Maelis looks around trying to get his bearings and trying to see over the crowd. Seeing Kelzee and Trell, but unsure where to go next, he shrugs at Kelzee and Trell hoping they understand his meaning, he takes a look around, hoping for a glimpse of Trinia.
Perception:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13
DM:
If the players give Maelis an idea of which direction Trinia is in, readied action to move in a similar direction. Otherwise, with no line of sight on her (unless somehow he sees her in his perception check) he will wait to move until the others move in a similar direction. Holding off on a standard action for now, want to save my BoL.
Maelis spies the others and feels his optimism growing. "Thank the Lady they haven't all fallen and broken their necks,"...or made complete fools of themselves, he thinks to himself and winces slightly at the pain in his swollen knee. Seeing Trell, he prays to Calistria for her guiding hand, May Her fortunes shine upon you, friend, he thinks to himself.
Giving Trell Bit of Luck
Not sure if Maelis has another action or not, if he does he would just move.
Maelis feels himself being completely left behind as the others get farther and farther ahead of him on the rooftops. He has no desire to try and get past the Hellknights and risk getting himself killed, and has a feeling he has no business being down here on the ground alone and apart from his friends in the first place. He doesn't understand why his luck has turned so sour all of a sudden, has Calistria turned against him? I thought I was so careful up there, he thinks to himself, lamenting his fall to the ground. He decides to try and see if he can take a different path and avoid the Hellknights and the crowd both, risking losing the sight he has of his friends now to catch back up with them again.
--------
I am honestly not sure what else to do, Maelis has zero skills. Knowing there is no chance of climbing back up and that Maelis wouldn't even be down here if he had had an option to not take that risk of falling in the first place there are few other options at this point. It kind of looks like there is an alley to the North of the Hellknights, he will try and see if he can go around them that way. If a knowledge or perception would be needed, let me know I can roll it. If he can't do that he will hold in place and try and disguise himself among the crowd and catch up with the group later.
Maelis quickly hides his hands under the sleeves of his robes, keeping his movements concealed and praying to the Goddess that his deception worked. He then watches in disbelief as the hulking Hellknight swings his weapon mightily at his associate, and suppresses a smirk at the success of his Murderous Command before turning his eyes away from the two to scan the crowd.
Maelis looks wide eyed at the two hulking Hellknights pushing the sketch into the begger's face, and his mind goes suddenly back, back to that night when the thug beat him to within an inch of his life. He starts to feel his blood boil, and before he even realizes it, he had reached into his spell component pouch and pulled out a piece of holy parchment. His hands begin moving and he utters the necessary words, casting upon the Hellknight a spell of wicked intent.
GM Only:
Casting Murderous Command on the southernmost Hellknight. Will save DC 15 negates.
Maelis knows that between his clumsy feet and his thin arms, there is little chance he would be able to climb back up, and he has no desire to repeat that fall. "Dammit all!" he curses loudly and once more tries searching for anyone familiar - this time not bothering to try looking for Trinia and just looking for one of his companions - in an attempt to not be left behind, and continues pushing through the crowd.
Maelis stands up and looks around slightly embarrassed, his hip bruised and throbbing. He brings his gaze upwards towards the rooftops, searching for the others, hoping he can catch up on foot rather than try to run along the treacherous terrain of the Shingles.
Perception:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (2) + 5 = 7
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This is assuming he sees where they are going, move action, or if allowed double move action.
Once he sees the others, Maelis attempts to move through the dense crowd in at to make up some of the time he's lost.
Maelis follows Kelzee out the window and attempts to slide past the man swinging the bottle on the rooftops, but can't seem to find sure footing around the drunkard.
Whispering to Andakos,Perhaps the window is a good option, it might be good in case she tries to escape too. Do two of you want to go that route and if you don't see us in the window in 5 minutes, or if you hear trouble, come in the window? I can keep trying to get in here, with one of you. It would be best if she just lets us in, I think."
If the others agree with the plan Maelis will stay at the door at knock again, and use his diplomacy skills to attempt to coax the girl into opening the door.
"Trinia, I am Maelis, a Cleric, I am here because I know why you are hiding and I know there are those who would circumvent the truth for vigilante justice. My friends and I are here to see you safely to those who seek the truth, not a lynching. Please, will you speak with us?"
After the meeting with the Field Marshal, Maelis retires to his room for an hour to pray and prepare his spells, knowing that he will have a need for Calistria's guidance on the streets of The Shingles. He is familiar with the area.
------------------------------
"Yes, I think we just knock, but I think perhaps the friendly faces at the front would be best. Kelzee, perhaps you and myself could be at the front?"
15 Sarenth, 4707 AR
Maelis sees Trell walking toward him in earnest, a determined look on his face, and finds an alcove in the citadel to quickly duck into before making his way through a secluded, quiet area where other clerics often pray, and doubling back to his rooms. He closes the door behind him, realizing he is still not ready to face the man, not ready to talk about Adrin. He had thought the nobleman a bit of a snob, but when he learned that even a noble's son could be taken in by the allure of shiver, his opinion of him quickly changed.
Maelis will not engage with Trell, he fluctuates between anger with the elf and grief at contributing to the failure and Adrin's death, and spends his free time in his room. If pushed, Maelis will get angry and simply push past Trell, retreating to his room or the sanctuary.
Maelis had been quiet the previous three days, keeping mostly to himself in contemplation and prayer. He kept thinking about his goals and about his duty to bring vengeance upon Lamm - how he had failed. It haunted him the same way those blue eyes haunted his dreams; the way Adrin's cries of pain from down in the dark in those final moments as he barely escaped the thugs haunted him. He knew he started out to go after Lamm and yet he had ended up here in the Citadel, with Lamm in the wind, and him no closer to exacting his revenge.
----------
Upon being summoned to the Field Marshal's office, Maelis greets the newcomer with a sober nod, not feeling his normal jovial and easy-going self. He gives her a slight smile, hardly looking at her. and shakes her hand back, but can't bring himself to engage much, still feeling lost in his thoughts.
"Andakos, Trell, we came together because we wanted to find Lamm, and ended up doing the Queen's bidding, and look what it cost. Adrin is dead. And now we are going to go out to Find this Trinia? What about Lamm? I'll not forget his atrocities or what he has done, and I will see he pays for his crimes."
Maelis thanks the healers for their assistance, and will give an offering once he has had a moment to rest (will subtract 5 gold for donation). "That fool elf opened his mouth and provoked Devargo, getting us into a fight we had no chance of winning. Trell and Adrin both fell beneath Devargo's den, and I am afraid I know not whether they survived. Andakos was heavily outnumbered, but told me to flee, and I pray that he found a way to escape as well. I only barely survived with the grace and luck of Calistria protecting me." His voice is heavy and he is clearly exhausted from the harrowing fight, the expenditure of spells, and the mad dash through the city streets. He slumps back in the seat, head in his hands, "I do not have the information we went there for, Field Marshal, and I am not sure what steps to take next. I would ask to take respite here in the Citadel for the night, if you would allow it, and hope to see my commrades faces by morning." With that, assuming Kroft doesn't have more questions or more to discuss, Maelis will retire for the night.
Maelis looks around him with wild eyes and, seeing murder in the eyes of the men closing in. He narrows his eyes at Devargo, "We will meet again, Devargo," he says through gritted teeth, "and I will see vengeance brought upon you."
With that he makes for the door, leaving the other men behind. Full withdraw, still has +3 AC from Devargo if he takes an AOO, thanks to Andakos
All four Maelises narrows their eyes at Devargo, and with a flourish of now filthy yellow robes, and hoping for the protection of his many selves to assist him in confusing the thugs, he leaps across the narrow ledge of the trap in an attempt to free himself from the constrained spot.
Acrobatics check to move diagonally past the thug above me, will move at half speed. Acrobatics:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (8) - 2 = 6
If Acrobatics fails enough to Provoke, and they attack, Maelis will Sudden Shift again. If it fails enough into the hole to fall (but they don't attack) then I assume it won't be relevant.
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If Acrobatics is Successful:
Maelis carefully moves, avoiding the reach of the thugs, where he quickly engages the crank on his crossbow and loads a bolt. "Andakos, come here and I can help you!" Maelis calls to him, and reaches a hand out.
Maelis lets out another laugh, sounding almost maniacal now, as he disappears again, appearing once more behind the thug that missed him (#2), and now standing behind the enforcer as well. He peers down into the pit, and seeing Trell bloodied on the rope uses Calistria's grace to send a ball of healing light at Trell's struggling form Channel Ray, automatically hits willing creature and doesn't provoke. He then takes a short step to distance himself from the enforcer."Trell, you must get out of there!" he calls to the elf as the energy washes over him.
Maelis uses Sudden Shift once more as an immediate action after the thug misses him.
Maelis lets out a hearty laugh as one of his images dissipates in a puff of smoke, then in a blink all 4 Maelises vanish before the thug's eyes only to appear suddenly behind his left flank (appearing directly to the left of thug #5) . "I'll not be caught that easily!" he taunts, feeling a sudden thrill and rush of excitement, one that he hadn't felt since his early days chasing shiver.
Maelis uses Sudden Shift as an immediate action after the thug misses him.
Then feeling bold, Maelis picks his way along the wall, attempting to avoid the sharp blade of the other thug, hoping his sudden appearance there catches him off guard enough to slide on by. Moving half speed and acrobatics check to attempt to avoid AOO, drawing crossbow during the move action.
(If Maelis' crossbow was allowed to be carried around loaded)
Maelis levels the crossbow at Devargo and lets loose a bolt:
Crossbow Attack:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7 Damage:1d8 ⇒ 1
--------
(If Maelis' crossbow was not already loaded)
Maelis slides a bolt into the crossbow and winches back the crank to pull the heavy wire into place.
Acrobatics:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16
Acrobatics is at the bottom because I forgot to do it before previewing, then I went to put it in and it messed with my dice rolls and Brent helped me fix it! Now I know.
Maelis sees Trell now having fallen down the hole and can hear some kind of commotion going on down there. He isn't sure what is down there but knows he doesn't want to be without the two of them up here with all of the thugs. He begins to move carefully, all the while keeping both eyes on the thugs and slowly moving around them and sliding along the edge of the floor trap. Using acrobatics and moving half speed (has light load) to attempt to avoid attacks of opportunity, and pulling out whip as he moves. If he fails the check he still moves but takes the AOO's. Acrobatics:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16
Standing next to the hole he uses his superior whip skills to attach the whip to a sturdy beam near the trap door latch. (standard action - prehensile whip)"Trell, Destriant, if you can, use the whip to climb out! " he shouts down as he drops the handle of the whip, leaving it to dangle for them.
For a brief moment Maelis is caught off guard when the floor drops away, but having had no trust for Devargo or his twisted game from the very beginning, he immediately drinks the small vial of antitoxin concealed in his palm. +5 to Fort saves against poison for 1 hour
Then, he takes a step back from the thug in front of him, waves a hand in front of his face and says a quick prayer to Calistria, asking for her divine grace, and suddenly 5 identical copies of his form can be seen stepping out from his body, each gently stroking that tattoo and bearing the same wide grin.
Casting Domain Spell Mirror Image (lasts 3 minutes): Number of Images:1d4 + 1 ⇒ (4) + 1 = 5 For each successful attack roll to hit Maelis or to hit his Mirror Image. This round it would be a D6 - lets say a 6 will hit Maelis, anything else misses. Any attacks that miss will reduce his number of Images.
Maelis had turned to leave when Destriant mentioned Lamm. At the mention of that bastard's name his back stiffens, and he turns back to stand next to Destriant, his attention now fully focused. He waits to see what Devargo offers, and though he has kept his word so far he doesn't fully trust the man.
Maelis will sense motive on any offer that Devargo presents. Sense Motive:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13
Maelis watches the brutal games in shock, his arms loaded down with Destriant's gear, thankful to be burdened at the moment. After a few moments his arms begin shaking with fatigue and he drops the load of gear in a crash.
Maelis will continue to monitor for signs of aggression, if any noted he'll pull out his portion that gives+4 to saves against poisons.
Maelis follows the two men in but stands behind Destrient. He knows that, while his smile can be charming, he sometimes will say too much and make an ass of himself. Rather than open his mouth and risk saying something stupid, he elects to keep quiet, instead simply keeping his hands at his side, near a vial at his belt.
Ready an action: if any aggressive action is taken then Maelis will pull out the antitoxin from his belt, holding it against his palm, in an attempt to be surreptitious.
Sleight of Hand:1d20 - 2 ⇒ (18) - 2 = 16
Maelis doesn't even notice as Adrin dissapears into the shadows upon their approach of the docks and the ships surrounding Eel's End. He tries to recall if he had been to the area before and has a sudden flash of memory... ----
---- Maelis blinks and opens his one swollen, painful eye and finds himself looking into the eyes of a burly man towering over him, yelling something, but his head is thick, like it was stuffed with cotton, and his ears are ringing. He looks familiar and it occurs to him that he's been kicked in the side by this thug before for begging around these docks. His reflexes are slow and he realizes the man is swinging just as a second before the sap comes down, and weakly puts his arms up to protect his head; and the last thing he thinks before all goes dark again is, Thank the Good Lady I hid my last hit of shiver inside that hole I dug near the Shrine, or someone would take it off me for sure... ----
---He tries to push that unpleasant time away. "It seems we split up and see what we can find out, like before. Let's meet back here in a few hours, or if you find something useful come out sooner and see if you can find a way to signal to the rest of us," Maelis says to the others and heads inside.
He orders a drink inside and mingles with the different people inside, using his good natured smile and his easy charm to chat up a few different groups, hoping that his familiarity with those who would worship Calistria might also frequent such a place. If any are less friendly or less inclined to chat he will simply wish them a pleasant evening and move on, playing the simple cleric role.
Maelis stumbles slightly on a rock in the streets and nearly falls on his face, suddenly realizing he was nearly asleep walking along behind the other men, his mind wandering. He chuckles, embarrassed, and gives a small smile at the others. He has no head for politics, and no knowledge of these men, their history, or their games.
Edited to remove stuff about antitoxin d/t Andakos already purchasing it.
"I have been impressed by your work so far, Andakos," Maelis says, giving a slight bow at the waist, "but I am afraid my ignorance is showing. Yes, if the antitoxin would take too much time we should indeed try to simply procure some along the way, though with the streets in such chaos it might prove difficult. Can you give us any assistance in finding some, Vencarlo, Field Marshall? If not we shall have to make do."
Maelis gives a cordial bow to Vencarlo upon his meeting. "Maelis Dorso, acolyte of Calistria. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir."
"Field Marshall, what kind of activities are to be found upon this boat, and what type of people usually frequent it? I would not want to go there and risk the innocent if we could avoid it," Maelis says thoughtfully, remembering those people outside the butcher shop nearly killed by the monster emerging from the sewers.
Thinking back to the large spiders in the slimy boat near the docks, Maelis turns to Andakos and asks, "Andakos, do you have the alchemical knowledge to make a concoction that could help us prevent the sickness that can come from spider bites? That could be very useful to have on hand before facing a man that calls himself King of Spiders. If not perhaps we can try to obtain some."
Maelis is talking about antitoxin to help us with any saves against poison, having remembered the poison from the previous spider fights. If Andakos is unable to make it he would like us to try and find some before we go out to fight this guy.
Maelis watches Trell leave the pantry wordlessly. He doesn't remember what it is to have a father, but his own mother leaving the docks that last time only a few years ago hit him hard, and he feels a twinge of pain in his chest at the sudden memory as he stands among the dry goods on the shelves. It has been months since he thought of Mother setting sail and he wonders silently what has become of her in all the chaos that is erupting in the world these days.
"Adrin, are you close with your father, the way Trell is?" Maelis asks absently, forgetting his place and asking a personal question of the nobleman.
Int check:1d20 - 1 ⇒ (19) - 1 = 18 "This chaos is too dangerous, and I neither want to be left here, nor relish the idea of you two traveling on alone. I shall accompany you to Vencarlo's."
Maelis looks curiously at the imp-feasting creatures before him, trying to figure out what their appearance means.
Sense Motive:1d20 + 8 ⇒ (2) + 8 = 10
Seeing that Trell doesn't appear particularly frightened, Maelis slowly lowers his crossbow, cocking his own head in mimicry. He stretches out a hand, palm up, to show them he means no harm. "Thank you kindly," he says to them in common, hoping for some kind of response.
Shifting his crossbow to his left hand, Maelis strokes a finger along his tattoo, "Divine Lady, send these evil creatures back to their plane!" A large burst of light sweeps forth from him, sending a wave of positive energy in all directions Affects all evil subtype creatures within the radius, including the invisible ones if there are any.
He then pulls back the crank and reloads a bolt into his crossbow.
Alignment Channel, DC 13 Will for Half Damage, 30 ft Radius Burst:2d6 ⇒ (4, 2) = 6
Maelis curses under his breath as the second creature disappears, then holds back bile as his face is splattered with the wet, warm remains of the destroyed imp.
"What are these things?!" Maelis cries out, wishing he was more educated.
He keeps his eyes on the sky, preparing himself to fire another bolt.
Readied action to fire the crossbow as soon as the imp is visible again. For convenience I will just roll it here, in the event it does happen.
Maelis ducks his head as the flying creatures dive in and rushes over to the other two men, pulling out his crossbow as he does. He quickly puts in a bolt and pulls back the crank to load it.
If Maelis is attacked by the creature but it misses he will enact Sudden Shift
Where have you been?" ... "And who are your friends?"
"Mother Sierra, it is so good to see you, and to see that even riots cannot stop you from giving aid to the people," he says warmly and moves up to grip her hands in a friendly and familiar greeting. In a lowered voice, both out of respect and to keep the others in the temple from overhearing,
"I have been busy doing the Goddess' good work, seeking retribution in Her name, and these gentleman and I have been working together. This is Lord Adrin Laecus, who graces us with his service and his presence. The elf is called Trell Odum, a young man with a range of skills both martial and magical. We have another companion, Andakos Viden, a tiefling, who had other affairs to tend to just now. He can be trusted if he ever comes here. I will be staying with them for a while, as we have stumbled upon something and are on official errands now. I wanted you to know, Mother Sierra, that should you have any need to send me word, a message can be sent to Citadel Volshyenek, care of Field Marshal Kroft."
Suddenly he remembers something and adds, "Additionally, you may see a young orphan girl by the name of Arra come to look for me, though I doubt she would have a need. My companions and I helped her and some of her friends, and if she comes to you and is in some kind of trouble, I would greatly appreciate if you would send a message to me at the Citadel. I'll not linger, as I do not wish to bring attention here. It is good to see you again."
Unless Mother Sierra has anything else for Maelis, he will go over to the shrine, deposit 10gp and spend a few moments in quiet prayer before they leave the temple area. When the others are ready to go, Maelis will go with them with a final hug for Mother Sierra.
"I will take some time to visit Mother Sierra and ensure that she is alright as well. She cared for me when I was not caring for myself, and it is the least I can do. Perhaps your hired man could accompany me, Adrin; I would feel safer traveling with a companion and that part of the city can be quite rough."
Maelis may want to do some shopping as well, will discuss in Discord.
Maelis looks to the others, "Well, I don't think there is anything especially significant about it, but we also dispatched some, what did you call them Andakos...Reefclaws... from the sewer below the butcher shop. They appeared to carry some kind of poison. There was however a larger sewer dweller that could perhaps be more of a concern. It was an otyugh and erupted right through the street."
Maelis smiles a large, toothy smile at Adrin's reaction to the flames. Somehow the nobleman nearly dropping the blade gave him just a bit of pleasure, despite their predicament, though he is glad the man's back was turned and he was unable to see him laughing at his backside.
He steps closer to the now seemingly giant tiefling man and puts a hand on his leg. "Bring Her Savored Sting to your next hit, Andakos!" he yells up at him. Bit of Luck
Maelis takes a careful step next to Adrin, watching the large creature in order to beware of it's tentacled grasp. He ducks behind the lord, hoping to avoid drawing it's ire as he reads the incantation from the scroll in his hands. He reaches out to gently touch the tip of Adrin's rapier and a burst of flames comes to life, flickering along the blade and making his strikes ever more deadly.
Used scroll of Sun Metal, adds 1d4 fire damage. Move action to load crossbow. Additionally, if Maelis is attacked but missed, he will use his sudden shift ability to move.
Maelis sees Adrin and Trell up near the creature and knows he needs to act fast. He pulls the scroll from his belt and elbows past Karralo, shoving his gaping and shocked form roughly aside as he does.
Move action to pull out the scroll, Move action to move.
Maelis looks at the cowed form of Karralo, "If we can get that one to cooperate and walk while bound, it might be easier to push the others in the cart. I do have some healing ability yet available, but I'll not use it on these bastards," he says, spitting onto the gore streaked floor. His usually easy-going attitude is no where to be found on his now dark face, and his eyebrows are drawn down deep over his eyes when he looks at the limp forms of them men on the floor. "Lets take them out of here, I want to be gone from this stinking place."
Maelis will offer a CLW to anyone else in the party who is still feeling hurt, otherwise he will push to move on from the meat shop, and suggest that it be clearly marked as unsanitary.
Maelis spurs to action and immediately casts stabilize on Verik as soon as he slumps to the ground.
"Yes, I can provide us all with some healing. Lets bind them and then move to another room to ensure they do not gain any of Her Grace's healing touch just yet. I do not think any of us is ready to deal with their lot again."
Channel Energy:1d6 ⇒ 2 Channel Energy:1d6 ⇒ 6
I am just assuming we all move at least 20 feet away from Baldrago and Verik so they are not included in the healing burst. I will channel twice and then if anyone is still significantly down I will make another post later today and drop a spell for CLW.
Maelis sees Adrin go down and his blood begins to boil. He strides into the room with purpose and whispers fiercely under his breath, and the blood at Adrin's puncture wound instantly slows to a trickle as the grace of his diety grants him the power to stabilize. He raises the crossbow at his side, ready to use it.
Seeing Andakos' life blood quickly draining away and the color fading from his normally ruddy cheeks. He holds out his left arm, palm facing Andakos, his sleeve falling away to expose the dagger trifecta tattoo. A bright white ray of light emits from his hand towards Andakos,
Channel Ray, automatic hits ally without rolling:1d6 ⇒ 2
