“Floria Avernathus” | Female NG Medium Human Psychic 7 | HP 33/48 33 | AC 16 / 11 T / 15FF | CMD +1 CMD 12 | F +8, R +5, W +6 | Init +8 | Perc +6 SM +3 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st:0/8, 2nd: 2/8; 3rd 2/5 Detect Thoughts SLA 1/1; CI bolts 36; Phrenic Pool 0/5; Dark Half 2/8 Reach Rod 3/3| Active Conditions: Ant Haul, 3 negative levels, investigative mind
Floria moves up and points her shaking crossbow in the general direction of the tieflings and fires, but the shot is wildly inaccurate.
She was going for the farthest one, not that it makes much difference!
Alessio, you can't see them there. The horn is a solid mass, 15 in diameter, that rises up, and arcs back down on the far side, with a 10' gap under said arc, now blocked by the wall of fire. Added four solid circles to indicate the solid portions. You can pass between them, but not through.
see the second slide for a side view, to get the idea.
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
We're not hasted, right? I did about a move and a half to not get overrun and have enough to hit the closer guys.
LG M Dwarf Paladin (Tortured Crusader) 5 - HP 44/44 - AC 22, T 11, FF 21 - F+8*, R+4*, W+8* - Init: +1 - Perc +10 (DV, SC), SM +10 - Smite Evil 2/2 - Lay on Hands (2d6+4) 4/4 - Divind Bond 1/1 - Lesser Restoration 1/1 - Liberating Command 1/1 - Active Conditions: Nil
Alrik continues towards the nearest enemies to support Sangkip and stays out of view next to the wall of fire (assuming that doesnt hurt me) ready to pounce.
The party continues to close... but Huni and Alessio are forced to veer wide, their way forward suddenly blocked by the wall of flames. Alrik ignores the barrage of crossbow bolts, just more painful reminders of his faith, as he closes in, moving around the horn, up to the edge of the flames.
Both Kara and Floria move closer as well, and attempt to thin the guards out with crossbows of their own. Unfortunately, Floria's shot is high, and sails off into the distance... Kara's shot is a bit better, but firing at the men as they dodge and maneuver to get at Sangkip proves harder than she expected, and the shaft clips the edge of the wall of fire, burning up before it can reach anyone.
The firing into melee penalty got you there
Sangkip however, is in full on mad monkey mode. Every time the tieflings think they have him cornered, he suddenly ducks between some legs, or uses someone's head for a springboard, or just basically ends up being somewhere else, until they end up bumping into each other more than the target of their ire. All the while, his blades slash out, cutting tendons, slicing at throats and jabbing at eyes... until most of his foes are sporting a wound somewhere.
Only the four, who finally manage to pull themselves out of Kara's pit seem uninjured, but they are quick to join the fray. Even as they do, the wall of flame along the edge of the horns fades away, leaving nothing but a few cinders and ash to mark where it was.
The mass of guards surges forward, continuing to slash and punch and kick at the pest of a vanaran, and continuing further to swarm over Alrik as well!
Alrik will get an Attack of Opportunity vs the black troop
It is all the paladin can do to keep his feet under him... his dwarven heritage proving well suited to such tasks. Still, he quickly finds himself overwhelmed, only able to deflect so many of the multitude of attacks that come his way.
Sangkip takes 18 points of damage. Alrik takes 15 points of damage
To make matters worse, again, some of the tieflings call upon their magical heritage, and again, a wall of flame springs up. This time, it completely covers their northern flank, and curves around to cover some of the western flank as well.
The roaming troop continues to hurry forward, meeting up on the far side of the horn, and firing their crossbows as they go. A barrage of them rain down on Kara, the rest all directed at Huni, Alessio, and Floria... with the later two getting the brunt of it. With nowhere to duck for cover, all four of them find themselves unable to completely avoid the hail of bolts.
Kara will take 8 points of damage, DC 16 reflex for half. Huni will take 19 points of damage, DC 16 reflex for half. Alessio will take 19 points of damage, DC 17 reflex for half. Floria will take 24 points of damage, DC 17 reflex for half.
“Floria Avernathus” | Female NG Medium Human Psychic 7 | HP 24/4833 | AC 16 / 11 T / 15FF | CMD +1 CMD 12 | F +8, R +5, W +8 | Init +8 | Perc +6 SM +3 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st:0/8, 2nd: 3/8; 3rd 2/5 Detect Thoughts SLA 1/1; CI bolts 36; Phrenic Pool 0/5; Dark Half 2/8 Reach Rod 3/3| Active Conditions: Ant Haul, Dark Half, DR5/magic, Fly, 3 Negative Levels, investigative mind
Reflex:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (19) + 5 = 24
On being hit Floria instinctively cries out in rage and changes form.
Morphic form DR:1d100 ⇒ 14That's DR 5/bludgeoning, hopefully that will help with future volleys
She then steps, reloads the crossbow, and concentrates her fury into pure magic.
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
reflex:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14
Crud
Alessio lobs a bomb over Sangkip to try to beat back the troops. Frag out!
REmember, you can not see through the fire... the best you can do is either go for the 50% miss chance, or just splash damage. Or throw it at the other group without the miss chance.
And that's not how missing on big creatures works... though given a single range increment, it would still splash 'em. =)
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
LG M Dwarf Paladin (Tortured Crusader) 5 - HP 44/44 - AC 22, T 11, FF 21 - F+8*, R+4*, W+8* - Init: +1 - Perc +10 (DV, SC), SM +10 - Smite Evil 2/2 - Lay on Hands (2d6+4) 4/4 - Divind Bond 1/1 - Lesser Restoration 1/1 - Liberating Command 1/1 - Active Conditions: Nil
Alrik, gripping his ax with 2 hands, unleashes his pent up rage at the creatures flowing in and around him...
Slashing of the Axe:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (17) + 12 = 29 Thud of the Axe:1d10 + 9 ⇒ (4) + 9 = 13 Swift LoH:2d6 + 4 ⇒ (1, 1) + 4 = 6
Does Smite Evil work here? I would have used it immediately but I assumed that it was pointless due to the multiple targets but it seems we are treating them, at least somewhat, as a single unit
Floria manages to avoid the worst of the barrage, but still suffers some painful wounds... enough that her dark side suddenly surfaces. Howling in anger, she reloads her weapon, all the while focusing her mind on the source of that pain.
Kara is not so lucky, unable to avoid most of the incoming bolts... fortunately, most of the tieflings were firing at the others, so only a few were aimed her way. Even though, one sinks solidly into her right bicep, sending shooting pain down her arm. She quickly reloads her own weapon, hoping to return the favor, but the pain causes her to flinch just as she pulls the trigger, and her own shot goes way wide of all of them.
Alessio too fails to dodge most of the bolts shot his way, and there were far more of them. Making matters worse, the renewed wall of fire once again blocks his ability to see any of the elite troops, or Sangkip and Alrik. Frustrated, he throws his bomb anyway, doing his best to remember and avoid where his fellow pathfinders were, before he lost sight of them.
But throwing flammable materials through a flaming wall proves more hazardous than he realized. Even as the vial hits the flames, the heat causes it to combust, and the entire thing explodes right in front of him. And though he can not see it, it blows up right behind Alrik as well, splashing both him, and a number of the tieflings as well... though they seem little bothered by the flames.
Alrik and Alessio will both take splash damage (which I believe is 6 points). DC 15 reflex for half
Alrik has other things to worry about, his dwarven steel hacking at every enemy that gets within range. It is not enough to keep them from swarming all around him... but that just makes them easier to hit. He calls on the grace of Kelinahat, in an attempt to mitigate some of the damage, but it is barely enough to counter the burns from the explosion. With stoic determination, he ignoring the blades that cut at his own flesh, and continues to hack at the demon-tainted tieflings with his axe... like he is clearing his way through an overgrown forest. Again and again his axe swings, and combined with the damage Sangkip had already caused, it is enough to finally cut their numbers down such that those few still able, turn to flee!
The more experienced troops all dead, or on the run, they're hastily created wall of flame dies down quickly. Sangkip takes full advantage of all of it. Bounding over the dying and the dead, he charges the roaming soldiers as they advance, surprising them with his gall. One small vanaran vs a score of demon-tainted heavily armed men? Madness!
At least it's madness until the small vanaran starts cutting tendons and flesh, and poking out eyes and cutting throats in the new group of foes.
Huni quickly joins the fray, cutting down a few of the more aggressive guards as well.
Most of them are still holding their crossbows, and they fire them en masse, before advancing with blades in hand. A line of bolts pelts into Huni on the northern end, any that miss him raining down on Alessio fifteen feet behind. A similar volley soars towards Alrik, the dwarf finding himself pelted by missiles, with no teammate to soak up a few on the way. The worst of the shots though, are all aimed at Sangkip. Perhaps realizing the small foe is far more dangerous than they realized, almost half the troop fire at the vanaran, hoping to cut him down before he can do worse damage to them!
Huni and Alessio will take 9 points of damage. DC 16 reflex for half.
Alrik will take 10 points of damage. DC 16 reflex for half.
Sangkip will take 19 points of damage. DC 17 reflex for none (will be unconscious and bleeding if he fails)
They then toss their crossbows aside, drawing their blades as they swarm in and over Alrik, Sangkip, Alessio, and Huni. Unfortunately for the tieflings, all four of them are prepared, and again, blades slash out, and the weakened troop members start to fall in droves.
Eventually, there are not enough of them left to create a viable force and the few remaining who can, try to flee... though again, they don't get far.
Reflex throw pending from Huni.
Reflex throw pending from Alessio.
Reflex throw pending from Sangkip.
Reflex throw pending from Alrik.
Otherwise, Combat Over!
You take a moment to recovery your breaths, and realize that you can no longer see the trap door, now covered over and inaccessible because of Kara's extra-dimensional pit.
Will be roughly 4 and a half minutes before the pit fades
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
reflex:1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20
Alessio dodges some of what is thrown at him, That was a little bit tighter than what I thought it might be. We fared well, though. He pulls out his own wand and patches himself up.
“Floria Avernathus” | Female NG Medium Human Psychic 7 | HP 33/48 33 | AC 16 / 11 T / 15FF | CMD +1 CMD 12 | F +8, R +5, W +6 | Init +8 | Perc +6 SM +3 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st:0/8, 2nd: 2/8; 3rd 2/5 Detect Thoughts SLA 1/1; CI bolts 36; Phrenic Pool 0/5; Dark Half 2/8 Reach Rod 3/3| Active Conditions: Ant Haul, 3 negative levels, investigative mind
LG M Dwarf Paladin (Tortured Crusader) 5 - HP 44/44 - AC 22, T 11, FF 21 - F+8*, R+4*, W+8* - Init: +1 - Perc +10 (DV, SC), SM +10 - Smite Evil 2/2 - Lay on Hands (2d6+4) 4/4 - Divind Bond 1/1 - Lesser Restoration 1/1 - Liberating Command 1/1 - Active Conditions: Nil
Alrik braces himself for the next volley and comes through bloodied but still standing. After helping Floria with her wand, Alrik pulls out his own and patches himself up.
Everyone seems to be back to mostly full... will assume Huni will heal himself when he manages to pop back in again.
It takes a minute or so, but with the judicious use of wands, you manage to patch yourselves back up. By the time your are done, Kara's pit has faded, and you can see the large metal trapdoor embedded in the rock between the two horns, sealed tight.
Of course, the bodies of those tieflings who were unable to flee, are strewn about everywhere, further cluttering the area.
You take a moment to examine them, though there is little of note. Most of their equipment is pretty mundane, with little you'd have any interest in salvaging... though Kara does find a small pearl on one of the elite troops.
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
Alessio takes his mutagen from a belt pouch and downs it. DEX mutagen 50 minute duration.
Male Vanara Unchained Rogue (Knifemaster, Scout) 6 | HP 45/45 | AC 25, T 18, FF 19 | F +5, R +13, W +6 | Init +7 | Perc +11 | Vanish 0/3
I truly, truly hate Pearls of Power being found in adventures :-p
It's basically just an added UMD skill-challenge to activate them blindly 'cause there's no way you're going to successfully identify them.
Sangkip gives the door a good look, muttering to himself and his companions as he does so.
"Good place to put a trap. Not a lot of foot traffic, central chokepoint..."
Neither Alrik, nor Sangkip, find anything dangerous about the trapdoor. It is about six feet square, and made from reinforced steel, worked into the stone of the surrounding cliff. There is a double bar lock on the top, which is currently closed, but does appear to be secured otherwise.
Kara will also detect a moderate magical aura on the hatch, though much like her efforts on the pearl, she will not be able to determine more than that.
Heh, that CL 17 sure makes them annoying to suss out, for sure!
Male Vanara Unchained Rogue (Knifemaster, Scout) 6 | HP 45/45 | AC 25, T 18, FF 19 | F +5, R +13, W +6 | Init +7 | Perc +11 | Vanish 0/3
I don't have Trapfinding, and I didn't see any Dispel Magics with a quick scan so...
"Well, last time I tripped an alarm the wizard said it was just a faint aura, so this is probably nastier." Sangkip turns to Alrik. "Whaddya figure? Big boom for me, or nasty curse for you?"
“Floria Avernathus” | Female NG Medium Human Psychic 7 | HP 33/48 33 | AC 16 / 11 T / 15FF | CMD +1 CMD 12 | F +8, R +5, W +6 | Init +8 | Perc +6 SM +3 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st:0/8, 2nd: 2/8; 3rd 2/5 Detect Thoughts SLA 1/1; CI bolts 36; Phrenic Pool 0/5; Dark Half 2/8 Reach Rod 3/3| Active Conditions: Ant Haul, 3 negative levels, investigative mind
"Hopefully it's a fire trap, there should still be a bit of protection left for you"
She steps back and has a look at the pearl as well.
Spellcraft:1d20 + 12 ⇒ (3) + 12 = 15
She doesn't have any better luck though, mindless as it is.
Sangkip backs everyone away to a minimum safe distance, and Alrik turns the latch, and pulls open the trapdoor.
A pulse of negative energy ripples out from the opening, washing over the dwarf... but it does not travel far enough to reach the others.
Alrik feels the energy assaulting his mind, trying to force him to be something other than him... something less.
Alrik, please make a DC 19 Will save or take 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4 Charisma damage.
He seems weather the assault stoically... though he weathers most things that way... just another in a lone line of sacrifices made in the crusade against the evils in the world.
Through the now open hatch, he sees a fifteen foot tall metal ladder, going down to what appears to be a wide chamber below.
LG M Dwarf Paladin (Tortured Crusader) 5 - HP 44/44 - AC 22, T 11, FF 21 - F+8*, R+4*, W+8* - Init: +1 - Perc +10 (DV, SC), SM +10 - Smite Evil 2/2 - Lay on Hands (2d6+4) 4/4 - Divind Bond 1/1 - Lesser Restoration 1/1 - Liberating Command 1/1 - Active Conditions: Nil
Alrik staggers under the weight of the mental blast before eventually righting himself and shaking it off.
He offers Kara a lopsided grin before speaking ”Seem to be”.
Waving his arm inwards, he makes his offer to th group ”Shall we?”
Will Save:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (14) + 7 = 21 Extra Mods: +5 vs spells & SLA’s, +3 vs poison, +2 vs death effects
The invisible vanaran easily clambers down the ladder the room below... only to find it empty. It is about forty feet across, east to west, though only twenty five north to south.
The ladder descends to the middle of the room's stone floor, and a number of cots and makeshift beds line the outer edges. There is little of interest on any of them, except for random personal effects of no value. Obviously some of the troops from above were bunking here.
Ten feet north, another metal trapdoor rests on the floor, leading further down into the complex.
The second trapdoor has no magical auras on it at all, and no more physical surprises, that anyone can notice. Though currently securely closed, much like the one above, it does not appear to be locked in any way.
Hmmm... misread some stuff.. technically the trap was supposed to be on this trapdoor, not the previous one. Oops! Ah well, works out the same, either way. =)
“Floria Avernathus” | Female NG Medium Human Psychic 7 | HP 33/48 33 | AC 16 / 11 T / 15FF | CMD +1 CMD 12 | F +8, R +5, W +6 | Init +8 | Perc +6 SM +3 |Speed 30ft | Spells 1st:0/8, 2nd: 2/8; 3rd 2/5 Detect Thoughts SLA 1/1; CI bolts 36; Phrenic Pool 0/5; Dark Half 2/8 Reach Rod 3/3| Active Conditions: Ant Haul, 3 negative levels, investigative mind
Floria follows along, casting light on her cane if necessary, and drawing her metamagic rod when she thinks she's finished with ladders.
Male Human Alchemist (chirurgeon, wasteland blightbreaker) 5 | HP 38/38 | AC 21/14/17 | F+7 R+9 W+2 | Init +6 | Perc +7 | Bombs: 10/10 | Active Conditions: None
Alessio hops down the ladder and looks around. Alessio will down an extract to see a little better.
Sangkip quickly descends the next ladder, still out of sight of the others, and finds himself in another empty room, though this one seems far more interesting than the last.
A quick scan shows nothing immediately dangerous, and he signals for the others to follow. Soon all six Pathfinders are down the ladder as well.
That ladder ends along the northern wall of the room, roughly the same size as the previous level, bracketed on both sides by long tables, covered in maps of various sorts. Much of the open space on the walls around the room seems to hold maps as well, from simple crude drawings to more professionally drawn... all etched on a vast array of different surfaces, from parchment and paper, to the hides of various beasts or humanoids.
A second, larger table, this one round, rests in the middle of the room. It only has a single map on it, this one with many small tokens littered across its surface. Those tokens appear to be made of bone, and you are disturbed to see some of them seem to still be covered in blood, as if only recently made.
The entire scene reminds you somewhat of the map that Marcos Farabellus had, just with different sorts of markers. But whatever distribution of troops this one might have revealed seems to have been destroyed, as something has swept most of the tokens off of the map. They now lay scattered about other parts of the table, or on the floor.
Otherwise, the room does not look like it has seen much use recently.
On the southern wall of the chamber, two large windows are set, both filled with some kind of green-tinted glass, about ten feet in diameter. Looking out them, you can see the battle still waging down below, between the Army of the Open Road, and the demonic forces. It is hard to tell who has the advantage.
In both the southeast and southwest corners, are two more trapdoors, like those above. Again, both closed, and latched, but with no magical auras to indicate more arcane traps.
Even as you look around, Sangkip's invisibility wears off, and he pops back into view.
