Natalya ignores Relan's plea.
This room is floorless, with only an exposed septic pit where the floor should be. A dry sewer pipe extends from the wall of this pit. The west wall is dominated by a massive brick fireplace that still remains anchored in place, overlooking the sewage. A ladder extends from the sewage to the fire-blackened hearth above. A second one is built into the back of the fireplace. As in other rooms, the ceiling here has collapsed to reveal the attic space.
----------------
8 of 8
15 (t 13, ff 12)
-
1st: stone fist
2 of 4 remaining
17
Braelex remains prone and fires her crossbow at the northern goblin.
;
Round 1
HP: 13/13
AC: 17
Seeing his request falling on deaf ears, Relan kneels and draws his crossbow, sending a bolt flying at the untargeted goblin.
Watching as his shot goes wide of its mark, Relan grabs for another bolt. "Fulmen! See if you cant do something to pacify our lady friend over there, i got a bad feeling about that spell coming our way."
Fulmen, seeing the precarious position of his fellow Pathfinder friends stands up and moves quickly towards Natalya. He'll attempt to jump across the beam and engage her.
Andel stands and hucks a knife at the goblin to the south, missing wide and sending his dagger into the sewage. He looks at it mournfully.
Clarence fires at Natalya but hits a magical wall of force in front of her, his crossbow shot not quite strong enough to penetrate.
Fulmen stands and runs forward along the beam making a daring leap to the other side landing between Natalya and the southern goblin. At nearly the same time, Braelex skewers the northern goblin in the eye. The creature shakes for a moment and then falls down into the sludge with a wet splash.
The southern goblin drops his crossbow and whips out his dogslicer cutting at Fulmen and nicking him slightly.
Natalya completes her spell and Relan feels something reach into his mind . She steps back into the chimney and pulls the shard from her belt.
; miss
; miss
; HIT!;
Fulmen attempts to disarm Natalya
Braelex reloads and aims for Natalya's position.
;
Relan freezes for a moment and doesn't fire his crossbow. Natalya points at Relan making eye contact and shouts out at him, "Stop your crossbowmen friends from shooting at your queen and her honor guard!"
Andel shouts, "Relan! What are you doing, shoot her!!!" He throws another dagger wide. Clarence also fires, missing badly as he nearly slips off the beam.
Fulmen whips out his quarterstaff and smacks at Natalya's right hand sending the shard tumbling through the air. It bounces on the platform and teeters before falling down the chimney into the sludge.
Behind him Braelex puts another well-placed bolt into the second goblin's back causing it to pitch forward and land face first in the sewage.
Natalya screams in rage, fire lighting her eyes as she pulls out a white-metaled short sword and throws herself forward shoving Fulmen hard, but the druid holds firm and doesn't move.
Absolutely you're still on the quest, nothing has been erased or "overwritten" in you're mind and you're not being controlled. You are still aware of how the hierarchy of government works in Magnimaar, but just like any other close friend (who you trust and don't think is insane), you're willing to believe any claims they make. So if she says she's a queen, why not? Doesn't mean that you aren't still aware that Magnimar isn't a monarchy etc. Does that make sense?
You can act, talk, do whatever. Both of your "gut" actions above are well within the confines of the ruleset.
-------------
Round 2
HP: 13/13
AC: 17
Relan shakes his head and lowers his crossbow. "Guys, somethings wrong here, why are we fighting her? We are suppose to be helping her." He pauses a moment as he sees the shard sinking. "Besides we need to get that shard for the Captian."
Noting Braelex notching another bolt he moves to intercept her shot. "Brael! Stop!"
"Andel!" Fulmen shouts, "make yourself useful and retrieve that shard before it's lost in the sewage!"
Turning back on Natalya with sincere desperation, "Surrender, Natalya. We do not wish to kill you. You are not yourself. Stop this now and we will help you. You're minions are defeated. Please save yourself and do what's right by dropping your sword."
Will wait for Nat's response and if she does not surrender will attack with the quarterstaff.
"Relan! Get out of my way! You're under a charm spell!"
;
Relan moves to intercept Braelex
Andel hears Fulmen and gulps, looking down at the sludge and looks over at Clarence, "How about you, big guy?" Clarence, looking down, says, "Yarp! Just hold your britches up little man. Ah'm goin'!" Taking his own advice, he adjusts his pants and leaps into the much landing awkwardly with a huge brown splash. He stumbles to his feet sputtering up. The sight of it makes everyone gag a bit. He sloshes forward across the room and begins to climb up to the door.
Fulmen pleas with Natalya and she spits at him, "Surrender! It is you who should kneel before me! Soon, I will take the Tower Girls and rule all the Sczarni. Kneel down before me and tremble and I may, yet, let you serve me like your colleague!"
Braelex takes a bead, watching Natalya and Fulmen closely as they spar waiting for her moment. Fulmen misses wide and Natalya thrusts in quickly scoring a deep cut on his abdomen. Her eyes widen as she looks down and she screams at Relan, "You! Warrior! Forget them and retrieve my shard, now, now, now! The traitor is stealing it!!!!"
; FAILSAUCE;
; HIT!;
Relan looks back at Natalya and shakes his head a moment Makes sense, grab the shard. Then we can figure out what is going on here with Nat.
"I got it Nat, Fulmen dont hurt her!" with that he leaps off the beam into the main room and the muck.
--------------
@Tarric/Aiden ... didn't get to your bit tonight, will try and steal some time to work on it during work tomorrow.
Fulmen takes a 5ft step to allow Braelex a clean shot.
"You're a member of the Pathfinder society, Natalya. Remember your mission to find information about the Sczarni. The Tower Girls are not your enemy, they were your friends. Snap out of it!"
Fulmen takes on a full defensive stance.
Tarric, still on his way to Kaer Maga, has found himself absolutely enamored with the vast number of monuments and ruins in Magnimar. Not just the ones that have been shown to grant supernatural boons either, but some of the ancient Thassilonian constructs like the Irespan or even the great Lighthouse, the Wyrmwatch, have fascinated him. He's completely lost track of how long he's been here and it's on one warm afternoon sitting in the park near Our Lady of the Blessed Waters as he's counting the coppers remaining in his purse that an idea strikes him about the possible origin of this verdigris-free bronze statue. He stands with the intent to head back to his library, and as realization settles that he doesn't have one here, he sees a man approaching. This man, or rather this "angel-touched", an aasimar, goes by Aidan. Tarric knows him just because for several weeks as he toured the monuments he would encounter Aidan and exchange pleasantries with the eccentric man and sometimes his "friends." Aidan makes eye contact with him and recognizes him.
---------------
Aidan, having returned from a rather simple and somewhat dissappointing delivery mission to Kaer Maga has just stopped by the Founder's Honor, coming through the southern gate into Keyway. A fairly routine process for the summoner is to hit the two monuments that are near the gate before he returns to Heidmarch manor. A quick prayer to Aroden and sometimes a flower and fruit offering at the first monument and then a quick stroll through the park, which often encourages a visit from one of the family members. Knowing he has a couple hours before he's expected to report at Heidmarch, he's in no rush. As he approaches he sees a sometime acquaintance up ahead, one of the few non-Pathfinder/non-summons that Aidan has shown any sort of engagement with. He does note that Tarric .. .he recalls the name after a moment ... is still wearing the same clothing as when he saw him last, three weeks ago. By the look of the man, he hasn't slept well or eaten much in that same period of time, but he visibly lights up with recognition as Aidan approaches.
Relan hops down into the muck quickly, dropping on the other side of the wall and ahead of Clarence, landing awkward and jarring his legs
Andel crawls along the beams, his daggers spent, mumbling about getting a real missile weapon and Clarence crawls up and through the door. He moves across the room to where the shard was and starts pushing the sewage around searching, ducking his head in a couple times, "Durn it! I cain't see it anymore! Any of y'all know where it is?"
Fulmen moves to the defensive stepping back continuing to attempt to persuade Natalya. The woman sees where Relan is and begins to cast a spell triggering a response from Braelex who sticks her in the shoulder with a bolt causing her to cry out and lose the spell
; fail;
; fail
; fail
; fail
Round 2
And with that, Relan is over in the area where Clarence ends up, also unable to find the shard.
”Yes I see him. I know we know him. Yes I will say hello. Yes I will be nice. I know he’s wearing the same clothes, just because I don’t like people it doesn’t mean I don’t remember them. Ok he’s right there, stop pestering me!” Aidon makes a shushing gesture towards Amiculus, “Hello Tarric, you are looking… clearly distraught and not sure how to comment on Tarric’s disheveled appearance he pauses looking for the right word…”…nice?” he finishes lamely.
Looking at Amiculus, "Yes I know that didn't come out right. Shush" Aidon smiles at Tarric "I see you are enjoying Our Lady of the Blessed Waters, she is beautiful isn't she?" Aidon looks at the monument fondly.
"Clarence, spread out we can cover more... ground.. that way." Relan moves closer to the chimmey and the ladder searching as he moves.
Fulmen's Acro check.
Round 4
HP: 9/13 (-4 from drop damage)
AC: 17
Relan continues searching the muck for the shard. I dont care if she is a queen, im not dunking my head to find it.
Clearly not paying attention to much going around him until Aiden addresses him directly, Tarric jumps a little bit as he turns to face Aiden. (Which is a surprising sight for such a large man.)
"Aiden! Good to see you...I was just going to go and look in my library for a treatise on the Our Lady of the Blessed Waters. I was looking at her and wondering why she is not verdigrised like a proper copper statue would be. And so I though, perhaps magic. But that really isn't satisfying, not for the actual age of the statue itself. No, I though, it would be better if there were natural properties of the statue itself that were preventing the degradation of the statue's material. That got me thinking...if it isn't copper, and it isn't bronze...perhaps it is electrum or orihalcum? I have heard of those alloys before, and it is possible that one of them has the appropriate properties and coloration. Do you think that someone might allow me to take a sliver from the statue for comparison?" by the end of Tarric's torrent, his face is florid and his eyes shine with excitement at the idea of chasing down this elusive bit of history.
"So I was thinking that I don't have a library, so I need to go and find one. I have heard that the Pathfinder Lodge might have one...or at the least they will know where one is...and I have wanted to meet the Pathfinders...I didn't get a chance to talk to them on the way out of Riddleport."
Relan aids Clarence in his search, frustrated with the filth and as he looks up to try and figure out where to go next, he sees a black-skinned goblin head pop out of the sewage, followed by a long serpentine body that it's attached to. The snake-like creature holds the shard in it's mouth and it slithers up and into the dry pipe, disappearing from sight in the darkness.
Round 5
HP: 9/13
AC: 17
"Damnit." Relan curses as the goblin-snake slithers into the darkness with the prize. Looking up at Nat still fighting with Fulmen, he heads to the ladder. After giving it a quick look and climbs to the platform above.
"Fulmen, stay down!" Locked in, Braelex quickly reloads and fires again at Vancaskerkin.
; ;
Aidon get's a distant look in his eyes again and you get the feeling that Amiculus is speaking to him. Amiculus looks at Tarric and smiles sheepishly. "Oh yes...umm a library and the Pathfinder lodge, yes they have one, and it's grand...GRAND I tell you!. It has more books then...well then I have read...and that's a lot. Of books. They have them." Aidon smiles at Tarric, far too many teeth to be really charming but you feel that he is trying. "Would you like to see it? I can take you to them...yes, we could do that. What do you think Amiculus? We like Tarric right?"
Amiculus smiles and nods at Aidon. "There it's settled, we like you. Follow us." Aidon will lead Tarric to the Pathfinder Lodge. He will get lost a lot, with Amiculus trying to lead him in the right direction.
Half way to the lodge Aidon will stop and concentrate briefly and suddenly a large golden shepherd appears next to him.
"Have you met Maximus yet?" He smiles at Tarric, less teeth, it looks like he is genuinely happy. "Say hi Max!" After introductions as you walk the rest of the way towards the lodge Aidon constantly throw a small bouncing ball for Maximus who happily fetches it and returns
Tarric watches Aidon and the dog at play, the ball thrown into the teeming masses of people, and the blindingly fast ball of fur dashing with great abandon into the throng, knocking people aside as he hunts his prize.
"I do love cities! Well, city, anyways, this is my first. Riddleport is more of a town than a city. Sophont the Alabaster says in his "City Work" that the dividing line lies at two hundred thousand people. But that seems an awful lot to me. I wouldn't know what two hundred thousand looks like against a single hundred thousand." he observes as he ducks past some men carrying long planks of wood.
"Natalya, it's over. Your minions have fled. The shard is lost. Whatever you had planned is forfeit. Stand down and come with us and we'll sort all this out over a cup of warm cider."
Fulmen maintains a defensive stance.
For the first time you hear Amiculus speak, softly he tells Aidon, "It's ok my friend, you are safe. We made it out, you are better now. Come back to me now, feel the sun on your face. Shhh...you are safe, come back to me Aidon, I am here for you." With a shiver Aidon pulls himself back together. "Oh, umm...sorry Tarric. Riddleport sounds nice, tell me more." Acting as if nothing really just happened Aidon begins to throw the ball for Maximus again
As Aidon starts to walk away Amiculus smiles at Tarric "Imagine growing up as an Aasimar in a country that just lost their god, living through the first 50 years as that country slowly moves more and more into hell. Most days he is fine, sometimes though he slides into a dark place. He'll be okay soon, it takes less time now for him to come back to the light. Don't judge him too harshly, he really is trying."
Natalya shouts as Relan moves to the ladder, "NOOO, chase the snake. He can't get away! GO GET THE SHARD!" She hollers out in a commanding tone, attempting to override Relan's urge to climb up. Her frustration takes the edge off her charm and the attempt is half-hearted.
Andel continues to crawl along the timbers. Clarence, also seeing the snake, lumbers through the sewage parting it with a massive wave of brown sludge. He leaps into the pipe and slides forward disappearing into the darkness. A thud can be heard as he reaches the other side, "Ooof! Ar, you scaly bastard, gotcha by the tail!" Hissing and audible signs of a struggle are noticeable.
Fulmen stands warily behind his staff as Braelex siezes the chance to catch the distracted Natalya square in the gut with another bolt. Finally getting her attention, the sorceress flicks her hand toward the tiefling and grease appears on the beam underneath her. . Not waiting to see if the tiefling falls, she steps forward with her sword to engage Fulmen, next.
; Success!
Relan nods at Nat, then moves to the pipe and shouts into the darkness. "Clarence, you got the damn thing? Or you need some help down there?"
"You've left us no choice, Natalya".
Fulmen attacks