[AP] Iron Gods by GM Rutseg

Game Master Balacertar

Zzvkgrogk stands, his head turned slightly upward his arms outstretched addressing the air.

His eyes dart back and forth frenetically and he gasps.

Confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 69
What!? Shutup!"

He looks down at his pistol.

Turning it around won't work, my thumb isn't gonna reach...

He tries to pistol whip himself.

Damage: 1d8 - 1 ⇒ (7) - 1 = 6

"OW!" His nose starts to bleed.

Rūha's certainly worried about the Hyrsek and Zzvkgrogk are babbling and behaving erratically, but she doesn't have any means to stop it, so she rushes eastward after the retreating sphere of darkness. If Paagjat gets away, Rūha suspects the creature will be back to exact vengeance sooner or later.

Double moving. If the ground is clear enough she'll run instead to get somewhat closer. Staying out of the sphere though.

”Yambul! That could have waited!” Rhoreen groans as Yambul destroys her beautiful ice sculpture. ”We should be chasing the darkness.”

As she can presumably see Paagjat(with Darkvision), she will cast a Maximized Scorching Ray at the foe.

1d20 + 7 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (15) + 7 + 2 - 2 = 22 touch to hit;
24 = 24 fire damage

1d20 + 7 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 2 - 2 = 19 touch to hit;
24 = 24 fire damage

1d20 + 7 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 + 2 - 2 = 19 touch to hit;
24 = 24 fire damage

Round 4

Will Save v DC 19: 1d20 + 10 + 4 ⇒ (2) + 10 + 4 = 16 Mind-Affecting

Panic explodes behind Khalia's eyes, as first she watches Maukui become encased in ice, then disappears from sight. Granted, everything disappears from sight, but losing sight of her quarry instantly engages her hunter's frustration.

Confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 8 Act Normally

The Hive entrance next to her and to the west, the android sets off east, albeit slowly for loss of sight. Double Move, Half Speed

Round 5

Assuming we got hit by a Shadow Scream, based on this flavor of Kyton, eh? Still gotta roll v Confusion while in the shadow, but also 1d4 rounds after leaving the shadow? Boo...

1d4 ⇒ 1 persistent rounds of Confusion

Confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 93 Attack nearest creature

Khalia fires at Rūha, startled to find someone so close nearby, and so obviously un-shadowed.

Einior...: 1d20 + 18 - 2 - 3 ⇒ (5) + 18 - 2 - 3 = 18 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 10 piercing, magical damage
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 9 piercing, magical damage Manyshot

Einior...: 1d20 + 13 - 2 - 3 ⇒ (5) + 13 - 2 - 3 = 13 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 12 piercing, magical damage

Einior...: 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 3 ⇒ (6) + 8 - 2 - 3 = 9 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 13 piercing, magical damage

Things break into chaos, Yambul breaks the intellect devourer's ice statue with his saw, while Rūha pursues the shadows.

Rhoreen touches the kyton with fire, burning it badly though a display hard to see for most.
Rhoreen vs SR: 1d20 + 11 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 11 + 4 = 20

Rounds confused out of shadows
Zzvkgrogk: 1d4 ⇒ 1
Hyrsek: 1d4 ⇒ 3
Confusion: 1d100 ⇒ 10
Hyrsek finds temporarily his wits and changes again from rapier to bow "It is still there, in the shadows!"

The shadows finally disperse, leaving the nude kyton as a target, the creature keeps running to the east looking to flee away from you.

He reaches 100' away from Rūha and 240' from everyone else.

Paajgat: 175 damage, considerably wounded
Party buffs: life bubble 3 h, advice (+3)
Khalia: longstrider 8 h, sickened
Rhoreen: flying 10', mage armor 22 h, heroism 190 min, overland flight 11 h, filter mask, -1 Int drain, sickened
Rūha: mage armor 22 h, heroism 190 min, barkskin 190 min, sickened
Yambul: heroism 190 min, barkskin 190 min, sickened
Hyrsek: 8 damage, 3 Wis drain, 5 Con drain, 1 Int drain
Zzvkgrogk: mutagen 70 min, heightened awareness 70 min, barkskin 80 min, sickened ?
Round 6: Rūha, Yambul, Khalia, Rhoreen Round 7: Hyrsek, Zzvkgrogk, Maukui, Paajgat

Three range increments for Yambul’s bow.

Yambul drops his chainsaw now that the brain is dead. He draws his bow and fires a single arcing shot at range!

Bow: 1d20 + 14 - 1 ⇒ (7) + 14 - 1 = 20 (hero, studied, sickened, range)
Damage: 1d8 + 7 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 7 + 3 = 15 (studied)

Round 6

"Apologies, Roo! That was not what I intended." With the confusion dissipating from her mind, Khalia applies her martial skill to plaguing the kyton from a distance. A great distance.

Einior...: 1d20 + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 8 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 15 piercing, magical damage, Sickened
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 13 piercing, magical damage, Sickened Manyshot

Einior...: 1d20 + 13 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (6) + 13 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 8 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (7) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 15 piercing, magical damage, Sickened

Einior...: 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 8 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 17 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (8) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 16 piercing, magical damage, Sickened

Einior...: 1d20 + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (20) + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 27 for
1d8 + 4 + 6 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 4 + 6 - 2 = 9 piercing, magical damage, Sickened

edit:

Confirm Critical #1?: 1d20 + 8 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 8 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 14 for
2d8 + 8 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (8, 8) + 8 + 12 - 4 = 32 piercing, magical damage, Sickened

Confirm Critical #2?: 1d20 + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 17 for
2d8 + 8 + 12 - 4 ⇒ (6, 5) + 8 + 12 - 4 = 27 piercing, magical damage, Sickened

The very last arrow feels desperate. A kyton loose in the Scar of the Spider? No, no, no...

Hero Point- Reroll
Confirm Critical #2?: 1d20 + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 18 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 2 = 26

Finally snapping out of his confused stupor, Zzvkgrogk quaffs an extract of Fly (fuchsia flavored) and flies to catch up with Rhoreen leaving behind a trail of blood from his nose.

”I don’t suppose you have a Dimension Door, Calliope – to get us closer?” he waves his laser pistol purposefully in the air.

Bah, that's pretty far away. Spending 1 ki for +20 ft speed, then 1 ki for a scorching ray.

Ruha focuses for a moment to draw upon her connection to the future, then springs after Paagjat with a surge of speed. She aims her remaining free hand at the kyton as she runs, closing one eye. Once she's exactly close enough she fires off three fiery beams from a memory of a laser pistol.

Scorching Ray: 1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (10) + 11 - 2 = 19 Damage (F): 4d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 2, 6) = 12
Spell Resist: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (1) + 11 = 12
Scorching Ray: 1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 11 - 2 = 25 Damage (F): 4d6 ⇒ (4, 4, 4, 2) = 14
Spell Resist: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (11) + 11 = 22
Scorching Ray: 1d20 + 11 - 2 ⇒ (19) + 11 - 2 = 28 Damage (F): 4d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 6, 2) = 17
Spell Resist: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (5) + 11 = 16

If it still lives, Rhoreen will double move flying (running, if possible) after the fleeing creature. She is faster than it is, while flying, and should overtake it soon enough for more fiery magics.

Without the protection of the shadows, the group makes a pincushion out of the kyton. It collapses to the ground on its run.

Combat is over!

The corpse chains are magical, and make for a chainmail +1 and an unholy +1 spiked chain.

The corpse of the dragon has no items.

Rūha jogs to a stop. "With that I hope the Dominion will think again before sending more." She turns back to the others and sees that most people are out of their confusion and barely injured "All alright? If so we should get back to getting those bodies out of here, before some enterprising creature of the Scar comes by to investigate."

Khalia returns to the bodies of her brother and herself, doing her best to help carry them from the Hive. "We're leaving the Scar, but for what destination? We shouldn't immediately head towards Silver Mount, and I would seek a means of keeping these bodies from decaying."

"I thought we were burying them here? No need to keep them from decaying, and certainly the Silver Mount can wait some little while yet. There is a bit of valley to search, and we should resupply before charging off." From his face, he's rather hopeful of the last bit, there being some purchases he'd make if the party could see their way to stopping in civilization for a time.

Still, he gets to work burying the bodies, if that's still the plan.

"I'm not versed in the magical arts of returning people from the dead. If our decaying corpses are enough, I would see Revion restored to life, and myself returned to my original body."

"We shouldn't be dragging them around quite that far... at the least not the kasatha." She looks up to the northern ridge of the Scar "A burial along that ridge would allow their spirits to sense the touch of the sunset. At least, that's the way the old stories went."

"As for Revion and Khalia, we will need someone with powerful magic for that. Would Dinvaya maybe know how?"

I laughed when I realized we're both right. We're talking about two different groups of bodies.

"Oh sure, I'd be glad to help you get back into your own body. Not sure how that would work exactly, but you went one way, you should be able to go back."

"I'm no spell chucker though, so I dunno how we keep 'em fresh."

"Let's get these other folk buried, and get you going just as quick as we can."

Rhoreen is dizzied about the talk about burying the dead, and will do her part to make the excavations a success by keeping a good and thorough watch on the proceedings from high above so that none might assault the work.

”Hyrsek? Weren’t you hunting Therace? I don’t recall that we have found them, and I feel that we should discuss if we can aid you further. You have helped us, we should help you,” Rhoreen asks when she has a chance. ”What are your plans?”

Are there any checks that Rhoreen could make that might help answer the questions above? About burial or about reviving bodies? I’m not sure how much Rhoreen would know. She would answer if she could. She would be smug about it, of course, and she would answer.

1d20 + 21 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 21 + 2 = 35 Know (Arcana)
1d20 + 18 + 2 ⇒ (14) + 18 + 2 = 34 Know (Religion)

Zzvkgrogk checks the Kyton's remains carefully for intellect devourer entrance and exit wounds.

"I could have sworn they were dating..."

”As for Revion and Khalia, we will need someone with powerful magic for that. Would Dinvaya maybe know how?"

”Oh, no. Sadly I do not think ClockMother Dinvaya has that kind of power … yet. One must be worthy in Brigh’s eyes.” I am not. He lowers his head for some reason. He then looks up brightly. "Surely though she will get there some day."

He does his best to help the others carry and bury. ”Do we need a refresh, or shall we head out to find this Therace and on then to Silver Mount?” A thought occurs to him.

”Heey, Hyrsek, have you ever told us why there is a bounty on this Therace’s head? Promise not to judge, just wondering what might motivate him to head in any given direction. Can you tell us who in Starfall is interested in finding him?”

Rhoreen examines the bodies and reaches the conclusion the bodies are under some type of stasis magic that prevents them from decaying. She concludes Paajgat was able to cast gentle repose and that's the way she preserved the bodies for so long.

She is just so smart that she notices that was a valuable power for Maukui, for it gave him the ability to preserve the powerful body of the dragon for as long as he wanted. That explains why the Intellect Devourer did request for the group to kill everyone but the kyton.

She determines the bodies will be well preserved for a week before they need another gentle repose.

Hyrsek smirks "Well, Rhoreen, I'm glad my relentless heroics have finally caught your eye" he says with a wry tone "Once we find Therrace, I plan to head back to Starfall. If you want to buy something, Yambul, it's the place to be. Anything you desire, you'll find it there" his gaze flickers briefly to Khalia, softening just slightly "Besides, good company always makes the road shorter"

The ridge pointed by Rūha is nearby, and though a non trivial climb, you can certainly be there before the sunset.