Stone is pretty sure he can't jump that high, no matter how hard he tries; they're 20+ feet up in the air.
Hearing Daegan's words, Myvannuii snaps her head around to see him turn to Bron as the fighter does his best to fend off the outsiders' attacks. Hoping that Bron can hold them back until the fighting clears enough for him to withdraw, she looks for an opportunity to get so close as to help defend him or fire into the fray once he's out, as needed.
Distracted by Bron's predicament and straining to hear properly over the clash of weapons and living flame, Myvannuii only catches the last of Flask's invocation, not enough to identify the spell. As the guard begins to ascend, though, she makes her best guess, hoping that the party can deal with their current troubles before he gets too far away to guess where he's headed with Terrem.
Stone is pretty sure he can't jump that high, no matter how hard he tries; they're 20+ feet up in the air.
Daegan attempts to mark any unusual items of gear or clothing up 'Flask' or the kidnapped boy as they rise out of sight, on the off chance you can attempt to magically locate such items later. But he considers such fantasies secondary to maintaining focus on the fight before them, and calling upon some healing magics before Bron falls...
Round 4:
18: Bron seems to get a good hit in at the azer with his hammer, but the flame-dwarf's steel-hard skin repels the blow.
17a: The azer's counterattack is relatively feeble and is easily blocked by Bron's weapon.
17b: The fire monster strikes Bron a glancing blow, but it is enough to knock him out (2 dmg, Bron is at -1, but he made the reflex save and is not on fire).
16: Myv...
Daegan makes a note of the town guardsman's outfit, but it doesn't seem particularly notable. The boy was wearing a peasant smock, similar to those worn by the other two orphans. He...
Stone...
Gaejan...
Daegan takes a step back to avoid the flame creature's strike, and leans down to call upon the goddess to clease Bron's wounds.
"Iomedae, lend your strength to this fallen champion, rewarding the valor he has shewn by giving him time to prove his bravery yet again."
healing
recharge
Daegan rebukes himself for allowing this to come to pass. Six seconds pass while he takes a meaningless swing with his weapon, only for Bron to suffer enough damage to fell an ox!
As Bron falls to the elemental's blow, Myvannuii's calculations callously override her concern for the man, and suggest that she now has less of a chance to strike a party member by firing into the melee. Hoping that Bron can hold on for a moment longer, she nocks an arrow and draws, coaxing the missile towards the elemental with a low mutter, "Fly swift and sure, free of our friends." As soon as she's fired, she races behind the line of fighters to stand over Bron and try to fend off any other attacks before Daegan can call forth his healing magic, hoping her delay hasn't exposed Bron to too much danger already.
Round 4:
18: Bron seems to get a good hit in at the azer with his hammer, but the flame-dwarf's steel-hard skin repels the blow.
17a: The azer's counterattack is relatively feeble and is easily blocked by Bron's weapon.
17b: The fire monster strikes Bron a glancing blow, but it is enough to knock him out (2 dmg, Bron is at -1, but he made the reflex save and is not on fire).
16: Myv fires an arrow straight and true and the elemental's form quivers some more; it can't take much more punishment (21 dmg so far).
Daegan makes a note of the town guardsman's outfit, but it doesn't seem particularly notable. The boy was wearing a peasant smock, similar to those worn by the other two orphans. He heals Bron with a blessing from Iomedae (Bron is now at +8 hp).
Stone smashes the fire elemental as well; its flame is down to a flicker now. (28 dmg so far)
Gjoren finishes off the elemental with a final arrow (11 dmg, 39 total); the flame evaporates, leaving only a few ashes behind as evidence it ever existed. The azer bellows: "Do you know how hard it is to find an elemental like that on this godforsaken plane? And now one of my slaves is gone -- I'll beat you all into breastplates for this!!"
Round 5:
18: Bron pounds at the azer again, but the creature's armor and steel-hard skin shrug off the blow.
17: The azer ripostes with his own hammer. The clumsy blow misses.
Myv...?
Daegan...?
Stone...?
Gjoren...?
Glad that Daegan was able to get Bron back on his feet, as Stone and Gjoren finish off the elemental Myvannuii dances back to resume sniping with her caustic cantrip, hoping that she can hold back to avoid the risks of firing an arrow into the melee as long as everyone's still upright. She only wishes she could think of some witty reply to the azer's boastfulness as she launches her glob of acid and feels the surge of power within her that presages her renewed connection to the fields of magic she needs to cast her greater spells.
Daegan won't be able to heal again for quite some time, so he moves around the metal dwarf to distract it's attention (), taking a swing at it's back.
Longsword attack, including +1 for Bless
Longsword damage
Round 4:
18: Bron seems to get a good hit in at the azer with his hammer, but the flame-dwarf's steel-hard skin repels the blow.
17a: The azer's counterattack is relatively feeble and is easily blocked by Bron's weapon.
17b: The fire monster strikes Bron a glancing blow, but it is enough to knock him out (2 dmg, Bron is at -1, but he made the reflex save and is not on fire).
16: Myv fires an arrow straight and true and the elemental's form quivers some more; it can't take much more punishment (21 dmg so far).
Daegan makes a note of the town guardsman's outfit, but it doesn't seem particularly notable. The boy was wearing a peasant smock, similar to those worn by the other two orphans. He heals Bron with a blessing from Iomedae (Bron is now at +8 hp).
Stone smashes the fire elemental as well; its flame is down to a flicker now. (28 dmg so far)
Gjoren finishes off the elemental with a final arrow (11 dmg, 39 total); the flame evaporates, leaving only a few ashes behind as evidence it ever existed. The azer bellows: "Do you know how hard it is to find an elemental like that on this godforsaken plane? And now one of my slaves is gone -- I'll beat you all into breastplates for this!!"
Round 5:
18: Bron pounds at the azer again, but the creature's armor and steel-hard skin shrug off the blow.
17: The azer ripostes with his own hammer. The clumsy blow misses.
Myv launches a blob of acid; it burns the azer slightly (3 dmg so far).
Daegan misses with his longsword.
Stone strikes only iron-hard skin with his blows.
Gjoren fires a pair of arrows that both miss.
I'm still here but my hit points appear to be fluctuating, so I'm never sure if I'm even conscious, let alone able to take part in any combat.
Bron is acutely aware that he does not seem to be doing any significant damage, but is not aware of any alternatives.
So he wades in with his warhammer held between both hands, his muscles bulging with the effort of hitting this creature.
Recognizing that this metal-skinned dwarf is difficult to strike, Daegan devotes his energies to assisting his allies, harrying the slaver from behind to attempt to give others the advantage to strike true.
to hit AC 10
Myvannuii watches in displeasure as the azer weathers a storm of blows. She keeps an outer eye open for a chance to strike while probing the currents of magic with her mind’s – a wave of possibilities sweeps by and carries her instinct off with it. Subconscious racing in the arcane wake, Myvannuii observes distantly that her hand has drawn some stuff from her component pouch: a few drying rose petals, curling into fragile points. Still more or less automatically, she utters a half-remembered Draconic incantation and lets the petals fall. Instead of drifting gently down, they loop briefly out towards the azer like claws before burning away in flashes of dark rose light.
Instantly, her will and consciousness snap to the forefront. Having called up her magic, Myvannuii concentrates on directing it to best effect, even if she is somewhat surprised that that particular spell emerged. Intent on catching the slaver in its power, she tries to keep the others clear, deciding, though, that Daegan’s faith has probably steeled his will sufficiently to endure the influence of her enchantment.
Round 5:
17: The azer ripostes with his own hammer. The clumsy blow misses.
Myv launches a blob of acid; it burns the azer slightly (3 dmg so far).
Daegan misses with his longsword.
Stone strikes only iron-hard skin with his blows.
Gjoren fires a pair of arrows that both miss.
Round 6:
18: Bron summons up his anger and smashes his warhammer right on the azer's head. That MUST have hurt. (9 dmg so far).
17a: Frustrated with Bron's return from unconsciousness, the azer whirls around and attacks Daegan instead. His searing warhammer knocks the cleric for a painful loop (10 dmg to Daegan).
16: Myv begins casting a dweomer of sleeping (full round action, will take effect next round).
Daegan winces at the mighty smash and...(do you still want to aid another?)
Stone ...
Gjoren ...
Daegan winces at the mighty smash and...(do you still want to aid another?)
Round 5:
** spoiler omitted **
Round 6:
18: Bron summons up his anger and smashes his warhammer right on the azer's head. That MUST have hurt. (9 dmg so far).
17a: Frustrated with Bron's return from unconsciousness, the azer whirls around and attacks Daegan instead. His searing warhammer knocks the cleric for a painful loop (10 dmg to Daegan).
16: Myv begins casting a dweomer of sleeping (full round action, will take effect next round).
Daegan winces at the mighty smash and distracts the azer, making him more likely to get hit by Bron's attacks.
Stone tries to do a leg sweep on the azer. The fire-dwarf gets an attack of opportunity and smashes Stone with his hammer (8 dmg to Stone). Miraculously, the leg sweep still manages to bring the azer crashing to the ground! (Nice natural 20...!)
Gjoren frowns in frustration; his target is that much harder to hit now! He grabs his longsword, steps forward and slashes at the azer instead. His blow clangs off uselessly.
Round 7:
Bron...?
The azer...?
Sensing some vulnerability in the metal dwarf, Bron continues his assualt relentlessly.
Once again, he tests his muscles as, with all of his might, he swings his warhammer with both hands, looking to finish this annoying creature off once and for all.
Round 6:
17a: Frustrated with Bron's return from unconsciousness, the azer whirls around and attacks Daegan instead. His searing warhammer knocks the cleric for a painful loop (10 dmg to Daegan).
16: Myv begins casting a dweomer of sleeping (full round action, will take effect next round).
Daegan winces at the mighty smash and distracts the azer, making him more likely to get hit by Bron's attacks.
Stone tries to do a leg sweep on the azer. The fire-dwarf gets an attack of opportunity and smashes Stone with his hammer (8 dmg to Stone). Miraculously, the leg sweep still manages to bring the azer crashing to the ground! (Nice natural 20...!)
Gjoren frowns in frustration; his target is that much harder to hit now! He grabs his longsword, steps forward and slashes at the azer instead. His blow clangs off uselessly.
Round 7:
Bron smashes the prone azer with ease, making him squeal in pain (17 dmg total).
The azer struggles to his feet, leaving his guard open. Gjoren stabs, but his blade glances off of the azer's chain shirt.
That's a possible critical for Stone -- roll to confirm it!
Daegan will continue to flank the metal dwarf, harrying at him with his blade, attempting to distract him so that Bron can more effectively pierce his defenses. He continues to hold back, fighting defensively, mindful of the creatures punishing strength.
As the azer struggles to his feet, Bron presses the advantage his previous swing created - as all three party memebers look to finish the creature off.
A mighty warhammer, a flashing sword, and an iron-hard fist all crash into the struggling dwarf at once and he falls back to the floor with a resounding CLATTER! Myvannuii cancels her spell at the last possible second; it is clear that the azer will rise no more.
The forge is still for a moment; the children have stopped crying in their shock at the new turn of events.
Shaking her head as if to clear it of the threads of magic she pulled apart before her spell took effect, Myvannuii grins at the men surrounding the fallen azer in triumph, allowing herself to relax her tense posture in the sudden stillness of the forge. Before anything else, she turns to the children left behind by Flask, hoping they’re unharmed. This is not her area of expertise, so she has to struggle to control her excitement and take any bloodthirsty edge off her grin, trying to smooth it into a gentler smile, lips quirking up at the corners. She approaches slowly, stooping slightly and speaking softly: “You must be Elisa and Borat, right? I’m Myvannuii. Don’t worry, you’re safe now – everything’s going to be all right. Mrs. Oakleg was so worried about you that she called all the guard, and they sent us to find you.”
She pauses to take her next cue from the children, looking them over for any visible injuries. Squatting low, she rocks bird-like on her heels, her head tilted curiously to one side, but trying not to do anything to scare them.
Stone dashes out the front door...rubbing at the bruise quickly forming on his chest from the dwarf’s mighty blow. He looks around – the sky, the ground...on the off chance he spots Flask and the child he took.
Elisa looks at Myvannuii, confused and hurt. "I...I...I want to go ho-o-o-me!" She wails, bursting into tears again.
Borat stares gravely at the bodies of the azer, the gnoll and the elemental, shuffling from one foot to the other. "Those bad men -- are they gone? Can we go home again?" Then he thinks for another moment and adds: "I'm glad Terrem is gone; I hate him."
Stone rushes outside to see if he can spot "Flask" and Terrem.
The smithy is full of fine metal goods and weapons of various descriptions -- swords, axes, some warhammers and maces, suits of armor, and there are several large chests which may contain more treasure.
Bron's body has been surviving on adrenaline and emotion, and now the azer is defeated, he sinks to his haunches, puffing heavily.
He doesn't even seem to be taking in the treasures around him.
To the crying child, Daegan offers a clumsy smile, "And it's home you'll be seeing again soon, young one. That's why we are here, to bring you home."
Borat's words, on the other hand, trouble him. "Why are you happy that a bad man took the other boy away? Would he be happy if the bad man had taken you instead?" He attempts to coax the boy to speak of the stolen child, hoping to learn if there was something special about him that may have made him valuable, such as rich parents who might pay a ransom.
For a moment, he considers attempting to staunch the Azer's wounds, to question him as to whom he is making all of these weapons for, but realizes that the group has no way of transporting the metal dwarf's probably-quite-heavy body to justice...
Stone thinks he may have seen a speck out of the corner of his eye moving to the southwest, but when he checks again, it is gone.
Elisa continues crying and wailing that she wants to go home. Borat clumsily hugs her while jutting his chin out to Daegan.
"I'm a good boy!" he protests. "Terrem is a jerk; he's always hitting us and stealing stuff and lying to Mama Oakleg to get us in trouble. Why did those bad monsters have to come in the night and take us? They should have taken him and gobbled him up!"
"Who was the flying man? Is he your friend?"
Stone thinks he may have seen a speck out of the corner of his eye moving to the southwest, but when he checks again, it is gone.
“Half a success does not a failure make,” Stone mutters to himself remembering his master’s words on patience. He looks to the southwest for a moment longer and with a shake of his head, enters the house again.
“The flying man was the guard who came with us – he couldn’t carry all of you to where it’s safe, though,” Myvannuii says, evading the main thrust of Borat’s questions and avoiding an outright assertion that Flask actually has rescued anyone. As Stone returns from trying to spot the errant guardsman, Myvannuii stands and extends her hands to the children. “The important thing is that the two of you are all right. Now, why don’t we get some light and fresh air? We’ve still got to get you home to Mrs. Oakleg, and it will give you a chance to stretch your legs before we set out.”
She sweeps her gaze around the forge again before turning to the men with a quizzical expression. Bron, Gjoren, Daegan, and Stone – Myvannuii hasn’t been as young as the girl and boy she’s reaching out to since before any of them were born, so she can only hope that her best is good enough to soothe the children. Still, the sooner she gets Elisa and Borat outside and away from the scene of the brutal battle the better, she thinks. Of course, as much as the two don’t need to see the adults ransack the smithy, that makes it more difficult for her to join in the “big people” talk that they need before they can return to Cauldron. With a shrug and a twitch over the children’s heads as much as to say “first things first,” Myvannuii gently leads them outside, trying to calm Elisa, and wishing that she had prepared some magic that lent itself to entertainment today, setting her mind to the task of finding a mundane distraction.
"Thank you Myvannuii....We'll be outside in a few minutes and then one of you can ride the "horse" home!” Stone winks at the children and pats his shoulders with his hands and a big smile.
Once the children are out of the room - he turns to his remaining colleagues. “The man who called himself Flask took the child back towards Cauldron. I suspect we were not told the whole truth when we were given this mission. Let us search the room to see if anything we find may shed some light on the matter – and yes, see what spoils of war we may help ourselves to. My master was a practical man and saw nothing wrong with taking what you could from villains.”
Stone starts searching the room and the bodies of the defeated enemies…
Bron drags his bruised and bleeding body around the room, looking for anything that might be useful - either as a clue or as something helpful for the group.
Daegan waits until the Azer is truly dead, before calling upon Iomedae's grace to fill the room with healing energy.
Daegan heals the injured members of the group while the others search the smithy. Stone finds a ring of keys on the azer's body that opens a pair of large metal chests. Inside are a variety of precious items, likely crafted by the azer blacksmith:
- A pair of bracers of armor +2; twice per day the wearer can use them to cast True Strike as per the spell
- A headband made out of chain links of platinum and electrum with a filigreed ornament in the shape of a lion's head; it is a headband of intellect +2 which gives full ranks in the skill Intimidate. Additionally, it gives a +2 luck bonus on saves versus poison.
- A mithral buckler +1 of plain (but fine) workmanship. On the command "Tugh-Alakh" ("Skin-saw" in Gnollish), it disguises the wearer's features, as a Hat of Disguise.
- A coffer made out of black iron, mithral and brass that is larger on the inside than on the out (as per a Handy Haversack). Chased on the top is the following inscription: "Thrice-damned be those who touch the treasure of Incarnel." There is an image of a zebra chased onto the metal, and once per day when the word "Swift-Stripe" is spoken, a large zebra caparisoned in rich fabrics springs out of the coffer to serve the coffer's owner for up to 8 hours (as per the Mount spell).
Likewise, the azer's hammer and mithral chain shirt are magical as well (with a +1 bonus).
Also in the chest are a few small ingots of mithral, gold and other precious metals, and several metallic sheets somewhat thicker than foil. The sheets bear writing in some unknown language. There is also a sack of coins of various denominations.
"Prickles" the gnoll has a masterwork chain shirt and masterwork longbow. The walls are also hung with a variety of weapons and suits of armor of masterwork quality, notably a suit of masterwork full plate.
After a time, Elisa's crying slows to a trickle.