Wood dismisses the spell and Rova returns to his normal form.
"Ooops."
Gkirkhan climbs the ladder and tries to wrench open the door.
He does so with gusto.
"Come Herr Death-mage. Perhaps Hy vill show hyu tha same mercy hyu showed dose leddle kids."
Despite the friendly tone, a low growl edges his voice, and his eyes glow a dangerous red.
Climbing the ladder isn't necessary. The strange gnome is standing in the room, waiting for you.
Round 2: Preparations continue
Zhiden: hides/holds action
Vorkstag prepares
Wood: casts/dismisses
Grine prepares
Rova returns to 'normal' size
Vertielle: once more tries to Aid Another
Gkirkhan: smashes in door, challenges Grine
Eva: cures Wood
Vertielle:
Round 3:
Zhiden
Vorkstag drinks third potion
Wood
Grine casts darkness on entry to room
Rova
Vertielle
Gkirkhan
Eva
Gkirkhan smiles, baring his pointy white teeth. It is not a pleasant smile. It is definitely not his goofy grin, nor is it the wolf's smile he had worn several times before. The smile Gkirkhan wears is Death.
"Ah, vhere are mein manners? Hy am Gkirkhan, and hy am hyur doom."
He tells him in the same hollow, but friendly tone as before. With a snarl he launches him self at the little gnome, his rage burning hot and fire in his eyes.
As the door is opened, Wood gestures and tosses some bat guano in the air.
A pea sized projectile flies into the room and detonates silhouetting a slightly singed Gkirkan.
Wood's three celestial dogs rush in to find someone to maul.
Seeing the room dark, they home on the burning of clothes and skin.
N Size celestial/fiendish animal
Init +1; Senses darkvision, low-light vision, scent; Perception +8
DEFENSE
AC 13, touch 12, flat-footed 12 (+1 Dex, +1 natural, +1 size)
hp [8]
Fort +6, Ref +3, Will +1
SR 5
Celestial - Resist acid, cold, and electricity 5;
Fiendish - Resist cold and fire 5
OFFENSE
Speed 40 ft.
Melee bite +4 (1d4+1) [1d4+3]
Special Attack smite evil/good
STATISTICS
Str 17, Dex 13, Con 19, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Base Atk +0; CMB +0 [+2]; CMD 13 (17 vs. trip)
Feats Skill Focus (Perception)
Skills Acrobatics +1 (+9 jumping), Perception +8, Survival +1 (+5 scent tracking); Racial Modifiers +4 Acrobatics when jumping, +4 Survival when tracking by scent
SPECIAL ABILITIES
Smite evil/good 1/day as a swift action (adds Cha bonus (0) to attack rolls and damage bonus equal to HD (+1) against evil/good foes; smite persists until target is dead or the celestial/fiendish creature rests).
Vertielle jumps the gap, casting midair. As she lands, a wave of electric, liquid green light enfuses her hand, and releases in a soft thunderclap that illuminates the room. The hissing sound of a torch snuffed in water lingers for a heartbeat, then is quiet.
AC 19
HP 38-19=19-9 (yep, evil)=10
Cursing furiously in an unknown tongue, the strange little gnome once more casts Darkness, filling the room.
The darkness doesn't even slow down the enraged half-orc. Gkirkhan's hammer flies in a wild, clumsy arc. It's not a great strike, or even a good one, but it's good enough to crush flesh and bone to a pulp as the head of the hammer buries itself into the gnome.
"Hyur magics von't vork on me."
Zhiden continued moving with the group, hoping for an opening. As it was, he couldn't see, so instead he followed the sound of Gkirkhan's steps, hoping to find something to attack.
When he heard the Half-orc's attack connect, Zhiden approached and tried circling around before attacking in the direction of the Gkirkhan's target.
Eva uses her Spell-like-ability Day Light to counter the darkness.
Vertielle curses as the darkness falls, wincing at the crunch. She whips out her wand, but hesitates. Is the gnome dead already? She can't see into the velvety curtain of black.
With a flash of light, the cleric illuminates the room. Perhaps she has her uses, Vertielle thinks, her whip already snaking outwards...
[ooc]Dunno if he's dead or holding anything, or if Gkirkhan is in the way. I'll disarm if he's got something, trip if he doesn't, and delay if he is dead. [/ooc ]
As Gkirkhan's blow falls, you hear a sickening crunch, followed by an intense flash of light.
Anyone actually in the room with the combatants, give me a DC 13 Fort save or be blinded for rounds.
Zhiden saw a flash of light, and then nothing else. He wasn't sure if the conjured darkness had defeated whatever Evangeline had attempted, or if something else had happened. All he knew was that, like before, he couldn't see a thing.
Three dogs from the celestial realm are familiar with divine light.
They recoil from this bright flash.
One is blinded, the other two seem unaffected.
Wood in the guise of the worker slaves, is glad he stayed outside the room.
What did Eva do?
Gkirkhan, his eyes half-closed form the grimace on his face, barely even registers the flash.
"Come out coward! Let me show hyu vot avaits dose who murder children!"
Vertielle covers her eyes too late, and fumbles about for a few moments.
After the flash, the darkness is gone. All that you can find is an odd smoky mark on the floor, surrounding a crumpled pile of equipment, as if whatever had been wearing it...vanished. The room is otherwise undamaged and the trap door to the roof is still sealed shut, latched from this side.
rags of clothing
mw handaxe
mw throwing knives x3
disguise kit
holy symbol
6 packets of some odd substance
spell component pouch
thieves' tools
potion bottle
2 flasks of some unknown substance
1 packet of an unknown substance
Gkirkhan wrestles control of his rage as he notices that the other man was not coming.
"Vot cesspit deed dis ting crawl up? Gnomes don't explode."
Gkirkhan pauses for a moment, a thoughtful expression replacing the scowl he was wearing.
"Do they?"
Wood rushes into the room in his disguise.
He quickly tries to assess what has transpired.
Now correctly sized to use the ladders and platforms, Rova starts up to the fray, sadly missing the blinding flash (bummer, huh?).
"Waddja leave fer me?"
Wood points to the sealed trap door.
"Rova, I hope you can reach that now."
No, they do not... It would appear this was one of the dark folk, am ancient race native to the darklands. That explains the mongrelmen.
Zhiden rubbed his eyes, blinking hard as his vision returned. He looked around, not seeing any enemies, and couldn't help but wonder what had happened. "Is it over? Where did the other one go?
Wood sends the divine hounds searching.
The dogs head out to the balcony and start sniffing at the next door down.
Wood follows his hounds, still looking as a normal worker and points to the indicated door.
He would not think of depriving Gkirkan of a chance to 'open' a door.
Gkirkhan follows the dogs and smashes this door down as well...after several tries
<- I hope that did it.
After a bit of an issue with Gkirkhan's door-opening technique, you burst into the next room.
This room appears to be the study of a scholar. There's a roll-top desk with a leather chair standing against one wall, holding a variety of alchemical equipment and surrounded by hundreds of books piled on every available surface. A narrow cot is crushed into one corner behind a wall of books. You see another door in the north wall.
But first...there's some...one? in the room with you. A creature with dark pink flesh drawn tightly across its emaciated body, resembling a gaunt human stripped of its skin, with its pulsing muscles completely exposed stands pressed against the wall opposite the door, waiting to attack.
Init:
Evangline
Gkirkhan
Rova
Vertielle
Wood
Zhiden
Vorkstag
Round 1:
Gkirkhan
Zhiden
Vorkstag Attacks Gkirkhan; note: is blurred.(20% miss chance)
Rova
Eva
Wood
Vertielle
As Gkirkhan bursts in the creature breathes fire into the doorway, catching anyone in the squares behind the doorway and the square in front of it (cone shape centered on the square in front of the door).
Reflex DC 16 for half.
Eep! Vertielle shrieks, holding an arm ahead of her face and turning to shoulder the torrent of flame.
Though her arm is licked by the flame, she quickly extinguishes it while glaring warily at the alchemist.
Wood is quite far back, glad he is not one to be at the fore.
Realizing that the fire user may not want to immolate himself in a flammable web, Wood casts and a sticky mass forms from the floor to the ceiling.
School conjuration (creation); Level sorcerer/wizard 2
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (spider web)
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Effect webs in a 20-ft.-radius spread
Duration 10 min./level (D)
Saving Throw Reflex negates; see text; Spell Resistance no
Web creates a many-layered mass of strong, sticky strands. These strands trap those caught in them. The strands are similar to spiderwebs but far larger and tougher. These masses must be anchored to two or more solid and diametrically opposed points or else the web collapses upon itself and disappears. Creatures caught within a web become grappled by the sticky fibers. Attacking a creature in a web doesn't cause you to become grappled.
Anyone in the effect's area when the spell is cast must make a Reflex save. If this save succeeds, the creature is inside the web but is otherwise unaffected. If the save fails, the creature gains the grappled condition, but can break free by making a combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check as a standard action against the DC of this spell. The entire area of the web is considered difficult terrain. Anyone moving through the webs must make a combat maneuver check or Escape Artist check as part of their move action, with a DC equal to the spell's DC. Creatures that fail lose their movement and become grappled in the first square of webbing that they enter.
If you have at least 5 feet of web between you and an opponent, it provides cover. If you have at least 20 feet of web between you, it provides total cover.
The strands of a web spell are flammable. A flaming weapon can slash them away as easily as a hand brushes away cobwebs. Any fire can set the webs alight and burn away one 5-foot square in 1 round. All creatures within flaming webs take 2d4 points of fire damage from the flames.
Web can be made permanent with a permanency spell. A permanent web that is damaged (but not destroyed) regrows in 10 minutes.
Roaring in rage, he bursts into the room and draws his sword.
Eva Moves in to attack
Zhiden tried to jump away, but found his foot anchored and unable to move, forcing him to take the full blast of flame. Ignoring the pain, he slipped past Gkirkhan, past Vorkstag even, to reach a place where he could stab at the beast.
Vertielle barks a few words that snap from her mouth like cables under stress, and a pulse of life runs through her whip. Cracking the end forward with expertise born of familiarity, the whip coils like a hungry serpent as it latches itself to Vorkstag.
@Zhiden: you misunderstood. The creature apparently IS Vorkstag...or at least, is the only being other than you folks in here.
@Vertielle: you believe that -creature- is a skin-stealer, a vicious fey creature delighting in death, destruction and trickery that can steal and wear the skins of it's victims...kinda like that face you found back in the swamp.
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +4 shield)
hp 72-9=63
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +7; +2 vs. poison
Defensive Abilities blur
Melee mwk heavy mace +11 (1d8+5 plus poison) or 2 claws +10 (1d4+5)
Ranged bomb +9 (2d6+4 acid or fire)
Special Attacks bomb 8/day (2d6+4 acid or fire, DC 16), sneak attack (+1d6), steal skin
Vorkstag reflex vs web
The creature manages to avoid Wood's spell, instead however, managing to place itself in just the proper position for Vertielle's entangling whip to trap it.
Don't burn it! If the place goes up we'll have nothing!
If possible, Vertielle will control the end of the whip.
Gkirkhan snarls as he dives in, a clusmy swing misses, but brings Vorkstag in line with the deadly thrust of his sword.
Wood dispels the magic web when he sees Vertielle's whip has done the job and it will only get in the way.
He looks at the hit Gkirkan puts on the restrained Vorkstag, and cringes reflexively.
Hate to be him.
Male skin stealer alchemist 4
NE Medium fey
Init +7; Senses low-light vision; Perception +11
AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +2 natural, +4 shield)
hp 72-9=63-26=37
Fort +10, Ref +11, Will +7; +2 vs. poison
Defensive Abilities blur
Melee mwk heavy mace +11 (1d8+5 plus poison) or 2 claws +10 (1d4+5)
Ranged bomb +9 (2d6+4 acid or fire)
Special Attacks bomb 8/day (2d6+4 acid or fire, DC 16), sneak attack (+1d6), steal skin
Alchemist Extracts Prepared (CL 4th)
2nd--blur, fire breath (DC 16)
1st--bomber’s eye, jump, shield, true strike
Round 1:
Gkirkhan miss
Zhiden hits
Vorkstag Attacks Gkirkhan; note: is blurred.(20% miss chance)
Rova
Eva miss
Wood cast web
Vertielle entangles creature with whip
Round 2:
Gkirkhan hits
Zhiden
Vorkstag uses his 2nd fire breath blast; same area
Rova
Eva
Wood
Vertielle
Reflex DC 16 for half
Gkirkhan barely even registers the burning embers flying his way as he continues his furious assault, cracking ribs with his hammer.
Son of a... Vertielle's last few words are drowned by the whoosh of flame.
Still holding the whip, she takes the full brunt of the blast, though keeps her feet.
Rova looks for a way into the crowded doorway, bare-knuckled and ready to subdue a..whaddeva tha' is..
Swift: Enter Dragon style
Move: I can move through my allies without problems
<-- Subdue, STUNNING FIST attempt
<-- Blunt, non-magic
Save vs. Stunning fist = Fort-15 to avoid stun/1 round
Dragon style + Stunning fist = Shaken (No save) for rounds
Rova lands a solid blow to the flayed thing, possibly sending it reeling, and certainly giving it reason to be afraid.
Zhiden was growing worried, did they need this beast alive to lend credence to the notion that Volkstag and Gorst were behind this? Should he soften his attacks in hopes of disabling the creature? Zhiden quickly decided against it. If nothing else, he could testify that the pair had likely skipped town when it became clear that the golem's allies were gathering dirt on their operation.
With grim determination, he plunged his swords deep into the creature's back, ensuring that he struck first with the blade he'd been given by the circus after the spider nearly killed him.
@Zhiden: no, he's fey not shapeshifter.
With Rova's blow the creature staggers, stunned & shaken. Gkirkhan and Zhiden nearly bring it down as it drops to the floor, battered and bleeding.
hp 72-9=63-26=37-19=18-16=2-23(subdual)