Marianna uses her shield to block the worst of the falling debris, and takes off after the others, though obviously lagging behind. "I'm going to be a right proper feast for those beasts, all. We'll probably going to have to kill at least some of them...." She says as she follows.
Marianna takes a deep breath as healing is administered. After the wands return to pockets, she steps into the chamber and begins looking around. "Lebraerio, Juis, I think we're in your bailiwick now. We're looking for the stele, right? what exactly are we looking for?"
Perception:1d20 + 9 ⇒ (10) + 9 = 19 In case it's needed.
Marianna takes a swing at the giant statue for she raises her shield to deflect it's fist. Then, seeing no other good option, she jumps off of the stairs and through where the statue was set up to take a second, more wild swing.
"Inheritor preserve us...." Marianna quietly mutters, before bellowing out,"Come all! Surround and defeat these foes!" She raises her blade to the closer of the two in challenge, and dives for the stairs to get a better angle to attack.
Swift action - Challange Blue(+4 AC,+2 damage, Allies get +2 to hit) Standard action - Activate Tactician{Precise Strike)(5 rds) Move
"Ripped from Folgrit's womb.... Maybe you took the weapon making process a step further then they expected," Marianna slowly says, after a moment's pause. "What about trying iron itself?"
Marianna gives the gap a long look, before admitting, "I can't make that with my armor on." She begins to fiddle around with her bags before pulling out a potion. "However, I have a back up for situations like this. We'll have to be quick though, as it'll only work for 5 minutes, and getting back across will likely be even worse." As such, she'll raise her helmet to down the potion briefly before floating up and across the gaps in the bridge.
Using my potion of Fly since I have a -9 mod to jumping, thanks to my armor.
After looking a moment into the trap, Marianna reaches into her bag and draws out rope, walks over to the closest statue, and ties a length around the waist of it before tossing the remaining rope into the hole, holding onto it for a moment to make sure her knot is sturdy before announcing, "Who wants to go first?"
"Let's not further desecrate the dead," Marianna says with a displeased tone in her voice as she pulls her any-tool from her bag. "Roughly where is the trigger?" she asks as she folds out a 10 foot pole, and starts pushing at the pit, hoping to trigger it from a distance.
As the two scholars mentally beat the old mechanism into submission, Marianna does a little more poking about, first in the anvil hall, then the hallway that they came down.
Marianna's request was to check the doors in the antechamber in the anvil room, so we can check the rooms beyond them for the hammer we're looking for.
"Okay,"Marianna says after thinking about it for a moment. "I'm making guesses here, but it's the best I can figure out. We need three-hammers, on for each god and they need to be in a certain order. This hammer we found is marked Oath-keeper, so it's likely the hammer for Kols. I'm guessing that the hammer that was here was Torag's, so we need to find Droskar's hammer in here. Lebraerio, can you check the doors for traps so we can start searching for it?"
As they pass the hammer, Marianna pauses for a moment, sheathes her blade, and picks up the hammer. She looks it over for a moment before following with the others. At the portcullis, however, she sets both the hammer and her shield aside so she can attempt to manhandle the bars.
Marianna's cold, quiet fury stays until the party is well out of earshot of the Broken Spine. "Those arrogant, ignorant idiots," she eventually hisses, almost shaking in rage, "Willing to just throw lives away like that over something they had no control over...." She clenches her armored hands into fists and barely keeps herself from crying out in anger,storming down the tunnel for a little more time to come...
After several minutes further down the tunnel, she finally releases a deep sigh and adds, "Thanks, all of you, for letting me do that, and backing me up with powers and spells."
-------
When the dwarven ruins are reached, Marianna's mood has equalized back to normal. As Lebraerio starts his searches, she stays with him, pointing out little things that catch her attention in the area as well, though the discussion of the presence of rust monsters to make the steel-clad soldier uneasy.
I'll just throw a +3 on Lebraerio's Perception checks. I can't fail a DC 10 perception check.
With a steady stance and precision from constant training, the Grey Maiden initiate drives her blade into Kogan's body, before withdrawing it as the body falls. Then she looks to Magra and with a tone that could chill Irrisen, she asks, "Are we done here?"
standard action - Attack vs. Kogan, no Power Attack,no Fighting Defensively.
There! Marianna all but cries out as the orc makes an opening that she can exploit. As his arm comes up to parry, she swings just outside of that blade, and up under the arm....
Marianna grunts in pain as the blade drives in. With a nod of acknowledging skill, the soldier drops into a defensive stance. As the faint filigree on her armor begins to light up, she brings her longsword in a low swing, aiming for the orc's left side, while keeping her shield bewteen her and the falchion.
Swift action - Challenge Kogan. +4 to AC, +2 to damage Standard action - Attack vs. Kogan. taking the -4 for Fighting Defensively for another +2 to my AC
In response, Marianna just steps forward, drawing her sword as she does so. "Fine, if you are so intent on wasting more life for your wounded pride, so be it," she utters, eyes darting around for this Kogan. "Where is this champion of yours?"
My apologies, but Marianna's oaths refuse to let her allow another in the party to put themselves in harm's way, while she's on the sidelines. That said, the second that she sees this Kogan, she's Challenging him.
Marianna chuckles at Lebraerio's attempt to be humble. "Maybe, Lebraerio, but your ability to regularly pull a thesis on almost any topic out of your head is both impressive and very useful. In any case, I have some rope and my any-tool for the inevitable spelunking we're going to have to perform. Anyone else have climbing tools as such on them? "
Marianna looks thoughtful for a moment. "I don't believe I have any questions of note,," she says before looking to Gurlos. "Lead the way then, and if there's a threat, endevour to get me between the threat and you."
Marianna eyes the wolf before looking up at Ploog to see his reaction to the summery execution of his champion. "Let's see how the boss responds first."
"Good," Marianna dispassionately states, as she watches Tabar begin to bleed the Ettin from the giant's other side. With a quick shuffle to the side, the soldier returns to pressing Vroth's attention, before driving her blade deep into his right thigh.
Marianna nods faintly at the rush forward that is Tabar, and follows suit, after a brief moment to bring her sword up to align with the ettin in an act of defiance.
Swift action - Challenge Vroth(+4 AC vs. Vroth, +2 damage, Allies get +2 to hit) Double Move
"Prepare to deal with the dire wolves as well, then," Marianna says simply. "Focus on ending that threat before we deal with Vroth sounds like a good plan. I'll try to keep the ettin's attention while you all deal with it. That said, anything you all can do to help my defenses will be much appreciated."
As the fight begins, the soldier drops into a fighting stance(Entering Sisterhood Style), and begins to direct the others briefly(Activating Tactician for Precise Strike)
Marianna, noting the bulette's strength flagging, twists her blade in her hand so that she can strike with the flat of the blade instead of the actual cutting edge. Then, with a practiced step, she slips to the side of the beast, and bangs the creature with her blade, hoping that's enough to knock it silly.
5-foot Attack vs. Bulette. Taking the -4 for non-lethal
Marianna faintly chuckles for a second as the bulette dives into the party. With a moment to spare as the others begin to surround the beast, the soldier focuses for a moment, before pointing her sword at her target. For an instant it seems she's not doing anything before she bursts into motion, filigree gleaming white as she dives forward to drive her blade into the side of the bulette.
Swift action - Challenge Bulette (+4 to AC, +2 to damage, allies get +2 to hit) Full round action - Charge(Yes, I provoke)
Attack(Bless,Charge,PA):1d20 + 11 + 1 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (17) + 11 + 1 + 2 - 2 = 29For(Challenge,PA):1d8 + 5 + 2 + 4 ⇒ (6) + 5 + 2 + 4 = 17 AC vs. Bulette is currently 27(which includes the -2 from Charging.)
If Juis is attacked:
Marianna leans into the oracle's path for a moment, using her shield to attempt to deflect the blow away.
Using Bodyguard to defend Juis. Aid another:1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 11 + 1 = 13 Wow.... actually doesn't work for once.
Inira, did you move into the square you're currently in, or are you attacking there, then moving along the line? My action is dependant on knowing that.
"Very well. Scatter for now, so we can surround it. I trust that Tabar's skills will make it so we can drop it alive," Marianna directs as she moves her shield in front of her, preparing to take a charge from the monstrous beast.
Using Tactician. Everyone has Precise Strike for 5 rounds.
Reflex:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (5) + 4 = 9
In spite of a futile attempt to deflect with her shield, Marianna hisses a little as the ejecta impacts with her. "If we find Eando Kline. I have a feeling he's 3 countries away already," she grumbles in response to Nylthe's irritation, as she waits for Juis to get to her with the healing wands. "I hope that we don't go through all of our healing on this fool's errand."
In this situation, Marianna just shuts up and lets Juis' and Lebraerio's expertise lead the group toward whatever lee in the storm they can find for the party.
Reflex:1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Marianna's first instinct is to hunker down behind her shield, and try to ride the burst of fire. However, Even with her shield in the way, the flames still licked around her usual protection, and the fire burns her just as it does the others.
"It's named the Cinderlands for a reason, I suppose...," she mutters as Juis magicially tends to her wounds with the wand.
