Necress' pet makes short work of the zombie he sets upon as she wallops another, however the blow is not as damaging as she might have hoped, rebounding off spongy flesh. Cirri scores a glancing blow on another and Random puts an end to it with an arrow. Sifvery misses with her spit attack, but Ryskovich strikes with his falcata and shield. The last remaining unfriendly zombie tries again to slam the halfling fighter, but to no avail.
Prep Round 1
---------------------------------
Sifvery Moon – casts mage armor, draws wand
Ryskovich – draws falcata and shield
Enemy - BANG!
Cirri – casts dancing lights, draws wand
Random – draws and casts from scroll of unseen servant
Necress Nyx – moves, drawing club
Morvius – casts protection from evil on self, draws wand
---------------------------------Prep Round 2
Sifvery Moon – casts shield from wand, puts wand away
Ryskovich – readies full attack, fighting defensively
Enemy - BANG!
Cirri – casts enlarge person on self
Random – draws torch and hands eb torch to servant
Necress Nyx – double move
Morvius – casts bless, puts wand away
---------------------------------Round 1
Sifvery Moon – delays and readies spit, misses
Ryskovich – holds
Enemy - Break through!
Cirri – casts shield, readies trip
Random – fires on Red for 5 damage
Necress Nyx – commands undead, gains undead minion (Red)
Morvius – moves, drawing glaive and readies attack (strikes blue for 11 damage)
strikes with AOO and finishes off Blue
---------------------------------Round 2
Sifvery Moon – casts grease on Morningstar, causing Red to drop
Ryskovich - holds
Enemy :
Red – drops morningstar, AOO on Orange as it passes for 9 damage, then finishes Orange
Blue - charges Morvius, receiving readied attack (11 dmg) and slams for 6 damage
Green – charges Ryskovich, receiving readied attack (6 dmg) and attacks, misses
Orange – moves to attack Ryskovich, misses
Yellow – charges Ryskovich, misses
Cirri – hits Green for 7 damage and repositions
Random – fires on Red for 6 damage, bringing it down
Necress Nyx – clubs Yellow for 6 damage
Morvius
---------------------------------Round 3
Sifvery Moon – spits ice, misses
Ryskovich – hits for 6 damage
Enemy:
Cirri
Random
Necress Nyx
Morvius
---------------------------------Round 4
Sifvery Moon
Ryskovich
Enemy
Upon Necress' mental command, the undead creature switches targets, again slaming into its fellow undead.
With a great crunching of bones and a terrible wet squishing sound, Cirri crushes the last of the unfriendly invaders where it stands, leaving only a ruined mess of meat and bone in it's place.
As you turn from your ruined opponents, you find the theater now deserted. It would seem these were not the only group of undead set upon the patrons. Bodies of several dozen dead lie scattered about the room and signs of carnage stretch out of every door in every direction. Screaming, moaning, and the sounds of combat can be heard from every corner of the opera house.
From somewhere nearby a voice cries out, “For Father Grim, for Fel Bustrani, consume them and multiply!”
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"You will heed my every command," Necress says to the zombie, a look of disgust on her face, "and you will do no harm to my companions."
She seems to be addressing the zombie, but also looks to the left and right of it, as if addressing many. "Once you help me, I will release you, and you will be free from this bondage."
Turning to her companions, she says "This is no friend of mine. I may as well share my secret, for you will discover it soon enough."
She looks at the group in turn, then says "The spirits of the dead torment me without respite. I am deaf to any word you say or any sound whatsoever, save for their incessant cries. They are in my dreams. We are surrounded, as we speak, by the numberless spirits of the dead."
She looks at the zombie before her. "If I will help them, they will heed my command. When this one has served its purpose, it will harrow me no more. Perhaps it will prove of some use before the end."
She does not appear to have heard the voice crying out.
|
|
Sifvery smiles and nods knowingly at Necress Nyx' comments, as she has worked with her before.
Speaking so that her lips can be read, she says "So now what? We can spend our time running from fight to fight, but I fear that it will be a constant struggle. We need to find the cause of this action - and perhaps that voice provides a clue? Let's try to find who is showing their words of vengeance."
The Pathfinders advance upon the source of the speaker’s voice. A pair of double doors on the north side of the seating area block your view, but as they are opera house doors, they swing upon well-oiled hinges with hardly a sound.
Beyond the doors, a rather plain, marbled hallway is filled with simple granite pillars. The floor is split by a bright green carpet, indicating that this entrance is reserved for commoners when they are allowed to attend. A number of theatergoers fled this direction and now stand together in a pack, pressed against the exit doors on the other side. Some are frantically pulling at the door handles, desperately trying to get them open while others jostle and shove, seeking the safety of the center of the crowd. A woman in relatively simple dress shrieks in terror as a frightened looking man in golden silk robes pushes her toward the zombies lumbering toward them, apparently led by a well-dressed woman in a fur-lined cloak.
The woman holds a wicked looking pick made from a human skull and bone. As she notices your entrance, she brandishes it at you and screams.
”Kill the meddling scum, my minions! For the triumph of Fel Bustrani and the glory of the Grim Harvestman!”
Known as the Grim Harvestman and the harbinger of unexpected tragedy, cultists of Zyphus hold that he was formed from the enraged soul of the first mortal to die a hollow, meaningless death. Each additional accidental death is said to add to Zyphus’s strength, so that some day he will be powerful enough to engineer the death of his most hated rival — Pharasma. The true believers of Zyphus preach that those who are slain by accidents they engineer do not travel on to Pharasma’s Boneyard, but are instead captured by the Grim Harvestman, their souls consumed and absorbed by his malignancy. His cultists are widespread, but relatively small in number — they hold court in graveyards that have fallen from favor or otherwise no longer sit upon hallowed ground. Even in well-used and relatively safe graveyards, it is not uncommon to see carvings depicting Zyphus or his symbol on gate arches or vault roofs, wardings against the Grim Reaper. Zyphus’s symbol is a heavy pick made of a femur, skull, and a sharpened rib.
Surprise Round
---------------------------------
Necress Nyx and minion
Ryskovich
Morvius
Random
Cirri
Sifvery Moon
---------------------------------Round 1
Necress Nyx and minion
Ryskovich
Morvius
Enemy
Random
Cirri
Sifvery Moon
The zombie follows her orders without question, shambling into the fray and attacking the nearest undead creature with its morningstar.
"Unnnn..."
|
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Necress smiles at the necromancer.
"You aren't the only one with friends..." she taunts.
With a small gesture, she casts a spell on the woman to cause her ill fortune.
The furry zombie continues attacking the creature in front of it, relentlessly striking with its morning star.
|
After a moment of thought Morvius engages in a long, book like, explanation. Zyphus, known as the Grim Harvestman is the evil minor god of accidental death. A malevolent and hateful force that seeks to bring ruin and sadness into the world.
Also called the harbinger of unexpected tragedy, cultists of Zyphus hold that he was formed from the enraged soul of the first mortal to die a hollow, meaningless death. Each additional accidental death is said to add to Zyphus’s strength, so that some day he will be powerful enough to engineer the death of his most hated rival — Pharasma. The true believers of Zyphus preach that those who are slain by accidents they engineer do not travel on to Pharasma’s Boneyard, but are instead captured by the Grim Harvestman, their souls consumed and absorbed by his malignancy. His cultists are widespread, but relatively small in number and completely nuts, of course. They hold court in graveyards that have fallen from favor or otherwise no longer sit upon hallowed ground. Even in well-used and relatively safe graveyards, it is not uncommon to see carvings depicting Zyphus or his symbol on gate arches or vault roofs, wardings against the Grim Reaper.
Zyphus’s symbol is a heavy pick made of a femur, skull, and a sharpened rib. He adds lastly and snaps out of his trance looking at the undead wave wide eyed like seeing them for the first time.
Necress' minion charges in, slamming it's morningstar into the closest zombie, but while the blow might have mortally wounded a living creature, it does not have quite the same effect on the undead. Ryskovich slashes with his falcata, paring unliving flesh from bone and soon brings the zombie down.
The other zombie steps up and tries to slam Ryskovich, but fails to land the blow.
The woman in the fur-lined cloak looks surprised to hear Morvius rattling on about her lord as if speaking in a lecture hall. Sifvery and Random fire upon her, but the missiles rebound off armor she wears beneath her billowy clothing. But as Cirri moves to threaten her, she takes a step back and begins to chant, her features twisting into a frightening rictus like death.
"I hate these undead so much! Who are these Fel Bustrani and the Grim Harvestman?”
"They are your doom and destiny, foolish child. Zyphus will feast upon your soul!"
Surprise Round
---------------------------------
Necress Nyx and minion – moves in / charges Green for 3 damage
Ryskovich - charges Green for 6 damage
Morvius – focused trance
Random – moves in
Cirri – moves in
Sifvery Moon – fires arrow on Blue, misses
---------------------------------Round 1
Necress Nyx and minion - casts ill omen on Blue / strikes Green for 6 damage
Ryskovich – slashes Green for 7 damage, bringing it down
Morvius - ???
Enemies:
Blue – steps back, casts cause fear on Cirri
_
Yellow – steps up and slams at Ryskovich, misses
Random – fires arrow on Blue, misses
Cirri
Sifvery Moon
---------------------------------Round 2
Necress Nyx and minion
Ryskovich
Morvius
Enemy
A tall, frighteningly thin man of advanced age begins frantically waving to the Pathfinders. He wears the finery of his office, a blue silk shoulder sash over long white robes, and his fingers are encrusted with bejeweled rings. His short, gray hair sticks to his head as if it were bathed in cooking oil and his thick, white beard, meticulously trimmed and shaped, positively glistens with wax.
“Finally, my rescuers have come! I am the one you are looking for. I outrank everyone in the room, your Emperor requires you to save me!”
Necress' minion continues to hammer away at its fellow undead, but its blow lands on a nearby column instead of the enemy.
Morvius moves in and brings the last zombie to a quick end, slicing down with his glaive. Sifvery hits the woman in the fur-lined with a frosty ray but as the rest of the Pathfinders close in on her, but they fail to finish her off.
The woman roars at the opera frightened crowd to "Get back!" and the shrieking female opera patron moves away from her with a yelp. She then casts, healing herself.
Surprise Round
---------------------------------
Necress Nyx and minion – moves in / charges Green for 3 damage
Ryskovich - charges Green for 6 damage
Morvius – focused trance
Random – moves in
Cirri – moves in
Sifvery Moon – fires arrow on Blue, misses
---------------------------------Round 1
Necress Nyx and minion - casts ill omen on Blue / strikes Green for 6 damage
Ryskovich – slashes Green for 7 damage, bringing it down
Morvius – moves, attacks yellow with glaive for 18 damage, bringing it down
Enemies:
Blue – steps back, casts cause fear on Cirri, who succumbs
Yellow – steps up and slams at Ryskovich, misses
Random – fires arrow on Blue, misses
Cirri – runs away
Sifvery Moon – casts ray of frost on Blue for 4 damage
---------------------------------Round 2
Necress Nyx and minion – slings a stone, misses / moves
Ryskovich – moves, strikes, misses
Morvius – charges blue, strikes for 18 damage
Enemies:
Blue – steps back, casts cure moderate on self, healing 10 hp
_
Random
Cirri(frightened)
Sifvery Moon
---------------------------------Round 3
Necress Nyx and minion
Ryskovich
Morvius
Enemy
Morvius does indeed recognize the man, and his claim of importance is not far off the mark. He is none other than Emperor Stavian III’s consul for the fourth district of Oppara Prefecture, Magistros Sebastus Hustavan.
“A glorious strike, citizen! The divine hand of Emperor Stavian has guided you here to save me!” Hustavan cries, cheering on the Pathfinders.
Necress directs the undead minion to attack the woman. It swings hits morning star hard in her direction.
Random makes ready to protect the patrons with his magic, but the woman in the fur-lined cloak looks more concerned with keeping her back to the wall and her defenses up than terrorizing the bystanders.
Sifvery and Necress miss their shots, as do the minion and Morvius miss their melee strikes. Ryskovich steps up and slashes the woman with his Falcata, drawing a serious wound.
Weakened and cornered, the woman cries out to her deity. "Zyphus, grant me your arms to slay my enemies!" A dark image of a bone-pick like the one she carries appears, free-floating beside her as if wielded by an invisible hand. It arcs down toward the halfling duelist, but he ducks it easily.
Surprise Round
---------------------------------
Necress Nyx and minion – moves in / charges Green for 3 damage
Ryskovich - charges Green for 6 damage
Morvius – focused trance
Random – moves in
Cirri – moves in
Sifvery Moon – fires arrow on Blue, misses
---------------------------------Round 1
Necress Nyx and minion - casts ill omen on Blue / strikes Green for 6 damage
Ryskovich – slashes Green for 7 damage, bringing it down
Morvius – moves, attacks yellow with glaive for 18 damage, bringing it down
Enemies:
Blue – steps back, casts cause fear on Cirri, who succumbs
Yellow – steps up and slams at Ryskovich, misses
Random – fires arrow on Blue, misses
Cirri – runs away
Sifvery Moon – casts ray of frost on Blue for 4 damage
---------------------------------Round 2
Necress Nyx and minion – slings a stone, misses / moves
Ryskovich – moves, strikes, misses
Morvius – charges blue, strikes for 18 damage
Enemies:
Blue – steps back, casts cure moderate on self, healing 10 hp
Random – readies hydraulic push
Cirri(frightened) – runs some more
Sifvery Moon – fires arrow, misses
---------------------------------Round 3
Necress Nyx and minion – slings a stone, misses / strikes at Blue, misses
Ryskovich – steps and full attacks Blue for 7 damage
for
Morvius – strikes at Blue, misses
Enemies:
Blue – casts
Random
Cirri(frightened) – runs yet more
Sifvery Moon
---------------------------------Round 4
Necress Nyx and minion
Ryskovich
Morvius
Enemy
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"And you can zap them with magic missiles or enchant weapons to hit their ectoplasmic residue or bombard them with holy power and why am I running?"
Cirri finally gets a hold of herself as the transparent shield around her shatters. "Oh gosh, I almost forgot!" Cirri turns around and starts returning to the chamber she abandoned.
The undead creature continues its efforts to slam the woman in the corner.