Ylmen Arquesse's page

Ylmen's eyes smiled silently. While many of the other recruits in his company seemed overawed by the spectacle and scale of both this place and those who inhabited it, Ylmen's expectations of the City had been steadily inflated for years while he trained day after day at the remote mountain enclave.

This, all this, was exactly what he had hoped the City would be. His shoulders trembled with excitement, but he otherwise maintained his composure. His impulse to explode into the air and let out a booming screech of joy was kept in check only by his practiced discipline, and his unrivaled urge to not ruin his opportunity to fulfill his dreams here.

His whole life had been leading up to this day. He had never known his family. He had never known his society. His story had been one of waiting, one of preparing. It was all for this.

Very few of the technical details of the conversation meant anything to Ylmen. It all sounded very impressive, and he was very grateful that these potent beings had found it fit to rescue them, twice, from what seemed certain doom. He sat quietly, sipping at his warm, thick, savory beverage as quietly and politely as he could manage.

With his other hand he gently scratched Wink, who had not emerged from his hiding spot at Ylmen's neck since he had a glimpse of the Abyss.

The violent planar transition had been particularly damaging to Ylmen's finely tuned senses. His internal compass was spinning like a top, and the atmosphere here felt more like bloody steam than air.

Upon landing hard on the cracked and glassy ground he had reflexively exploded into flight, but one gasp of foul miasma and a glance upward at the myriad of maddening images above send him collapsing, limp and stunned, back to the ground.

The air didn't work right. Light didn't work right. He couldn't tell how far away anything was. Sound didn't so much permeate through the air in waves as it did burrow through it like a worm.

Ylmen blinked, and blinked again. He shook his head, and flecks of dust and chips of stone scattered from the thick feathers around his neck.

Wink emerged from the feathers, sneezing and gasping, only to shoot back into cover with a squeak upon seeing where they'd landed.

The appearance of a portal and figures Thedra had recognized as allies send Ylmen bursting into action. A quick glance side to side to count up distances, and he jumped out toward horde of styx zombies. Once near the horde and 15 feet above them, he erupted in a flash of electricity.

Ylmen uses his Lightning Flash ability in an attempt to capture the attention of the zombies in the river.

After the flash of light, Ylmen began to slowly drift to the side, hoping to draw the horde away from the path needed by the rest of his party.

Hearing Thedra's command, Ylmen veered about flew above the runic circle. After a final glance around at the state of things, he tucked his wings and fell into a sharp vertical dive, slowing rapidly just before landing despite his still folded wings. Once on the ground, he squatted into a low crouch, ready for whatever might happen next.

Ylmen flies to above Q-10, then falls straight down, casting feather fall as a free action before landing. Ylmen takes a defensive stance once landed.

Ylmen flies northeast, holding his 60' elevation. While en route he casts mage armor, and ends adjacent to the large tree of the center platform, ready to continue around the perimeter of fire and reveal what it may obscure.

As Ylmen drifted upward around the massive tree trunk he found himself flying toward the large reptile. Its intense forward focus offered little comfort to the frantic avian. A sharp upward flare slowed him and lifted him well clear of the beast's reach. Ylmen continued the maneuver into an about face. As he rolled out of the inversion his head snapped from side to side, scanning the area for any sign of the Orc Raiders. He swooped to the south, casting another spell at the lowest point of his dive, and curved eastward once more toward the cover of another tree.

Ylmen flies to space [20-I] and casts Drench on space [20-C] (I'm assuming the larger "X" on the battle map indicates an area of more intense fire) He scans for Orcs Perception, Darkvision, from 20-I, 20' up: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28 and then turns and continues flying to space [20-O]]

Once Ylmen realized what was driving the massive reptile toward them he dropped from the high branch and dove toward the creature. With no time to bolster his own defense, the Syrinx gambled on his ability to get out of harm's way quickly. The downward descent was effortless for him. As he sailed downward through the air he muttered and screeched quietly to himself, and once he was within 30' of the lizard he completed the invocation and cast a spell to create a breeze affecting the beast.

Ylmen casts Breeze targeting the giant lizard. A gentle breeze starts blowing on the creature from the direction of the fortress, offering some relief from the superheated air driving the creature forward.

Ylmen lets his momentum carry him into a turn, and takes cover from the beast and the flames behind the trunk of the tree to the south.

After several painstaking hours of transcribing minuscule Draconic chicken scratches from the blood-soaked and barely salvageable outer layers of his spell scroll to the undamaged lengths within, Ylmen's mind began to grow weary.

Around him his companions busily prepared themselves for the unknown. Several members of the group had departed to gather supplies, or capture bait, or something. Ylmen hadn't been sure what their intent was. Either way, he had been in no condition to accompany them, he needed every available moment for his own preparations, It was imperative that he be able to manifest Mage Armor in the event of another attack by the orc raiders, or anything else. Once the spell was forefront in his mind, he searched his writings for his next priority.

A call came from below that healing magics were to be used. Ylmen hurriedly packed up his studies and emerged from the interior of the fort so that he could receive a share of the healing energy. As he emerged, a scene met his eyes which he was not anticipating. The others had been conversing excitedly about a plan for defenses, or traps, and Ylmen hadn't been paying that much attention. At the sight of the massive canine Ylmen suddenly started paying a great deal more attention. Now fully healed, and convinced that he could be of little aid in the delicate matter of subduing the beast, he ascended to the upper branches of the massive tree supporting the fort. He watched as the others went about their activities, and settled in at the base of a large branch near the trunk and closed his massive golden eyes. Wink, apparently pleased with the change of scenery, gave a contented chirp and the two of them drifted to sleep.

What felt like seconds after drifting into silence, a thundering ruckus roused first Wink, then Ylmen. His now slightly bloodshot eyes snapped open but his brain was still fast asleep. Perception of the world flooded into his consciousness, but it would be a few moments before all this new information arranged itself in any sort of useful manner in his mind.

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/magic/rare-cantrips

Are these accessible in this game? I was looking at breeze and drench to continue with my storms theme.

So for those of us not playing with Fido, what is the timeline like? I know we were doing a partial rest earlier to recover a spell or heal some, have we had time for any more rest during the dire wolf Benny Hill sketch or did that happen during the partial rest?

Earlier...
"I would happily lend my eyes and ears to scouting duties, though I fear I must rest some just at present." Ylmen looked at his wound and hesitated before continuing, "I would be most capable if I could focus on preparing some protections for myself, but my injury will also need rest." From a narrow tube on his harness Ylmen produced a long vial of honey-colored fluid. "I have a curative elixer which I've kept for emergencies, but it may be my best option if I am to focus on conjuring another barrier for myself."

Ylmen recalled the several axes which clattered off his Mage Armor during the fight with the raiders. Any one of those could have killed him had they landed as the first one had. Though the dwarf had seemed to escape his grim fate, Ylmen was in no hurry to test his fortune in that regard.

Unless anyone can expedite Ylmen's healing, he will drink his potion of cure light wounds and settle in to prepare Mage Armor during the rest period.

Ylmen tended quietly to his wound and listened to the others' words with restrained fascination. Upon Kenna's remark to Eythil ,Ylmen looked first at her and then at him with an entirely coincidental expression of abject horror. When Eythil took it in stride Ylmen shrugged and went back to his task, removing his gear harness and tidying up.

The Amulet of natural armor would be a good fit for Ylmen. Stacks well with current AC sources.

Ylmen, looking as inflated as possible without putting painful strain on his ribcage, hooted agreeably. "I intent to behave with only civility among those so favored by fortune to be chosen for this journey." He removed his darkened circular goggles from around his neck and cleaned them with the fine grey feathers near his wrist. "My name is Ylmen. I am a student arcane. If your will be with that of your hosts," his eyes once again finding Spectrum and Thedra,"Then I am your friend and servant." He gave a slight bow to Eythil, then to Garridan, before taking a seat.

Ylmen's head turned to face Eythil as the scarred and burned human addressed him. He hesitated momentarily before answering, realizing that some magic was allowing him to understand the man's speech.

"You've come to that conclusion easily, have you?" Ylmen screeched and clicked indignantly between labored breaths. "You look as much like one of those dead raiders as you do any of these other groundlings." Ylmen quickly scanned the group, eyeing each of the persons present for just a moment before locking his gaze back on Eythil. "You are fortunate my eyesight is as keen as it is, or I may have mistaken you for one of them." Ylmen stepped side to side, shifting his weight between his scaled feet. "If you mean to suggest that my appearance is unlike the others than you are correct, but we are on the same path it would seem." His broad feathered face turned to spectrum. "Spectrum collected me from my home in the mountains. I have long awaited this journey."

A wounded and disheveled Ylmen landed with a muted thud on the platform surrounding the great tree. All down his back and left side the feathers on his torso were stuck together with his drying blood. There was evidence that he had attempted to clean himself, his hands and beak were stained red and the feathers near his wound had thinned and stripped. His breathing, usually silent, was deep and unsteady. If he was embarrassed at his condition, it wouldn't be apparent to his company. His facial expression was static, and interpreted by most humanoids as one of panic and bewilderment. It was the eyes, he had been told. His wide, golden eyes, locked forward, always seemed to invite concern as to his state of mind. This time, at least, they told the truth. The sudden escalation of violence and subsequent failure of the summoned mist to conceal him from his attackers had sent the gravely wounded and magically exhausted Syrinx into the trees for protection.

Seeing many of his new company up close for the first time, Ylmen hesitantly approached the the group, checking to see if they were in similar condition to himself. He stared with particular interest at the miraculously alive Dwarf, and tried to gather what they all were speaking of.

Up on the southern platform, shrouded in smoke, the remaining orcish shaman looked up and threw fire at the flying wizard Ylmen.

Also, unless the orc shaman on the southern platform created his own smoke, he is well below the obscuring mist effect if he is only 15' off the ground. The Obscuring Mist starts 45' off the ground, and caps at 65'. Is there sufficient smoke from the nearby fires to conceal him?

Is S2 in the tree?

Ylmen ended last turn in the Obscuring mist, are these shamans able to defeat the miss chance from such an effect? The mist he made on his first turn starts 45 feet off the ground, he ended his turn 55 feet off the ground, with ten feet of mist below him and another five feet of it above him. There should be about 15-20 feet of mist between Ylmen and his attacker by my count. Am i missing something? He also made 2 90 degree turns after re-entering the mist, which may affect an attackers ability to determine which square he is in.

Hearing Thedra's command through the conflagration and bedlam, Ylmen veers around the great trunk of the tree and into the southern cloud of mist he summoned earlier. Wink intercepts him as he enters the cloud, and pulls himself into Ylmen's feathers once more. Ylmen readies his crossbow as he descends, and swoops out from the underside of the cloud enough to fire a bolt at the Orc between Thedra and Ariela. As soon as the bolt clears the weapon, he flares into a banking climb and re-enters the cloud of vapor.

Ylmen flies at 65' elevation from V-4 to T-4, then banks 45 degrees left, heading southwest. He flies above the Concealing Smoke and into the top of the Obscuring Mist, entering the cloud of vapor at Q-7. From Q-7 he heads due south and descends at a 45-degree angle, emerging from beneath the cloud at Q-10. He fires his light crossbow at O5 (Orc Heavy in space L-12) from space Q-10 while flying 40 feet off the ground, just below the bottom of the Obscuring Mist, then ascends and banks sharply to the right, ending the turn in space O-10, 55 feet of the ground, heading north and ascending.

Ranged Attack at Orc Heavy in L-12, +1 BAB, +1 Dex, +1 High Ground: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14
Light Crossbow: 1d8 ⇒ 7

Wink, Ylmen's small owl familliar, flies from S-5 (75') to Q-6 (65') and lands on Ylmen's shoulder, gripping the thick leather harness strap beneath Ylmen's feathers. For the remainder of his turn, Wink is "drawing" another Tanglefoot Bag, pulling the loose end of a cord securing it to the harness, and holding the knot of the pouch in his beak, ready to transfer it to his talons after take off should another bombing run be needed.

Yeah, i guess -8 is pretty steep. It just seems like it wouldn't be too hard to vault over someone who is laying down, and cmd-4 can still be a significant challenge. -4 will probably be fine, especially if they're also taking an attack penalty if they do get the AoO.

I would suggest a two-fold penalty, both a -8 cmd and -4 to any AoO they get.

-4 cmd because prone (ac penalties affect cmd), and another -4 cmd because of the attack penalty while prone, as attack bonus is also a component of cmd.

Nowhere does it say that prone creatures don't threaten, but I think the -4 to attack should also affect their cmd for the purpose of using acrobatics to get past them.

S4 was already unconscious? Isn't S4 on the higher platform hurling alchemist fire?

Ylmen banked sharply to the right and began to descend. A barely audible series of clicks and chirps from the Syrinx was responded to with an even fainter screech as a tiny feathered head poked out from the thicker feathers around Ylmen's neck. A tiny owl, no larger of body than two stacked fists, burst into flight clutching a pouch nearly half its size. The two diverge, Ylmen descending to the east and his tiny winged companion further ascending to the northwest.

Another hatchet crashed off of the barrier around Ylmen as he glided down and flew over Teral, Kenna, and an orc fighting in the smoke. "Triii-Kitah, Srah!" he shouted, and a spiraling wall of water erupted from the fog cloud, curving unnaturally to crash into the skirmisher on the higher platform.

After a short ascent to the northeast, Ylmen's owl companion released his payload upon the skirmisher on the catwalk below.

Wink, Ylmen's familiar, releases a Tanglefoot bag aiming at S5.
Ranged Touch Attack, Tanglefoot bag, four range increments, High Ground: 1d20 ⇒ 4
Wink ends his turn 75 feet off the ground, 50 feet above his target.

Ylmen flies just south of the tree supporting Kenna and the others, 55 feet above the ground. As he is passing the trunk he casts Hydraulic Push targeting S4 from the east, attempting to knock him from the platform.
Bull Rush Maneuver, Caster level+Int: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (4) + 5 = 9
Ylmen continues flying, banking left and up, ending his turn flying at his previous elevation of 65 feet, taking cover behind the massive trunk of the tree.

Environment Fortitude: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (14) + 3 = 17

Ylmen's broad feathered face snapped back and forth tracking motion on the jungle floor. Overwhelmed by the commotion, he lowered into a squat before looking out and up and spreading his great wings into a canopy more than twenty feet from wingtip to wingtip.

Skirmisher S3 throws a handaxe at Ylmen: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18

Slashing: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8

18>15AC (10 +1 dex +4 Mage Armor) = hit for 8. Second attack misses.

Before he could pull himself into the air a hatchet crashed into his back. A flash of white light crackled across his brown and grey feathered torso as the weapon shattered through a magical barrier and carved a wide crescent gash. A second, immediately following, clatterd off the protective field and spun, ringing from the impact, to the jungle floor below.

Already commited to take-off, Ylmen lunged forward with a startled screech, struggling to get airborn and avoid the flames while reeling from the sudden injury.

Fly: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (15) + 8 = 23

With one massive wingbeat Ylmen launched himself skyward, his right wingtip cutting through the hot and furious air near the spreading flames.

"Tkri-hi tchkritk Kghree!" Ylmen half swore, half chanted. A dense cloud of fog erupted in his wake as he shot out from the platform.

Ylmen flies upward at a 45 degree angle away from the tree behind him. 20 feet out and up from the platform, he casts Obscuring Mist. He then continues flying away from the platform, banking to the right as he ascends, to keep the cloud between him and his attackers, and the witchdoctor to the south.

I'll be hopping in once i'm back from breakfast

Howdy Folks!
My profile is done beside picking some spells and minor equipment.
I should have the last few details posted within a day or so.