Grak shakes his head to answer 'no'.
Lureene receives the message from Grak, and her face grows clouded. She pulls 'Auntie' aside and whispers in her ear,
'Lisa' nods and says, "Sure, I'll wait here until Andre gets back."
Lureene nods at her 'Aunt' and quickly heads downstairs. Once she sees 'Sarah' and Grak standing next to the locked door, she puts her finger on her lips, and presses her ear against the door...
A man's voice asks, "Well did they say what they wanted? Did they look like they were from the watch?"
The woman continues, "NO! One chick yelled for us to surrender, and then they next thing I know, Hogan's on the floor and the old woman was asking who wants it! Jenny tried to run and the old bag about put her head thru the door, I wasn't gonna stick around!"
There's muffled cursing and then, "Hell, we better get the others up and brace for another fight. Jarvis just got back with a new friend who apparently has some important contacts. Guy took a brick upside the skull though, so I doubt he'll be calling up any backup for us. C'mon, that door won't hold 'em. Let's go..."
Lureene eyes widen on what she hears, and she sends a mental signal to Grak, who flies off silently back upstairs. She then turns to Priyya, still standing silently in anticipation, and pulls out her rapier, and points the tip at the lock in the door.
Grak flies up the stairs and immediately seeks out Alis and Mal. "Mistresssss neeeedds you both down at the door."
Mal gives a cursory look around the bell-tower, trusting to his keen eyes and nose to make sure whoever was here is well and truly gone. Once he's happy that's the case, he grips the hook from the window with his teeth, wrenching it free, and carries it down the stairs.
Depositing the metal at Alis's feet, he shakes his head "no" and waits to follow her downstairs, doing his best to look in every direction at once.
Alis notes the grapnel that Mal retrieved and nods in understanding. At Grak's message, she points to the back of the church.
Upon reaching the back of the church, she looks down the stairs and puts a finger to her lips indicating to remain quiet.
Alis' Checks
First she puts her ear to the door, then removes a carefully wrapped set of tools from a hip pack. She crouches on the ground and peers under it using a small mirror set on the end of an extendable handle and has a look around. She speaks a few soft words, and four spheres of colored light slip under the door jamb illuminating the chamber beyond for her.
After then inspecting the lock and the door frame thoroughly, she sets about picking the lock and smiles in satisfaction when it gives a soft click.
Lureene nods silently and whispers quietly to Alis,
She peers over at the mirror which Alis has thoughtfully provided, and whispers a minor cantrip,
Soon, a ghostly shape appears, shaped vaguely like a hand, and it slips under the door crack, where it moves over to the rope, and pulls down on it.
The rope tightens from the tug of Lureene's spell. The catch on the opposite door releases and it swings open on some sort of a weighted mechanism. From inside, she hears the scraping of claws on stone and witnesses as a pack of four skeletal dogs exit and begin prowling about the chamber beyond.
Two of them move beyond her field-of-view to the north, one hesitates at the door to the room that she just opened, while another paws at the door before her. Lureene quickly yanks Alis' mirror out of the way before the animated skeleton can damage it.
Initiative Rolls
, (Skeletal Dogs), Lureene, Alis, Mal
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 12)
Despite her ringing ears, Priyya attempts to cast Bull's Strength on Mal.
... and the spell fails miserably. She also starts moving up to the front when the word 'Skeletal' gets pantomimed for her.
Lureene immediately recognizes the undead creatures, and knows who in the group is best equipped to deal with them. She allows the Mage Hand spell to dissipate, whaile allowing Priyya to take her place in the front of the door.
Alis takes a step back so that Mal can get into position. Once Lureene is situated and everyone has finished casting spells (if any), she nods for Priyya to start the fight whenever she's ready.
Priyya shrugs, pops open the door, and comes face to face with a skeletal guard dog.
She smiles and balls her fist which glows with holy light. She punches the dog square in the muzzle triggering her Lay on Hands ability.
To Hit:
Damage:
Priyya's punch catches the skeletal dog square in the muzzle nearly cracking it half while the light of Alíta very nearly extinguishes the burning points of light that are the dog's eyes. Not quite destroyed, the undead creature attempts to maim her legs...
...but its jaws snap shut on empty air.
From elsewhere in the room, the other skeletal dogs pile in behind and around the first, their numbers meaningless because of the choke point.
, Alis, Mal; Priyya, Skeletal Dogs
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 13)
Lureene hears the sound of combat erupting behind the corner, but can do little, at least not until the group can force themselves into the room. She opts to wait...
Mal, eager to feel the Thrill of combat, rushes past Darkmane, attempting to barrel through the two unliving-dog-abominations, his roar muted in his own ears.
All four skeletal dogs snap at the black cheetah as it races past and over them, but to no avail. As a result of his charge, Mal succeeds in knocking down the two dogs in his path. They attempt to rise back to their feet, incurring the wrath of Priyya and Mal respectively.
AoOs
Surprised by the charge she couldn't hear coming, Priyya is too off-balance to take advantage of the situation. For Mal's part, he finds that the claws and pads of his new feet don't have quite the same traction he is used to as a man, and he very nearly over-shoots his mark.
Meanwhile, their path blocked (and not wanting to spoil Priyya and Mal's fun), the blondes bide their time.
Lureene looks back at Grak, who acknowledges her command silently, and flies back up to the first floor of the church, to keep an eye on the rest of the patrons.
From out of nowhere, Mal and Priyya see a small, fiery orb streak into view from somewhere further north. No sooner do they see it than does it explode into a huge bloom of fire engulfing undead and living alike!
Reflex DC 15:
Checks
At the first hint of the explosion, Alis dodges out of the way, tackling Lureene onto the steps. Looking down, she smirks and remarks, "Well, at least we're both well-cushioned against such run-ins."
Further down the hall, Mal manages to evade the brunt of the blast, while the Surya-ka-Vahaak seems barely fazed at all. The skeletal dogs however did not fare so well. Of the four, on the last one Mal ran past is yet standing — the rest have been blown away.
, Skeletal Dog, Mal, Lureene, Alis
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 14)
Priyya sends forth a blast of healing energy simultaneously healing Mal and herself while shivering the skeletal dog.
Priyya then steps cautiously into the room and slides to her left.
A wave of holy energy strikes the last dog and the bones comprising it fly away as if struck by a gale. Priyya then moves out of the hallway, hugging a short dividing wall immediately to her left.
Risking a glance, she takes a momentary peek around the corner. Twelve brick-lined crypts take up most of the wall space in the larger chamber to the north. Strangely, there are a number of large cushions are strewn
about the floor, although a few of them have been reduced to ash by the fireball. At the north end of the room is a closed door.
Much like the northern room, the smaller chamber that housed the skeletal dogs has six brick-lined alcoves built into the walls. Each of these alcoves is just large enough to contain a stone sarcophagus of a size suitable for interring the remains of a human.
Stealth Checks
Back in the hallway, Alis picks herself back up and pulls Lureene back to her feet. She treads cautiously as she approaches the room, checking to see if perhaps there was a trap that Mal tripped when he charged.
; Priyya, Alis
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 14b)
Mal checks the room he's near, wanting to make sure no one will surprise them from behind. He'll also start checking floor and portal surfaces for traces of Traker's scent. If he sees nothing in either case, he will indicate so with a shake of his head then wait for the 'go-ahead' from Alis to enter the northern-most door.
Lureene gives Alis a nod of understanding. She waits until Mal gives the all clear before she moves into the room, and also chants a quick detection cantrip.
It takes about a minute or so to search the immediate vicinity Lureene is unable to detect any magic other than what you carry with you, Alis is unable to locate the presence of any traps, and Mal cannot detect any scents other than that of burned bones, and scorched stonework.
Perception Checks
With the rest of the room searched, Alis moves forward so she can check the north end of the larger chamber.
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 25)
Priyya says, a shade too loudly before she damps it down, of the clergy of this church. They desecrated this space." It is clear from the look on her face, someone is going to pay for this outrage.
Lureene looks back at Grak, who acknowledges her command silently, and flies back up to the first floor of the church, to keep an eye on the rest of the patrons.
Grak returns upstairs to find that the serving girl and the two men who had been pinned under the over-turned table have left the building. The other card players are still passed-out from Lureene's spell, while those who got actually engaged in combat are still knocked-out and laying where they fell.
After Grak has relayed the information to his mistress, she relays it to Alis and the others. Once that is done, she instructs Grak to take up a hiding spot, and watch for any other activity on the main floor.
Alis winces a bit at Priyya's outburst. Upon listening to Lureene's report, gives a shrug of non-concern."We've got bigger things to worry about than a beer wench and some card sharks, [smaller]" she whispers. "[smaller]I can't find evidence of any traps in here, sprung or otherwise."
"That means..." she kicks at some of the cushions on the floor and tips her head towards the door, "we're probably going to have some company."
Perception Checks
She approaches the closed door and checks it for traps like she did the one before. She gives a frown and stands up. "There are no traps that I can find, but the opposite side is pitch black. I can't even see with my light magic."
Lureene nods in understanding, and whispers to the others, "Well, we know there is a mage on the other side of that door, and whoever else is with him. I have a spell that can detect their thoughts, but we will need to open the door first, as a thick barrier will block the spell emanations. It will also take a few seconds to pick up their thoughts, which leaves us vulnerable to attack."
After Alis explains the situation (loudly or in writing) to Priyya...
Priyya touches her circlet and triggers her power:
She readies both blade and bow and then she stares into the darkness using darkvision. If it fails, she sweeps with Detect Evil.
Alis and Priyya stand by the north wall, when Priyya is set and nods, Alis opens the door and grits her teeth when she hears a bell ring. Immediately, a wave of darkness tries to overtake you, but the searing light of Alíta burns through. You see that a bell has been tied to the handle on the back of the door, hidden from Alis' observations by the darkness spell that had been in effect.
Before her, Priyya sees a room of the same mortared stone as the one you just exited, although it is free of burial alcoves. About 20-feet in front of her, stands a man dressed in black. You note that it looks like he is off-balance as if he had just thrown something... and that's when it hits you!
The flask impacts on the ground at Priyya's feet unleashing a profusion of slippery grease everywhere. Priyya and Lureene immediately lose their footing and hit the ground getting covered in oil while Alis and Mal keep their feet.
No sooner are you recovering from that, then roaring sheets of flame erupt thru the doorway, springing from the hands of a man in greenish-grey robe who materializes about 5-feet north of Priyya when he attacks. All around you, the oil goes up catching you in its flames. Without even a hint of satisfaction evident on his face, the mage then turns tail
and runs out of sight to the northwest.
Stealth Checks
Initiative Rolls
Reflex Saves DC 14
Reflex Saves DC 14
Tch, surprised by such a simple setup...
Stifling a curse, Alis hops over Lureene and out of the flames. She moves around behind Mal, and then opens fire on the only person in view with her sewing kit...
She strikes the man with a pair of bolts fired in rapid succession and he winces in pain as the tiny projectiles sink into his left leg.
, Lureene; Enemies
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 27)
Mal rushes into the room, eyes peeled for the retreating mage or for the source of the smell he picked up shortly before.
Priyya stands, ignoring the flames, knocks an arrow and puts it into the throat of the man by the far door.
To Hit:
Damage:
Rng Inc: 70' | -1/Increment
Priyya puts an arrow into the man narrowly missing his throat and instead striking deep into his chest not too terribly far from his heart. The man is grievously wounded, but he remains on his feet.
Mal manages to escape the flaming grease and moves forward into the room stopping just out of range of the man in the corner.
To Mal's west, a hallway opens up. In it stand four attack dogs restrained by two men who hold their leashes in one hand and crossbows in the other. In spite of the fact that the dogs seem to be barking furiously, the rest of you don't hear a thing.
Behind the men stands the mage you saw just a few moments earlier. He's standing at the far end of the hallway where the finished stonework turns into chiseled rock. There, a narrow corridor turns to the north.
Upon seeing you, the dog-handlers release the hounds . The one who has a clear shot then fires his crossbow ...
However, the bolt splinters harmlessly on the stone wall above Mal's back.
The dogs then charge at the cheetah before them!
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 27b)
Seeing Darkmane engaging the man, Mal roars a challenge to the dogs, moving in for a killing bite on the closest.
Mal slinks forward to attack. The injured man merely presses himself against the wall rather than attempting to engage the large, black carivore passing him by.
Before he can close to attack, the second dog handler fires his crossbow striking Mal in the side. As with the Tar Dogs encountered earlier, the burning in his side tells him that these men are also using poison. However, a quick scratch from his hind paw knocks the bolt free before enough of the poison can enter his system to have an effect.
Once in range, Mal lunges at the throat of the nearest dog and tears into it inflicting heavy injuries with his new form's deadly teeth. The other dogs then surge forward to surround him, but with blinding speed, the deadly black cheetah shreds the throat of a passing dog with his razor-sharp claws, the gurgle of its death rattle inaudible to Mal and everyone else.
The remaining three brown and black attack dogs then begins tearing into the over-grown cat before them tearing painful wounds in his side and flank with their teeth.
Mal's AoO
Dog Attacks
; Mage & Bomber, Alis, Priyya, Marksmen, Mal, Dogs
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 27b)
Lureene sees Mal rush off and realizes he will need some backup. He might get overwhelmed if she did not give him some assistance. Realizing there is a silence spell in effect, she hangs back out of the radius of the effect, and summons her favorite planar ally. She rises to her feet, and chants a quick summoning spell, and soon a Celestial Eagle appears, and flies next to the cheetah to engage the nearest canine!
While the burning grease has pretty much ruined Priyya and Lureene's clothes, their supernatural composition protects them from the worst of it. Like her friend, Lureene ignores the flames and carefully regains her feet before summoning an eagle to go aid Mal.
Out in the hallway, the increasingly familiar form of Lureene's eagle appears. It immediately swoops down on the dog flanking the cheetah and sinks gleaming talons into its haunches.
, Alis, Priyya, Marksmen, Mal, Dogs, Lureene & pets
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 28)
The man trapped in the corner curses and attempts to pulls free another flask. Lureene's eagle notes the movement and instinctively snatches at it with its talons, but the man pulls back just in time to avoid getting his hand sliced to ribbons. He lobs the flask just in front of Priyya and it shatters filling the entire hallway and much of the crypt with a misty vapor that obscures anything more than a few feet away from you.
The man and Lureene's eagle are both lost to sight and Mal has a difficult time even seeing the dog right on his tail. What he can see though is when the mage points a thin stick at him. The glowing orbs of light streak towards Mal with impossible precision. Try though he might, even the cheetah's speed is no match and all three impact nearly staggering the bestial warrior from the arcane bombardment.
Inside the mist-filled room, the grease on the floor and on Lureene and Priyya continues to burn. While it has little effect on either of the two, Priyya's clerical vestments have become even more holy than she while Lureene's attire has been reduced to Chivane's armor, the smoking tattered remnants of a skirt, and her boots.
Burning Grease
Having seen Lureene's eagle attack something while no other noises come from the hallway, Alis can draw only one conclusion, "Looks like Andre's run afoul of some magic users..."
With a shout, she cries, "FLY," and zips over the flames, past Priyya, and into the mist.
The tiny princess flies cautiously, but it's not long before she can make out the sight of Mal being shredded by a pack of dogs and the man crouched in the fog in the corner, fishing in his pockets for more flasks.
Alis zips past a dog that tries to snap at her and lands by the man and the nearest dog. After shooing the eagle out of the way, she merely smirks at the wide-eyed man and skewers the attack dog in front of her, hand held up to her open mouth as if in surprise.
, Marksmen, Mal, Dogs, Lureene & pets; Mage & bomber, Alis
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 28b)
Priyya's instincts battle within her. Her desire is to charge the bomber and embrace him in her flaming grip. Little boys who play with fire deserve to get burned. But Mal looked to be in trouble and could use assistance. Decision made, Priyya moves up to the corner where she last saw Mal.
She somehow manages to cast her spell successfully and find the large black cat in the fog...
Unfortunately, Alita does not see fit to grace her healing powers with all that she hoped for.
Priyya lays a hand on herself as well.
Priyya moves down the hallway after Alis casting a healing spell as she goes. She catches up to the impetuous, and currently grey-haired, woman just in time to see her fell a black and brown attack dog with her rapier. How convenient, she thinks.
With the dog vanquished, she is able to reach forward and touch Mal with the glow held in her palm and he is granted some small reprieve from his injuries. As she heals some of her own injuries in turn, the Surya-ka-Vahaak just prays that it will be enough to keep him on his feet...
, Mal, Dogs, Lureene & pets; Mage & bomber, Alis, Priyya
The dog handlers recock their crossbows and once again take aim at the dread black cheetah. Both fire on him, one of the two actually managing to land a hit. Feeling a burning sensation just like before, Mal gives a quick twist of his head to tear the bolt from the right-hand marksman out of his flesh before the poisoned projectile can do any lasting damage.
, Dogs, Lureene & pets; Mage & bomber, Alis, Priyya, Marksmen
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 28c)
Mal unleashes his full fury on the worthless pups, then steps aside to allow Darkmane and Alis access to their other opponents.
In a flurry of teeth and claws, the black cheetah turns the hallway red with dog entrails. He then melts back into the mist creeping up on the bomber he smells in the mist-filled corner.
; Mage & bomber, Alis, Priyya, Marksmen
MAP: Dunwaar Streets, (Round 28d)