The avoral you met yesterday startles a bit but otherwise settles down.
The leader introduces himself as Avon and the others have a variety of names starting with A, only Alex the avoral from before sticks out.
Avon says with a grin, "We're on our way to the north to finish gathering support, there's a group of raiders from Isger attacking Andoran but Isger claims no connections, we will smash the imps and drag them before Isger as proof. What brings you to this lonely patch of road?"
Alex seems uninterested in eating or drinking and begins cleaning his sword.
It seems all the avorals are wearing very new armor and weapons, it is likely that was the majority of what was in Alex's pack.
Sixth seems spontaneous, looking at the avorals in awe as they settle camp, but his words are vague, intentionally or not. "Well, we were following a dead-end lead, but it seems we are on the right path, but we're lost at the same time." He waves a hand, dismissing the subject. "Anyway, why are you so sure it was Isger who sent this... raiders, and not Druma or even Cheliax?"
Cilian stares at the Avorals and thinks of the question everybody wants to ask.
"So what exactly is up with you all using those devil drugs?"
Cilian prepares himself for a fight if the avorals want to make it one.
Avon begins answering Sixth's question while gesturing at Alex, "One of my men saw pro--. What about 'devil drugs'?" He stares at Cilian in complete confusion. Alex looks alarmed and begins shifting his position behind the other avorals.
Cilian points at the shifty avoral.
"You stop right there, and explain yourself to the other avorals. Tell them about whatever drug you have been using."
Cilian walks forward, and makes sure to place himself in between Alex, and the path away from the camp.
Byrons expression went flat.
Well, that kills any bargaining we may have done...
Byron stepped out of the wagon, made his way past the horses and put a large tree between himself and Alex. He places his palm on the tree and charges his device to pull at the metal attached to Alex.
|
Balik brings a cup and pot of tea from the fire toward the Avorals. As she walks, she carefully pours out a cup of tea.
"I believe your Alex here may have a teapot with some very strong contents. If you're not already aware of it, you might want to take some measure to detain him, at least for the moment." More musingly, "Of course, if you are already aware of it, this could be a very unpleasant conversation."
She reaches up to hand Alex a cup of tea.
"Alex, you have been disturbing the birds for leagues in all directions. They find you... altered. I can't imagine your compatriots here aren't at least as perceptive as the birds. But strangely, I find myself depending on that fact."
Seeing Alex hesitating to take the tea cup, Balik presses the cup into his hand, and wraps his/its fingers around the cup. She takes the opportunity of the fleeting contact to dim Alex's vision.
Balik hastily moves away from Alex, holding the pot of tea as an improvised (and very hot) melee weapon.
Kyomi round in the bushes Changes to Human form and pops her sister away, then takes her cross bow out and takes very careful aim at the back of Alex's head.
::If that man so much as moves to harm any of mine friends I'm am going to give him a 3ed eye::
Rising to his fee, Grimward keeps a hand near his blade sheath.
Let's see where this goes.
Canim watches the situation develop, preferring not to choose aggression yet. The bad bird will attack someone else first if I just keep quiet and still.
Alex looks increasingly nervous before his compatriots as Balik presses the tea into his hands. As she dims his eyes he stops moving. Avon looks confused, "pray tell what is all this about Alex?"
Alex straightens his manner and attitude shifting entirely a grin grows on his mouth. He runs his hand through his hair as if exasperated, "You lot really ruined my schedule you know? I planned on waiting for the fight with the Isger Raiders I hired to start before I activated them." He begins rolling his hand in small circles. His companions first staring in shock and then going glassy-eyed and pale. "With this righteous idiots on a leash I would have been able to reignite the war with Cheliax and Isger. Now I have to bind them early. I'd be tempted to offer you a chance to bargain but some of you have made it clear you can't keep sensitive information quiet. See you in the next life."
Alex's skin turns black his features warping into a twisted pointed cast.
The Avorals begin drawing their weapons as veins of black begin pulsing along their bodies.
Oh, poopie
Finnigin looks worried as all the avorals begin turning, but he tries to think of his training and pulls his weapon preparing for a fight.
Kyomi is going for a surprise round, she had a readied action, as soon as he starts talking if she picks up on his intentions she's shooting before he transforms! the idea being to make him do a concentration roll and give flanking.
H-cross bow +
Cilian begins laughing.
"I haven't gotten to kill in ages. This is going to be glorious! DIE YOU FILTHY AVORALS!"
Cilian begins swinging at Alex.
+ = 17
+ = 21
Casting a spell, Grimward attempts to embolden his allies.
"You have fallen from grace Alex, but you will not drag others down with you." Grimward snarls as he draws his falchion.
Sixth casts Mage Armor on Seventh, then draws his Scythe.
Canim reaches into his pouch for a piece of brimstone, coating it in tallow and sprinkling some powdered iron on it. The dexterity of his practiced fingers is surprising, and when he tosses it underhand into the air, it bursts into flames and falls upon Alex.
casts Flaming sphere on the big bad avoral.
Reflex DC 19 negates
Byron continues to concentrate into his device to keep the magnetic field going.
While Alex seems to be irritated by the tugging of his weapons he simply snaps the buckles to release them. Kyomi's shot barely misses as he leans out of the way in an almost casual manner.
He dodges Canim's spell in a similar manner.
The Avorals draw their weapons to attack the party.
Alex scatters Balik's spell with a gesture and dodges Cilian's blades, despite his apparent skill in defense he steps backward to avoid Cilian's blades as another avoral takes his place.
Avon attacks Cilian, While two others attack Seventh.
Only one of the two attacking Seventh lands a blow.
Byron sees things getting out of control, but so far Alex has been mismanaging the battle. Had he gone on the offensive they would have all stood little chance. They had to press Alex, make him make sacrifices in order to save his own skin.
In an instant he teleported to the trees above Alex, knowing that Norbert would be taking his place soon he shifted his message spell
Byron waited a moment until Alex had to react to Cilian's next attack. Then his arm stretched out and webs shot down to the ground. Aiming for Alex and the group of Avorals.
Kyomi try's to work out what they have become but fails. She takes her last drow tipped bolt and fires at Alex. Hoping that if they can take him out the magic he's using will stop.
After she shoots she relocates
Seventh starts attacking one of the transforming avorals:
!
Ralklain casts Shield on Seventh.
Seventh retaliates the blow he just took:
!
Canim steps up and directs his fireball to hop up and descend upon Alex once more.
more fire damage to Alex unless he makes a DC 19 reflex save again
Canim steps up and directs his fireball to hop up and descend upon Alex once more.
Finnigin crawls beneath the others feet on his way to one of the Avorals and strikes at them with his sword.
Canim's fireball sets Byron's web aflame as Balik's entangles grips the Avorals. The Avorals frantically focus on chopping away at their entanglements before the flames reach them. Alex stumbles in the flames and focuses his glare on Byron. His legs bulge suddenly as he springs at Byron.
As Alex slams into Byron and they vanish into the darkness and storm.
One of the Avorals guts himself as a cloud of black spores bursts from his abdomen.
Byron felt the wind crush out from his lungs. As he entered the tree canopy Byron knew he had one option for survival, escape. But that is not what he did.
Instead, without time to think of reasons to do the wrong thing he instead did the right thing. He had to end this and prevent Alex from rejoining the battle below.
The message spell was still connected to Alex. He whispered and the message was sent clearly into Alex's ear.
"You crippled piece of crap, no wonder you needed to mind control them, they would never had followed you if they knew how pathetic you really were."
He shifted again, this time reappearing at the top of the canopy. Frantically working the device on his hand.
Finnigin taking his miss in stride decides to try again.
Sixth steps to the closest enemy and delivers a mighty blow with his Scythe:
!
Seventh side steps to get the Avoral that released the black spores, attacking it with a nice swing:
!
!
Sixth is caught in coughing fight but still manages to keep fighting as sickly warm feeling spreads from his chest.
Sixth manages to stumble over and slash at a close Avoral. Seventh ends the gutted Avorals misery swiftly.
Finnigin fumbles so spectacularly that he is knocked off his feet by the nearest Avoral and flies feet over head backwards. Landing flat on his back as a cloud of spores looms closer.
Byron makes a desperate plan which both fails and succeeds spectacularly.
An incredible column of lightning engulfs both Alex and Byron, which had the unfortunate side effect of giving fatal heart attacks to both horses attached to the nearby wagon.
Moments afterward all that remains are two rotating spheres of eldritch energy. Each sphere is 5 feet in diameter and they rotate in a 10 by 10 circle. One sphere is black, the other is white.
*Cof* *Cof*
Sixth doesn't look good, breathing heavily and coughing, but he attacks one of the devils anyway, and Seventh follows the lead, to hit Avoral '1':
!
!
Cilian tries to go right past the Avorals for now since they seem to be spitting up red gunk.
DC= Avorals CMD +5
After getting to his new spot with or without an AoO Cilian prepares himself to attack the next avoral to approach him.
Canim steps forward and belches forth a cone of fire (fire breath spell) catching most of the avorals with the searing flames.
DC 19 reflex halves
Disturbed by the noxious cloud, Grimward channels eldritch energies in his hand, hurling them at Alex.
Finnigin rubs his butt while he stands. Having issues with his sword he tries a different tactic.
Byron sits, startled at first but then his mind begins to break down the information.
This is obviously not my body because my body is somewhere in the woods, possibly dead. This must be my mind or possibly my spirit.
To test his theory he pushed his force of personality to the right, summoning memories of his family and mentors, while to the left he pressed his intellect, creating mathematically constructed constructs.
"I'm assuming your just as confused as I am. We seemed to be placed in equal positions, which is something you never would have chose because you had such an advantage on the outside. Perhaps we should talk before this turns to all out war."
The Avorals begin to crumble under the parties combined efforts but before the die each one seems to reflexively gut themselves to produce a cloud of spores. One to nearest the wagons dashes between them to flee.
--------------------In Duality Space-------------------
As Byron began his mental imagery his right arm becomes colorful and chaotic, appearing to change slightly moment to moment. His left arm becomes incsribed with mathematical formulae and Arcane equations. To his left the landscape becomes an orderly plain where buildings rise and fall in a precise but indecipherable pattern. To his left the landscape becomes a patchwork of memories swimming between each other as each vyes for his attention. Yet despite all this they remain as shapes in blackness any color is a translucent illusion over the shapes.
On Alex's side another transformation occurs behind him forms of shackled humanoids rise in legion from the white landscape. On either side twisted predators and beasts rage against each other. Before him lies all of The Inner Sea Region in miniature as collosal beasts lay waste to the land.
"Despite your blunder of cosmic preportions do not presume to think yourself my equal runt. I will free myself of this place and destroy you meddlesome 'heroes', nothing shall stop the return of Rovagug and I shall be his Herald!"