Zayifid AKA DM Dan E's page

Or not sorry. My Dad is visiting from Australia and not much time to post yesterday.

Linah moves up behind Grall, a fair distance from the jinn's flashing blade and her channel heals the group while avoiding Zayifid and what looks from a casual inspection to be a just barely unconscious adept near her feet.

Round 13

Zayifid crosses blades with Grall before stepping back and sidewise. You have him in a rough quarter circle that will be complete in a few seconds and the jann seems to realise it. Covered in golden dust and hampered by two substantial wounds, his eyes flick between you, probing for weaknesses and he seems to gague whether he can make it past Grall to Linah.

Evidently not.

The blood welling above his left eye gives him a ghastly appearance. Anger and frustration play out unchecked on that formerly impassive face as he spits out a retort.

Keep it safe for me Khalid. I'll be retrieving it soon enough.

The jann seems to concentrate, out of reach of the now normal sized Grall. Behind him the air seems to shimmer. You can vaguely make out an overlay of what seems to be a sky full of clouds.

Before Grall can close the gap and bring his sword to bear, the jann steps back into the oval shaped distortion and vanishes. There are no sparkles, nothing to see with Khalid's enchanted sight. He is gone.

Combat over.

It is mopping up after that with every remaining gnoll in the Temple fleeing before the slayers. Of your foes most are dead although the priest clings (somehow) barely to life with one of the badly burned adepts breathing shallowly.

Zeladiel scans for magic, seperating the temporary auras on the adept's greataxes and the priest's heavy shield. You locate and loot several magic items on the priest. I'm identifying these for convenience as you will have plenty of time, see OOC thread.

- Cold Iron Morningstar + 1
- Mithril Chainmail + 2 of Fortification (light)
- Headband of Wisdom + 4
- Cloak of Resistance + 1 (a multi-coloured Rovagugian item like the others)
- Scrolls of Bulls Strength, Resist Elements, Animate Dead x 2
- Wand of Cure Light Wounds 11 charge
- Masterwork Heavy Wooden Shield

Together with a wand on the unconscious adept. Wand of Cure Light Wounds 6 charges.

And on the other gnolls.

- 4 Greataxes
- 3 Composite Longbows (+2 str)
- 7 Scimitars
- 4 Heavy Wooden Shields

You wrap Sajan's body in blankets. The wounds to his body are horrific but the giant monk's face looks almost peaceful...

The first piece of uncertainty that you have seen from the jinn flickers in his eyes at the narrow miss although he does not back down, disengaging his blade and whirling it in a stunning display of skill.

Your tired, low on resources and your most powerful warrior is dead.

You've won! Just give me the scroll Khalid!

He is now visible to everyone although note location between the two pillars.

Gnoll Killers

Round 12

Khalid 22
Linah 12a
Grall 12b
Nuveril 12c
Carrion Guard Archer 9a
Zeladiel 9b
?

Effects

Bulls Strength (Grall, Nuveril)
Enlarge Person (Grall)
See Invisibility (Khalid)
Weapon of Awe (Khalid)
Shield of Faith (Kahalid)
Mage Armor (Zeladiel)
Blur (Grall)
Gravity Bow (Zeladiel)

Notes

- Note darkness rules as normal. A light spell (Khalid, Linah) casts 20' of normal light and a further 20' of dim light. Linah has Sajan's lantern in her left hand.
- The 8' high barrier of carrion and rubble is blocking LOS to the middle of the chamber.
- The carrion pit is 25' deep at its northern section, it slopes up to the barrier at the south

Khalid hasn't been able to shake the bad feeling that Zayifid has simply been waiting to make his move and the inquisitor's superb instincts hold him in good stead as the slim figure drops down from above directly behind him. H,29

There is a slight shading around the jinn, an indication to Khalid that it is only his pre-cast divination that allows him to detect the attack.

But of greater concern is the silvery blade slicing sidewise at his vitals with what seems like unhuman speed.

Afterwards, the inquisitor will play the moment back and forth in his mind and try and determine how he parried. Agility? A spark of sentience from his enchanted blade? Vardishal's interference? Blind luck?

He'll never be quite sure but parry it he does, Tempest sliding against what could be its twin with a metallic squeal.

Scimitar vs Khalid 1d20 + 18 ⇒ (6) + 18 = 24 miss vs AC 25
1d6 + 8 ⇒ (5) + 8 = 13

This is in impulse 31. Mechanically your see invisibility had the result that he could not stealth within the radius of your normal light which in turn prevented the flat-footed sneak attack.

It did not need to be this way...

As I said, wishcraft lasts forever.

INFERNIUS!

Red smoke begins to issue from each of the stone mouths, monstrous forms writhing inside...

You may each perform a surprise rounds worth of actions. You can use this to place yourselves. Currently I have you clustered near the entrance except for Zeladiel who is half way to the northern alcove.

There is silence for a long moment. When the jann speaks there is a sadness to his voice but certainty as well.

No Khalid. I've found the way. The path to recover everything I've lost. There is only one thing keeping me from it.

There was a time. A time when I recall feeling regret at the things I'd done. But I can scarce summon that feeling now.

Place the scroll on the closest bench and retreat to the lower level. No tricks! I will kill Hadira, recover Kadisa and we will never have to cross paths again.

Last chance.

Grall's declaration and hastily drawn weapon provokes a flicker from the image and the jann is silent while Khalid holds the barbarian back and asks his questions.

One or more of the barbs in there seems to strike home. When he speaks again there is more than a hint of frustration and anger in the jann's voice although he seems far from loss of control.

You do not know of what you speak! It was not my hand that struck Vardishal down! Nor mine that that led him to his death. Nor mine that broke our fellowship after. I served ... I served until there was nothing left to follow!

I am nothing like Kardswann, nothing!

My purpose is irrelevant to your current predicament. Think boy! If you can access Vardishal's memories you know I am no Carrion King to charge blindly at you with his axe! I can be whoever I want, find you wherever you go. Think of your companions. Think of their loved ones.

Because I will not stop until I have what is mine!

For narrative purposes I'm going to treat Nuveril and Linah's statements coming before Grall and Khalids. Makes more sense to me anyway.

The jann sounds untroubled by Nuveril's words.

Ah the campers. The other wrinkle. The months I spent worrying about that. But I was reasonably sure they never made it out with the scroll. And now we've established I was right. Whoever they were their bodies must be down there somewhere I suppose.

As for Kadisa. You might imagine that the gnolls don't treat their prisoners well. But I'm not a monster. I've kept him alive and relatively hale. As soon as I have the scroll my interest in him, and indeed all of you, ceases. I will bring him to you and you can all leave safely together.

The image shimmers again. Going to run out of charges at this rate.

He wears the same clothes and jewelry but this time appears as a man, handsome and boyish with tousled red hair. A few cracks around the eyes are the only hint of age and the eyes themselves are the same slightly unnatural blue that you have come to associate with the jann.

This time his scimitar hilt is unwrapped, revealing part of a scimitar that could be Tempest's twin.

The image smiles woodenly at Linah as the voice answers Zeladiel, seemingly unconcerned (or possibly oblivious, you don't know exactly where he is or what he is doing) at his movements.

That seems unlikely to me. But either way if you made it that far you can go fetch it. And yes, you can hole up here, for a time at least. Hadira will continue to build his forces. But then I'm not in any particular hurry. You have no idea how very long I've waited for this plan to bear fruit.

But why this talk of cards, of upper hands? We do not have to be enemies, you and I. Vardishal and I were family. You do not even know what the scroll is and yet you seek to deny it to me.

You can have everything you desire. Just give the scroll to me. Right here, right now. I will go upstairs and plant my sword in Hadira's spine. The gnolls will break and scatter. After years of a strong central rule the Pale Mountain tribes will war amongst themselves for years, each leader vying for the Carrion King's mantle. The northern lands will be safe from their threat for a generation. You will be heroes.

Are you so fixated on conflict that you would set yourselves against me as well as the gnolls? Over something you did not even know was here? The real Kadisa is here as well. Surely, Linah, Khalid you want him back unharmed?

His voice is calm, soothing and friendly.