Way of the Wicked - The fall of Andoran, Chapter II (Inactive)

Game Master increddibelly

 
 
Why is it always us low-Charisma types that they try to negotiate with? There's only one way this is going...
 
Morvius has flown over to investigate what Talon has found. On seeing the Celestial, every instinct tells him to desecrate, defile, devour the hateful Celestial confronting them. The reek of purity and *gag* holiness - must ... end it...
 
He gleefully applies a dose of unholy water to his fauchard polearm as a swift action and prepares to shed Celestial blood.
 
IB, according to your map, Talon was on one side of the dwarf's path and I was on the other - presumably therefore I'm flying in behind the creature if it's facing Talon; if so, I get a flanking bonus

Morvius' rage deals critical wounds to the Lillend. It screams in pain as the putrefied water burns deeply within the gaping wounds in the creature's beautiful body.

The forest replies in kind; from nearby bushes, undergrowth and higher branches, a barrage of arrows and blowdarts pierces Morvius' skin.
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (12) + 8 = 20 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 1 = 3
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (1) + 8 = 9 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 1 = 7
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4
atk: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 dmg: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2 crit
The giant cat at the creature's coil (feet...) springs to life and tries to tear out Morvius' jugular.
atk: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22 dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
atk: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16 dmg: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 crit missed
trip(with bite) DC23: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (1) + 5 = 6

Hey Morv, are you dead yet?! I'll show you some dice wrath.

All around Talon and Morvius, leaves rustle and trees bend, as the group of camouflaged archers scoot out towards new sniping locations. Caliasta, the Lillend, quietly steps backwards into the forest, and chants a spell. The Lillend disappears into thin air!

Talon watches the hail of arrows, then shouts to Morvious. "Not a good fight, give them a parting gift of fire and get out!"

Not a good fight at all. Morvious, fly up and drop a bomb. I'll come up with you and throw pyrotechnics to cover our escape.

Damage taken = 27

I have a Reach weapon - even with a 5 ft step, I think the act of moving from AND into a threatened square would provoke an AoO - and if it doesn't, I think the casting would. Let me know if not

Attack of Opportunity (BAB, Str, Power Attack): 1d20 + 5 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 5 + 4 - 2 = 27

OMFG there's no stopping him

Confirm Critical (BAB, Str, Power Attack): 1d20 + 5 + 4 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 4 - 2 = 17

Damage (Base, Str(2H), Power Attack(2H)): 1d10 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 + 6 = 22

Critical Damage (Base, Str(2H), Power Attack(2H)): 1d10 + 6 + 6 ⇒ (4) + 6 + 6 = 16

I just got home... I can see this fight isn't going well. I would have like to have finished of the Lillend before she went all invisible. So failing that, here goes:

IB, the Treant has got to do something at this point, it has sat idle through this fight and it cause the f**k up in the first place. As far as I can tell, it hasn't had any actions, so I'll send it against the woodland archers; it has to be good for something. I'm also sending in Kumanda against the archers, to give Morvius more support on the ground. As for our now invisible dwarf, I have no idea how to find him now... did Caladwhen have any idea where he was before he went invisible? If so, I can make a last ditch effort and drop an entangle spell, or something similar.

Information communication is a mule so I can't even unsummon the cheetah because I don't know it's being charmed. Can't communicate with the air elementals by the way, just ordered them to assist the others. Possibly using their whirlwind special attack. The dretch was a special case because it had Telepathy with Abyssal-speaking beings.

"Go with the others," Sindran says, pointing in the general direction the cheetah he summoned went. "I can take care of things here."

He gives James' body a slight kick to make sure there are no surprises.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (18) + 6 = 24
Is James dead-dead, playing-dead, or about-to-be-dead-without-medical-assistance?

Sindran - don't worry about it; as Talon said, this is a training run for harder times later on. Although admittedly he said that before the Celestial turned up!

IB, the Treant has got to do something at this point

It stopped the monk from escaping. That's pretty good, for a minion, considering how well you lot were doing(!) Oh I'm so sorry, my mean streak got the upper hand there for a second!

so I'll send it against the woodland archers; I'm also sending in Kumanda against the archers

Done. They'll come in play soon.

As for our now invisible dwarf, I have no idea how to find him now...

Maybe you - the player - don't. However, Caladwhen has IQ 240. Let her think on the issue for a moment? roll an INT check DC 20 and I'll give a hint.

Is James dead-dead, playing-dead, or about-to-be-dead-without-medical-assistance?

Look, there? He's leaking red stuff out of his ear. That can't be good. I-hope-he-signed-his-will-and-picked-his-music.

Oret runs to the forest's edge and moves as quickly as he can through the forest in the indicated direction. He keeps his eyes and ears open for any sign of the others or the dwarf.

Perception: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (5) + 12 = 17

Maybe you - the player - don't. However, Caladwhen has IQ 240. Let her think on the issue for a moment? roll an INT check DC 20 and I'll give a hint.

Very true; it can be difficult role playing a character far more intelligent than oneself!

With her minions working on the stealthy archers harassing her allies, Caladwhen sets herself to finding the errant dwarf attempting to slip the grasp of the 9th Knot. Falling silent with a scowl, Caladwhen scans her surrounds very carefully while considering possible methods to expose his whereabouts.

Now, where is that cowardly little thing?

Intelligence Check: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (20) + 9 = 29

Oh yeah, that ought to do :)

Lol, 29. So, where is he now?

Oret - after you trudge through the undergrowth for a short while in the general direction of where you last saw Talon and Cala, someone whistles at you, and this individual steps out from behind a nearby tree.

A low, gentle voice speaks in friendly tones:
"Halt, old man; there are wicked fiends in these parts. Did you escape from their ambush as well? Let us cover you while you flee."

Oret scowls. "I am neither old nor, plainly, man. Who are you," he asks, indicating the speaker as well as any with him, "that you offer your assistance?"

Perception (Take 10): 10 + 13 = 23

Anyways, yeah, we should fly up and drop the hellfire Morvius. I have no doubt we could take these guys normally, but they have a huge terrain advantage on us.

"Who are you, that you offer your assistance?"

[ooc]He's not alone - there's another one right behind him with a stern look on her face.

Oret replies in a matter-of-fact way. "When I left, there was only a single half-orc guarding the defiled horn. I suggest that, if you wish to end this fight quickly, you should attack at once. In addition, I will lend what aid I can."

Ah, half-truths...the subtle tool of the truly evil.

Oret replies in a matter-of-fact way. "When I left, there was only a single half-orc guarding the defiled horn. I suggest that, if you wish to end this fight quickly, you should attack at once. In addition, I will lend what aid I can."

Ah, half-truths...the subtle tool of the truly evil.

Oh - that was brilliant. My hat is off to you.

nice, Oret! That's a perfect lie if ever I saw one.
The elf's eyes brighten at this sudden twist of fortune.
"You are most brave, good sir. I must decline your offer - you'd best make sure to get home safe. There is a path to nearby Farholde, if you keep all trees with vines to your right, you could be there within a few hours. Best leave the fighting to us, we have trained all our lives for this."

He grabs a whistle from his left pocket and blows a short, shrill code, which is answered by two more whistles.
With a nod, he is off into the jungle, heading toward's Sindran with his companions.

I hope you realize you've just killed Sindran...

Wasn't my intent, as he's there with Woody, dinobus, and the goblins...and it's not like Oret's gonna miss out on a chance to bash some heads. Of course, if it turns out that Sindran dies, Oret will be suitably disappointed in him.

Well, that, and I (the player) will feel incredibly guilty...

*Cough* magic communication rings to let Sindran know they're coming and tell others to back him up >.>

Uh, right, I knew that...

One by one, Oret removes the rings he was recently given. He stashes his rings in his robes as he moves silently toward the horn.

Ah, the magical+1 Cough of Metagaming... So many uses! ;)

well, at least one security measure is working :p

Oret has rings for Talon and Morvius, who are conveniently together.

I wasn't expecting me to be the only one left alone so I'm not connected to anyone except the cohorts. And I don't know what they're doing.

Sindran picks at a particularly bothersome itch on the desiccated skin of his arm. He wonders if they've caught the dwarf yet but can't see much from his position.

Bored, he kneels down to check James' body for anything of use.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (14) + 6 = 20
Have a perception check for the body! Might double to see if I hear those whistles or anything off. Unlikely, however.

Holding back a moment, Caladwhen takes a moment to assess the situation. He cannot remain invisible for long, those magics are limited in duration and efficacy. Aligning her eyes in the direction of Farholde, Caladwhen begins to scheme. He will head for Farholde, for safety. If my operatives can intercept him, we may yet avoid premature exposure.

Sending a telepathic message to T'larryo, Caladwhen summons her familiar. T'larryo, our friends in Farholde must be on alert. It is imperative they intercept the dwarf, so I can deal with him. Send word right away.

At this point IB, Venorik Rah will either spend its action locating him prior to him getting to town, capture and/or assassinating him before he gets a chance to speak. Caladwhen can't chase him herself through the woods, so this is the best solution I can think of for the time being.

Venorik Rah Action: 1d20 ⇒ 17

since the forums ate some of our posts, I'll restore a backup from memory. We'll probably lose some flavor and we may lose some actions, but in the interest of keeping things moving, we'll fix that later.

- Sindran was fondling the dying James and found two potions of Cure Moderate Wounds.
- Oret took off his rings, and thus Talon and Morvius each find that one of their ring suddenly breaks and falls off their finger. They are now aware that Oret is signalling for them (no more, no less)
- Lars made sure that Cala's minions do their best to find the escaping dwarf
- Lars made sure that Sindran's minions do their best to eliminate the escaping dwarf, once Cala has found him, before he starts talking. (Sindran - would you please roll for this action?)

Morvius, fly and boom, we need to gtfo.

Talon looks down at his hand, looking at Morvius. Oret.

What's the word on the AoO and the melee-arrow combo? I would really like to finish the Celestial

She's gone, she 5 foot stepped to avoid the AoO. IB very clearly stated she is going to stay alive, it's a problem we'll have to deal with later.

Already, Heitr marches, ready to kill.

1d20 + 2 ⇒ (11) + 2 = 13

I don't suppose Grumblejack can go with them?

While I don't have a particular problem with the celestial continuing to live, I did have a response to IB's post where he detailed his reasoning.

Specifically, IB said that 5' steps never provoke. While that's true, there's also the fact that 5' steps aren't possible in difficult terrain. We've established that the area within the forest is difficult terrain - it's one of the reasons we're in this situation, after all - so the celestial would have to have the Nimble Moves feat in order to actually take a 5' step. The only other way to avoid an AoO moving out of the threatened area would be to use a full-round withdraw action - then, of course, she wouldn't have been able to cast the spell.

Also, IB made the point that she wasn't in a threatened area, but then said that Morvius had attacked her...which, by definition, means he was threatening her. If she cast the spell where she was standing when he attacked her, then she would have provoked, hence why she backed away in the first place.

Again, I'm fine with some GM handwaving (maybe she has the Nimble Moves feat - I don't know), but I feel it's important that we're clear on what the rules are, regardless.

Morvius is trying to remember the last time he let a Celestial get away from him. Oh yes, 57 years ago; Absalom. It was his birthday and he was too drunk to make the pursuit.

Now I've had IB's ruling I will use the AoO against the cheetah as it charges - might as well get some use from having a Reach weapon...

With a shrug of annoyance, Morvius manoeuvres his polearm and cleaves through the cheetah as it leaps for his jugular; it vanishes with a surprised, pitiful mewl and a puff of brimstone.

Damage taken = 20 (less the 7 from the cheetah)

Morvius catches Talon's eye as the ring on his finger fractures - he sees Talon's expression change and assumes that he has received the same signal. Oret. Time to go.

But first, a little grandstanding; Morvius addresses the unseen bowmen and the invisible Celestial:

"I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? I believe my colleague here" - Morvius gestures with a clawed hand toward Talon - "was suggesting that you surrender. He's not a monster: he gave you fair warning. You ignored him but I'll let you live - this time; I'm not a monster either. Would you extend us the same courtesy if the positions were reversed? Think on that before you assume who is 'good' and who is 'evil' here."

"I suggest you leave us alone - you do NOT want to make us come looking for you. I'm not even the best fighter in our group, by the way." This is absolutely true - let her Sense Motive that "So there had better not BE a next time."

She was pretty complacent in her reply to Talon, I hope we've given her a fright

Morvius will follow Talon out, using a double move action (hasted) to return to the Horn, since that's where he thinks Oret is.

Tempting as it is to bomb them, that would take a standard action - better just to give it up and get back to where we're needed as fast as possible.

Yeah, with our fly speeds we can get away fairly easy with a double move. But damn if it didn't sound cool.

Talon nods, flying back with Morvius. His wing flaps and gliding seeming a bit irregular to Morvius's neat magical flight. "I'm not sure if I'd rather have there be a new threat or not. If there isn't then that means Oret couldn't handle the rest of that little group."

Already, Heitr marches, ready to kill.

I don't suppose Grumblejack can go with them?

sure! +3 on your roll.

I'll get back on the dwarf-hunt later

Is there any chance we could take him alive? I still really need a smith for that golem...

Meanwhile, back at the Bryr:

Morvius snaps out of brooding on the past encounter and focusses on what Talon is saying:

"That ... is a good point. We've no idea what we're going into or who else is around - we could get into real trouble if we're not careful. How about this as a plan? If we encounter a group clumped together, I'll hit them with a stink bomb; while it dissipates (takes 1 round) you can cast a spell and then we'll charge in and finish them. You're a better fighter than me, so if they're spread out I suggest you focus on the leader while I distract the minions.

"If it's not a group but just one big enemy, I'll hit it with a normal bomb and then you can charge right in. I'll back you up."

During the flight back to the Horn, Morvius consumes an extract of Shield and (time permitting) an extract of Barkskin.

AC now 22 (Shield only) or 25 (Shield plus Barkskin) - both extracts last 70 rounds

"If anyone in our team is already in melee, I won't be able to use a bomb - one of us can dive in and help them out while the other runs interference.

"How does that sound?"

"As prepared as we can be without actually knowing who we're fighting. Most of my defensive magic is still up and I have enough in my reservoir for a few more destructive spell."

Is there any chance we could take him alive? I still really need a smith for that golem...

orders have been given, the crews have been sent on their way... It wouldn't really be a display of strong leadership, if Sindran were to send a courier after them with a note saying that he'd changed his mind. Then again, that's up to Sindran.

Fair enough, just thought I would ask. There are other smiths out there - just a question of finding one!

Morvius Zaan wrote:

Is there any chance we could take him alive? I still really need a smith for that golem...

orders have been given, the crews have been sent on their way... It wouldn't really be a display of strong leadership, if Sindran were to send a courier after them with a note saying that he'd changed his mind. Then again, that's up to Sindran.

If they question him I'll just cut one of their arms off. Question that.

If they question him I'll just cut one of their arms off. Question that.

See, who says us low-Charisma types can't do motivation and leadership!

See, who says us low-Charisma types can't do motivation and leadership!

Certainly not that pile of corpses over there.

Certainly not that pile of corpses over there.

Minions are like lemons. When you're done squeezing them, you throw them away. Except minions donot grow on trees and if you treat them like lemons for an extended period, your organisation's loyalty score will drop. Still, it's up to Sindran if he wants to send a message to Heitr. And if he does, I'd love to see the exact wording of that message :)

Hey now, I am actually fairly nice to the goblins ever since they built me that nest. Remember when Morvius showed up and I nearly killed him over attacking the minions? If my cha score wasn't abysmal I would probably be well liked haha

With Venorik Rah set on its task to finding the dwarf smithy, Caladwhen resolves to double back and assist the others with the approaching archers.

IB, how long will it take Cala to catch up with the others? She is probably the furthest out after having chased the dwarf some ways.

Cala: with fly speed 60, using double moves for 120... 4 rounds. that leaves you a standard action in the 4th round.

I suppose since people are asking...

Grumbling, Sindran sends another message changing the orders from kill to kidnap.

When Oret reaches the forest edge, he can see Sindran - he is down on his knees, bending over towards the ground. It seems to be an uncomfortable position.

Cala, can Sindran borrow Lars for a moment as a messager? Thanks, luv
Having just returned, Larry clearly balks at the prospect of flying all the way to Farholde and back again.

In a carefully rehearsed, passive-aggressive manner, he voices his discontent towards Sindran. "Oh, Don’t feel bad: Even the greatest leaders suffer from indecision. What distinguishes the best from the rest is the ability to get at the fundamental cause of their mental roadblock — and then set fire to it. Trust your gut - although in this case, perhaps you should ask Morvius to find you some that are more trustworthy."

Not waiting around for your feedback, Lars casually flies off towards Farholde.
Again.

Oret doesn't go crashing through the woods without a thought to stealth...

Stealth: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25

Approaching silently, Oret looks for any sign of the rangers.

Perception (Take 10): 10 + 13 = 23