Ebon Fist's Ambush Under Absalom (Inactive)

Game Master EbonFist

Castinus uses all his considerable nimbleness and speed to duck a sling-stone, duck past a raking kobold claw, and claim the first post at the top of the new page

In his rage, Kal'Ryon takes down another of the kobolds while Castinus deflects a blow then takes out his kobold that attacked him and leaves his mark on the leader.

Svartill is kind enough to bless...or unbless him with healing, which he does not appreciate.

The kobold's retaliate.

Kobold Spear: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (14) + 1 = 15
Stabby Stabby: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

Leader's Greataxe: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
Hacky Hacky: 1d10 ⇒ 10

The leader shows why he is the leader and downs Castinus (unless he has a trick up his sleeve)

Round 4 (and a half?). The Bold may act.

Castinus -16HP
Hayden 1NL
Kobold Leader -11HP
Kobolds -1HP
Kal'Ryon
Bocke
Quensha -1HP
Svartill

Svartill is kind enough to bless...or unbless him with healing, which he does not appreciate.

Castinus -17HP 1NL

He should be at -16HP with no NL due to the healing spell he is currently under. And after I go he will be at -15 of 15 (aka 0) and conscious. Then I will burn him with my witty retort.

EbonFist wrote:

Svartill is kind enough to bless...or unbless him with healing, which he does not appreciate.

Castinus -17HP 1NL

He should be at -16HP with no NL due to the healing spell he is currently under. And after I go he will be at -15 of 15 (aka 0) and conscious. Then I will burn him with my witty retort.

Correct and Corrected.

I 5' step back after delivering some life saving magic which appears to be unappreciated. But such is my life, always under appreciated. At least Nethys understands my reasons for helping others.

I try to think of my most devastating spell versus the light crossbow I have in hand and quickly decide which would do the most damage to the royal one.

Magic missile damage: 1d4 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

+1 HP Castinus (round 2 of 10 rounds)

As the healing magic continues to affects Castinus, I notice he awakens at the feet of the royal one in a precarious position. "Thank Nethys you're still with us after that devastating blow. If we survive this day, I will happily talk to you about how I saved your life. But we truly need your help still in this fight. Do you still have the fight in you?"

Hayden sighs as he nocks another arrow. "Castinus has a tendency to get in over his head! Just keep him breathing and I'll make sure he ok after this!" He fires at the Kobold leader.

Attack (bless): 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (13) + 5 + 1 = 19
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Bocke shoots at the kobold non-leader.

Longbow (PBS, PS, bless, no cover): 1d20 + 4 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 1 + 0 + 1 + 0 = 14
Arrow (PBS): 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5

Quensha swings for the goblin before her.

attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

If someone drops the kobold in orange then I can go heal Castinus.

Castinus simply lies there, nearly insensible from the combination of the great axe blow, and the infernal energies coursing through his body...

bluff to feign unconsciousness: 1d20 + 6 + 1d6 ⇒ (2) + 6 + (3) = 11

Svartill and Hayden pile a not unimpressive amount of damage on the kobold leader though not enough to bring him down. No one seems quite able to land a blow on the other kobold though.

Castinus awakens in the second most unpleasant place he's ever awoken.

Let's see if Kal'Ryon can bring us home. Or if the kobolds will have another round of glory.

Round 4. The Bold may act.

Castinus -15HP
Hayden 1NL
Kobold Leader -25HP
Kobolds -1HP
Kal'Ryon
Bocke
Quensha -1HP
Svartill

Kal continues to swipe away at the kobold creature in front of him (orange)- his eyes white with range, and the shimmering air movements flowing behind the blur of arm and claw.

Claw#1: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 12 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11
Claw#2: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (1) + 7 = 8 Damage: 1d6 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

And... Kal is on a bender. Apparently

The kobolds manage to defy fate for a few more seconds as the Pathfinders, perhaps growing complacent from their success only a few moments before prove ineffective, again.

The Leader stands over his fallen foe triumphantly and lashes out with his axe toward Kal'Ryon. His loyal bodyguard also stabs at the man with the odd appearance and long nails.

Kobold Spear: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10
Stabby Stabby: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (3) - 1 = 2

Leader's Greataxe: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Hacky Hacky: 1d10 ⇒ 6

Neither of them is particularly effective, this time.

Round 4. The Bold may act.

Castinus -14HP
Hayden 1NL
Kobold Leader -25HP
Kobolds -1HP
Kal'Ryon
Bocke
Quensha -1HP
Svartill

Bocke sneers at the orange kobold and shoots him in the face.

Longbow (PBS, PS, bless): 1d20 + 4 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 1 = 7

Or something like that.

Having run out of potent spells, I resort to my light crossbow in hand, and aim at the regal one.

light crossbow: 1d20 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 1 - 4 = 7

+1 HP Castinus (round 3 of 10 rounds)

Hayden shoots another arrow at the kobold chief and curses Bocke for being in the way.

Attack (bless, cover): 1d20 + 5 + 1 - 4 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 1 - 4 = 12
Damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 2 = 8

As I'm ahead of you in the sequence, I could take a 5' step to the SW if EbonFist would allow it. I believe I should be able to keep shooting at the kobold leader without cover from this position.

If you want. Not a big deal. One of is bound to have the soft cover issue with how packed we are in here.

With some careful coordination, Bocke slides out of Hayden's way just in time for the divine warrior to send an arrow into the chieftain's chest. He looks down in disbelief for a moment then raises his axe. The downstroke never comes and he falls over backwards with a crash.

On Castinus.

The remaining kobold shows no sign of surrendering, however, ready to avenge it's fallen comrades.

Round 5 and a half. The Bold may act.

Castinus -14HP
Hayden 1NL
Kobolds -1HP
Kal'Ryon
Bocke
Quensha -1HP
Svartill

Waiting to see if Kal demolishes the little guy.

Quensha steps to the side 5ft step and swings again at the orange kobold.
attack with divine favour and bless: 1d20 + 1 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (19) + 1 + 1 + 1 = 22
damage with divine favour: 1d8 + 1 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 1 + 1 = 10

crit confirm: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (18) + 3 = 21
crit damage: 1d8 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9

Quensha rolls her shoulders, "Better late than never."

He falls over backwards with a crash. On Castinus.

Castinus' efforts to feign unconsciousness come to a sudden and noisy end as the carcass of the kobold chief collapses upon him.

As the fight comes to a bloody end, he rolls out from underneath the body, his white shirt and doublet now encrusted with a mix of sewer filth, kobold viscera, and Castinus' own gore. He rises to his feet, picks up and carefully wipes off his rapier, and bows gingerly at Quensha and the others - "My thanks - that one caught me unawares, and I am lucky to have survived my defensive carelessness. You have my gratitude. He looks across at Svartill with a mixture of emotions across his face, "My thanks too for your healing magics, but I must ask you to refrain from such infernal magics on me in the future. I have seen some measure of the influence of Hell on the common man in Cheliax; I vowed to never incur a debt in this life to Asmodeus, which I am obliged to repay in the next..."

He straightens his kit, and looks about. "Right. Where were we?"

Quensha cracks the last kobold over the skull and it goes down in a heap. It takes a couple moments to realize that the only sounds around you is the drip and flow of water and your own panting breath. The kobolds at your feet are still and quiet.

In true Pathfinder manner, you search your fallen foes. Among the items carried by the kobold guards, you find a decorated bag of various items including a wayfinder, a Medium breastplate, a Medium heavy mace, and a book-sized bundle wrapped in paper and sealed with the Glyph of the Open Road. You easily identify these as a Pathfinder’s possessions and may glean they belonged to the late Derris Jerval. The wrapped package contains a book of traditional Varisian recipes and cannot be opened without breaking the seal.

Castinus attempts Diplomacy. free inspiration: 1d20 + 7 + 1d6 ⇒ (6) + 7 + (2) = 15

"Hmm. Our unfortunate Pathfinder may have come to an end at the hands of these brutes. Fortunately, I know the location of the Pickled Imp in the Docks, the location where Jerval was set to deliver the package to Guaril Karela. Shall we go? Our orders were to proceed with all haste.

"A moment, Castinus."

Quensha prays to Shizuru for her healing light.
clw: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Hayden comes up to Castinus and nods, acknowledging Quensha's spell. "Good work, but allow me." He prays to Sarenrae and she knits the man's wounds up.

CLW: 1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10

"My thanks too for your healing magics, but I must ask you to refrain from such infernal magics on me in the future. I have seen some measure of the influence of Hell on the common man in Cheliax; I vowed to never incur a debt in this life to Asmodeus, which I am obliged to repay in the next..."

"While I appreciate your vow, you also have an obligation to the Society as do I. I will try to avoid using my infernal healing powers on you up to the point where you jeopardize our shared mission by trying to get yourself killed. If I have to keep you alive to complete the mission, I will keep you alive just long enough to complete the mission. I don't want to have to explain to the Venture Captain why we failed a mission because of your vow against perfectly good healing."

Under my breath, "Stubborn man..."

"Castinus, you're reckless and I should have known you've be the first to danger. Next time, perhaps I should be protecting your life instead..." Hayden shakes his head.

Castinus leads the way to the Pickled Imp. It is a rather nondescript shop in the Docks. Behind the counter you find a thin, mustachioed man who answers to the nameGuaril Karela. He thanks them for the book and immediately turns to a specific recipe in the back.

After reading it quickly, he returns the book. "I already have this volume but tell Ambrus I said 'thank you', all the same," he says.

Quensha raises an eyebrow.
sense motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (5) + 10 = 15

"Jerval died for this message! That's all you have to offer for his sacrifice?!"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

Both Quensha and Bocke feel like Guaril is being honest.

He looks shocked when he hears that someone died attempting to deliver the package to him.

"What? Perhaps they know! Who was it? Apsis? Red Mantis? Am I in danger?" he asks, rushing past the group to look out the window furtively.

”Kobolds. Kobolds setting traps in the sewer.”

Quensha stares into the distance, appalled by the waste and futility of it all.
Move him into the sun-

"Why was he in the sewer?!" Guaril asks. He clearly looks relieved, though. Kobolds in the sewers are a nuisance, not a legitimate threat.

"Well, no matter. I am sorry for the loss to the Society. Please forward my condolences to Ambrus when you return the document to him."

Quensha resolves to say a prayer and for Derris Jerval at her local shrine of the Empress of Heaven.

"Why was he in the sewer?!" Guaril asks.

"Yes! That was also my question when we first started this adventure. Why go in the sewers in the first place when you could just walk the streets and arrive at the same place. He was silly for risking his life to walk in the muck but he did pay the ultimate price and maybe Pharasma will scold him further."

"We'll be sure to pass on your condolences to the Venture Captain when we next see him. Farewell as we must be heading back now. I hear we have another pressing assignment about a fancy rug. Maybe it is one of those flying ones and it wondered off. Who's knows, we'll find out soon enough."

Silently wondering to myself if I'm going to have to hang and beat the rugs just like boarding school.

Kal quickly searches the kobolds, and accompanies the other pathfinders out of the sewers, offering to carry the armor and possessions of the fallen pathfinder.

When talking with Guaril, Kal nods in agreement. "Some people fancy a bit of adventure in even the most mundane of tasks. Shame that he got more excitement than he bargained for..."