciousness."
" will not be raised even if you're ineptitude wills him to be." he turns his back upon the beings, a slow tear rolls down his face at the words remembering those that Angels chose not to be. "I renounce thee, though these are my words not my friends and they should not be punished for it. Goodbye." He moves slowly away.
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Raya scowls as the team reassembles, "I can only assume, but if they are to follow him as watchers, then how will we get past them. It is as they knew..." She pauses, "What did they recognize? Ruinblade?" She whispers the name. "If we were to have entered as pedestrians, perhaps it would not have been so difficult, yet if combat did occur then, being sans armor would be more difficult as well."
Anything from that Insight roll to help figure out how they recognized us?
James shakes his head; "They see too much yet perceive not. That which is happening now, is't not what they prevent. Maybe in a centuary or five, he that we would prevent from rising would stop a greater evil. Thus they care not for the present but for all time, which to those that are immortal be'st the same." his archaic words torn from learning and desperate experience. A sleeved hand roughly dashes away the tears, defying anyone to say anything.
Throatilly he continues; "Our man is a prophet - they seek to keep uncontaminated by reality, they keep him bound, hopelessly insane."
"We either find him without them, or we circumvent their Oaths. Such hide-bound creatures might leave an option that a clever person could.... slip by." He bows his head thinking slowly.
Raya believes that Ruinblade may well have attracted their attention.
James gently, hesistantly taps her reassuringly on the shoulder. "No, it just shows your trusting nature. Which does you credit."
"Now, who saw which way he went, we can cut him off and lure him away. I have some sweeties we can lure him." he replies trying not to be too creepy.
"Is he the only one who can provide us the information we seek?" Lanthair asks.
Thom shakes his head. "No James, he vanished from sight which tells me he activated a portal. Sooo that means he could be anywhere by now. If we can determine how to activate the portal, then we can follow him but otherwise..." his voice trails off, a look of frustration on his face, unusual for him to say the least.
The angelic host advance. "You have already tried our patience long enough. Leave now."
Divine hands start to slide towards weaponry.
With a nod of his head. "I defer to your expertise, Wizard Thom. Your knowledge of these matters is greater than mine, I was busy on this gummy sweet."
James looks over his shoulder; "We wish to stop the Ancient One from returning to power. Your Oaths mean that we shall not pass? What words are such that we may follow our friend?"
"Our oath is inviolable."
James smirks slightly, there is a hint of uncertainty in his poise; "I never told you to violate your Oaths, and your blades will not violate me."
'Flesh is transcendent, flesh is transitory.' he thinks preparing himself for the potential of action.
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Already several steps towards leaving the plaza, her thoughts plagued her. So much so that she did not notice who was had not left as well.
"No...No!" She returns to her compatriots, her pennant fluttering. Her gaze turns sour to James immediately, "The decision was already made, you damn fool. All you do now is shed needless blood. How...how DARE you force my hand into this!" Her scowl is both filled with frustration and fury, her hard gaze turns to the angels, "No one dies here today, not a one. Do I make myself clear?"
Inish
Heh...if these angels knew of Lureene...then we would ALL die...
"Good plan there Raya, I just hope we can run faster than they can fly..."
James shakes his head; "I force you to do nothing, we can leave. If he has left through a portal, then we must either give up on him, find an alternate route or negotiate with these beings."
He turns to the creatures; "Angellic Host, they do not wish to offend."
James winces at the Host's numbers.
Thom grunts and then twirls his staff in an arc. Well if these angels want a fight, well they got one now... As the staff finishes its arc a hulking elemental of stone and living thunder answers his summons with a sound akin to cracking rock and rumbling thunder.
Thom conjures another of his seemingly endless menagerie of otherworldly helpers and sends a thunderous blast echoing around the plaza.
The Angel of Authority reels slightly and the two lesser angels flicker and disappear before reappearing again, restored by their superior's divine power.
Fluff-wise, I was thinking of theming it as the diamonds purifying the souls. Or at least that's what James believes.
"I don't think they're giving us much choice about fighting them, Raya. All we wanted was to talk to the old guy, and that was made very plain to them. If they won't be reasonable about it, then we don't have much choice but to defend ourselves." Arishat moves forward, and tries to pick a weak spot on the talkative angel.
Arishat moves to sort out the Angel of Authority, but the divine being is more than equal to her attack. Even so, her purposeful movement urges her companions on.
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"Damnation..."
Seeing little recourse, Raya rushes forward, slips around Barel, then uses Arishat's distraction to get in close to the 3 angels. With her banner fluttering behind her, she plants it in her square of L19, "Fine then, if we must fight, I will not let you pass me."
With her other hand free, she shifts to wield her two handed blade properly now.
Move to L19, which I can do without an OA from A3.
Standard: Plant the Battle Standard of the Hungry Blade
Power (Encounter * Zone) Standard Action. When you plant this battle standard in your space or an adjacent square, it creates a zone in a close burst 3. Enemies within the zone when it is created or within the zone at the start of your turn are pulled 2 squares toward the battle standard and slowed until the start of your next turn.The zone lasts until the end of the encounter or until the battle standard is removed from the ground. Any character in or adjacent to the battle standard’s square can remove it from the ground as a standard action. If an enemy attempts to remove the standard, it provokes opportunity attacks from you and your allies.
Minor: Divine Challenge AA
Raya's pennant flutters bravely as she gathers the attention of the Angel of Authority. As she draws Ruinblade, the angel registers what it is. Ruinblade itself is enchanted to be free once more.
"At last we are behaving appropriately. What are these beings?"
The question is partially answered as the angels of supremacy draw closer extending their spears. S1 advances on Thom and attacks.
Thom brings up his bracers reflexively and manages to deflect most of the damage away from him.
Lanthair leaps over the battle to come down behind the Angel of Authority, striking at it with a swift kick.
The flurry of movement and action going on all about him and James bows his head. Focussing his attention on the Angels before him, his eyes seem to mist over. He leaps forward grasping his cane as it shimmers with a dark light; driving forward paralell to the front his form wrapt in shadows.
He whispers to the Angels as he connects with their life-force his words resonanting; "Our lives are entwinned, to harm me is to hurt yourself."
As his curse weights down upon them, James raies his staff, dark light reflecting over his dark suit.
Lanthair leaps and kicks like a mule, but can't quite get past either angel. A4 flickers and reappears once more, it's resurgence seeming to bolster the Angel of Authority.
James's attack is just enough to take out the dazed angel (unless you already added in the CA for the attack, in which case it isn't). The diamonds around his head flicker slightly as the angelic life-force is absorbed into the gems.
The Angel of Authority exerts itself, opening glassy wings and sending a barrage of divine power into the clustered group.
As the gems in the hat-band glint a dark green; he whispers "Your soul is mine."
Then the wind from the transparent angel-wings sends James to one knee, driving the breath from him.
Barel moves directly towards the Angel, becomes a stony-faced bastard, and attempts to swing (somewhat)mightily at it.