Because you asked.
Verilich destroys his targets who falls to the ground, with a loud squelch in the mud.
Gundar will move up to keep up with the party.
Gundar will shoot an acid dart at Purple!
"'Passivity friend?' We've much work ahead of us indeed on linguistics, Verilich, but admittedly your stick skills do seem rather effective..."
From his stabilized position just within the dilapidated door frame, Ghaernan smiles at the awkward dialog among all of the combatants, thinking of the wonderful opportunities ahead to mentor his own side until they can one day hurl witticisms as a veritable acting troupe, then turns to his own Way to respond to Natalya's unexpected attack upon the company.
One hand reaches outstretched towards her, patterns of glittering sand swiftly forming and shifting amidst his arcane whispers, until a final decisive gesture sends them arcing across the distance to Natalya, shimmering and barely visible in the dim light of the single torch, to concentrate and burst above her, enveloping her upper body...
Gundar, fueled by righteous determination, takes aim at the purple goblin and unleashes a dart of acid from his holy symbol. The corrosive projectile streaks through the air, striking the goblin squarely in the chest. The creature screeches in agony as the acid sizzles against its skin, leaving a burn that will surely sting for a while.
Meanwhile, Ghaernan steps forward, his voice rising as he begins to weave an incantation. Magical energies swirl around him, and he casts a spell intended to weaken their foes. The air shimmers momentarily with the weight of his magic, a subtle indication of the power he has unleashed.
As the spell begins to resolve, both Natalya and the purple goblin momentarily stagger, the effects of the magic visibly weighing on them. They exchange a glance, their expressions momentarily betraying a hint of vulnerability. However, with a determined shake of their heads, they shake off the lingering effects, their resolve returning as they prepare to counter the threats before them.
Initiative:
Ghaernan
Caius <== Up Rd2
Natalya <== Injured
Khalid
Goblin 2 (Purple)
Goblin 1 (Pink)
Verilich
Gundar
With a swift and practiced motion, Natalya draws a glowing silver short sword from her side, the blade radiating with the brilliance of a hundred suns in the darkness. The brilliant light illuminates the dark corners of the room, casting flickering shadows that dance across the walls. She grips the hilt firmly, her eyes filled with fierce determination.
As she draws the sword, her left hand clutches a coppery arrowhead hanging from a lanyard around her neck, the symbol of her power and intent.
In a voice that resonates with authority, she yells, “If you will not bow to me, then you shall all die!” The words hang heavy in the air, a chilling prelude to the chaos she is about to unleash.
Suddenly, the room erupts in a gout of flames, a conflagration that engulfs everything in its path. Heat radiates outward, searing the air and overwhelming the senses. The brilliant light from her sword is eclipsed by the inferno, and the acrid smell of burning flesh fills the chamber, mingling with the chaos of battle.
The shockwave of heat and light pushes back against her enemies, leaving them momentarily stunned and disoriented in the wake of her devastating attack.
Initiative:
Ghaernan
Natalya <== Injured
Caius <== Up Rd2
Khalid <== Up Rd2
Goblin 2 (Purple)
Goblin 1 (Pink)
Verilich
Gundar
Caius, taken aback by Natalya's illuminatory display, decides to focus his attack on the offender. He pauses to study her intently for the briefest of moments, then launches a javelin toward Natalya.
x2, P
As Caius hurls a javelin toward Natalya, she barely glances in his direction, a scoff escaping her lips. The javelin sails through the air, but its trajectory is off, landing harmlessly against the wall behind her.
“Is that the best you can do?” she taunts, her voice laced with derision. “How quaint! You think a mere throw can deter me?”
Her laughter echoes in the chamber, a mocking sound that cuts through the tension of the moment. Natalya’s confidence is palpable, her demeanor unfazed by his feeble attempts. She stands ready, the glowing short sword in her hand shimmering defiantly as she prepares to respond to the challenge.
Initiative:
Ghaernan
Natalya <== Injured
Caius
Khalid <== Up Rd2
Goblin 2 (Purple)
Goblin 1 (Pink)
Verilich
Gundar
Khalid will try and trip the purple goblin and bring him down into the muck where he belongs.
Khalid focuses on the purple goblin, his grip tightening around the handle of his horsechopper as he prepares to strike. With a swift and calculated movement, he raises the weapon overhead, aiming low to trip the creature.
In one fluid motion, he sweeps the blade out, catching the goblin off guard. The trip is effective; the purple goblin stumbles and tumbles off the rafters, the air rushing past it as it falls toward the floor below.
With a loud thud, the goblin lands hard, the impact knocking the wind from its tiny lungs. Dazed and woozy, it struggles to rise, but its limbs betray it, collapsing back to the ground with a soft groan. The creature lies there, unconscious and dying, the remnants of its bravado fading away as the battle rages on around it.
Initiative:
Ghaernan <== Up Rd3
Natalya <== Injured
Caius
Khalid
Goblin 2 (Purple)
Goblin 1 (Pink)
Verilich <== Up Rd2
Gundar <== Up Rd2
Verilich 5' steps into the goblin free space and strikes at the target with his palm in an ancient dragon-style technique.
DC 14 save vs. Stun
Verilich misses with his first strike, but his second hits.
Gundar will shoot an acid dart at Natalya!
The Bard is moved to bring the virtues of the Word and the Way to his intrepid companions in yet another manner, with Natalya's success in shaking off the Sleep Spell.
Ghaernan moves very deliberately and carefully around the southern and western edges of the room (taking 10), to stand within the cover of the western door. With crossbow in-hand, his voice again grows resonant as he begins a Bardic Performance, using only audible components to project his voice throughout the two rooms and Inspire Courage in his friends...
"We fight to victory once more to the BALLAD OF THE BLOODMARCH, friends!"
Inspire Courage: Allies receive a +1 morale bonus on saving throws against charm and fear effects, and a +1 competence bonus on attack and weapon damage rolls.
Verilich steps forward with determination, his focus locked onto Natalya. He throws a swift punch toward her, but she deftly sidesteps the first swing, a mocking grin on her lips. Undeterred, he follows up with a second strike, this time connecting solidly with her side. The impact is enough to stagger her slightly, though he knows it’s just a nuisance compared to the threats she poses.
Meanwhile, from below, Gundar readies another acid dart, channeling his energy into the projectile as he aims for Natalya. He releases it with a flick of his wrist, but the dart flies wide, splashing harmlessly against the wall.
Amidst the chaos, Ghaernan begins to weave a melody of inspiration, his voice rising above the fray. The song flows with an encouraging cadence, infusing his companions with renewed vigor and determination as they prepare to confront the formidable Natalya together. The harmony fills the air, a reminder that they stand united in the face of danger.
With a fierce determination burning in her eyes, Natalya lunges forward, the glowing short sword in her grip. She targets Verilich, aiming to make her mark.
In a swift motion, she slashes at him with the blade, its brilliance illuminating the dim room as it arcs through the air. The edge of the sword finds its mark, cutting a deep gash across Verilich's chest. Pain flares through him as blood spills forth, staining his clothes.
The attack is brutal and precise, a reminder of Natalya's power and skill. As she withdraws the blade, a cruel smile plays across her lips, reveling in the damage she has inflicted. Verilich stumbles back, reeling from the strike but steeling himself for what comes next. "Submit, or leave!"
Initiative:
Ghaernan <== Up Rd4
Natalya <== Injured
Caius <== Up Rd3
Khalid <== Up Rd3
Goblin 2 (Purple)
Goblin 1 (Pink)
Verilich <== Up Rd3
Gundar <== Up Rd3
Upon seeing his own blood and the absolute lack of remorse in Natalya's eyes, Verilich again grips his 3-section staff with his free hand and wails on her with a vengance.
"Fine! Then you will meet your maker if you will not surrender."
Verilich, fueled by adrenaline and the pain from Natalya's earlier strike, shifts his focus back to her, determination blazing in his eyes. He grips his three-section staff tightly, channeling all his energy into one powerful swing.
With a swift motion, he brings the staff down upon her, the impact resonating through the air as it connects with her side. The force of the blow is incredible, sending shockwaves through Natalya’s body. She gasps, her expression shifting from confidence to shock as the staff strikes true.
In an instant, she crumples to the ground, the glowing short sword slipping from her grasp. As she falls, her left hand yanks the lanyard loose, and the copper arrowhead tumbles free, landing with a soft splash in the muck below.
As the arrowhead hits the ground, a small creature slithers out from the darkness of the sewer pipe. A gray, lipless goblin head with serpent’s fangs sits atop the sinuous black body of a greasy-scaled snake. The creature darts forward, its beady eyes fixed on the copper arrowhead. With a swift flick of its forked tongue, it snatches the arrowhead from the muck, and moves to retreat into the shadows as if it had always belonged there.
Initiative:
Ghaernan <== Up Rd4
Natalya <== dying
Verilich
Cyvis
Caius <== Up Rd3
Khalid <== Up Rd3
Goblin 2 (Purple)
Goblin 1 (Pink)
Gundar <== Up Rd3
Caius takes the opportunity to lash out with his sword.
19-20/x2, S
Then he squares with the abominable serpentine goblin and delivers another strike.
19-20/x2, S
As the goblin snake darts past him, clutching the copper arrowhead in its jaws, Caius seizes the moment for an attack of opportunity. With a swift and powerful motion, he swings his enormous great sword down upon the creature. The blade arcs through the air, connecting with a sickening crunch as it cleaves into the goblin snake's scaly body.
Without pausing, Caius quickly squares off with the abominable serpentine goblin, its head twisted and grotesque. Fueled by adrenaline, he launches a second strike, his great sword following through with deadly precision. The blade slices through the air once more, delivering a brutal blow that severs the goblin snake in two.
The creature falls lifeless to the ground, the copper arrowhead dropping from its grasp as it thuds into the muck below. Caius stands over the fallen foe, the weight of his weapon resting against his shoulder, his breath steadying as he prepares to face the remaining threats in the room.
"Verilich, might you attempt to collect the arrowhead without touching it? It seems to have some predilection towards affecting others."
Caius will secure the blade (he would not want a revived Natalya to retrieve it), then stoop over Natalya and assess her state of health. He will stabilize her wounds if possible while positioning himself to block her view of the arrowhead.
The flames do not appear to be dying down as yet.
The flames seem hot, loud, etc. everything one would expect of such flames.
With that said, Ghaernan notes that nothing close to the flames (walls, people, etc.) has actually been burned by them, which seems odd.
Verilich will indeed pick up the fallen agent and bring her to the healers of the group. Then he will also investigate this arrow head, to include picking it up to get a sense of what magics it might hold.
Verilich acts quickly, scooping Natalya into his arms with surprising gentleness despite the urgency of the moment. With powerful beats of his wings, he lifts off from the ground, the cool air rushing past them as he flies toward Caius.
“Help her!” he urges as he lands beside the warrior, cradling her carefully. The urgency in his voice is clear; he knows time is of the essence.
Caius immediately kneels by her side, his hands working deftly as he applies pressure to her flowing wounds. With focus and determination, he staunches the bleeding, preventing her from slipping away. “Stay with us, Natalya,” he murmurs, his voice a steady anchor amid the chaos.
Once he is certain that she is no longer in immediate danger, Verilich sets her down gently and turns his attention to the copper arrowhead that had fallen during the battle. He picks it up, inspecting the intricate details of its design, pondering its significance as he turns it over in his hands.
As he examines the artifact, the flames that had erupted in the room begin to flicker and die down, leaving no evidence that they had ever existed. The air cools, returning to a more normal temperature, while the acrid smell of smoke dissipates into the shadows. The aftermath of the chaos settles, and the remnants of their confrontation seem to fade away, leaving only the echoes of their struggle behind.
After studying the being briefly, Caius attempts to recall what he knows of the snake creature. .
Caius places the shortsword in Ghaernan's hands and commences a careful inspection of this room's environs and fallen.
Ghaernan ends his decisive inspirational magics after several seconds of use, and watches the wrap-up of the conflict with satisfaction. He looks with foreboding at both the shortsword and arrowhead in the hands of his companions, though, given that Natalya herself seemed a different person than the one described by multiple others, especially his Venture Captain, whom Natalya just disdained as "weak" after she herself was the one to approach Heidmarch...
"I would set both of those magic items aside for the moment, friends; we just dealt with someone whom I would never have described as Natalya, based on the way she spoke and attacked us. Let us discern what powers we're dealing with here..."
From the stable ground of the doorframe, Ghaernan begins the arcane words and weaving of a Detect Magic spell to discern the presence of enchantments within the two objects. Concurrently, he uses his Spellcraft capabilities in identifying their magic properties during his assessment... The Bard also ponders the monstrous curiosity that was the goblinoid snake-like creature that attempted to escape into the shadows with the arrowhead...
I'll make two spellcraft checks following this, aligned with the objects, as well as a knowledge (dungeoneering) check on the beast...
Verilich grasps the arrowhead tightly as Ghaernan issues his instructions ”I have no intention of setting this aside nor continuing to follow your inferior leadership. Arguably, we should re-evaluate who is actually leading this group given I am the one who continually leads the charge.” Verilich ties the amulet around his neck and continues to glare at the bard who challenged him.
Caius studies Verilich closely...
Caius can sense that Verilich is quite in earnest in his statements, but he doesn't seem out of his sense, or anything like that.
For Ghaernan's spell:
Round 1: There are magical auras
Round 2: There are 6 different auras, and the most powerful is "Overwhelming"
Round 3:
Item 1) Arrowhead - You are unable to tell its abilities
Item 2) Shortsword - You are unable to tell its abilities
Item 3) Scroll on Natalya
Item 4) Scroll on Natalya
Item 5) Wand on Natalya
Item 6) Boots Natalya is wearing
Roll Spellcraft for items 3, 4, 5, and 6 to determine abilities.
Roll Knowledge (arcana) 6 times for items 1-6 to determine auras.
You will need to cast read magic as well to then be able to cast the scrolls at some point.
Can anyone hit a DC 25 on knowledge (arcana) or knowledge (nature)? If so, give that a roll please.
After studying the being briefly, Caius attempts to recall what he knows of the snake creature. [dice=Knowledge (dungeoneering)]1d20+5+1.
Caius places the shortsword in Ghaernan's hands and commences a careful inspection of this room's environs and fallen. [dice=Perception]1d20+4
Caius recognizes the corpse as that of a "goblin snake."
Caius' poor perception skills avail him nothing else, except he notices the flames are gone.
Caius will attempt to appraise the shortsword, having a feeling it might be made of Mithril...
Caius will attempt to appraise the shortsword, having a feeling it might be made of Mithril... [dice=Appraise]1d20+1
Caius is clearly no metallurgist.
The sword definitely seems less "glowy" now than it did. It occurs to you that when she first drew it out, it represented the only decent source of light in a dark room, so by contrast it must have seemed very bright. It now seems no more bright than a standard torch.
"We should tie her up and revive her for interrogation, then take her to the authorities to get paid. Sooner the better. Mr. Bard, what have you learned about these items? Surely your concentration and staring at the items for so long will tell us something. Gundar, do you have any more healing magic left. This one, got in a lucky strike before I knocked her out."
If Gundar, doesn't have another CLW ready, Verilich will consume his second CLW potion.
As Verilich reaches for his potion, Caius lunges forward! Raising his greatsword, he aims the flat of his blade at the dragonkin's head.
Caius is up.
Initiative
Caius <== Rnd 1
Ghaernan
Verilich
Khalid
Gundar
Before combat, Gundar will channel positive energy.
He will channel again.
Ghaernan’s brow raises in unexpected surprise at the discovery of four different auras upon Natalya with the casting of the Detect Magic spell…
Caius recalls the walloping that was delivered to the guards outside using the sap in Ghaernan's possession. He will drop the shortsword he holds to the ground at his feet and hold out his hand to Ghaernan requesting the sap. "I think we have little choice but to lay him low," he comments. "Your sap, good sir!" Delaying.
Scroll 1 – Failed
Scroll 2 – Shield
Wand – Failed
Boots – Cat Burglar’s Boots (look ‘em up) – I will pop up a picture.
Arcana rolls on item auras:
Arrowhead – Overwhelming Illusion
Sword – Faint Evocation
Scroll 1 – Faint Abjuration
Scroll 2 – Failed
Wand – Faint Conjuration
Boots – Faint Transmutation
The DC 25 Arcana roll I requested: While the arrowhead now on a lanyard around Verilich’s neck at first glance appears to be made of copper, your discerning eye identifies this as actually being made of horacalcum.
Here is the full write up on that particular skymetal:
The rarest of the known skymetals, this dull, coppery substance warps time around it, making things seem to speed up or slow down. Horacalcum is associated with illusion magic, humility, and pride. Almost never found in amounts greater than a pound, horacalcum is the same weight and density as steel, but is much more durable. A weapon made of horacalcum gains a +1 circumstance bonus on attack rolls (ammunition can be made of horacalcum, but does not grant any bonus on attack rolls). An entire suit of armor made from this rare metal is fantastically expensive, but since a suit of horacalcum armor simultaneously allows its wearer to react more quickly while perceiving time more slowly, some consider the cost justifiable. A suit of light horacalcum armor grants a +1 bonus on Initiative checks, medium horacalcum armor grants a +2 bonus on Initiative checks, and heavy horacalcum armor grants a +3 bonus on Initiative checks. Weapons and armor made of horacalcum are always of masterwork quality—the masterwork cost is included in the prices given below.
Weapons and armor made of horacalcum have one-fourth more hit points than normal. Horacalcum has 30 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 15. A weapon made of horacalcum costs +6,000 gp. Light armor costs +10,000 gp, medium armor +30,000 gp, and heavy armor +60,000 gp.
Caius delays.
Let's discuss more in Discord, before we proceed.
Ghaernan, you have the results of your spells and info though.
Khalid will not impede Caius. I don't think he understands what is going on enough yet to interfere.
Ghaernan's concentration on the revealed magics concerns him even more, and he voices the most dire immediately...
"Friends, that 'thing' Verilich has foolishly tied around his neck is no 'copper arrowhead'; it's made of horacalcum, the rarest of the 'skymetals' that originate beyond this world, used in magic involving illusion, humility...and pride. The power of magic held in that thing is overwhelming. Be careful with our companion; I'm not at all certain how he actually perceives us at the moment..."
As he speaks, Ghaernan accedes to Caius' practical request, and hands him the sap...
Initiative
Caius <== Rnd 1
Ghaernan
Verilich
Khalid
Gundar