Salome finds herself growing more exasperated and impatient with every passing moment of debate and lecture. "It's not genius! It's a children's game! 'The gold lock takes the gold key/The silver lock takes the silver key/The mon-lock takes the...' Oh, never mind. Just get on with it!"
Slidell strides up to within 5' of the door. Just far enough back to give even him a chance to dodge another attack. And looks over his shoulder to the others.
Involuntarily, she rolls her eyes. Majji!
"It's not genius! It's a children's game! 'The gold lock takes the gold key/The silver lock takes the silver key/The mon-lock takes the...' Oh, never mind. Just get on with it!"
Slidell nods and raises his frost-covered hand, pointing at the door. His mouth intones the magic word even as his brain reviews Salome's statement.
"Thyrori!"
'The gold lock takes the gold key/The silver lock takes the silver key/The mon-lock takes the...' "HEY!" He cries aloud, even as the pale blue beam lances from his finger to strike the door.
Vesh, even with the slight ear-ache he still feels, can't help but smile at the exchange between Slidell and Salome.
Big Sister has a temper.
His smile broadens at the thought, giving him a semi-sinister look as he draws his bow and readies an arrow. He raises his weapon at the door as Slidell casts his spell.
This is so crazy it might just work...
"Finally!" Salome sighs as she looks into the darkness beyond. Then, seeing the edges of the panel re-form, she shouts "Go! Go!" and charges, holding her scimitar in her right hand as she runs toward the shrinking doorway.
Ignoring the shadows, Mal rolls through the door.
Vesh's Perception Check (1d20-4=8)
Vesh darts through, almost tripping on Malcolm and Salome in the process.
Lady, I shall be a lamp in the dark places!
Ehlissa grimly presses on, following her comrades.
"Hey, It worked!" Slidell says, uncringing from the fiery burst that he was half-expecting.
"Well of course it worked! Come on!" HE cries over his shoulder, "It won't stay open forever!"
Slidell pauses only to touch his new cloak clasp, and mumble something. He is briefly covered in a silver sheen. He pulls his crossbow back into the ready position.
"Come on V." He says to his feathered sidekick. "Let's see just what's so important behind this door!"
"Hey, wait for me!" He calls, just realizing that he has already been passed by everyone he thought was behind him. He runs forward and hops the reappearing door.
Reflex save (1d20+1=2)
Balance save (1d20-5=14)
Initiative (1d20+1=6)
Surprised by the slanted floor , Salome lands wrong and falls forward. Quickly reorienting herself, she tentatively stands in the Escherian space, half-expecting creatures to be walking upside down on twisted stairs. Suddenly, like a nightmare-come-true, she notices one... two... three wrathspawn approaching, totally unaffected by the off-balance architecture.
"You should have taken a lesson from your dead comrades," she growls. "We will show no mercy."
Reflex save (1d20+3=15)
Initiative (1d20+6=11)
Vesh stumbles into the room and somehow manages to right himself as he sees the mandibled wrathspawn spilling over the edge of the ledge. He loses valuable time having to re-knock his arrow.
"Close ranks!" He yells, immediately seeing that trying moving across this terrain will result in disaster. "Make them come to us! We'll be sliding all around this place.!"
Slidell hops through the remaining gap in the doorway, and starts to topple on the slanted floor. He leans back, steadies, and smiles. Then curses as his feet shoot out from underneath him and he lands on his bum.
"OW!" He says, climbing carefully back to his feet. "Stoopid Evokers can't even build a floor straight,..."
"Look out!" Veran Shouts, circling the carefully balancing mage. Slidell looks up and sees the split-jawed horrors rapidly approaching.
"Oh look!" Slidell smiles, "Wrathspawn! Oh, wait. That's bad."
Ref save+2 from the successful Perception check (1d20+4=21)
Ehlissa leaps through, balances perfectly, with a grace bordering on the divine.
"To the death." she says calmly, as she readies herself to slay the abominations.
"Oh damn. Its never easy." Mal sighs and draws his rapier, shifting into a combat stance and sticking close to Slidell and staying ready to attack if any of these damnable wrathspawn close on us.
Ehlissa steels herself but fate likes to play her little tricks...
Attack roll (includes fighting challenge) (1d20+8=9)
Mal dashes nimbly over the debris covering the floor to the one on the stairs, jabbing viciously at it and then withdrawing ever so slightly, trying to parry its blows as best he can.
Ehlissa winces with pain but shrugs off the effects of the beast's vile poison.
Vesh trips left to keep the wrathspawn from getting at the fallen Slidell, and a arrow drawn, he attempts to shoot it in it's infernal jaws!
Vesh's attack and damage vs. W2 with a +1 arrow (1d20+7=16, 1d6+3=9)
Vesh sees red as he is hit in the neck, but somehow maintains his grip on the bow. He fires.
Eat arrow, bastard. He thinks as a gurgling sound wells up in his throat.
"Dammit!" Mal shouts, as the creature takes a bloody chunk out of his shoulder and springs past him. He feels something hot a viscous dripping from the wound in his shoulder and a barely controllable rage fills him "You sorry son of a whore!" he shouts, ready to dart forward and hack the creature to bits.
Slidell is starting to climb carefully to his feet when Vesh slides in front to block the Wrathspawn from being able to reach him, and takes a terrible hit to the neck for his trouble.
"Da##it! NO!" Slidell shouts, full of fury. He finishes rising quickly to his feet, and lets the useless-in-melee crossbow drop to his side. He begins casting a spell, only his narrowed eyes and clipped, almost bitten words indicate his anger.
"Hang in there Vesh, calvary's coming." He mumbles as he finishes his incantation, and a golden globe begins to form in his hands.
Seeing the mayhem unfolding around her, Salome gets up as quickly as she can on the slanted and disorienting surface.
"Many or one? Many or one? Which is more valuable? Which is the more worthy cause?" The flies' buzzing in the tent mixed with Mejjur De's droning lecture. "It's a matter of resources: help the most people with the least amount of effort..."
Salome reaches over to Vesh and, pressing a cloth to his bleeding neck chants quickly in Qadi. CLW (1d8+4=11)
"We are all one," she whispers.
As he picked her up, she asked, "Why did you come for me?" Her eyes were swelling shut, but she heard the calm voice of her rescuer: "Help should be most given where it is most needed."
Including fighting challenge (if that one is still alive; if not it's only +2) (1d8+3=4)
In the chaos of battle, Ehlissa finds her focus again, and swings at her foes.
Malcolm grins at the creature and takes a step so that he blocks the creature's path to his friends. He feints left, stabbing swiftly with his rapier and bringing his shortsword around in a weak blow.
Vesh is filled with warmth and vitality as Salome touches the cloth to his neck. As the wrathspawn lunges at Slidell, Vesh tumbles beside it and then slides over to flank it .
As he moves, he grasps his bow with his off-hand and draws Ameiko's dagger. Vesh stabs at the wrathspawn's exposed flank.
Vesh vs. Wrathspawn: 1d20+6=24, 1d4+1=4 ... SO close on the crit! Vesh's sneak attack damage is 1d6=5
The ball of light finishes coalescing in Slidell's hands. He casually tosses it so that it lands behind the Wrathspawn, right next to where Vesh moved.
It explodes soundlessly, the flash of light coalescing into a ring of light formed of glowing runes. It shines brightly again, flaring and fading to reveal a small form on the ground behind the Wrathspawn.
It is a dog, and it glows faintly with its own, inner, light.
"Hey Fang-Face! I brought you a playmate! Actually I brought it for the goblins, but I think he'll like you too!" Slidell steps to the side and unslings his staff as he shouts,... "MORI AELOR!"
The golden dog glows even brighter as it lunges with a furious growl for the split-jawed horror. As it lunges Slidell swings his staff like a bat at the creatures' head.
MORI AELOR = SMITE EVIL
Seeing clear access to a jimmarra, Salome decides to assist Ehlissa. She makes contact and attempts to take the creature down. Scimitar attack with flanking bonus (1d20+6=15); Damage dealt (1d6=5)
Attack against previous opponent (1d20+8=18)
Damage (1d8+3=6)
Heartened by her friends' turning the tide against the creatures, Ehlissa aims a deft thrust at the horrid beast!
MAP (so you don't have to scroll up).
Flipping Ameiko's dagger around blade-side, Vesh hurls it at the wrathspawn tumbling into the wall.
Vesh vs. Wrathspawn #2 (1d20+6=26!!!, 1d4+2=5). Vesh's crit. vs. Wrathspawn #2 (1d20+6=18, 1d4+2=3)
After letting the dagger fly, Vesh immediately changes his bow hand and draws an arrow, preparing to fire if his dagger doesn't fell the vicious wrathspawn.
Again Mal thrusts and slashes at the creature, knowing that one more good hit from the wrathspawn and he'll be down.
Seeing the creature slump to the ground, Vesh's frown turns into a sinister grin as he turns his head to see Salome, Ehlissa, and Malcolm still standing and pressing their foes. He moves to get a clearer shot at Malcolm's foe .