Faith points to the window. "I will burst in and attempt to draw their attention through conversation and knifing once everyone is ready."
Faith points to the window. "I will burst in and attempt to draw their attention through conversation and knifing once everyone is ready."
"Alright. On your mark then."
Sasha and Juliver accept their respective rides quickly. As you get up to the window, your lungs begin to burn from the acrid air even when you avoid the noxious colored smoke.
Faith, flight granted by Pakshee who hangs at the back of the group, moves through the window first. The room sprawls wide, delicate glass tubing everywhere. The window is only 10-ft from the floor and easy movement is hindered by the mass of contraptions which rise up from the tables, the ceiling above hidden by a mass of smokey colors, the source of the colors that escape the room as the volume increases.
There are 25 ghasts in the room, all moving mechanically as they add reagents, change heating coils and collect the filled glass energy orbs. At the far side of the room you do see a human-sized door.
Her fingers move again as Zaine's britches come off. The movement slower than before, one set of wet fingers trails up her body to caress her breast. Her forehead furrows at the second question. She reddens a bit, "I like it when you tell me what to do. " Her eyes move from his to her hands, the silent 'like now' plain. "Ties, that restrict movement." She shakes her head, "Never would have wanted that, but, " she shudders just a little, "when we had sex after I got back from scouting the lake, when we kept my clothes on, my movement was hampered."
"I also am looking forward to dressing up for you, to play. Like the slave outfit you described. As long as we know it is play before, I like that a lot."
Áine looks around at all the moving unlife. "Faith, now might be a good time for another Blessing if you think these things are going to attack once we start deactivating them. What d'you think?" She decides to cast Gravity Bow for good measure. "There. That's probably enough firepower for this rabble."
"Blessing of Destruction," Faith touches Áine's elbow. "Just to be safe."
"Come on, girl. Let's cause some trouble." Zaine urges Tulip through the window. "All right you ghasts. Hands in the air."
Then as she tells him the rest. Keeping eye contact with her, he slips the last garment down his hips. She might not be able to see the smoky need in his eyes, but she can see it in his manhood. He remains standing, jutting obscenely out. "Of course, Pepper. I'd never want to hurt you ever. You and I are partners and I never want that to change." He smiles at her. "Would you like me to tell you what to do next then?"
The vast majority of the ghasts continue their movement uninterrupted by Zaine's loud comment, the sounds of bubbling, hissing and the tink of glass against glass still predominant in the room.
Near the door, the ghast who had been mechanically packing orbs in padded cases looks at the door. For a long time. Only then does it lurch around and pick out the people very obviously in the upper area of the room. It's voice is monotone, "Ware. This room contains delicate machinery and violent combustibles. The workers are easily replaceable but creating the mechanisms of my forge would be annoying and time consuming."
There is a pause, then like a phonograph given another twist of the handle, "Any violence will result in self-defense protocols in the drones. The explosion that will likely kill you all. Should it not, I will take great pleasure in hunting you down so you can replace my drones."
And the ghast returns to packing the alchemical bombs into the box.
She sits up on the bed, her abdomen flexing, so that her body moves towards his. Her mouth only a breath away from his manhood, her smile back on her lips and in her eyes, "What I always want..."
"Everything." Her tongue darts forward to taste the tip of him, a small keen of want as she does so.
"...huh," Zaine says. "Well, that makes a lot of sense." He carefully guides the airwalking Tulip back out the window, then wheels around and addresses his comrades. "Let's see what the explosion does from out here, huh?"
Zaine brings the musket up, sights carefully and shoots the talking ghast.
Confirm crit
To the second, he nods. "Always, Pepper. As long as you'll have me."
When she sits up, he grins. When she tastes him, he sighs. "You know exactly what I want." He wraps a hand around the back of her head, tangling in the red hair he loves, then gently guides her forward. "All the way," he says.
As soon as Faith and Aine have cleared the room, Zaine shoots.
On the way to the ghast at the far side of the room, the bullet goes through a bubbling flask of green, nicks a spiraling glass tube of blue, and shatters a vial of red. The bullet slams the speaking ghast into the door, destroying the undead's ability to move.
Then the green drips down, eating away all of the non-glass surfaces below it.
The blue sizzles out, traveling along the glass and metal apertures.
The red explodes, a small one at first.
Then a chain of explosions that utterly collapses the room and the side of the manor house of with the alchemical production. The stone wall with the window explodes outward.
One hand moves to Zaine's thigh for support but the other stays between her own thighs, moving in the wetness.
Her tongue lathes his tip, lips touching lightly all around. Only then does she look up, a small nod as she moves her head against his hand. His pace, his choice, his control.
Ride check for Tulip
With a twitch of his knees, Zaine guides Tulip away from the worst of the blast, but both of them get hit.
"Sorry about that," Zaine says as the dust clears, and his expression implies that he's not that sorry. "But I had to see what kind of explosion we were talking about."
Matched Juliver. Huh. That makes sense.
"That...was impressive." Áine says, nodding approvingly. "Shall we continue on before our short term spells run out?" she looks to continue into whatever opening through the collapsed portion looks inviting.
"That was well-aimed, lad!" Faith shots. "If only you could do it every time, eh?"
The room that held the alchemy forge is destroyed, blown out and the manor house above it has fallen down in a pile of stone which block the door which lead from the alchemy room into the remainder of the manor.
Her throat vibrates as she swallows again with her lips at his base. Her hand between her thighs moves, her body giving a shudder that Zaine is well familiar with.
Her damp fingers move up to touch his hand tangled in the red mass of hair, her eyes pleading.
Áine says, "I'm willing to set off the trap, but if its anything that I can't dodge away from, it may end badly."
Áine says, "I'm willing to set off the trap, but if its anything that I can't dodge away from, it may end badly."
"If you're willing, be my guest," Zaine says. "It's a shame the master of the house didn't put something by the front door to blow up too."
Áine looks over to Faith, "Do you concur? I'm likely to need healing or saving if this isn't another trap that goes boom and I can dodge away from."
Assuming he does, she will walk in and disable device or set off the magic trap. She leaves Juliver and the carpet a good distance away and walks over to the front door to "disable" the trap.
"Yes," says Faith. "I am ready to heal you. Please do not die, however. That would be stressful for both of us, and more so for me."
Áine gives Faith and "I appreciate that" look and smile, then turns and approaches the door. Of course the Disable Device check does not work.
The door, slightly surprisingly, is not locked and actually swings open at a soft touch from Aine. A billowing chartreuse smoke rolls out when the door opens, engulfing Aine, the stairs and a good portion of the grounds beyond. At the edge, a few paltry and burned plants that survived the alchemical bombing immediately shrivel and blacken.
After almost too long, Aine stumbles out of the smoke, sickened and coughing. The smoke is pushed along the manor by a slightly breeze but the jungle yellows for a large swatch before the poisonous gas dissipates enough to be harmless.
Inside the doors you see a hallway pitted with exposure to the gas, the signs of it clear on a collapsed set of stairs leading up. Halfway down the hallway, you see a clearly newly installed door, the metal unmarked by the poisonous gas installed so closely into the stone that seam is barely noticeable even when you are directly next to it.
Magic hums, outlining the door when you get close.
Faith gets within range of the door, and checks to see if Detect Magic reveals any pertinent information.
"That was disgusting!" Áine says, taking a swig of water and spitting it out, then washing her face and other exposed portions of skin as well for good measure. She continues retching off to the side for a few moments
Zaine whistles as the smoke billows out. "This ghast master isn't messing around." When the cloud dissipates, he maneuvers Tulip inside, staying on guard. "Oh good, another locked, magical door. We should have hired a thief...although it is nice not having to nail down all my belongings at night."
Zaine whistles as the smoke billows out. "This ghast master isn't messing around." When the cloud dissipates, he maneuvers Tulip inside, staying on guard. "Oh good, another locked, magical door. We should have hired a thief...although it is nice not having to nail down all my belongings at night."
"I can sneak in and rearrange things at night, if you think it'll make you feel better." Áine says with a bit of snark.
Which likely aids the door not being damaged by the alchemical byproduct smoke
Juliver doesn't give Zaine the side eye, but she watches him indirectly as she speaks. "I'm not as good at the magic part of it, but I can pick a lock." A shrug, "I got a primer in magical wards and traps when I joined the Pathfinders, but I'm not great."
Primly, like the well breed half-elf she was no-doubt raised to be, "I am not, however, a thief."
"I only raid tombs and dungeons." She adds.
She peers up, "This I imagined." Her hand moves, "The egg buried in me, the vibration bringing pleasure but no relief, imagining my hands and mouth..." her tongue flicks out as her hand moves up and down. Her hips move, and she breathes out, voice unsteady. "I want you."
"Oh, don't let him bother you." Áine gasps around the dry heaves, "You need to make sure you're up to full speed before you get hit with a disgusting noxious miasma like that. Yuck! And I'm not too bad at the more mundane stuff."
Primly, like the well breed half-elf she was no-doubt raised to be, "I am not, however, a thief."
"I only raid tombs and dungeons." She adds.
Zaine shoots her a grin. "Best of both worlds. Don't know what we've been doing without you."
Juliver goes over the door, feeling the slight seams, shaking her hand afterward like something stung her. A frown line creases her forehead as she works the lock.
And there is a whoosh as the door opens outward into the hallway, stale air blowing with it revealing a narrow stairway
After two sharp turns, the group is about halfway down the stairway, and can see the illumination from the room below. A creeping doom causes chicken skin to rise and weighs heavy on your heart. 'You'll fail and nothing you do will save her.'
The room proves to be sizable, with bookcases all along one wall, a small stone table topped with alchemy gear above.
A lizardfolk dressed in torn rags in near the table, his bearing similar to Issilar and Yarzoth rather than the degenerate serpentfolk you fought in the city. His eyeless head turns towards the door and his broken and twisted body moves with far more grace than it should be able. "You have halted the production of the ammunition that I intend to use to subdue this city the humans built above Ilmurea."
"You are strong, you will make good commanders of my army." He motions to the undead - ghasts, mummies and wights - in the room between you and him. "Kill them and welcome them to our fold."
The room is vast and the necromancer is on the far side from the stairs. In the wall behind them there is a set of double doors 30-ft high. One door is open, the other side is closed.
Her neck twists, her eyes wide showing the vastly dilated pupils and the surprise. Whispered, "You do?" Her body shudders, a smile, want and wanted, then, in still in a whisper, "I do."
Then, as she finally can move her body slightly on him, she reiterates, quietly, "I love you, Zaine."
Zaine sighs. "Okay, girl. Looks like we have to go through an army to get to the good stuff."
Initiative Zaine
Initiative Tulip
Zaine and Tulip advance thirty feet into the room.
"Can't say I much care for that arrangement. Hope you don't mind if we change the terms." Áine remarks.
Áine hovers above the foremost member of the group in the room (or over Juliver if she has decided to be on the ground and will likely be attacked). She launches her initial salvo of arrows glowing with the power imbued by Faith at the eyeless lizardfolk necromancer 300' or so away. (Assuming they hit, the magical energy blows the necromancer's chest cavity open. 3 other arrows remain lodged in his body. Assuming he does have WindWall or Fickle Winds or Cube of Force or something else: Her arrows fly true in precise arcs, sizzling through the air with deadly destructive energy. Just before impact they are suddenly swatted aside sinking deeply into surrounding stone column, wall and floor.)
After two sharp turns, the group is about halfway down the stairway, and can see the illumination from the room below. A creeping doom causes chicken skin to rise and weighs heavy on your heart. 'You'll fail and nothing you do will save her.'
"Palpable," Faith says grimly. "This evil is palpable." His hand squeezes the empty air as he attempts to palpate the evil.
Faith's mood lightens when he sees the tangible evils to be overcome.
"Welcome to your final death," is his answer to the necromancer.
"Blessing of Destruction" Faith says as he touches Áine's elbow, and again "Blessing of Destruction" as he touches Tulip's flank.
At a quick motion from Faith, Aine hold her carpet steady for a few seconds, which allows Juliver to drop down.
Pakshee debates momentarily, then quickly sketches a colorful band on Tulip's thigh before ducking back into the stairwell for cover.
"Blessing of Destruction" Faith says as he touches Áine's elbow, and again "Blessing of Destruction" as he touches Tulip's flank. Then the warpriest is able to move forward 30-ft towards the multitude of undead.
Áine hovers above Faith. She launches her initial salvo of arrows glowing with the power imbued by Faith at the eyeless lizardfolk necromancer. When the first two arrows are deflected by unseen winds, she shifts her aim to start to destroy some of the undead in the middle of the room. One of the wights falls to the remainder of the arrows.
Zaine and Tulip advance thirty feet into the room. Zaine's gun leveled at the mass of undead.
Sasha and Juliver keep pace with the group, although both move off to either side, clearly remembering being on the receiving end of the alchemical bombardment outside. Apropos of the scene, "There is a story about a group that went into Gallowspire with the intent to destroy the Tyrant." A pause, "Why do so many wizards dabble in alchemy?"
A number of the mummies move up, keeping their distance on the group's right flank, but the palpable despair they emanate washes over everyone but Sasha.
Zaine responds by shooting one of the mummies, but his bullet hits mid-body injuring the undead, but not destroying it.
The ghouls and ghasts move up (30-ft closer, 30-feet between the heroes and the undead) and three sets of the ghouls fling familiar, if smaller, alchemical bombs.
The bombs arc over, hitting Aine and Faith squarely exploding is small bonfires. Tulip dodges the one in her direction and it breaks on the ground near Sasha.
Apropos of the scene, "There is a story about a group that went into Gallowspire with the intent to destroy the Tyrant." A pause, "Why do so many wizards dabble in alchemy?"
"I don't know, why do so many wizards dabble in alchemy?" Zaine asks, waiting for the punchline.
Zaine save
Self Reliant save next round if the first fails
Ride check for Tulip
Both Zaine and Tulip seem to have no reaction to the mummies. Zaine brings up the musket and takes careful aim at one of the advancing mummies and fires.
Tulip advances and tears into a wounded mummy.
grapple
1st mummy 2 arrows: 104hp
2nd mummy 3 arrows: 27hp+26hp+24hp=77hp
Áine maintains her position by Faith. Her arrows fly towards the mummies, targeting the two that hung back first. At least one erupts in blue flame, destroyed by the fire of Faith.
.
Faith opens his mouth to respond, and freezes in place.
"I'm not saying this particular group of the Aspis isn't rotten to the core, but on balance of which group has more down right nasty scoundrels of the first degree between Aspis and Shackles pirates, us pirates likely have the lead."
"No doubt." Áine agrees after thinking about it for a while. "but I think focusing on the rotten to take from might kind of work for me." she shrugs.
"Can't say I wouldn't mind you not," a smile, "even if you'd be a very good pirate."
"you think?" Áine smiles warmly, "then lets see if I can't stage a little informative "raid"". she says, complete with air wires with her hands and after night has fallen, casts Animal Messenger on a little mouse and ties a note to Ishirou on it. Are you open to seeing a friend? Come out if can, if can't, sneeze at front of tent and I'll come in to you.
Faith opens his mouth to respond to Zaine, and freezes in place.
Pakshee, looking from the stairwell casts a spell and runs to his side, releasing him from the paralysis.
Áine maintains her position by Faith. Her arrows fly towards the mummies, targeting the two that hung back first. One erupts in blue flame, destroyed by the fire of Faith.
Both Zaine and Tulip seem to have no reaction to the mummies. Zaine brings up the musket and takes careful aim at one of the advancing mummies and fires, destroying the mummy he injured the previous round.
Tulip advances and tears into the final mummy and grapples it soundly in her maw.
Juliver is frozen on the field, paralyzed and defenseless but her combat lingers over the field.
Sasha looks at the mummies and runs forward, her sword tearing through one of the artillery ghasts.
The final mummy tries to slam a rotten arm into Tulip which doesn't come close to being a painful blow.
The two groups of wights and ghasts move a bit away from the whirling blades, obviously in support of the dangerous artillery.
Both bombs land 10-ft in front of Faith in an impressive explosion of electricity that injures no one.
The ghasts and wights around Sasha turn claws on the ranger. She manages to dodge and parry most of the attacks, but one wight lands a vicious claw and as does the injured ghast.
The necromancer, who had disappeared after the failed arrow attack, reappears near the front of the line of his undead. He loosens and waves of blackness which washes over Zaine and Tulip near to him, then over Juliver, and finally over the trio of Faith, Pakshee and Aine.
He starts to cast again, but is still near to dinosaur and rider, for now. The ancient necromancer smiles, his scaled, dried skin spliting. "I've got one of your party, can't wait until I have this armored pretty."
"Careful what you wish for, ugly," Zaine says.
Tulip shakes the hapless mummy like a rag doll.
arrows 1 & ms: 57hp
arrow rs: 26hp
arrow 2: 30hp
arrow 3: 27hp (assuming 21 hits)
Áine moves up and drops low to the ground . She fires into the fire brigade in rapid succession. Several erupt in Faith's flames.
Faith closes his mouth, and closes with the nearest undead. He introduces them to Cherish, again glowing with his holy symbol along her blade.
Faith closes his mouth, and closes with the nearest undead. He introduces them to Cherish, again glowing with his holy symbol along her blade. He destroys one of the wights trying to paralyze Sasha.
Pakshee casts the same spell, then moves over to Juliver before the undead overrun the paralyzed Pathfinder.
Áine moves up and drops low to the ground, especially the fire throwers. She fires into the fire brigade in rapid succession. Several erupt in Faith's flames.
Zaine shoots with his challenge, the heavier bullet just barely making through the windy protections the necromancer had about him.
Tulip shakes the hapless mummy like a rag doll.
"For preservation," Juliver finishes, looking thoroughly annoyed that her timing was so brutalized. "But, more seriously, when you are looking at wizard troops historically they generally align into one of four categories: mind-controlled brutes, undead, alchemical creations, and mechanical creations. We have an overachiever who armed his undead with alchemy." She comments as she moves up to guard position about 5-ft in front of Aine.
With a quick nod to Faith, Sasha's blades tear into artillery ghasts, dropping two of them.
The final, very injured mummy tries again to slam a rotten arm into Tulip which doesn't come close to being a painful blow.
Another of the artillery groups, already shrunk by Aine's attack, moves up to attack Juliver. The last of the ghasts fall to Aine's arrows before they can engage.
The final group of undead shifts back, loosening a bomb at Tulip The bomb just barely manages to hit and Tulip is splashed with acid while Zaine is slightly scorched.
The ghasts and wights around Sasha turn claws on the ranger. She manages to dodge and parry most of the attacks, but one wight lands a vicious claw and as does the injured ghast.
The ghast gets a lucky claw strike in but continues a deadly dance of steel weapons.
A spectral hand moves away from the necromancer to brush against Zaine's shoulder ( ) and Zaine feels a curse settle into his bones.
With a smirk, which shouldn't be possible with undead scaly lips, the necromancer retreats to near his single remaining artillery barrage, his movement magically enhanced.
Will
Self Reliant one round later
Zaine grins as the necromancer's attack fails to settle in. "I took your best shot. How about a taste of mine?" He digs his heels into Tulip and she advances.
Zaine sights down the musket and fires.
Tulip clamps down on the mummy to keep him from moving and advances closer to the necromancer.
grapple
Áine continues to decimate the swiftly dwindling numbers of undead turning then into little ashen piles still smoldering with Faith's flames.
Faith casts a spell on himself, then focuses on the wight. Cherish glows, and he plunges her into the wight's torso.
Faith casts a spell on himself, then focuses on the wight. Cherish glows, and he plunges her into the wight's torso. The wight falls to the ground after two heavy thrusts of the knife.
Pakshee retreats back, moving away from the still sizable mass of undead.
Áine continues to decimate the swiftly dwindling numbers of undead turning then into little ashen piles still smoldering with Faith's flames. She finishes off the cluster of undead harassing Juliver, then takes out one of the ghasts int he final artillery unit.
Zaine grins as the necromancer's attack fails to settle in. "I took your best shot. How about a taste of mine?" He digs his heels into Tulip and she advances.
Zaine sights down the musket and fires. The shot isn't perfect, but is still a solid hit on the necromancer, who hisses, snakelike.
Tulip clamps down on the mummy to keep him from moving and advances closer to the necromancer.
With a shrug, Juliver moves from the dead undead and towards the final group. "I think this guy would have benefited from laying low for a month or more so until he had more minions and more ammunition though."
Sasha finishes up the final ghast near her and ghoul, turning on a heel, clearly ready to go after the necromancer next.
The final, very injured mummy once again attempts to slam a rotten arm into Tulip which doesn't come close to being a painful blow.
The final group of undead surges forward, losing another ghast int he rush to Aine's arrows, before surrounding Juliver and attacking. The nimble Pathfinder manages to dodge all of the blows.
The spectral hand again speeds out from the undead necromancer, again touching Zaine with a spell.
"It's always easier to do the Robin Hood gig if the people are rotten." Kassata says with a small smile. "I'm always happy to focus on all the evils of anyone my crew is planning on taking on."
The mouse noses its way into the Aspis campsite. After a long time of watching the camp you see Ishirou go into his tent. A few moments later he comes out and sneezes.
Then looks around.
Then sneezes agains.
And goes back into his tent.
Áine curses the remaining undead around Juliver, "Don't touch her, you filthy rotting meat bags." and skewers them with arrows one by one.
"It's always easier to do the Robin Hood gig if the people are rotten." Kassata says with a small smile. "I'm always happy to focus on all the evils of anyone my crew is planning on taking on."
Another small smile, not really feeling it, but appreciative of any attempt in the right direction. "I'm glad." Áine says.
The mouse noses its way into the Aspis campsite. After a long time of watching the camp you see Ishirou go into his tent. A few moments later he comes out and sneezes.
Then looks around.
Then sneezes again.
And goes back into his tent.
Áine nods generally in the direction of the camp, "That's my signal. Sit tight. I expect I'll be back within an hour." she appears calm and self assured as she closes her eyes and runs her hands over body from ankles to legs to hips, waist, across her torso, sides of breasts and on up, casting Chameleon Step and fading into the darkness with a last glance and a small nod in the pirate captain's direction. The movement casting the spell appears not to have been intended to be sensuous, but still...yeah, it kind of was.
Will
One round later Self Reliant
Zaine looks woozy as he fires a quick shot at the necromancer. The bullet explodes his head like a melon filled with pork leavings.
Confirm crit
Tulip shakes the poor mummy like a ragdoll.
Faith continues his slow progress wading through the undead, one stab at a time.
Faith continues his slow progress wading through the undead, one stab at a time. This time joining Juliver in the remaining undead group.
Pakshee starts a familiar chant, calling on the windy being that graced the party earlier this day.
Áine curses the remaining undead around Juliver, "Don't touch her, you filthy rotting meat bags." and skewers them with arrows one by one. She finishes off the last two undead left standing after Faith's attack.
Juliver flashes the archer a quick, bright smile, "They haven't managed it yet." A beat, "Except of the paralysis, but that wasn't touch so much as overwhelming aura."
Zaine looks woozy as he fires a quick shot at the necromancer. The bullet explodes his head like a melon filled with pork leavings.
Tulip shakes the poor mummy like a ragdoll, killing the final undead in the room.
Leaving you in a impossibly large space that reeks of undead and the burn of alchemical weapons.
With the enemy done, Sasha moves to check Tulip for injury. A quick smile for Zaine, "You really didn't want to give anyone else a chance at the dead serpentfolk, did you?"
And the ajar huge doors at the far end of the room.