The Gods are Dead (IC)

[Fable Wright]

OOC LINK (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227024)

{table=head] Character name | Class | Player
Quio (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353219) | Unarmed Swordsage | Cardea
Charn (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353820)| Chameleon | DB12321
Damien (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353822)| Swordsage/Warblade | RaggedAngel
Ceastiel (http://www.thetangledweb.net/forums/profiler/view_char.php?cid=55387) | Monk Angel of Death | Boomwolf
Jakob (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=352981) | Psion | Bulwer[/table]

This tavern used to be a place of joy. Half-copper minstrels used to play their off-key melodies in the corner, to the background of the laughter and conversation of the bar's patrons, while the boisterous regulars would loudly complain about anything they could think of to anyone who'd listen at their usual table. And amidst the sea of of dull clothing, the bright sheen of metal armor could be seen on some of the newer, eager adventurers, talking excitably about their upcoming adventure while the party thief tried stealing some gold out of a drunk patron's pocket, while the roaring fire cast a hearty glow over the bar, with a patron occasionally calling over a bar maid for another round for him and his friends. It had been a nice place to plan out a new adventure, or find another adventure to be had.

And now it's gone.

Over in the corner where the minstrels used to play, sickbeds now stand, tended by newly fallen clerics, the bards' upbeat tunes replaced with the groans of the stretchers' inhabitants. Most of the usual patrons had fled by this point, leaving their booth cold and deserted, while the young adventurers, likely killed off or enrolled in one of the warring pantheons' armies, were replaced by scarred, jaded adventurers, who knew exactly what happened when you joined an army. The fire still burns, casting it's harsh light over the scarce tavern, and to many a reminder of what they went through in the wilderness. The tavern is still a gathering place, though for different reasons now. Many adventurers had built their base of operations here, as everyone knew; and you never knew how powerful they were. Attacking one was suicide, so many who were still trapped in the Valley came here for sanctuary, their boisterous laughter of old replaced by quiet solitude and mourning for what they lost, many drinking themselves into a stupor in silence.

You had all frequented this bar before, though you never really stood out to each other. Now, as you sit around a table, you had come to a mutual understanding- in order to live in the world, you needed people to watch your backs. And so, out of necessity, at the very least, you formed an adventuring group. And now, the world you knew vanished into the flames of the Gods' funeral pyres, you face this brave new world, ready to take on what comes, and, in the face of this time of hardships and heroes, ascend.

[Cardea]

Quio


"I knew this guy once. Big guy, strong guy. Could easily tell the man had strength. Didn't do a thing with them, no no no. He turned into bears. Big guy like that just turned into something bigger, while his pet wolf pulled things to the ground, so he could just stomp on them with his big bear hands. Problem occurred when someone pushed him off of a cliff. Big guy like that, he had his ways. He turned back into his normal self, and then turned into a bird. A large one, too. But the person who pushed him off a cliff? Had this spell. Bound his wings to his body. Big guy tried to get free. Fell to his death." Quio says, looking over everyone at the table. It felt like it had been ages since that man's death, even if it was only last week. Time was different now. "So what I guess what I'm saying is, what can you people do to not get yourself killed?"

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

"Simple. kill first, and make sure they stay dead." mutters Ceastiel under his hood "besides I have some medical skill, magical and mundane alike, the power to influence undead, and the ability to sustain many things unharmed."
Ceastiel looks at the people who appear to end as his companions, he scanned them all before, if they are evil they did a good job hiding it, skills aside their intentions should fine.
"Question is, what can you do? you don't look like a mage, and I don't see any weapons of sorts on you."

[RaggedAngel]

Damien laughs softly, pulling his hood off with a smooth motion. He had a few lines on his face, including a long, thin dueling scar on his cheek. His hair had a fleck or two of grey, though he was far to young for such a thing. Damien had led a hard life before the gods died, and the events of late had done nothing to relax him.

"I believe I can answer that for him, though I may be overstepping my bounds." Damien glances at Quio's hands, specifically his knuckles and calluses. "I've learned more styles of fighting than there are schools of magic, and I've picked up a few other, more simple techniques along the way. If I'm not mistaken, our friend here is fist-fighter of some variety, though I'd be interested in the specifics if you'd be willing to share them."

Damien runs his hand over the pommel of his greatsword, a subconscious motion reassuring him of its presence and solidity. There is a gem set into it, the same dark blue as his eyes. "I use a blade, but I can kill a man with my fists or my staff with equal proficiency. I walk a difficult path, but it's a path that affords me great versatility in a fight."

[Bulwer]

Jakob

Jakob pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose and runs a hand through his thin white hair. This was not Clayford, and these were not farmers and ferrymen. They were dangerous and violent.

Well, he thought to himself, I'm a dangerous man myself. It had been many years since he'd thought of himself that way, but it was true.

To the hooded man, he remarks, "Kill what? Kill beasts, orcs, otherworldly evil? Then what? There will always be more."

He looks around at the other four. All apparently human, but then again, so was he. All (save the green-eyed one who had spoken first) were better-armed than he.

Jakob draws out a single crossbow bolt from his quiver and twirls it between his fingers. "The goal of this partnership must be stability. We must make ourselves a place that is truly safe, or we will die one by one like everyone else."

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

"Nowhere is safe any more, not even this place, and I hardly see this changing soon" claims Ceastiel, nearly whispering it "We cannot afford to dream of being safe right now, the dust has yet to settle from the harrowing"

Ceastiel releases a sigh, as if he is tired from the world around him "But for now I will settle in eliminating as many threats possible, gathering what magic trinkets we can get our hands on and any allies we can make that we know are trustworthy. our power at the moment is limited, the more it will grow the safer we should be."

[RaggedAngel]

Damien nods in assent, his eyes thoughtful. "I agree, and I believe that what we need is a place to call home, a base of operations. This bar is nice for a meeting like this, but for any discussions of greater importance or secrecy it won't do." He grins, though his tone is dry. "It would also be nice to have a place to sleep where I'm more certain I'll wake up intact and with all my gear. I can handle myself as well as any of you, but I think you'll all agree that the greatest of warriors can be easily killed while he sleeps."

Damien looks to each of you, inquisitive and interested. "Do any of you know of a place we could go? I'm not unopposed to claiming ownership of a safehouse with prior owners, though that may be a bit messier than an unoccupied place."

Untrained Knowledge Local and History: [roll0] [roll1]

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

"Unfortunately I lived in a secluded temple so I don't really know much about the surrounding, and the temple itself is no more, so I cannot assist with that" says Ceastiel, his tone clearly reveals that something is troubling him "But I don't think it will be too hard to track down some bandit camp or small cavern to cleanse and reclaim as our own, however have you considered the possible benefits of being constantly on the move, without being tied down to a place we need to protect?"

[DonutBoy12321]

Gloren

"I do not know of any safe places. The Temple of Pelor used to be safe, but now, without the gods..."
Gloren, this paladin you met here, is tall, blond, and has piercing blue eyes. His voice is deep, loud, and authorative.
"Do any of you have knowledge of divine spells? Without the deities around, we must save whatever we can."

[RaggedAngel]

Damien shrugs at Ceastiel's suggestion, clearly dissenting. "While it is good to keep moving, a life of constant nomadism would wear on us quickly. Additionally, I consider a home a place where we would only need one or two people to take guard shifts; were we to be more transient we would need a greater shift of guards at night, reducing the amount of sleep we got."

He looks to Gloren and nods, his face a bit grim. "I know little of magic in general; my own power is more subtle, like a bard's music. I can agree with you, however, in that the loss of divine casting is a serious problem. Most healing comes from clerical and druidic types, and I myself have not yet managed to master the sublime art of the Devoted Spirit, the closest analogue to divine power I will ever attain." He shakes his head, shaking off the tangent. "Either way, it is neither here nor there. The loss of gods cannot be changed for now, and we need to focus on what is real and definite."

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

Ceastiel shook his head in response to Gloren's mentioning of Pelor, are shortly after hearing Damien says "Well, as I mentioned I can somewhat heal others, using mundane methods, and a bit of magic too, but it's not enough to rely on alone, healing myself is far easier though."

[DonutBoy12321]

"I have healing magic, but it is very limited. Ican only useit to its full extent once or twice a day.
So, what do you make of this situation? What will our next move be, after we secure a base? We should have a plan. Without a plan, we might as well be training dummies for others."

[Cardea]

Quio


"Plan, mate? My only plan is to get by. People will hear word I'm still around. Gold will come easy, and I can continue doing what I did best," Quio says, resting his head in his hand. "That's my short term. That's my long term. Gettin' a place of my own would be nice as well. Lost my old place. Some idiot messed with an explosive, so now the thing is a nice crater."

[Fable Wright]

@RaggedAngel:
You know that the tavern is likely the safest place here; any other place is likely claimed by some pantheon or other and is less safe overall than the tavern.

As you speak, you begin to notice an odd smell wafting into the room, faint, but somehow it grabs your attention more than it should. It's... somehow familiar. The smell of meat over a roasting fire; woodsmoke burning with the scent of the fat gently dripping on it from the fresh meat. The faint smell, though similar to that, carries a heavier smell as well, pungent, like burning hair overlaying it, though hard to detect. At the same time, the tavern feels warmer; not as the warmth from bodies heating a room, but more reminiscent of the harsh warmth from a fire started too close for comfort. In the corner, one of the patients in the sickbeds, covered heavily in bandages, begins to moan louder. As you glance over, you see that the little skin left uncovered is burned around the edges, though mostly under the bandages. He's here... he's coming... he's here... he begins to repeat, the look in his eyes panicked. Run...

[RaggedAngel]

Damien rises without a thought or hint of hesitation, drawing his greatsword with an effortless, practiced motion. He shifts his feet, closing his eyes in a moment of concentration. When he opens them again the shadows in the bar seem to twist and surge, moving around his feet unnaturally. He looks to the burned man, his face intense and focused. "What can you tell us about his power? What does he want? How will he attack?" Damien's voice has lost all trace of quiet contemplation; it is the voice of a general, a commander issuing orders to his troops. The difference is dramatic.

Sense Motive: [roll0]

Damien (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353822)
Male Lawful Neutral Human Swordsage 2/ Warblade 5, Level 7, Init +8, HP 59/59, Speed 30ft.
AC 23, Touch 17, Flat-footed 20, Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7, Base Attack Bonus +6/+1
+1 Greatsword +12/+7 (2d6+7, 19-20/x2)
Unarmed Strike +11/+6 (1d3+4, x2)
Armor Spikes +10/+5 (1d6+4, x2)
+1 Mithral Breastplate (+6 Armor, +3 Dex, +1 Deflect, +3 Misc)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 13
Condition None
Stance Island of Blades
Maneuvers Burning Blade, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike, Cloak of Deception
Sudden Leap, Leading the Attack, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

"This is familiar, too familiar...prepare yourself, I believe we are in danger" Ceastiel exclaims in a voice unnervingly cold, as he prepares his scythe for combat, and uses his Detect Evil trying to find the origin of danger, centering on the area of the patient that talked.

[Bulwer]

From the first word spoken by the man in the bandages, Jakob's eyes grow cloudy for a long moment, then he blinks and looks around. There is a rapidly fading sheen over his skin, but he otherwise looks normal.

He hoists his shield, but doesn't draw his crossbow, instead tucking a tiny item into his hand. Focusing again, he aims his mind at the corner, hoping to find out what might be coming.

To his new companions, he sends a sentence with his mind. I stand ready.

Okay, assuming there's 18 seconds before it hits the fan, Jakob manifests Inertial armor for +7 AC (7PP), Vigor for 25 temp HP (5PP), and Read Thoughts (3PP), which is a 60ft cone from their table centered on the patient who's muttering. Anyone in the area who fails a DC 16 Will save gets their surface thoughts read.

[DonutBoy12321]

In one fluent motion, Gloren is standing, Greataxe in hand. "Anything this hot must be big! Spread out, attack from all sides, it can't kill us if it can only hit one!"

Gloren (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353820)
Male Lawful Good Human Paladin Level 7, Init +2, HP 64/64 Speed 20ft.
AC 26, Touch 12, Flat-footed 24, Fort +7, Ref +4, Will +5, Base Attack Bonus +7/+2
+1 Greataxe +11/+6 (1d12+4, x3)
+2 Full Plate (+10 Armor, +1 Dex)
Abilities Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 18
Condition None

[RaggedAngel]

Damien raises his hand, giving Gloren a calming look. He sweeps his gaze over the tavern, appraising the men and women inside. "Everyone should stay calm. We don't know who or what this is, if anything."

He allows his words to take effect for a moment before continuing. He looks to the injured man in the corner, his voice still steady, still powerful. "Now, please, I need to know more. What can you tell us, sir? How did you get those burns?"

[DonutBoy12321]

Gloren acknowledges Damien's calming gestures, but keeps his axe ready. "True. We don't know what's coming. Still... Anyone with a weapon should get ready. Stay calm, but be prepared."

[Cardea]

Quio


Quio only sighs at this... new interruption. He stands up from the table, and adopts a stance that is weird to view, if not to watch in motion. He walks up one of the walls of the Inn, moving to where its darkest.

Adopting Dance of the Spider. I have a 20 ft. Climb Speed now.
Hide Check: [roll0]

[Fable Wright]

The ex-cleric currently on shift watching over the patients, a 30-odd year old man, hair already flecked with grey, with a face that looked like it belonged to a much younger man, turns to Damien in annoyance. What the devils are you doing, boy? This poor man's been through a lot; leave him alone. And then, as you look around, you notice that you're the only people standing up, or who, indeed, actually moved from their spots. Most of the other patrons, the ones who didn't already drink themselves into a stupor, are just staring at the rest of you. The bartender, a tall, bulky man who looks more like a lumberjack than anyone with any right to work indoors, steps from behind the counter, and says, in a gravelly, calm, and dangerous sounding voice, What are you doing? Are you looking for trouble, here, in my bar? I'm going to tell you this once. If you want trouble, you can get your fair share of it outside. If you look for it in my bar, you're going to get a worse deal than you would on the battlegrounds. You clear?

Throughout this, the patient Damien accosted pays no heed to anything going on around him, apparently in another world, just repeating the same lines. He's here... he's coming... he's here... And then, with his eyes suddenly locked on Damien, he utters, The Pyromancer... he's come. At this, some of the more experienced-looking adventurers reach for the hilts of their weapons, a look of panic entering some of their eyes. The bartender, noticing this, looks at the patient. What are you going on about? The Pyromancer? What sort of nonsense is- Then, a blinding glare stabs at your eyes, and the temperature, already warm, becomes searing hot. As your eyes adjust, you see, where the wall the light had come from, was a perfectly round, spherical hole, flames briefly dancing on the solid stone around it. Around the hole, there lies not rubble and chunks of wall, but dust and small corners of bricks, seared around the edges. Though it, you can see the city in front of the tavern- fire dancing on the rooftops, beings of fire attacking the fleeing civilians, chaos erupting on the streets. The burned man, staring at the hole, his pupils slits, skin paled to bedsheet white, utters one single word, just a whisper, though it echoes across the room- Run.

@Bulwer:
One full round has passed, and this round counts as a surprise round- you can move, or you can manifest Vigor.

@Everyone:
You get a surprise round, and then I'll put up combat maps.

[RaggedAngel]

Damien throws off his cloak, and freed from the humble cloth his armor shines like he harvest moon, the mithral spikes and flowing links catching the light of the room and throwing it back purer, cleaner. His eyes harden, and their color no longer seems the blue of the ocean; it burns like Stygian ice, darker and colder than the pits of an empty hell. Damien is gone. Someone else stands in his place.

"Hear me now, and heed my words. I will not allow you to come to harm, nor will my companions. We will guard this place with all of our power. There is no fire that can quench me, no blade that can break me, and no spell that can crush my will. I am the sword and fury given life, and I tell you this: my companions are even greater than I.

Those of you who can fight, do so and earn honor. Those of you who are injured or sick, find shelter from this storm." He stands taller, and the shadows around him grow still. In their place is the calmness of a breaking wave; the still at the center of a storm.

He shifts to Stance of Clarity as a swift action, attempts to marshal action as his surprise round action, and is a badass as a free action.

Diplomacy: [roll0]

[boomwolf]

Edit due to misunderstood scene: As he properly stances himself for combat Ceastiel allows his cloak to move aside, revealing his armor, heavy layers of dark metal decorated with skulls, apparently real ones, blood smeared over it, hardly any flesh is revealed, his scythe glowing in a silver light.
"Death and destruction, that's all that is left in this godless land...." claims Ceastiel, with a slightly maniacal laugh "I suggest we find a way out of here, and prepare for the worst, I tend to believe we are grossly outmatched at the moment, and it appears to be for the best to get away from that hole."
With this said, Ceastiel scours for any exits in the opposite direction of the hole, be it back door or window, and braces himself for combat should the need arise.



Prepares to trip-attack sequence whatever attempt to attack him or cast a hostile spell on him or one of his new companions that is within attack range.

Trip attack roll: [roll0] (reduce 2 from score, not charging.)
Strength check roll: [roll1]
Smite attack roll: [roll2] (crit chance of 19-20) (reduce 2 from score, not charging.)
Charging Smite damage roll: [roll3]+additional 7 smite damage
Critical confirmation (JIC): [roll4]
Critical damage rolls (JIC): [roll5]+additional 21 smite damage

[Bulwer]

Jakob ceases his preparations, leaving him with his mental armor but nothing else. Now was the time for him to be the guardian again-- to protect this place against what waits outside.

A low hum fills the room as he focuses. A portion of the damaged wall, extending several feet to the left and right of the hole, begins to shimmer a translucent white. As the ectoplasm takes shape, it's clear that it extends into the tavern, forming a semicircular buffer around the hole.

To anyone that's visible in the room, he sends a message with his mind: Be calm, and you will live. We stand together.

He steps backwards, so as to be behind Damien.

That's Energy Wall (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/energyWall.htm), manifested as a ring of 15ft radius, with the center being the hole in the wall. The energy is Cold, so it's a fort save for half damage. The ring is focused inward, so anyone walking through it will have to pass through it twice and spend 30ish feet of distance inside it.

If anyone does that, here are some damage rolls.

Passing through the wall:
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]

Being inside the ring:
[roll4]
[roll5]

EDIT: Upped the radius since the hole is 20ft across.

[DonutBoy12321]

Gloren's face shows signs of worry. He looks at his allies in near disbelief as they stand and prepare to defend. After Jakob creates his Ice Wall, he adjusts his grip on his axe and steels himself. You hear him mutter something along the lines of "Seems like there's a deathwish in the room"
He then puts on a hardened, serious face. "Well, whatever this is, I'm ready."
He then moves to face the hole in the wall, waiting outside the psionic effect just created.

[Cardea]

Quio


Quio moves silently, walking across the ceiling of the room, moving himself so he's above new renovations of the inn.

Move Silently: [roll0]

[Fable Wright]

As you move to defend the inn, many of the wary adventurers you saw earlier start moving slowly towards the back entrance, watching the hole in the wall and not making any sudden moves, as if they were trying to back away from a wild animal. Some of the less grizzled looking adventurers move to you to defend the gap in the wall, some held back by the adventurers moving towards the back entrance. Life before glory! you hear one older adventurer urgently whisper to the sprightly new recruit that was moving towards the hole in the wall, dragging him back to the back entrance. The bartender, his anger forgotten, moves to the back of the building and unlocks the backdoor, disappearing through it.

At the gap, three of the columns of living flame ceased rampaging around and setting things on fire, instead paying attention to the new wall of cold, as if it was an insult to their very existence standing before them. They gather together, forming what looks like a bonfire together, practicing what looks like a war dance; moving around in a circle, puffing up and crouching down, letting out crackling shrieks, sending off huge clouds of smoke in an almost rhythmic way, but somehow off... some of the clouds are long, some short, the interval between them changing, but constant, sending out long and short clouds in arrhythmic bursts, almost like... smoke signals. And then they gather back, readying themselves to charge, crackling with glee.

{table]__|A_|B_|C_|D_|E_|F_|G_|H_|I_|J_|K_|L_
1|W|W|W|W|W|W|W|W|D|D|W|W
2|W|[|][|_]|||||GA|||W
3|W|[|][|Cl]||GA|-|||||W
4|W|[|][|_]|GA|YA|-|-|-|-|-|W
5|W|||Ce||J|||YA|||W
6|W|T||T||T|T||T||T|W
7|W|T|Gl|T|YA|Da|Q^|YA|T|YA|T|W
8|W|W|R|I|I|I|I|I|I|R|W|W
9||||||||||||
10||||||||F||||
11||||F||||||F||[/table]

Map Key:
[_]= Bed
F = Fire Elemental
I = Energy Wall
Cl = Cleric
Ce = Ceastiel
Q = Quio (currently on ceiling, designated by '^')
Da = Damien
J = Jacob
Gl = Gloren
YA = Young adventurer
GA = Grizzled adventurer
W = Wall
T = Table
R = Rubble
D = Door

[RaggedAngel]

Damien lets out a long breath, sliding his feet with the grace of a dancer and the silence of a hunting cat. His breath comes out cloudy, despite the heat, and the faint wisps of fog twist and move around him, dancing as shadows do in firelight. They seem to catch on his blade and the blades of his allies, making their reach seem morphic and their edges more vicious. He otherwise holds himself still; not still like a normal person might go, blinking and swaying and breathing. Damien becomes still like a statue. Still like the grave. His eyes seem to catch the light of the wall and the flames and throw it back, sharper than a blade and far more intense. He readies himself to strike.

He shifts to Island of Blades stance; as long as he and an ally threaten a creature that creature is considered flanked.

He readies an action to attack the closest creature with his Shadow Blade Technique.
Attack 1: [roll0] Attack 2: [roll1]
Damage: [roll2] Cold Damage if I take the lower Attack roll: [roll3]

He will use Counter Charge if one of them charges him, and Wall of Blades if it attacks him in another way.

Damien Swiftarm (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353822)
Male Lawful Neutral Human Swordsage 2/ Warblade 5, Level 7, Init +8, HP 59/59, Speed 30ft.
AC 23, Touch 17, Flat-footed 20, Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7, Base Attack Bonus +6/+1
+1 Greatsword +12/+7 (2d6+7, 19-20/x2)
Unarmed Strike +11/+6 (1d3+4, x2)
Armor Spikes +10/+5 (1d6+4, x2)
+1 Mithral Breastplate (+6 Armor, +3 Dex, +1 Deflect, +3 Misc)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 13
Condition None
Stance Island of Blades
Maneuvers Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike, Cloak of Deception
Sudden Leap, Leading the Attack, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel laughs at the adventurer's response "Life before glory? it's not like running away will do any good against the pyromancer. I'm pretty sure these things told him where we are, so if we don't deal with them quickly we can't escape." as the words leave him mouth he climbs the table to get a better position, and takes a defensive stance-giving out a taunt "Come and get me you miserable excuse for demon." at the one strait in front of him.


((I hope these guys don't touch-attack or this was heroic yet foolish...))
Move to D7, yes, standing on table. (the intention to gain a higher ground bonus to attack roll-bet you forgot that exist did you? almost never used...)
Ready action: Smite Attack-if any of the fiery things gets into range, or any of the random adventurers decides its a good idea to attack me for some reason. (safe to assume they are evil by this point methinks)
Attack roll: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] +7 smite damage
Critical confirm: [roll2]
Critical damage: [roll3] +21 smite damage

EDIT: no critical this time...low damage attack, lets hope the ice will soften it us enough for it to get taken down by THAT. finding it hard to believe though...

[Cardea]

Quio


Quio moves, slowly, positioning himself on one of the few remaining pieces of rafter. He lets himself onto it, and drops his wide stance, for one ready to jump.

Dropping Dance of the Spider. Adopting Stance of Death.
Hide: [roll0]
Edit: wut

[Fable Wright]

The old adventurer gives Ceastiel an odd look. Of course it does good. If no one escaped the villages, who would be left to spread the stories? And with that, he leaves the building, young companion in tow. The beings of fire, their dance completed, charge at the building, growing, flaming streaks before you. As they charge, the readied adventurers draw their weapons, striking at the elementals. Ceastiel's scythe embeds itself deeply in one of them, nearly cutting him in half, though the divine power he infused his blade with seems to fail, leaving the best unharmed. The young adventurer next to Ceastiel swings at the monster's exposed backside, though it dodges at the last second, swinging ineffectually at Ceastiel. Damien, moving to intercept the beasts, takes one of them by surprise, lunging straight through the elemental, causing it to dissipate into embers. The other charges straight at the young adventurer in the break, who deftly sidesteps, though the beast dodges the counterattack, walking straight into the other adventurer's blade. With the attackers nearly dead, you feel accomplished... and then the roof explodes, spraying splinters down on the place, in the place of the incinerated ceiling beams, flaring up when they hit the floor into 3 new elementals, who charge around the inn to far more effect than the others, one nearly burning the young wizard in the corner to death in one blow, another plowing into Jacob from behind, startling him and striking through his invisible defenses, while the last plows into Gloren from behind, to similar effect. The wizard, two of the elementals clumped together, conjures a cloud of fine, golden particles... which, as he soon realized, was a bad idea; the cloud ignites, causing an explosion to rebound back on him, also catching unfortunate Jakob in the blast, finishing himself off and burning Jakob in the process, though the elemental that was attacking him seems to have been blinded by the spell, though the back way through the inn was set on fire in the process.

@Gloren:
Take 9 points of damage.

@Jakob:
Take 9 points of damage from the blow, and 7 damage from the explosion, reflex DC 15 to halve.

{table]__|A_|B_|C_|D_|E_|F_|G_|H_|I_|J_|K_|L_
1|W|W|W|W|W|W|W|W|D|D|W|W
2|W|[|][|_]|z|z|z|z|z|||W
3|W|[|][|_]|z|z|z|z|z|||W
4|W|[|][|_]|z|F|z|F|-|-|-|W
5|W|||||J|z|z|DB|||W
6|W|T|F|T||T|T||T||T|W
7|W|YA|Gl|Ce||||Da|YA|YA|Q^|W
8|W|W|F|I|I|I|I|I|I|R|W|W
9||||||||||||
10||||||||F||||
11||||F||||||F||[/table]

Map Key:
[_]= Bed
F = Fire Elemental
I = Energy Wall
Ce = Ceastiel
Q = Quio (currently on ceiling, designated by '^')
Da = Damien
J = Jacob
DB = Dead Body
Gl = Gloren
YA = Young adventurer
GA = Grizzled adventurer
W = Wall
T = Table
R = Rubble
D = Door
z = Flaming terrain

[RaggedAngel]

Damien adjusts his body, seemingly compressing himself and focusing his speed and strength. He moves rapidly, plunging back into the flames now licking up around the back of the tavern. He slams his blade into the fire elemental in the midst of the heat and damage, attempting to destroy it and retreat from the fire with minimal damage to himself.

Yeah, he just charged into fire. H-5.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]

Damien Swiftarm (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353822)
Male Lawful Neutral Human Swordsage 2/ Warblade 5, Level 7, Init +8, HP 59/59, Speed 30ft.
AC 25, Touch 19, Flat-footed 20, Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7, Base Attack Bonus +6/+1
+1 Greatsword +12/+7 (2d6+7, 19-20/x2)
Unarmed Strike +11/+6 (1d3+4, x2)
Armor Spikes +10/+5 (1d6+4, x2)
+1 Mithral Breastplate (+6 Armor, +3 Dex, +1 Deflect, +5 Misc)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 13
Condition None
Stance Absolute Steel Stance
Maneuvers Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike, Cloak of Deception
Sudden Leap, Leading the Attack, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge

[Cardea]

Quio


Quio reaches a hand out towards the Fire Elemental just struck by Damien, his hand turning dark as it stretches outward. Shadow pools more on his arm, until he points at the creature; the shadow flies from his body, aimed at what would be the creature's neck.

Using Shadow Garrote on the Fire Elemental at H4.
Ranged Touch Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Sneak Attack: NOPE! Fire Elemental.
Hide Check: [roll2]

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

"What the? these things aren't evil! why are they doing this then?" calls out Ceastiel, clearly taken by surprise. "Well then, this might prove a bit more of a challenge then I originally thought..."


Full attack, first priority is the one I hit last time, if he dies before I finish attacking then I attack the other one that is next to me instead.

Attack 1: [roll0]
Damage 1 [roll1]
Critical hit 1: [roll2]
Critical damage 1: [roll3]


Attack 2: [roll4] (Nice! auto-hit!, too bad for low confirm critical roll.)
Damage 2 [roll5]
Critical hit 2: [roll6]
Critical damage 2: [roll7]

[DonutBoy12321]

Gloren braces himself as he is flanked by elementals. "Two against one? Well, I truly feel bad for you two." He swings his axe with great power at one of the elementals, putting all of the force he can into it.
Gloren attacks C8.
Attack 1: [roll0]
Damage 1: [roll1]

Attack 2: [roll2]
Damage 2: [roll3]

[Fable Wright]

With a hiss, Ceastiel's blade cleaves through the elemental, reducing it to smoldering embers, while its newer companion manages to get a powerful blow in behind Ceastiel's guard while he was distracted. Gloren, seeing the elemental exposed after it's blow, plunges his axe deep into the elemental, though apparently not enough to kill it. The young adventurer on the other side of Ceastiel, trying to follow up on the attack, swings his sword in with an unsure grip. The fire elemental, noticing the blow, deflects the sword with a backhand, sending it spinning across the room. Meanwhile, Damien's charge at the fire elemental seems to take it completely by surprise, allowing him to land a devastating slash across the elemental's chest, which Quio quickly follows up with a noose of made of the shadows reflected by the flickering flames of the burning inn, extinguishing the elemental's flame, leaving naught but ashes where the elemental once stood. Everything seemed to be going well in the battle... until you notice the burned patient standing over Jacob's corpse, holding a bloody dagger in his hand. His eyes look possessed, holding an unnatural flame in them. Shaking, he points it at everyone in the tavern, in turn, stammering, He... he made me do it! The Pyromancer demanded the man dead! The ice... the cold, the Pyromancer hates it! He made me kill him! Stay away... STAY AWAY! He backs back into the corner where the infirm rested. He killed me once... but I'm still here! I can't die now! I need to live! The last fire elemental, who was attacking Jacob, sees Damien's distraction, charges towards him with a gleeful cackle, though Damien was able to twist out of the way at the last second, getting only grazed by the blow. Meanwhile, the young adventurers near the entrance, noticing that the wall of cold that had protected them from the fire elementals was taken down, quietly sneak out of the building when everyone was watching the mad patient.

@Ceastiel:
Take 8 points of damage

@Damien:
Take 3 points of damage from the elemental, and 2 points of damage from the fire.

{table]__|A_|B_|C_|D_|E_|F_|G_|H_|I_|J_|K_|L_
1|W|W|W|W|W|W|W|W|D|D|W|W
2|W|[|][|_]|z|z|z|z|z|||W
3|W|[|][|_]|z|z|z|z|z|||W
4|W|[|][|_]|z|z|F|z|-|-|-|W
5|W||||IP|DB|z|Da|DB|||W
6|W|T|F|T||T|T||T||T|W
7|W|YA|Gl|Ce|||||||Q|W
8|W|W|||||||||W|W
9||||||||||||
[/table]

Map Key:
[_]= Bed
F = Fire Elemental
I = Energy Wall
Ce = Ceastiel
Q = Quio
Da = Damien (Currently on fire)
J = Jacob
DB = Dead Body
Gl = Gloren
YA = Young adventurer
GA = Grizzled adventurer
W = Wall
T = Table
R = Rubble
D = Door
z = Flaming terrain
IP = Insane Patient

[boomwolf]

Ceastiel

"Damn these things know how to pack a punch" mutters ceastiel as he readujst his position to face the foe behind it "And it appears the "Pyromancer" can control former victims, somewhat akin to necromancy, we must treat all victims as potential threats from now on." he slashes again at his foes, hoping to finally annihilate the opposition.


Using full attack

Attacking the elemental at C6 first
attack 1[roll0] (natural 1, total miss)
damage 1 [roll1]
critical confirm 1 [roll2] (wasted natural 20 x_x)
critical damage 1 [roll3]


If the elemental is still alive, attack him again, if not move to D6 (5 ft. step) and attack the insane guy attack 1 missed for sure, so I keep at the elemental...
attack 2 [roll4] (another natural 20, the elemental might die after all!)
damage 2 [roll5]
critical confirm 2 [roll6]
critical damage 2 [roll7]

[RaggedAngel]

Damien's eyes narrow in pain as the flames bite into him, but no student of the Desert Wind could ever truly be harmed by fire, nor hampered by its kiss. He keeps his mind and his focus, and he pulls up from around him a twisting pattern of darkness and light. Damien twists in place once, quickly, and then he vanishes.

Cloaked in shadows and shielded from sight Damien moves quickly through the fray, fearing neither approach nor attack. He rolls into place on the far side of the insane man, drawing together his rage and his strength. The man, controlled or not, was an aberration and evil, a random force of destruction.

Damien lashed out with his blade and the spikes of his armor, seeking to rip the insane man apart like a deer in the jaws of a wolf. Still invisible, his attack is sudden and violent, and the cloaking power of his maneuver does not fade for a few seconds more, even as the insane man's blood drips from his blade.

Cloak of Deception, move to D5, then Wolf Fang Strike while Greater Invisible. The patient should be flatfooted to his attack.

Attack 1, on Insane Patient: [roll0] (Plus bonuses for Invisibility)
Damage 1: [roll1]

Attack 2, on Insane Patient: [roll2] (Plus bonuses for Invisibility)
Damage 2: [roll3]

Damien Swiftarm (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheetview.php?sheetid=353822)
Male Lawful Neutral Human Swordsage 2/ Warblade 5, Level 7, Init +8, HP 54/59, Speed 40ft.
AC 25, Touch 19, Flat-footed 20, Fort +6, Ref +9, Will +7, Base Attack Bonus +6/+1
+1 Greatsword +12/+7 (2d6+7, 19-20/x2)
Unarmed Strike +11/+6 (1d3+4, x2)
Armor Spikes +10/+5 (1d6+4, x2)
+1 Mithral Breastplate (+6 Armor, +3 Dex, +1 Deflect, +5 Misc)
Abilities Str 18, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 14, Wis 16, Cha 13
Condition None
Stance Absolute Steel Stance
Maneuvers Counter Charge, Shadow Blade Technique, Wolf Fang Strike, Cloak of Deception
Sudden Leap, Leading the Attack, Wall of Blades, Iron Heart Surge

[Cardea]

Quio


Quio moves across the rafters, his stance shifting from that of calm and precision, to one wild limb movement.

Swift Action: Drop Stance of Death, adopt Dance of the Spider.
Move Silently: [roll0]
Moving to D7 on the Rafters.