PF2E Stolen Fate

Game Master andreww

I thought there were only three portals in Harrowheart that opened onto the Stairs, suggesting that we're looking for only three cards. We have one from Shaldar and one from Ndede, which should leave only one, but Arodeth claims that she has one, as well as Endlo (let alone what Drustan might be carrying). Did I miss something?

I moved Slick through the next couple of rooms. It appears that 12 is the sparring chamber and that the next room (13) is Arodeth's office/records room.

While Arodeth is talking, a memory comes to him. "You mention Dursween using fiends. This reminds me of a little altercation we had in Absalom with a colorfully named individual called Vharnev the Butcher. He carried a feather token like the ones your men have, so maybe you've heard of him. He also happened to be in the company of several fiends and was very much interested in obtaining our Harrow cards. Unfortunately for him, his skills in combat did not match his bravado. You may want to scratch him off your payroll."

Slick is happy to hear that Arodeth capitulated to all their demands. He's not particularly happy at the idea of letting her leave with what he suspects are quite valuable possessions, but the idea of robbing an old lady who yielded to him in battle does not sit well, so he shrugs the thought away. "Very well, you may take whatever belongings you have in this room, and whatever belongings of yours remain in your chamber. As long as you and your remaining men leave peacefully, we will not harm any of them."

"And, I wouldn't worry about the harpies taking over the Stairs. If they choose to remain after you depart, they will meet the same fate as Vharnev and his fiendish friends."

Billy nods as Slick tells Arodeth of Vharnev. He chuckles as Slick advises "scratching him off the payroll". When Slick mentions "Dursween", Billy starts to say, "It's Drus...oh never mind."

As Arodeth discusses the terms of the negotiation, Billy pleasantly agrees, "Fair enough, great lady!" As Arodeth collects her belongings, Billy thinks to add, "If you ever find yourself in Absalom, please look me up at The Gutless Griffin. First round is on me!" He raises his own mug of mead as a toast, and drinks it down.

"Your terms are acceptable. I would, however, like to propose a side deal between the two of us..." Sigourney proposes.

"We are both magic users of the prepared variety. We learn our magic through years of studying from other magic users and I respect that in a person. I would like to propose an exchange of spells. Though our traditions of magic may be different, there are quite a number of spells that can be cast by both Primal and Arcane users." Sigourney says. "I am willing to teach you any spells you may not know that both our traditions share. In exchange, I'd like to look at your spellbook and learn spells from there. I'll even throw in spellcasting services if you would prefer - I can remove curses, diseases, or poisons...among other things."

"I understand you want to leave quickly before Drustan arrives. We don't have to exchange spells now...But if you ever find yourself in Absalom, look for me through my compatriots. We can discuss the finer details of our exchange then." She finishes her spiel. She doesn't expect Arodeth to agree after the party killed so many of her men and Slick antagonised her - but it's still worth a try.

Sigourney will use her Diplomacy to Request if needed. She'll even use her Harrow skill reroll with the +4 bonus if her initial attempt doesn't work.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (16) + 15 = 31

Diplomacy, Harrow reroll: 1d20 + 15 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 15 + 4 = 37

There should normally be four cards here at the start of the part but I moved one to Sigourney so she had one when she joined. Drustan does have another card which he has just obtained so if you want it you are going to have to wait for him. You may also want to deal with the Harpies.

Arodeth flinches at the mention of the name Vharnev. Yes, I know him. He was one of Durstans lieutenants. It seems his interest in these cards has been longer running than I thought.

With that she heads out. She shows you the path through the antechamber to avoid the trap and warns that it will likely reset every hour. She heads down the stairs to talk to Endlo. There is a lot of shouting, swearing and general disagreeableness but eventually he seems to relent. Arodeth returns and hands you two cards, her own, The Rakshasa, and Endlo's, the Publican (details on Roll20).

She heads to the north and returns carry a heavy pack. lancing at Pine she smiles and says, You can keep the cloak, never liked it anyway. Turning to Sigourney she says, Yes, that would be interesting. I will likely be in Absalom in a month or two. Ask for me at the Grand Lodge.

Gathering her men together they head off at a dog trot across the plains to the south.

With the place now in your hands you have time to explore.

The Mess Hall contains a lot of boxes, barrels and crates containing mundane equipment. Initially it appears there is nothing of interest until Billy spots a seam in the wall behind them. Shifting the boxes you expose a carefully hidden secret door. Opening it reveals a clammy, dusty, rubble filled little nook. Amongst the wreckage of some ancient desk you find a book, bound in black leather, which is clearly magical. Thassilonian runes cover the surface and the book is warm to the touch. Tucked inside are a pair of scrolls.

Arodeths office contains many stone plates inscribed with Thassilonian runes. Arodeth has collected a section of them on her desk. If you want to spend an hour or so you may make sense of them.

As for other loot you obtain from your defeated foes you find the following:

8 x steel-colored bird feather token, +1 chainmail, +1 composite longbow (20 arrows), +1 striking longsword, signal whistle, steel shield

3 x steel‑colored bird feather token, +1 striking halberd, moderate healing potion, +1 scale mail, spellbook (contains 6th baleful polymorph, chain lightning; 5th dispel magic, vampiric touch; 3rd haste, true strike; Cantrips (6th) acid splash, mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost, shield)

I dont recall if you looted the treasury or not?

I'm assuming I've finished refocusing by this point then?

As Arodeth heads down the stairs to talk to Endlo, Sigourney starts to chastise Slick.

"That was extremely foolish. If your coercion did not work she could have attacked and we would all have died. What then?"

She stops arguing once she sees or hears Arodeth come back to the room. She sees Arodeth and her men off. "Yes, let us meet at the Grand Lodge in Absalom. Safe travels to you." She says in a cordial tone as the Band of Blades departs.

Sigourney instantly picks up the spellbook from the dead Magi and looks through it. "Do any of you want any of the spells in this book? If not, I'll feed it to Reginald. Both myself and Reginald would appreciate the new spells, especially Baleful Polymorph. Always wanted to try and turn someone into a newt..." She calls out to the group.

Sigourney is instantly all over the clearly magical book. Using her knack for quickly identifying magical items, she gives the book and the first scroll a quick 6 second glance each. She instantly recognises the potent magical power in the Grimoire.

Arcana, Book: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (20) + 26 = 46

"By the mask of Nethys...I...It's beautiful...I want this. I'll buy all of you out if I have to, but I NEED this grimoire." She says, wonder and awe etched all over her features.

While she had no issue recognising the spell in the first scroll, her awe was instantly replaced with a look of utter revulsion. Reginald, who was on her shoulder looking over the scroll, audibly hisses with unnatural, primal aggression.

Arcana, Scroll 1: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (14) + 26 = 40

"This scroll turns you into a demon. I won't use this. I suggest we burn it or if we really must, sell it to someone who will lock it away forever." She warns the party.

The other scroll required her to use her long neglected Crafting ability. It takes slightly longer for her to identify but she eventually manages it.

Crafting, Scroll 2: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (17) + 22 = 39

"Huh. This scroll teaches you to do magical 'Sin' tattoos, in the style of the ancient Runelords. Those wizards believed in the now outdated theory that magic falls into 7 magical schools. It seems that these tattoos would protect their wearer from magical damage, so long as the wearer casts spells from the corresponding school." Sigourney is suddenly lost in thought.

"If only there was a way to modernise the usage of the tattoos to suit our current understanding of magic...I will need to study the art of tattoo crafting in the future." She muses to herself.

I have no idea how this tattoo is supposed to work with Remaster rules. It's your call GM, but I'm not sure how to interpret this item.

After identifying the items, she makes her way to Arodeth's office, making sure to follow Arodeth's instructions so as to avoid the pressure plates. She makes a beeline for the stone tablets in the room with Thassilonian script on them. While she has not spoken the language since her time spent studying to be a Wizard, she is able to slowly decipher the script. She spends an hour reading the stone plates and getting very annoyed if anyone disturbs her during this time.

Once she has finished reading the tablets, she tells the party about what they contain.

"It appears that these tablets are instruction manuals regarding the operation of the statues of the Runelord Karzoug. Seems like those statues could shoot beams of fire and ice out of the statue's eyes...so long as we insert special crystals into the statues." Annoyance starts to creep into her tone. "You know what's funny though? These tablets describe the location of those crystals as an area behind a mural and a boundary to Leng, guarded by 'shining gardeners'. We've already been there. And thanks to someone who thoughtlessly destroyed all the crystals there with some kind of sonic spell, I don't know if we can even Activate Karzoug's Glare anymore. Thanks Slick." She says bitterly.

Don't take it the wrong way Slick. Player to player, I'm not upset at you. But I think Sigourney would absolutely be upset that these magical crystals were destroyed. Also, we definitely looted the treasury after killing Ndede.

As Arodeth is leaving and making plans to meet with Sigourney at the Grand Lodge, Billy calls out, "Don't forget about me! I'll be at the Gutless Griffin. First round's on me."

Later, in Arodeth's office, Billy is about to cast Comprehend Language when Sigourney surprises the group with her Thassilonian. The bard agrees the tablets describe our previous locations. As Sigourney is admonishing Slick, Billy is quick to point out, "We were able to repair one of the crystals. We may be able to repair more." He pauses and adds, "Although, to what end? Karzoug's Glare was a danger that we would've needed to disable anyway." He shrugs.

As the group is discussing their newfound harrow cards, Billy examines The Publican and laughs, "Looks like the artist got inspiration from the Griffin itself, eh Slick?" Holding the card, Billy gets a feel for it and says, "I'm not sure the Heroes Feast ritual will be very useful, but I'm always trying to make good impressions on potential new fans..."

Not wanting to be thought of as greedy, Billy considers the cards already invested, "The Paladin card has come in handy, but I'm a lucky halfling. Perhaps it would be of more use to one of you. Maybe a trade in the morning?"
No need to swap cards yet, since they get invested during Daily Prep.

After the group has completed searching, Billy suggests, "Before tackling the harpys, do we think this place is safe enough for a night's rest?"

Slick grins as Sigourney chastises him for trying to intimidate Arodeth into compliance. "In my experience, you can't be too nice to people like that old bird; if you show any weakness, they'll run right over you and not look back. They'll only take you seriously if you press your advantage over them and not let them wriggle loose." His smile broadens. "And look where we are now? Still alive, with the cards, and without the bandits on the Stairs; you can't really argue with success, right? Ha, ha"

Glad that Sigourney's attention is redirected to the old book she found, Slick gets on with collecting all the dead guards' equipment and other loot the Band of Blades left behind when they decamped. He ships them all back to Harrowheart for later processing, and returns to the Stairs.

When the subject of the destroyed crystals comes up and their now erstwhile use as part of a beam weapon in the statues of the Runelord Karzoug, Slick shrugs. "I'm actually kind of glad those crystals are history. The last thing we need is for someone to reactivate that kind of weapon on the Stairs. I say let dead crystals lie and not worry about trying to fix them. A patched weapon usually does more damage to the wielder than any opponent."

As he goes about his work, Slick repeatedly calls on Gorum for healing. Once at full health, he says, "I agree with Billy. A good night's rest before we tackle the harpies and Dumpstain sounds like just the thing."

Slick has 3 cards invested, so has room to invest 2 more. The Rakshasa might work great if he can find a pledged follower (or two at 15th level, or three at 18th) worth the effort of dragging around with us, otherwise it is of limited use. On the other hand, for me, the RP possibilities of such a follower are very exciting, especially if I get to play them. Maybe we can work with the GM to come up with an acceptable candidate. The Paladin's 1/day saving throw step-up is definitely useful, but the whole extra Shield Block reaction seems less useful given that he doesn't use a physical shield and rarely pops up a magical one. But given that he has two available slots, I'm happy to use both cards if we agree that's the way to go.

Sigourney grumbles. She knows that Slick has a point. The coercion did help the party succeed in their objective and she knows that a dangerous weapon may be better off broken. However, she doesn't really want to admit that to Slick's face so she goes off and sulks in a corner while waiting for her Patron's Life Boost to heal her to full.

After that, she approaches Pine and Billy and asks them if they want to experiment with riding Marvelous Mounts in preparation for tomorrow's activities.

Regardless of their answer, she starts setting out her things in silent agreement. A good rest would help.

Sigourney doesn't want the other cards. Take them. Also, I was considering giving the suggestion to resurrect someone and get a pledged follower that way in character - but I think Sigourney's a bit too tired and frazzled to consider it.

"Sigourney, if she thought she had a chance to kill us she wouldn't have 'not surrendered.' Letting her go might be more dangerous..."

Pine checks on everyone's injuries (including tending unconscious bad guys and any other bad guys who want him to) while the others look over the loot. "Um. I know the statues were built to attack people at the bottom of the stairs, but can they only aim down? They're magic, so maybe they have better range than they were built for--can we shoot them at harpies in the sky?"

He hesitates. "I think this place is safe, but if we take that long they're gonna notice something is up, probably."

"Look, there's nothing wrong with letting a magical mass murderer go free in my book so long as we stand to gain out of it. Given that we've got their loot, their Stairs and importantly their magic, I see this as an absolute win." Sigourney retorts in an attempt to justify her actions.

I had completely forgotten that we had left a few bad guys unconscious in the treasury room. Did they end up leaving too? Could be bonded follower material.

Sigourney is taken aback by the very clever point that Pine made about aiming the statues. She double checks the tablets again before responding.

I think the tablets would talk about aiming if it were possible, but that's something I'll need the GM to elaborate upon.

"You're right. Maybe we should try and pluck a few feathers before we call it a day? Perhaps...this means that you might need a ride, Pine?" Sigourney says, trying to convince Pine to have a Marvelous Mount spell cast on him. She's actually never used this spell before and is excited to try it out.

"The stairs are pretty tall," he agrees.

Sigourney conjures up a fantastical beast that she's only seen in a book. She recalls a recent story she read about strange, mechanical, wheeled constructs from Alkenstar that move at frightening speeds. Drawing from that memory, she spends 10 minutes to create for Pine a Marvelous Mount just like the one she pictured.

The beams can be aimed fairly freely, unfortunately you destroyed the only power source.

"Oh wow. That is also tall."

Pine clambers up onto the strange mount. "...are wheels good on giant stairs?"

Sigourney coughs. "Sorry, my voice was rather strange for a few seconds." She literally lends Pine a guiding hand and nudges him to the front seat.

"No, actually I don't believe these constructs move with the "wheels". Look at them! They have cracks and dents in them. I believe these are protective coverings used to shield the real thing keeping these going..." She waves a hand and beckons the construct to rise. From below the undercarriage, 8 legs sprout from the chassis and push the vehicle to a standing position.

"The book I learnt of this construct from didn't specify, but clearly a complex construct of this caliber walks on magically generated legs." Sigourney says in a smug know-it-all tone. "This construct will take you up the stairs easily, should you Command it to do so. Want to take it for a test run?" She says to Pine.

"Oh, and if the rest of you want a different strange and marvelous mount to ride tomorrow, let me know and I'll generate something." She offers to the rest of the group.

The group gather together the various pieces of loot and are able to bed down in the quarters to the south. For now the Harpies seem disinterested about what is going on but the longer you leave things the more likely they are to notice something is up and come looking.

However, for now you all gain a good nights rest. Examining the crystals, you did indeed repair one of them but destroying it expended the energy it had stored. Examining the records makes it clear that they can be recharged but that such work is tightly bound up with the presence of the Shining Children. Who you killed.

The following day dawns cold and crisp. A thin frost lines your bedrolls but you can quickly get a fire going and manage a hot breakfast. A peek out of the door shows that the harpies guarding the upper barricade remain on watch. You do notice them glancing down to the, now abandoned, southern barricade. You know that Queen Kawlinawk nests in the head o the eastern statue (the bottom one on the map) and that she has at least two further warbirds guarding her. It is quite likely that any conflict with either group is likely to draw the attention of the other group. The statues are some 500' high so any relief, in either direction, is likely to take some time.

So, what is the plan to deal with the harpies or do you intend to ignore them until Drustan returns? That could complicate things significantly.

Slick mulls over the situation with the harpies. "We're all going to have to be flying to take care of the harpies. Why don't we cast our flight spells, and then using the tower as cover from the harpies at the barricade, fly up to the head of the statue and take care of the queen and her sidekicks first. They'll be the toughest nuts to crack, but we'll be at full strength so it shouldn't be a big deal. Hopefully we'll be done with them before the barricade harpies show up to see what all the hullabaloo is about."

Slick then prepares to activate his baldric and take to the sky.

Sigourney is still rather peeved that a unique magical artifact is now permanently destroyed and unable to be reactivated. She silently seethes and complains under her breath to Reginald, who is helpless to do anything but listen to Sigourney rant.

As the new day dawns on the party, Sigourney does her extensive daily preparation. She finds that with the Major Endless Grimoire she claimed, she can prepare even more of her patron's magic every day. What a great find! As she mulls over what spells to choose she thinks about the prospect of facing Drustan and his fiends. Immediately, she notices her patron's displeasure through the sudden rush of anger suddenly flooding her mind. Her patron immediately sends over to Sigourney two spells which are incredibly effective against fiends! The unspoken instruction, which is to use it against the fiends, is noticed by Sigourney. She nods silently in acknowledgement. The rest of the selection is left up to Sigourney, who decides to have some fun by selecting spells she hasn't used before.

As Slick is about to activate his Baldric, Sigourney attempts to stop him. "Not so fast, Slick. I agree with your plan but there's more magical preparation to be done." She gestures to Pine. "I've got to set Pine up with his magical mount first. This will take 10 minutes to cast, please be patient." She spends 10 minutes creating for Pine the same magical mount she cast for him yesterday.

After she finishes the long spell, she moves to Slick. "As thanks for your patience, I have something for you that will help against the Harpies." She Casts 4th Rank Mountain Resilience on him. As Slick's skin starts transforming into the colour and hardness of the stones of the Storval Stairs, Sigourney can't help but explain how the spell works. "With this spell, your skin will be as resilient as a mountain. You won't be harmed as much by physical attacks for the next...20 minutes or so, I think. You can Baldric up now." With that, Sigourney moves aside and prepares to Cast 4th Rank Fly on herself from her knife-wand, readying herself to take flight. She puts it away after she finishes casting the spell.

"Oh, I just remembered. I do have more buffs I can cast on you lot before the fight starts but they don't last as long. Let's try and get as close as we can before I cast them on the rest of you." She adds.

Reginald comes out of her sleeve. Noticeably, a pair of scaly, leathery silver-coloured wings have sprouted from his back. He flies up to Sigourney's side and readies himself to follow her.

Exploration Activity: Investigate

In the morning, Billy swaps The Paladin for The Publican with Slick, and goes through his morning routine.

Billy shuffles his harrow deck and draws a Harrow Omen card.
Harrower Dedication to choose his Harrow Omen and Reading the Signs allows drawing 2 cards to choose from.
Harrow Omen Suit - 1:Hammers (Strikes), 2:Keys (Reflex), 3:Shields (Fort), 4:Books (Skill), 5:Stars (Will), 6:Crowns (Other): 1d6 ⇒ 4
Harrow Omen Suit - 1:Hammers (Strikes), 2:Keys (Reflex), 3:Shields (Fort), 4:Books (Skill), 5:Stars (Will), 6:Crowns (Other): 1d6 ⇒ 1

It doesn't take the bard long to discard the Hammers suit in favor of Books. Header updated with active harrow omen.

Billy thinks Slick's plan is a fine one and he's happy to wait for Sigourney. Billy isn't the world's greatest battle strategist, so he's easy to please. When the group is ready, Billy sings out a couple refrains to grant flight for himself and haste for the group.

♫"A human or a bird? Sharp teeth -- they are a fright.
A battle this absurd? Requires we have flight."♫
Billy casts Fly on himself. Duration: 5 mins.

♫"To help us win the day, our movements must be quick.
I'm Billy, here to stay! With Sigourney, Pine, and Slick."♫
Billy casts Haste (7th rank). Duration: 1 min.

"I can only fly for about a minute at a time before I need to rest my wings for a while. I do have a spell, though!"

Pinebrush focuses on the others for about a minute. "Now you can breathe underwater! Um, it probably won't come up. But it lasts all day, so I might as well try it. I need to practice magic anyway."

He looks quizzically at the mechanical mount Sigourney summoned for him. Not at all stealthy or subtle. But also... he understands why she thinks it will help him on the stairs, but when her plan is to fly up? He points at it. "Can it fly?"

"Look, if you'd prefer I can just carry you in my hand until we get close enough to start fighting them. Then you fly off my palm." Sigourney offers to Pine.

"No this thing can't fly at this level of magical power. I could make one that can fly but I wouldn't personally ride something so flimsy into combat. You can park this thing by the door and use it later when the fly spells wear off." She explains.

She makes a mental note to herself to dunk her head underwater in the nearest barrel later to test out Pine's magic.

Sigourney starts arguing with the group as she realises the problems with Slick's plan.

"Uhm no actually we will get spotted if we follow Slick's plan. None of us can make the party invisible so if we fly up we'll be spotted either by the harpies on the top of the statue or the top of the barricade. New plan. We charge the Harpies at the top of the Stairs first. Since three of us can Fly for the next few minutes we can just Fly up the stairs to them. Pine can ride his Mount up the Stairs and Fly when he needs to. Also, I intend to blow a bunch of Harpies up with a spell. Try not to get in the way." She counter-proposes.

If the party agrees to follow her plan, she casts Rousing Splash on herself, bolstering her vitality temporarily. With her free hand, she opens the door and readies herself for a fight.

Rousing Splash Temp HP: 7d4 ⇒ (3, 3, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3) = 24

The group make their preparations before bursting out onto the concourse. Heading towards the stairs you are quickly spotted by the harpies who are on alert given the southern guards have disappeared.

I have Billy and Slick with Fly and Pine on a Marvellous Mount. As a reminder, the Mount is a Minion so you must command it, that will give it 2 actions to move you. While mounted you take a -2 penalty to reflex saves and may, depending on the circumstances, gain cover from enemies. Very short duration buffs like Haste need to be in combat really. 2E really doesnt support that sort of pre buffing.

Terrain: The stairs are greater difficult terrain for medium or small creatures or must be climbed for tiny creatures. The barricade at the top is 10' high. The stairs themselves rise about 100' between the platform you are on and the barricade.

Initiative
Slick : 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (12) + 23 = 35
Billy : 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (19) + 23 = 42, +2 item visual, +2 circ scout
Pinebrush: 1d20 + 26 ⇒ (6) + 26 = 32, stealth, Perception +22, +1 circ if visual, +2 circ scout
Sigourney: 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25, +2 circ scout

With the group no longer attempting to hide their presence, something that, if it continued, could get himself thrown in bard-jail, Billy casts Musical Accompaniment before heading outside.

He then activates his The Carnival harrow card to possibly get a glimpse of someone new we may face today.
Note: Due to the Carnival card, it's a DC 4 flat check, not DC 6.

Upon seeing the enemies, the bard sings out,

♫"The harpies -- they're not far ahead.
They'll wish they had just stayed in bed.
.....They'll regret their harassing.
.....And get a kick-assing.
By the end of my song, they'll be dead."♫

Lingering Performance +VirtPerf +Mask +Music, DC 31: 1d20 + 24 + 2 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 24 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 47
Crit Success => Courageous Anthem Duration: 4 rounds. Range: 60'. Cost: 1 focus point.

He follows that up with a quickened refrain (repeated from earlier...):
♫"To help us win the day, our movements must be quick.
I'm Billy, here to stay! With Sigourney, Pine, and Slick."♫
Billy casts Haste (7th rank) affecting up to 6 allies (including Pine's mount and Reginald?). Duration: 1 min.

◇ Lingering Composition, ◆ Courageous Anthem, ◆◆ Haste

Sigourney is surprised that she actually got the jump on the harpies.

"Oh? I got to move first? I thought they'd have charged us or something by now."

She thinks about what she knows about the fighting style of these particular harpies. Recalling Knowledge on Harpies with modifiers of Arcana: 26, Crafting: +22, Nature: + 24, Occultism: +20, Religion: +20, Society +24, Lore: Loremaster + 20. Question to ask: How do these species of Harpies like to fight? For clarification, by how do they like to ask I mean whether they like to fly down and kite their prey, whether they seem like spellcasters or prefer to make ranged strikes, or whether they prefer to just strike their foe until they are dead.

She then uses a new spell! Inspired by Billy's music, she creates a melody of ephemeral music directly at the point where Blue and Red Harpy are perching. A phantom orchestra creates an explosion of sound which rocks their bodies!

"Hear this! Leave this place at once!" She says as she casts her spell.

I counted 115 feet of distance between my initial position and the harpies. If they are not in range initially, Sigourney would Stride first then Cast the spell.

DC 32 Fortitude Save, Sonic: 8d6 + 1 ⇒ (1, 5, 6, 1, 3, 5, 4, 2) + 1 = 28 to Blue and Red Harpy.

With her hasted action she Strides 25 feet up to the staircase. Reginald flies alongside her.

◆ Recall Knowledge, ◆◆ Phantom Orchestra, ◆ Stride

Slick looks up the stairs and at the harpies perched on the distant barricade. He tries to gauge distances and sighs. It was going to take some time to reach the harpies, assuming they didn't come down to attack him in the meantime. "Oh well. Nothing for it. Let's get this show on the road." And with a "last one there's a rotten egg." at his friends, he takes off flying, skimming along the tops of the steps in the direction of the harpies.

Action 1 (◆): Stride and Haste (45 feet)

Action 2 (◆): Fly (45 feet) with Fly Spell

Action 3 (◆): Fly (45 feet) with Fly Spell

Action 4 (◆): Fly (45 feet) with Fly Spell

The stairs rise 100' (20 squares) vertically, but are only 55' (11 squares) horizontally, so they go 2 squares up for every 1 square forward. Slick first moves 3 squares E. He then repeatedly moves one square directly up, followed by a square diagonally up and E (which alternates between 5 and 4 squares of movement). This should keep him floating just above each step level. With 36 squares of movement, Slick will move [3E] + [2U1E(4),2U1E(5)] +[2U1E(4),2U1E(5)] + [2U1E(4),2U1E(5)], for a total of 9 squares East and 12 squares Up. He will end his turn 0' in the air above the 6th step square.

Going up the stairs is difficult terrain. I wouldn't account for diagonal movement separately, would I?
Wait, it's not difficult terrain for Large creatures? Well, if I'm reading that right then that mount is a big help. And if I'm not I will... need to revise.
EDIT: Okay, assuming it's still regular difficult terrain and making adjustments.

Pinebrush urges the contraption forward. The oversized steps that would have been a huge problem for him to cover with any speed, and that even slow Slick down a lot, prove no trouble for the larger creature's much longer legs. Well, less trouble.

He approaches the harpies quickly enough that it even surprises himself. "Oh, hello," he says, "I suggest you just surrender, because otherwise we'll have to keep doing this."

Unfortunately he can barely see over the flat board-thing in front of him, which limits his options a little. Pointing his rapier, he uses his magic to jab at a harpy from halfway down the stairs.

◆ Command an Animal
> ◆ Stride
> ◆ Stride
> ◆ Stride
◆◆ Extending Strike Rapier (courageous anthem, Off-Guard): 1d20 + 26 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 26 + 1 = 31 for piercing (ca): 3d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (4, 6, 1) + 3 + 1 = 15, fire: 1d6 ⇒ 1, and precision damage: 3d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 1) = 7
◆ Strike Whip (ca, MAP): 1d20 + 26 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (15) + 26 + 1 - 5 = 37 for nonlethal slashing: 3d4 + 3 ⇒ (1, 4, 2) + 3 = 10 and precision damage: 3d6 ⇒ (3, 1, 1) = 5 Can't do, not in position--can't use this action since it's restricted to actions Pine can't use right now.
◇ Debilitating Strike: If the attack hits, Enfeebled 1 for one round.
↺ Sidestep

Billy inspires his companions and speeds them up while Slick flies up the stairs.

Sigourney advances and creates a cacophony of music to add to Billy's music. Red is only mildly perturbed but Blue clutches her ears and screams in pain. She recognises that these are obviously harpies and as such will be able to do unleash magical effects with their voices. As to these particular harpies she is not sure how they fight. She can see that they are wielding halberds and also carry bows.

Beaten by the rare adjustment I am afraid

Pine rolls forward on his magical carriage and surprise stabs Blue!

I have assumed Blue given she crit failed the orchestra save, you dont specify who you targeted. Blue takes 23 damage and is enfeebled 1

True to their nature, Red begins to warble a strange and melancholic song.

Pausing here to give Billy the option to use Counter Performance if he wants to.

As mentioned in the Discord, Counter Performance has an emanation of just 60'. :(

Billy hears one of the harpies begin to warble, and considers countering the song with a better one of his own. However, when he notices Slick and Pine too far away, he calls out, "Unfortunately, I'm not close enough for my magic to help you." His beautiful theatric voice trails off, as his friends get farther ahead.

GM Andrew, would The Carnival card have given us any insight into the day's activities? "One of these people looks more genuine than the others and resembles someone you're likely to meet for the first time in the next 24 hours (if anyone)." Specifically, I was hoping that this might give us a hint about meeting Drustan later today. (DC 4 flat check)

The harpies crooning is seductive but most of the group do not fall for it.

Pausing to see if Pine has a reroll

Wow, that lady's seductive voice is really entrancing.
Wait. "Seductive lady"? That's silly! Clearly this is magic, and therefore he should resist it.

Stars Reroll: 1d20 + 19 ⇒ (8) + 19 = 27

Pine shakes his head, overcoming the strange music. With a snarl red takes to the air and descends towards Pine.

She flies down and is now 10' above Pine on his mount. She is out of Pines rapier reach.

Green, seeing the group unaffected by their songs, swoops down at Pine and strikes. The first blow is rather clumsy and Pine redirects it a the first enemy harpy and she is too slow to duck out of the way. Enraged, Green lashes out again at Pine, landing a solid blow.

Pine takes 23 damage

Blue swoops down to join in the mobbing of Pine. She lands one solid blow.

Pine takes 35 damage

"Ah! Why are you mean bird people so mean!? All I did was stab--okay yeah I figured it out."

◆ Command an animal
> ◆ Step
> ◆ Step
> ◆ Can't be a Step, might as well Stride. Still in Red's reach, so it provokes from her.
◆ Create a Diversion against Blue's Perception DC Deception: 1d20 + 23 ⇒ (16) + 23 = 39
◇ Drop whip
◆ Swap rapier for bow
◆ Strike Longbow: 1d20 + 24 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 24 + 1 = 37 for piercing damage: 1d8 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6 and if the Diversion worked add Sneak Attack: 3d6 ⇒ (1, 5, 4) = 10
◇ If the Diversion worked and the Strike hit, Debilitating Strike for 3d6 persistent bleed
↺ Sidestep

Billy hears the awful singing of the harpies. It offends him. He calls out, "If you need a new voice coach, I know several ..." His voice trails off as he realizes it would be futile. Billy strides to the edge of the stairs and calls out to the harpies,

♫"I'm music -- I'm the bard. I'm better at this rhyming.
You make it seem so hard. In flight, I'm double-timing."♫
He casts Time Jump to fly over the stairs, so his friends can enjoy proper musical inspiration.
Note: Time Jump explicitly says it may be used with Fly (and other) speeds.

Finally, within range of the enemies, Billy sings a new song to drown out the harpies' incessant screeching.

♫"Your music is not pleasing. Let's end it right away.
I'm Billy ... always cheesing! Enjoy my color ray!"♫

He sends a Chromatic Ray at the most injured one.
Targeting Blue, whom I hope is within 30'. If not, I'll adjust.

Chromatic Ray (6th rank) + CA, vs Blue: 1d20 + 22 + 1 ⇒ (17) + 22 + 1 = 40
1:Red (40 fire dmg), 2:Orange (50 acid dmg), 3:Yellow (60 elec dmg), 4:Green (35 poison dmg + enfeebled), 5:Blue (Flesh to Stone), 6:Indigo (Confusion), 7:Violet (Slowed) + teleport, 8:Intense (Dazzle/Blind + reroll): 1d8 ⇒ 3
Electricity Damage + Dangerous Sorcery: (60) + 6 = 66
If crit, double damage.

Slick and Pine should now be well within Billy's 60' CA aura.
◆ Stride (hasted), ◆ Time Jump (Fly x2), ◆◆ Chromatic Ray

Slick hears the harpies crooning as they descend on Pinebrush and his mount, but their voices have no power over him and just sound like wordless screeching to his ear. "Come over here and pick on someone your own size, you overgrown chickens." Not waiting for a response, he climbs up the rest of the steps and then launches himself at them like an avenging angel.

I'm going to delay on Sigourney in case she decides to try and debuff or AoE the harpies in some way before Slick shows up in their midst. I suggest that Pine delay on Slick so that he can Gang Up on them for the Sneak Attack.

Action (◇): Delay: Until end of Sigourney's turn.

By my calculations, Slick can climb up the stairs and then fly up to attack the harpies. He should be at their level, whetever that is.

I'm targeting the most injured and enfeebled Blue harpy in an effort to take it out this round. If Blue goes down, then he'll switch to Red.

Actions 1 & 2 (◆◆): Sudden Charge
- Action: Stride (45 feet)
- Action: Fly (45 feet) with Fly Spell
- Action: Strike (+2 Greater Striking Grievous Greatsword) with Courageous Anthem vs Blue (or Red) Harpy.

Greatsword Attack: 1d20 + 26 + 2 + 1 ⇒ (16) + 26 + 2 + 1 = 45
Greatsword Damage: 3d12 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (10, 5, 11) + 9 + 1 = 36 slashing damage

Action 3 (◆): Strike (+2 Greater Striking Grievous Greatsword) with Courageous Anthem and MAP1 vs Off-Guard? Blue (or Red) Harpy.

Greatsword Attack: 1d20 + 26 + 2 + 1 - 5 ⇒ (16) + 26 + 2 + 1 - 5 = 40 vs Off-Guard?
Greatsword Damage: 3d12 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (1, 8, 7) + 9 + 1 = 26 slashing damage

Action 4 (◆): Strike (+2 Greater Striking Grievous Greatsword) with Courageous Anthem and MAP2 vs Off-Guard? Blue (or Red) Harpy.

Greatsword Attack: 1d20 + 26 + 2 + 1 - 10 ⇒ (8) + 26 + 2 + 1 - 10 = 27 vs Off-Guard?
Greatsword Damage: 3d12 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (6, 8, 7) + 9 + 1 = 31 slashing damage

Billy explodes up the stairs and unleashes a coruscating ray of electricity at Blue, who is instantly vaporized.

That's a crit

From behind and above you you hear raucous squawking and cries of protest as three more harpies emerge from the head of Karzoug's statue and begin flying down towards you.

I am going to resolve Slicks action now, while you specify that you want to delay for Sigourney thinking about it I would rather in that case you wait. Sigourneys actions should not have knowledge of what your results will be.

Slick hurtles up the stairs at the two harpies harassing Pine. As he closes on them, both take a swing at him. One catches him a nasty blow on the arm.

36 damage

He ploughs into red, wounding her badly with two powerful blows.

Two crits and a miss, just

Reginald sees his natural predator fly towards him and Sigourney. He squeaks in abject terror and retreats back into Sigourney's sleeve.

◇ Independent: Interact to enter sleeve

Sigourney sighs with disappointment."Come on now, Reginald. How are you supposed to contribute to combat if the slightest bit of danger causes you to flee?" She chastises the absent rat.

"Speaking of Fear...that gives me an idea." She comments to herself. She turns to face the harpies her party is fighting. With speed in her step, she tries to walk up the steps but gets exhausted climbing up the huge steps.
Due to greater difficult terrain, that's 10 feet up the steps and 5 feet on normal ground for a total of 15 feet in my Stride.

"Huff...Huff...By Nethys' nubile kneecaps, I should have just flown up these steps instead." Sigourney says, inbetween sharp intakes of breath. She flies 15 feet up the stairs such that both harpies are within 30 feet of her. She hovers over the ground, her feet just over the staircase.
Due to difficult terrain, that's 30 feet up the steps converted to 15 feet of movement. 10 (5 in difficult terrain) remains unused. 0 feet in the air.

Once within range, she starts to Cast a spell! She glares at the harpies and points two accusatory fingers at them as she says the words of power. "Be overcome by my Fearsome Presence!" As she screams these words into the air, the harpies within 60 feet of Sigourney start to feel a feeling of dread seep into their very bones. The air almost seems to get colder by the second as they feel that Sigourney has suddenly taken on the aspect of a frightful scaled creature were staring them down, daring them to flee!

DC 32 Will save against 3rd Rank Fear.

As the harpies either cower in fear or prepare to flee, Sigourney (hopefully) laughs at their misery. The Phantom Orchestra is activated again and creates a loud foghorn blare in the midst of the harpies, rattling their bones!

Cackle automatically Sustains Phantom Orchestra. Unlike Effortless Concentration, Cackle can be cast any time during my turn.

DC 32 Fort save against Phantom Orchestra. Sigourney will angle this burst such that it hits only the harpies and not the party. The burst should be angled in a way that it only looks like it gets the harpies, Pine and his mount. However, since the Harpies are using reach weapons, I intend to place the burst from a square at the altitude of the harpies, 10 feet over Pine and his mount. This should cause the burst to miss them.

Sonic Damage, Courageous Anthem: 8d6 + 1 ⇒ (5, 5, 1, 3, 3, 4, 3, 2) + 1 = 27

◆ Stride, ◆ Fly,◆◆ Fear, ◇ Cackle (Sustain Phantom Orchestra)

Hmph. Just out of reach. But Slick is helping! For starters, with their attention on him, Pine is freer to activate his magical rapier unhindered, thrusting it upward so that its blade lances towards the harpy. The uninjured one, with the aim of changing that.

Pinebrush stows his sword and whips out his bow (though his actual whip falls away, as even The Juggler can't help him hold it while firing a bow). Hopefully an arrow fired with impossible speed will finish off the injured one, and targeting the other one first won't prove a mistake, but she's awful close for a bowshot...

◆◆ Extending rune to Strike Green Rapier (ca): 1d20 + 26 + 1 ⇒ (8) + 26 + 1 = 35 for piercing: 3d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (6, 6, 1) + 3 + 1 = 17, fire: 1d6 ⇒ 3, and precision damage: 3d6 ⇒ (6, 3, 3) = 12. If crit, add deadly: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 2) = 9 and 1d10 fire damage, plus Off-Guard for a round. Green is Off-Guard to this attack due to Gang Up.
◇ Debilitating Strike if attack hits, can't use Reactions.
◇ Drop whip
◆ Swap rapier for bow
◆ Strike Red Bow (MAP, ca, Volley Off-Guard): 1d20 + 24 + 1 - 5 - 2 ⇒ (16) + 24 + 1 - 5 - 2 = 34 for piercing: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6 and precision damage: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 1, 1) = 4.
◇ Debilitating Strike if attack hits, 3d6 persistent bleed. On a crit, add deadly: 1d10 ⇒ 8. This attack is magical, if it matters, due to the Sprite's Magical Strikes. Red is Off-Guard due to Slick's crits.
↺ Sidestep

Sigourney trudges/flies up the stairs to get closer. She unleashes waves of fear at the harpies. Red seems frightened but Green is made of sterner stuff. The orchestra then descends on them and they, rather ironically, scream in pain at the horrific noise.

Pine surprise stabs Green who squawks angrily.

Thats a hit for 32 damage and no reactions.

Sorry, keep messing up. Head's been elsewhere.

The harpies hovering out of reach is a problem. If they couldn't be closer, couldn't they at least be further away?

Glaring at them, Pine's wings unfurl. He might have to leave Sigourney's construct, but he can take to the air, too, if he needs to.

Replace everything between the first Debilitating Strike and Sidestep with:
◆ Energize Wings

Red, having seen some of Pines tricks strikes out at him and then at Slick. She lands a nasty cut on Pines shoulder.

Thats a hit for 33 damage

She then flies around Slick to try and provide a flank for her ally. Sadly it is the last thing she does as Slick cuts her out of the air.

Curse the movement rules not allowing you to step while using anything other than stride.

Green, seeing Pines wings growing, takes a swing at him leaving a nasty gash to his face. Emboldened by her success she swings again but it is a wild blow and Pine nudges her weapon causing her to hit herself in the face!

30 to Pine, 21 to Green

She then decides discretion is the better part of valour and flies off to link up with her queen!

She has moved, she is still at the same elevation as previously so out of melee range at ground level. That shouldnt be an issue now though.

Seeing all 4 harpies gathered together so nicely off in the distance, Billy sings and casts Phantasmal Calamity.

♫"You harpies breed corruption. You really make me sick.
Try dealing with destruction! I'll be bravely behind Slick."♫

Mental Damage +Dangerous Sorcery: 11d6 + 6 ⇒ (6, 1, 5, 2, 1, 4, 4, 3, 1, 5, 6) + 6 = 44
Phantasmal Calamity: Range: 500'. Area: 30' burst (should hit all 4 harpies).
Basic Will save for each, DC 32. If crit-fail, additional Reflex Save vs trapped/stunned

Billy then climbs a couple steps to a) get closer to Pinebrush, and b) get strategically beyond Slick. From there, he slaps a tiny battle dressing on the tiny sprite.

Battle Medicine DC 20: 1d20 + 22 ⇒ (11) + 22 = 33
Damage Healed +Medic: 2d8 + 10 + 5 ⇒ (5, 5) + 10 + 5 = 25
Crit Damage Healed: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 4) = 11

◆◆ Phantasmal Calamity, ◆ Stride (hasted action), ◆ Battle Med

Billy unleashes horrors at the descending Harpy flight. The queen and one of her guards shriek in anger but the second guard clutches her head, gives a despairing scream and then crashes to the ground where she lies very still. He then provides a bit of relief to Pine.

You can only hit the three in flight as they are 260' up and green is very far away from them still. However, Orange critically failed the will save, failed the reflex save and became stunned for 1 minute. Unable to fly she promptly falls, taking 130 falling damage. As she is stunned she cannot use the arrest a fall reaction. Ouch.

Furious at this indignity the remaining guard descends on the nearest target which is, unfortunately, Sigourney. She hits but Sigourney barely notices, bolstered as she is by her magical fortitude.

The Queen also descends and takes a couple of shots at Billy. The first slices his arm but the second flies wide.

20 damage

One of the harpies tries to get behind Slick, but the half-elf isn't going to fall for that old trick and intercepts the creature with his greatsword. As the now ex-harpy drops to the stairs below, the other one makes a run for it. "Hey! Where you going? The party's only just begun." He takes off after the errant harpy and having caught up with it, slices away.

Pretty sure he's out of range of Courageous Anthem, so took it out of the equations.

Actions 1 & 2 (◆◆): Sudden Charge
- Action: Fly (45 feet) with Fly Spell
- Action: Fly (45 feet) with Fly Spell
- Action: Strike (+2 Greater Striking Grievous Greatsword) vs Green Harpy.

Greatsword Attack: 1d20 + 26 + 2 ⇒ (9) + 26 + 2 = 37
Greatsword Damage: 3d12 + 9 ⇒ (2, 7, 11) + 9 = 29 slashing damage

Action 3 (◆): Strike (+2 Greater Striking Grievous Greatsword) with MAP1 vs Green Harpy.

Greatsword Attack: 1d20 + 26 + 2 - 5 ⇒ (15) + 26 + 2 - 5 = 38
Greatsword Damage: 3d12 + 9 ⇒ (10, 11, 6) + 9 = 36 slashing damage

Action 4 (◆): Strike (+2 Greater Striking Grievous Greatsword) with Haste and MAP2 vs Green Harpy.

Greatsword Attack: 1d20 + 26 + 2 - 10 ⇒ (20) + 26 + 2 - 10 = 38
Greatsword Damage: 3d12 + 9 ⇒ (4, 9, 1) + 9 = 23 slashing damage

Delay for Pinebrush and Sigourney, unless they prefer Billy to go first...

With one more round of his anthem still lingering, Billy helps take on the near (purple) enemy. From a healthy distance, he sings,

♫"The harpies and their screeching. They won't be here for long.
These missiles: auto-seeking. Hey, do you like my song?"♫

Magic Missile (5th rank) + Dangerous Sorcery, vs Purple: 9d4 + 9 + 5 ⇒ (4, 2, 1, 4, 3, 2, 4, 4, 4) + 9 + 5 = 42

Billy then strides down the stairs.

◇ Delay for Pine/Sig, ◆◆◆ Magic Missile, ◆ Stride (hasted action)

Leaving behind the mechanical construct, Pine brushes his wayfinder with his fingertips to activate the protective magic contained within it. He... might need it at this point.

He swoops down on the nearest harpy, sting at the ready.
"All these big ugly birds picking on one little bug--and you can't even get me!"

◆ Dismount
◆ Cast shield using dusty rose aeon stone
◆ Fly into Purple's space (provoking RS)
◆ Strike Rapier: 1d20 + 26 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 26 + 1 = 34 for piercing: 3d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (5, 4, 2) + 3 + 1 = 15, fire: 1d6 ⇒ 2, and precision damage: 3d6 ⇒ (2, 6, 5) = 13. On crit, add 1d10 persistent fire and deadly: 2d8 ⇒ (7, 3) = 10
◇ Debilitating Strike to add 3d6 bleed
↺ Whichever is triggered first, Sidestep or Shield Block (hardness 10)

"AHHH! I'm in agony...No, I'll be fine. Good thing I came prepared!" Sigourney mocks the harpy as the blow hits, yet bounces off her magically bolstered form.

She notices Pine's injured state and decides to bolster his vitality a bit more. "Not today, Pine. Now get in there and hunker down!"

Heal (5th rank, 2 action): 5d8 + 43 ⇒ (6, 1, 5, 3, 2) + 43 = 60

She then Sustains and sends the Phantom Orchestra somewhere below the Queen (just under her because she's beyond 120 feet) as a warning shot.

With her remaining magical speed, and honestly because she doesn't think the Harpy is a threat to her, she punches the Harpy. It's a weedy punch, with little skill and strength behind the "blow". "Yah!" She yells loudly, her battle cry probably little more effective than the strike.

Fist vs Off-Guard Harpy: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (6) + 21 = 27 Bludgeoning, Weapon Specialization: 1d4 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

She lands on the ground immediately after her turn. Luckily, she was only just hovering off the ground, so its a graceful landing on her feet.

◆◆ 5th Rank Heal, ◆ Sustain Phantom Orchestra, ◆ Strike (hasted action)

Slick charges Green and cuts her down with three powerful blows! Pine swoops at Purple and takes a nasty cut for his troubles. He stabs her back and she begins to bleed. Sigourney heals Pine, safe from Purples reactive strike due to Pine's sacrifice. They may not fall for that again. Her punch goes wide and the Harpy sneers at her. Billy slams purple with a bunch of magic missiles and tactically repositions himself.

Purple takes offence at Sigourney's mockery and tries to end her! She hits with two powerful blows. Not so cocky now are you b%+&$!

Sigourney takes 66, the harpy bleed for 3

She then retreats upwards, trying to force you to come to her. [/ooc]

The Queen then descends and tries to finish off Sigourney.

Two hits for 40 damage

Sigourney is somehow still standing after taking multiple slashes. "Urgh...Maybe that wasn't the best idea..." She remarks, blood dripping from multiple wounds. "But I now have you right where I want you...Isolated and within my range! Cold Sign - Amped Frostbite!

Sigourney's eyes glow with blueish occult light. She summons a giant ball of frost that envelops the Purple Harpy in bone-chilling frost!

Amped Frostbite, DC 32 Fort Save, Cold: 15d4 + 1 ⇒ (3, 3, 1, 1, 4, 2, 4, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 4, 1, 3) + 1 = 34 Sigourney gains temporary Hit Points equal to half the damage the target takes (after applying resistances and the like).

She then laughs at the Harpy's pain and her temporary gain (of HP), causing the Phantom Orchestra to fly up into the Harpy's space and overwhelm her!

DC 32 Fort Save, Sonic: 8d6 + 1 ⇒ (4, 2, 2, 6, 2, 2, 4, 3) + 1 = 26

After the adrenaline of the moment passes, Sigourney is racked with pain as the extent of her injuries finally dawns on her. She quickly Heals herself with a bit of Vitality from her Staff.

Heal (5th rank, 1 action): 5d8 + 3 ⇒ (6, 7, 7, 2, 1) + 3 = 26

With magical speed, she moves as far down as she can manage, nearly reaching the bottom of the stairs.15 feet of movement

◆◆ Amped Frostbite, ◇ Cackle, ◆ 5th Rank Heal, ◆ Stride (hasted action)

Edit: Re - interposing earth. Nothing in the spell's description says it fails if the barrier of earth is placed above you, but I get what you mean by gravity working its way. I think that the barrier wouldn't stay in place for three rounds in that situation, but it would definitely provide standard cover for the Strike or Reflex save. Not that I was going to use it anyways.