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"Can't say I blame you. Even if it means a lonely breakfast for myself. Seeing as our host is being particularly rude. Typically you treat your victims to supper and boring sinister monologue before you set the paintings to kill them. But I see he's not respectful of fine narrative traditions!"
Almost absentmindedly Telias starts making his way slowly upstairs while his mouth sprints away. "Instead I will choose to assume our poor artist has been trapped by the killer in his own home and is no doubt awaiting an intrepid rescue. Take heart! We're coming for you!"
"Alright, be safe!" Valtyra says as Sithe departs. Smiling to herself as Telias rambles on as usual, she adjusts her grip on her glaive as she follows him up the stairs.
"Then let's proceed. Ifd you vouch for them, perhaps we can help."
Martin heads for the inside.
Yeap Ciapha heads for the inside as well, feeling quite confident about the pairs abilities to handle a dog non-lethally.
Nodding, "Thanks."
Opening the door but closing it quickly, "There is company on their way."
Crouching hear the door, weapon in hand, "Just as a heads up. Then she goes invisible.
The fenced path is narrow and the yard is monotonously even. The massive mastiff contrasts. Rushing towards the fence only t turn and rush at the gate. Charlize hopped the fence and then rushes across the lawn.
Martin follows, russhing for the door to avoid the dog.
Valtyra halts, turning to face the entrance at Sithe's parting warning. Shifting to a combat stance she listens closely at she prepares for a likely assault.
The door is still unlocked. The invisible duergar waits a beat to see if a fight breaks out.
Ciapha walks in, weapon not drawn yet, faces Valtyra and says
Hi Val! I did hear you fighting, and it appeared you are doing something fun. Want some extra muscle? Oh, Am I still Absaloms champion in long-distance-creep-throwing?
You know she is a Bloodrager, can grow claws, and automatically increase her size. You also know that she likes violence, and is good at it.
The intense expression on Valtyra's face softens in recognition, before developing into a full-on smile. "Caipha? What are you doing here?"
Pausing a beat, she considers for a moment before chuckling to herself, whispering a quick word of thanks to Shelyn for sending a friend, and fellow subject of the arts, to help, just as others leave.
"The extra muscle would definitely be appreciated, not sure what to expect here given that there's been no sign of the owner so far."
Just point me at fools and I smash them. Fill me up on why the smeshing was/is happening later.
I spend some renumerated family time with my great grandmother, at her place.
Martin, that is Valtyra, Valtyra, that is Martin, from what I get also good at face smeshing.
Renumerated means it was a mercenary contract.
Her great grandmother would be the source of her Abyssal bloodline.
From what you understand a demonic noble in Alysushinyrra.
"Good eveming, we were wondering what was going on? Noticed the Vault official at the commotion in the streets, are you working for them?"
Martin is still unsure of the reason they are here, and wants to make sure he isn't becoming complicit in some sort of theft.
"Is that Martin I hear down there? Excellent! Seeing as he fits the moniker of intrepid hero far closer than anything I've been called outside a bedroom he can help us save the occupant from the devious traps the murderer set around the house. If you could please join me on the second floor I think i just saw the tasteless tapestry here twitch in an unsettling way."
Tasteless Tapestries? Did you bite them to know they are tasteless? Ciapha inquires.
Is that what you need muscles for? Claws I can offer, but biting is too risky, too many things out there you absolutely dont want to be biting. She chuckles.
Likely foes upstairs? Well well, just stand by and let the creep-far-throw-champion handle smeshing related things She grins as he arms elongate and a invisible barrier appears around her.
"Telias? Well, at least I'm not as worried about being on the bad side, at least not the really bad side." Martin heads up stairs.
"I'm not that helpful dealing with traps, but more of dealing with the after effects."
Martin looks around the room, especailly at the suspect tapestry.
It's dark upstairs. It overlooks the room you all ascended from. There is are three hallways each with doors. The tapestry in question is a rather standard depiction of a stag in the woods. But its head moves to look around among the trees.
Ciapha moves in front of Telias, to assist others in their search
Hi Mr. Stag, have you heard that walking flame throwers like me are really bad enemies for tapestries? Can you talk? Perhaps we can find a degree of common cause Lucy outright asks the Stag tapestry.
My dear Granny was wearing an Adherer shroud, but not smelly and silky, as a sash, and a surprise for assassins, wonder if that thing attacks like that as well
She does try to assess the tapestries dimensions.
Her eyes easily piercing the darkness, Valtyra chuckles at the idea that Telias was the benchmark of whether they were up to something nefarious as she studies the tapestry and the area around it.
The deer continues tp alternate between staring forward and looking around its forest. Utterly unresponsive to the threat of a fiery death.
Valtyra, its not something you see in the dark but something you hear, its a small sound. Wood against leather, the sound of a weapon bring drawn out of a loop. Which is enough of a warning to avoid surprise
A massive man with a gleaming axe rounds the corner charging at you, screaming "Intruders!" Green and brown leaves create a more nature based version of scalemail.
As the massive man charges her, Valtyra shifts her grip on her glaive, bringing the blade slashing forward in an elegant attack patter, the flames surrounding the blade illuminating the area for those not gifted with enhanced sight.
Ciapha moves to to interpose herself between the soon charging wildman and the party, letting Martyn past her as she thinks he reach is sufficiently larger then his.
SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT! She shouts as she enlarges while entering her bloodrage.
She is however, unwilling to directly murder someone who is just security.
If she does not have to squeeze, she will attack non-lethally.
She will also bring her bodyguard training (+3 AC unless she rolls a 1) to bear on anyone in front of her.
Now being large and having a reach weapon, she readies a hopefully devastating strike once the avdversary charges.
[ooc]One round of bloodrage, +4 to STR, used her AC decreases by 2 due to size increase and the accompanying Dex reduction
AC decreased by 2 to currently 23, CMD increased by 2 due to +4 STR-2Dex and the size increase, to 29.
Martin shifts into a combat stance and steps to the charging man. Not wanting to kill a possibly innocent guard, he uses the flat of his blade.
Swift - enter Crane Stance
5' step
Full attack fighting defensively, non-lethal damage
(nonlethal)
(nonlethal)
AC- 31 (27 if I don't get a full attack)
HP = 66/66
Crane Stance, fighting defensively
The closer the screaming man gets the more he gets stabbed. Slapped with the flat of a now massive blade and each slap pushes him towards the wall but does not stop his movements. Val has no such reservations and stabs right for his belly, multi colored liquid spills onto the stone floor.
Axe raise over his head as he rushes towards Valtyra. The Martin's sword slaps him in the chest at the same time Val deflects the axe to the side with her glaive.
"You might hurt someone with that axe, flailing it around like that. Let me relieve you of it."
Martin then attempts to disarm the man with his first attack.
Full attack, witht the first attack being a disarm attamept. Still fighting defensively, but now with a full attack, gaining Steel Net and Defensive Parry. Unfortunately, this will be lethal damage.
AC-31
hp- 66/66
fighting defensively, Crane stance, Steel Net, Defensive Parry
Hej, didnt I see that guy in a strip show in Alyushinnyrra? She thinks as her knowledge clearly fails her.
And then tries to knock him out.
Move: Naturalist +2 attack, +2 damage for group against axe wielder.
"Save your one liners and mercy for another foe. This one is merely an abstract facsimile of acrylics enchanted with simple orders and no capacity for sentience."
Standard:Cast Good Hope. +2 morale to attack and damage and skills.
Twisting his arm to keep ahold of the axe and screaming,
Colorful streaks are pouring onto the ground and sprays from his mouth when he screams. Lashing out at Valtyra with three quick swings.
Ciapha, though squeezing, narrowly manages to stop the first blow on Val, but vinces as the image inficted a devastating hit on her.
Empty night, you are going down
Inflicting sizeable damage upon it.
Ciapha will use her AoOs to counter its blows, she only has 2, and she uses them as soon as an adjacent ally is attacked, meaning that the guys 3rd iterative is unaffected by it.
Fails!, Aid another uses to hit modifiers, therefor it is imho subject to fails on a nat 1.
Martin attempts the same thing again.
The first swing is blocked by the sheet of metal that is Ciapha's enlarged falchion. Anticipating the next attempt making the painting swing low and slash at Valtyra's belly. The upswing is easily avoided though. But this has left the painting venerable.
Ciapha jabs forward and more swirling paint arcs across the wall as the head, mouth still open, thuds onto the ground while the body collapses in a different direction.
Черт возьми, Вэл, ты в порядке?
::AbyssalF*$*ing hell Val, are you ok?::
Ciapha moves over to where the angry painting was an assumes a defensive posture, becoming medium sized and panting.
Switching back to common, and knowing a bit of Valtyras capabilities in terms of healing, she exists her bloodrage and announces
I need 36 seconds of a breather, lets protect Val while she fixes herself back up.
I have a wand of infernal healing, but I know you dont like that and have better healing stuff available, but feel free to use it if you want She whispers to val, pointing at a wand in her belt.
"Take my sight, that hurt!!" Valtyra groans, holding her hand over the terrifying wound, the other hand braced against the wall to remain on her feet. "I...I've never been ...hit that hard...in my life. I think...I think blocking...that first hit...saved my live Cia!"
Closing her eyes as she focuses, she nods at Caipha's words, appreciating the offer though not needed. [smaller]Being healed with infernal magic felt like having a thousand beetles crawl over your naked body, biting your wounds closed.[/i]
The hand on her wound begins to glow, repairing the jagged edges of her flesh as the wound begins to close. Reaching into her belt, she draws a vial out, drinking it's contents and letting out a sigh as more of her wound's damage is healed.
You are a tought cookie, Val, would have survived that. Ciapha says.
I recently did, 2 covens of hags, against me and "Granny". Took a coven magiked lightning bolt to the face and a bunch of claws to the gut, I killed one hag in return, one got away, Granny butchered the other 4 while making conversation about the use of hag blood as colors for certain styles of painting, which is weird as f+%+ because she doesnt have eyes, and informing one hag about how bad and outdated her use of claws was, before and while literally tearing that hag apart with hers.
I definitly cant hit as fast with mine either.
First time I saw her fight, I knew she was powerful but yeah, I didnt expect her to be that strong in a physical fight, according to lore her type would mostly eschew direct confrontations. I think she was using me as bait, kind of, the hags having broken and eaten an artist she patronized earlier, but she did pop a heal spell afterwards as if it was not a big deal, and I did get paid pretty well.
From the roundabout description, no eyes, really good with claws, normally eschews direct fighting, "Granny" is probably a Lilitu.
"Yes well, petty, spiteful, unpredictable and dangerous beyond mortal comprehension are hallmarks of that particular brand of demon." Telias says while slipping through the melee and putting his own hand to Val's gushing wounds, "in my line of work if you believe something is using you, it is, and will happily eat you when it's done. I'd probably not repeat that story around the wrong inquisitor."
Cure light wounds
I actually asked for an "Amicus Curae" assesment of the Abadarian inqusition about the legality of extraplanar mercenary contracts.
As far as Absalom law is concerned, I am in the clear, as my client, or his, her or its object of deeific allegiance, is not actually on a list of "entities considered immutably hostile to Abadar and/or Absalom". Naturally, I dont plan on travelling to Mendev, Sarkoris or Cheliax, bad idea as an Abyssal Bloodrager anyway. She pauses
I think she wants to control me rather then eat me. Apparently someone started a "trend" using mortal offspring as Catspaws, and it caught on among the nobility.
Back to the topic, I am not longer fatigued, but perhaps Martyn or I should go first? I can provide cover using my elongated arms even in my normal size.
"I can lead, I'm unhurt. We need some light though."
The enemy came from the north. I could take point, without needing a light source, but that would preclude me from interfering with attacks by other enemies. Ciapha offers.
"I've got the light." Valtyra says, whispering a prayer to Shelyn and touching the blade of her glaive, the weapon's head lighting up with a warm rose glow.
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May your foes be blinded by your glimmering abs Ciapha speaks with reverence to Valtyra, wishing to have her have a chuckle after a near death experience.
Wishing to prevent doors, the enemy of all play by posts, from delaying their progress longer then fighting a young black dragon would, Ciapha moves a bit past the door on the left, and phantomimes her readiness to open it in 10 seconds.
And waiting for anoher one to also approach the door.
She listens in meanwhile, having moved their as "Stealthily" as she can.
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Despite the seriousness of the situation, Valtyra can't help the flash of mirth that draws a chuckle from her at Caipha's quip. Flashing the other woman a grin she readies herself for whatever might lie ahead
A plush area rug covers part of the floor an the west side of the room. A long chest of drawers topped by a gilded mirror rests against the eastern side of the northern wall. A heavy dark oak desk occupies the eastern wall, and a wide armoire is centered against the southern wall.
Two paintings on the west wall depict horrible creatures-the first shows a huge monster with the thickly muscled, slime-couered lower body of a giant humanoid and the upper body of some kind of horrific squid with humanoid arms that split into five long, barbed tentacles. The portrait to the east is of a small, emaciated child holding a ragged, bloodstained doll. She wears a mischievous smile and has dark gaping holes where her eyes should be.
A curious weapon rack on the western section of the north wall holds
nearly a dozen pencil-thin rods of wood, stone, bone, and other less-identifiable materials. Dark purple drapes partially cover narrow stained-glass windows in the west and north walls.
"It looks like someone is hiding behind those curtains" Martin points to the buldges. He the prepares himself for whatever awaits.
Ciapha gives a quick nod in Martins direction, clearly thankfull for the information.
Val, există vreun motiv pentru care ar trebui să dau foc la aceste umflături?
::Celestial::
Val, is there any reason why I shouldnt set these bumps on fire?
She asks Val, whom she knows to be considerably wiser then her, a question in a language she does not think the possible enemy would speak.
You remember from a barbecue that Ciaphas Burning hands spells are something else, especially if she is raging.