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

Game Master increddibelly

"How you want to approach this? We could wait for them to attack and hit them back, but that might let Sindran get hurt. Or we could come in guns blazing and scare them off, but that might let them escape and tell others about what's going on here."

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (11) + 6 = 17

Sindran continues to be bored.

Just to ensure she isn't shot out of the air by the archers, Caladwhen will take the precaution to cast Vanish before returning to aid the others.

Before taking to the sky, Caladwhen murmurs a brief incantation. Instantly she disappears from sight. Time to reign death down upon these interlopers.

While heading back towards Sindran's position, Caladwhen sends instructions to her undead minions to begin closing in on the archers position. An undead Treant ought to make for a target they cannot ignore.

Luckily, arrows do very little to Treants... it'll make a good living shield I should hope.

Morvius idly scans the ground below "Curious ... I can see Sindran, but no sign of Oret. I do hope nothing Good has happened to him."

Perception (base, core, spell bonus): 1d20 + 7 + 3 + 10 ⇒ (11) + 7 + 3 + 10 = 31

What can I see with that roll?

"Why don't I fly down between Sindran and the forest? If anything attacks, you can then hit them from behind while I charge them from the front. With Sindran thus protected, he can concentrate on raining down fire in that way he has."

If Talon agrees, Morvius will float down, consuming an extract of Displacement as he does so.

AC 25, all attacks have a 50% miss chance

fey stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (8) + 15 = 23
You can see Sindran near the base of the Horn, looting James while waiting for you to return.
You can see Oret, trying hard to be stealthy;
Between you and Oret, you can see at least three fey rangers move between treetops, trying to get a clear line of sight on Sindran so they can use their arrows. Judging from their nimble moves earlier, it shouldn't take them much longer.

OK, slight change of plan called for - can you tell me how they're positioned? Are they clumped together or spread out? If they're clumped together, I'll throw a stink bomb; otherwise, melee time - again

Morvius' yellow eyes narrow as the various shapes suddenly come into focus.

"Ah, I see - Oret is trying to flank them and get between them and any escape route. Let's do the same thing - we can drive them towards Sindran and out of their cover into the clearing. And then..."

Morvius grins unpleasantly, and flies into position accordingly.

bomb attack or close combat roll coming up once I know more

I still have a pyrotechnics prepared if you can start a fire Morvius.

-4 Strength and Dex, eh? Tasty. OK, let's go kill it with fire.

After hastily conferring with Talon, Morvius flies down behind the archers, who are focussing on Sindran. Heh. You need to think in 3-dimensions, fools.

Making his approach and getting into range, Morvius throws a bomb - another of the Halthus vintage. His aim is to catch as many as possible in the stinking cloud, but if he can only get one he will focus on the rear-most - i.e. the one furthest away from Sindran. The plan is to pincer the group between him, Talon, Oret and Sindran. Morvius has manoeuvred appropriately to this task.

Ranged touch attack (BAB, Dex bonus, Throw Anything bonus): 1d20 + 5 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 5 + 4 + 1 = 24

Damage: 4d6 + 5 ⇒ (6, 5, 3, 1) + 5 = 20 fire damage on the main target

Targets in adjacent squares take 9 fire damage

All targets caught in the cloud (10ft. radius from the bomb) are Nauseated for 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 rounds - Fortitude DC 18 prevents

Morvius will co-ordinate the bomb-throwing with Talon, so that he can cast his Pyrotechnics on the explosion.

Sindran already knows archers are coming his way - one just fell down a tree while being burnt alive - and Sindran has never been known to ignore a good fire.
also, the screams of pain kinda draw attention.
The fire in the trees suddenly crackles and arrhoooomps out into a big cloud of smoke as Talon's pyrotechnics take over Morvius' fire.
Strangely, the smoke speaks:

"[b]What?![/]b"
"[b]Whatever!! Just shoot![/]b"
atk1: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (6) + 8 = 14 miss chance 50%, >50 hits: 1d100 ⇒ 50
atk2: 1d8 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10 miss chance 50%, >50 hits: 1d100 ⇒ 86

Desperate and confused, the Fey try to get a few shots in based on Sindran's last known location. One arrow drops in the sand between his feet, and another one ricochets off Sindran's shoulder padding before pathetically falling to the ground. Nevertheless, it's obvious that 'the cloud' is shooting arrows in your general direction.

Oret, Sindran, you're both 50-ish feet away; care to take part? Oret is at the forest edge and he can move withouth penalty, although the rangers are 10" up in the trees. And Morvius - I like how short your message to Sindran is - It screams urgency.

Fort Save DC 16 or take a -4 to str and dex for their entire duration inside the cloud as well as 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 rounds afterwards

Talon waits a moment for the rangers to flee the clouds, frowning when they don't. He raises a hand again, throwing a handful of ground mica at the last place he saw them. "Mitnebilaes."

Glitterdust, cast on the last location I saw them. If I see anybody exit the cloud of smoke I'll use my move action to close the distance.

Sindran snaps into action and reacts to the warning by immediately protecting himself from any unseen attackers, ignoring the clearly pathetic archers Morvius and Talon are taking care of.

He calls upon his magic and creates a wispy vapor to rise around his position, concealing his form.

Obscuring Mist!

missing fort saves:
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5 yeah, it's not looking good for that one
1d20 + 3 ⇒ (17) + 3 = 20

Oret moves toward the conflagration, content to watch for anyone attempting to escape, or watching from the forest.

Perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (15) + 13 = 28

"We gotta get out of here!"
"right. On three! One! Two!..."

two fey rangers, apparently covered in diamonds, drop out of the smoke cloud. One of them is looking a bit squeamish and faceplants, but the other one lands nimbly on his feet and aims his bow towards the sky, hoping to locate whatever hostile force attacked their little sniper hideout.

And Talon's giant bat-monster like appearance is hard to miss.
"-shudders- Liondell...? I...I think we're in trouble...."
Liondell isn't listening as he's too busy throwing up.

Good luck making stealth checks when you're covered in glitterdust b+@!#es!

Talon grins, bolting towards the man who's in better condition and swinging with both hands.

Charge Attack: 1d20 + 11 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 11 + 2 = 20
Damage: 1d6 + 6 ⇒ (6) + 6 = 12

Glitterdust as well, eh: -4 Dex & Str, Nauseated and Blinded - this is my kind of fight! Oh, and you've even named one of them... how sweet

Morvius raises an eyebrow as he watches his victim fall screaming to their death. Oh, really - it was just a simple bomb. Elves can be such drama queens. Might be worth getting one alive though.

In keeping with this, Morvius extracts a Tanglefoot Bag and throws it at the vomiting one:

Ranged Touch Attack (BAB, Dex bonus, Throw Anything bonus): 1d20 + 5 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 4 + 1 = 13

Not a great roll - but since he's vomiting copiously and still suffering the effects of smoke inhalation (and possibly blinded), this might yet be a hit...

No damage, but Reflex Save DC 15 or be glued to the floor, unable to move for 2d4 ⇒ (4, 1) = 5 rounds

"Oret - would you be so good as to knock him unconscious? You'd probably be doing him a favour - he looks terrible - and I think Sindran may have some questions for him..."

Oh my GOD Morvius, just put a few MORE debuffs on them haha.

Oret complies with Morvius' request, entering a defensive stance but bringing the full force of his attacks to bear.

Not sure if Oret had to move more than 5', so I'm putting a full attack in. If he did, of course, feel free to only use the first attack.

Attack (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively, Power Attack): 1d20 + 10 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 10 - 1 - 2 = 26
Damage (Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Nonlethal): 1d8 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 4 = 17

Attack (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively, Power Attack): 1d20 + 10 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 10 - 1 - 2 = 27
Damage (Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Nonlethal): 1d8 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 5 + 4 = 17

Critical Confirm (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively, Power Attack): 1d20 + 10 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 10 - 1 - 2 = 13
Critical Damage (Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Nonlethal): 1d8 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 4 = 11

Attack (Unarmed Strike, Fighting Defensively, Power Attack): 1d20 + 5 - 1 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 5 - 1 - 2 = 14
Damage (Unarmed Strike, Power Attack, Nonlethal): 1d8 + 5 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 5 + 4 = 11

Oh my GOD Morvius, just put a few MORE debuffs on them haha.

Practice makes perfect - the dwarf got away from us. I want to avoid the same thing happening here and see what works and what doesn't. Think of it as an experiment - Morvius is after all an alchemist... :)

Morvius notes the success of the bomb/pyrotechnics combination. Maybe we should write that tactic down...

Oret knocks the sickly Elf out. It looks like our team is taking charge of the situation again.
Talon's opponent is hurting bad but he's not out yet. He looks at his buddy just in time to see him collapse after connecting to Oret's fist, and looks back at Talon.

"-gulp-"

He looks at Talon, drops his bow and goes down on his knees. He begs for his life, making a very decent attempt at appealing to Talon's kindness.
Now if only Talon had any...

Sindran - you see no further movement.

Oh I like that idea ... Do they by any chance have a signal that means 'gather together in a 10ft. radius and breathe deeply?' ;)

Wis check: 1d20 ⇒ 13 Looks like someone else is going to have to do the thinking on this one

Morvius idly wonders where the rest of them are and why they only sent three...

Wisdom: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (15) - 1 = 14

Sindran steps out of the mist, interrupting the elf's prostrations. "Don't kill him yet. I have a few questions."

He treads heavily and steps in front of the elf, kneeling down to smile and bare his teeth. "Such as, 'Do you fear death?' and 'Would you sacrifice the others if it meant that I won't kill you?'"

Wis: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (5) + 1 = 6

Talon smoothly kicks away the bow, then pats the elf over for any weapons. "All right all right, just do as you're told." He leans down in front of the elf before the others arrive. "I have a bit of a soft spot for elves, so you play nice and things might go well for you."

Less mercy, more realizing his usefulness. >:)

Perception for weapons: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

Talon waits for a pause as to not interrupt Sindran, then asks "What are you doing in this forest in general, and what are you doing so far from your allies?"

'Do you fear death?'

--whimper--

'Would you sacrifice the others if it meant that I won't kill you?'

--verifies friend is unconscious--

(Hmm. Evidently "--whimper--" is the modern word in Elvish for 'yes master'.)

Only then does the ranger recognize the bald Oread; he mouths an enormous :-O of disbelief, and suddenly regrets his belittling tone.

"What are you doing in this forest"

"We...We are the legion of the lillend Callista. She protects the forest; we protect Her."

Isn't it disgusting how those LG-types somehow always manage to vocalize that capital first letter of their deity's name? As if we don't already know their deity needs all the support it can get against the prince of darkness. See? scary even without capitals. *sigh*

"What are you doing so far from your allies?"

The fey ranger is now fully resigned to his fate. Lowering his head, he shares everything.

"it has a knife."

Indeed, the fey has a masterwork dagger hidden upon his person. Talon claims it for the loot list.

"You're doing very good. So where is your base of operations?"

(Hmm. Evidently "--whimper--" is the modern word in Elvish for 'yes master'.)

Isn't it disgusting how those LG-types somehow always manage to vocalize that capital first letter of their deity's name? As if we don't already know their deity needs all the support it can get against the prince of darkness. See? scary even without capitals. *sigh*

OMG so much win in that post... :)

Morvius sneers, albeit genteely: "Not doing so well at the protecting, old chap - I amused myself torturing her with unholy water not 2 minutes ago. How she screamed!" Morvius notably fails to capatilise the 'her'

"Still, what's to be expected - you can't even protect yourself... Talk about sending a mortal to do a fiend's job!"

Morvius pauses.

"The point I am trying to make is that we are FAR more powerful than your Celestial - you're much better off working with us. We won't order you around - OK, we will - but we'll reward you appropriately."

Morvius looks around for one of the high-Charisma types to back him up. That blasted elf; why is she never around on the very occasional times I might actually need her!

The Fey blinks its eyes.
"w-work with you? F-for you??"
-blink, blink-
-stare of horror-
"like a slave you mean, surely?!"

He's not too keen, Morvius. Your goals are misaligned.

Talon chuckles, but stays his tongue as the others do the talking.

Sindran goes to interrupt Morvius' shoddy work of manipulation before he can do any more damage to the elf's cooperation. Already he's insulted an object of his reverence, reminded him of our status as ideological enemies, called his pride into question, reminded him of his higher goals and morals, and shifted his focus from immediate survival to long-term.

He thinks to himself to instruct the others to only ask direct pertinent questions when he's handling an interrogation. At least Talon seems to be doing well, though the bit of ego-up was troublesome.

"You know what can happen to you here?" Sindran says loudly, redirecting the slavery question to get the elf's focus on him and his immediate survival. "Well, I'm sure you already have an idea." He pauses, looking meaningfully at the elf's fallen allies, then continues in a sincere tone, "I'm glad you've been more cooperative. I don't want to see you fall the same way."

Subtly making himself appear as the elf's protector, he continues his ploy of manipulation. First he starts with rebuilding rapport, sympathizing with the victim and creating an inference that he and Sindran have something in common. "Quite sorry about that," the half-orc says, referring to Morvius. "He's somewhat insensitive and doesn't know better, unlike you and I."

Convince that resistance is futile, create an investment for the victim. "It would be better for you to cooperate. You are surrounded, alone, and outclassed. But cooperate and I won't have to harm you. I don't want to harm you, but you know how sometimes circumstances can force us to do things we don't want to. Just answer our questions. What's your name? Mine is Sindran. Tell me your name."

Diplomacy (as needed): 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (10) + 15 = 25

There's a reason us Charisma people are in charge of, you know, talking to people. While Caladwhen can pull off being an icy dominatrix, Sindran prefers a, let us say, warmer approach.

If/When he gives us his name, continue asking the questions with little pauses in between. I'm starting it off with easy but important ones and confirming our information like what's his name, how many are they in their scouting party, what are the names of the others, etc. He still hasn't answered where their base of operations is, and I'd also like to know any callsigns they might have, such as one for saying to engage, or to gather in an area, or to retreat. I have an idea where we impersonate the elves and either lure the others to us and then take out the base of operations once we've taken down their number, or infiltrate the base of operations directly.

Protip: any time the elf hesitates to answer, it may be a sign he's trying to think of something, perhaps attempting to lie or that he's beginning to have second thoughts. This is when he needs a reminder of what's at stake. Namely his life.

Having arrived, Caladwhen watches quietly a moment while the interrogation of the captive unfolds. As Sindran takes charge of the situation, Caladwhen allows the spell to expire and suddenly reappears amidst her allies.

Looking serenely at her captive kinsmen, Caladwhen kneels down and takes his left hand between hers, attempting to comfort him and lend weight to Sindran's entente.

Diplomacy aid to Sindran, if necessary: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (6) + 11 = 17

Allowing Sindran to take the lead, Caladwhen falls back behind him. Before he continues, she whispers quietly in his ear in the obscure Azlanti tongue "My followers will locate the dwarf before he ever gets a chance to speak a word. When they do, they'll advise your executioners."

Just thought I'd let you know that I may be a little quiet this week. Starting a new semester, and several new courses I've never taught before, so my evenings may be consumed by work. It will only be like this for a week or two though, so all is well.

Morvius smiles at Sindran's rebuke; he is aware that he is not the most personable of ... persons. He will leave the rest of the debrief to the others.

Leaving Oret to look after the unconscious elf, Morvius wanders over to James' body. "Mm, still warm - Asmodeus is being good to me today." It's not every day that fresh organs make their way into one's possession, after all. He slings the body over one shoulder and deposits it in the alchemical laboratory.

IB, IIRC you said that the brain currently in the golem has a limited life-span - is James' body still fresh enough that I can transplant his brain if necessary?

Craft(alchemy) to fix the new brain in (Base, Core, Int bonus, class bonus): 1d20 + 5 + 3 + 5 + 7 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 3 + 5 + 7 = 30

Heal - if any surgery is required (Base, Core): 1d20 + 7 + 3 ⇒ (16) + 7 + 3 = 26

That gets him out of the way for the rest of the interrogation

He's keenly aware of being outnumbered, outclassed, outwitted and outgunned.
There are 12 more rangers, and of course the lillend herself. He gives you their names and descriptions. Their base of operations is a small waterfall about 20 miles north into the Bryr but they've camped nearby in a cave near a giant baobab tree. He marks both locations on your map.
He quickly gets the hang of it, betraying his comrades I mean. He actually starts to enjoy himself, starts making jokes:
"This is the first thing I've ever done well; betray my comrades Perhaps my mama was right after all, perhaps I really am unsuitable for becoming a ranger."

Morvius:
Once you have all the parts (cog, etc) only THEN you need a fresh brain. Not-so-fresh-ness of the installed brain will reduce the effectiveness of that brain and thus the golem.
It's wise to practice though, and brains in formaldehyde actually look quite cool in your lab. So you should probably keep doing this for sport if nothing else :D

Talon gives the party a curious glance when the ranger seems keen on betraying his kind. Perhaps useful beyond simply information?

Everyone has a price. Sindran is just particularly good at haggling!

Sindran praises the ranger and subtly implies that he should join them since he has nothing to lose and he's already betrayed the others--they won't be forgiving if they find out. He gives him some space to think about that to discuss the party's next move with the others.

What's his name anyway? I vote that we take them out now. That's maybe 12 rangers and the lillend in a nearby camp, but if the rangers are anything like these ones, we can deal with them fast if we ambush them. We'll have to investigate their base of operations aftwards, of course. Any suggestions on the course of action? My choice would be impersonating the scouts and finding a way to call the others to a designated ambush spot.

What's his name anyway?

Alagnir

I vote that we take them out now. [...] if the rangers are anything like these ones, we can deal with them fast if we ambush them.

This remark makes sense, considering you were fondling James while the others got shot at by a bunch of guerilla-style snipers.

Talon lifts his shirt to show a score of wounds that are still bleeding. "I'm not in the best shape and I'm running low on magic. Have my backup reservoir still." Talon casts infernal healing on himself.

Took some 30 amount of damage or so. I'm out of most of my spells so I'd have to start pulling from my arcana pool to keep going. Perhaps leave the rangers for another day.

I'm with Talon on this - I'm 20 HP down and used most of my extracts for today. That celestial is tough - I got luckier than I thought possible and it wasn't enough to take her out. Can't rely on getting the same luck next time. We need a proper plan like proper Lawfuls...

Talon and Morvius may have another opinion, though.

[smug]See Sindran? I told you so.[/smug]

Hey, the wicked favor staying alive. We have their location and I don't think they're going anywhere by tomorrow. So tomorrow, all their bases are belong to us.

Pssht, what do I know being nice and comfy in my position? Though glad you mentioned your current wounded state; I can fix that right up.

While they speak, Sindran sets about healing Talon and Morvius.

Cure Moderate Wounds (Talon): 2d8 + 7 ⇒ (7, 5) + 7 = 19
Cure Light Wounds (Talon): 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13

Cure Moderate Wounds (Morvius): 2d8 + 7 ⇒ (6, 7) + 7 = 20

I'd still like to seize the opportunity, however. The celestial is in a similar position of being drained on resources and information, though probably not as much as we are. Sindran favors aggressive strategies, but he won't argue if everyone else feels that they have to rest. He's not the one wading into battle anyway.

Seeing that Talon and Morvius seem to favor resting for now, he asks Alagnir when the lillend and the other rangers expect their scouting party back. While the elf answers the question, Sindran measures his attitude towards the party and how loyal he remains to Callista and the other rangers.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (7) + 9 = 16

All I have left is feather fall and vanish for 1st level, but I have a vampiric touch and still 8 arcana points to burn. I could manage that fight, I'd just have to use spell recall pretty much every turn. Especially with full HP now. Morvius? How are you doing on expendables?

Vampiric Touch, niiice...

Morvius gratefully accepts Sindran's healing magic. He frowns and re-lights his pipe as he considers the suggestion to continue the fight: "Let's see ... I have 8 bombs remaining and some protective magic, but can't fly any more. Hm, that means 2-dimensional combat versus tree-dwellers - I am not overly keen on that idea! Believe me, I sympathise with your desire to finish off the celestial while she's hurt, but Talon was right to call me away when I had the job almost done, and I think he's right now. Luck is no substitute for planning."

Morvius puffs out a cloud of sulforous smoke and gestures to emphasise the point.

"Does anyone else have a view? Oret, what's your tactical analysis?"

Striking up a conversation to put Alagnir at ease, Caladwhen lightly laughs "Impetuous young man? Well, your name suits you I should think." Somewhat more introspectively, Caladwhen muses "Suitable, I wish I could say the same for mine own; Caladwhen, it roughly translates to lady of light. The irony is... palpable."

Returning her attention to the others, Caladwhen interjects "Preparation would be the best course of action for the celestial, I concur. Like Talon, I have exhausted many of my arcane reserves Sindran, and I don't relish combat on the ground any more than Morvius.

Looking towards the last known location of the Lillend, Caladwhen scowls and adds "We should try to flush her out, and deal with her on our terms this time."

Talon nods at the others words, accepting the delay in attack. He looks down at the elf then glances to Sindran, as if to ask So where do you want him?

Honestly, Alagnir would do well in Heitr. He could show your people how to move through the forest. Now, your minions will not suddenly gain 'favored terrain(Caer Bryr)', but Alagnir's teachings would definitely reduce your disadvantage.

Oret responds to Morvius' query with an almost-shrug. "I have no need for rest, but if these others do, then let them. Tonight, while you rest, I will think on this attack and attempt to shore up our defenses accordingly. Tomorrow, we eliminate whatever threat these," he says, motioning to the scouts, "pose."

Oh hey, the elf can help with traps! Some more intelligent minions would definitely be a plus. That would make it a nice even four people for Sindran's weekly tea party.

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (15) + 6 = 21

"In any case, night is fast approaching. It seems we'll rest. May I suggest we strike at dawn tomorrow?"

He addresses the elf. "Alagnir, come. I'll show you to your new accommodations while you think about my proposal."

Implying he has a choice. *cough* By the by, on our captured nun, I'd like to make a visit to our holding cells. I'd like to keep her unaware of her current situation and how her most of her party has already gone to their afterlives. Sindran will be civil for the moment, even healing her wounds and providing some food. We need her devout so I'm not going to put any effort into converting her, but at least making it so that she doesn't even attempt escape. If she thinks that we're the good guys, so much the better! I mean, after all, we technically do need her help with a holy seal trapping a most evil and heinous daemon....

Alagnir is still a little coy, but he goes inside with Sindran. James O'Toole is being ...dismantled by Morvius in the lab. The summoned Draughr has dragged the nun some way into the horn before the spell expired, and she's lying unconcious on the stair halfway up the first level.

Outside, it's getting dark. The rangers and the Lillend will have to wait for another day. Will the rest of you be staying outside after dark? If not, what's the first thing you'll do after you reach the relative safety of the horn?

Oret makes his way through the ground level of the horn, checking on their defenses and making sure no elves happened to sneak through them.