The Spine [IC]

[Lairiel]

The tiny kobold looks left and right, realizing his sword is in the wagon out of reach while his comrade lies bleeding to death.

Kix leaps into the fray, straddling the fallen mage and lending him the power of his faith and life force

Spoiler

Show

lay on hands - Heal your healing surge value +2, doesn't cost you a surge though

He stands bare handed, channelling divine energy pouring through him and out into the surrounding area. Ready to take down anyone who threatens his fallen comrade

Spoiler

Show

Sacred Circle - Everyone take a +1 AC within 3 spaces of me, which puts Kix to a 24 ac

[Limos]

Kix's healing magic pours into Peldoe, reviving him from his near death as the wound on his chest seals up, leaving a painful gash that is otherwise not life threatening.

Spoiler

Show

Peldoe is alive again, and it is now Hronus and Durthas' turn. Either one of you can go first, since you share the same intiative.

[LittleCarp04]

Spoiler

Show

I want to get over to their wagon, Ill roll Athletics to jump, and Acrobatics to land safely.

(1d20+9)[21]
(1d20+9)[13]

Assuming I land safely, I will then use Twin Strike on the driver who is also my quarry.

(1d20+8)[10]Attack 1
(1d20+7)[19]Attack 2
(1d10)[4]Dmg 1
(1d10)[2]Dmg 2
(1d6)[2]Quarry if either hits.

Durthas leaps across to their wagon and takes a brings his blades to bear against the driver. Why did you attack us? If you surrender now we can avoid more bloodshed.

[Limos]

Durthas jumps lithely over the diminutive foe and lands on the drivers perch of the large wagon. He swings at the Driver with both Khopesh's.

The Driver lifts one hand in refusal and a dome of almost translucent energy blocks both swings. He looks up at you in confusion from where he is still seated.

"You are not prisoners?"

Spoiler

Show

The Driver uses his readied action and casts Shield as an Immediate Interrupt and raises his AC by 4 for the round. Which means that both of Durthas' strikes miss the Driver and he takes no damage.

[LittleCarp04]

Durthas

Surprised at the sudden shield blocking his attacks, Durthas backs off a bit and answers the driver, No we are not prisoners, but now that you know we can't let you escape in case you tell anyone else.

[Limos]

The Driver looks at Durthas quizically, then turns his head slightly backwards to the second figure. He says nothing, but the figure tilts his head as though considering something and then nods gravely to the Driver. Durthas notices these small nonverbal cues and concludes that they are speaking telepathically.

Spoiler

Show

I wasn't going to respond to that comment before, but since Hronus hasn't responded yet...

Remember people, check the thread at least once a day!

[Limos]

Hronus numbly responds to the assault in a emotionless manner, he pulls Peldoe backwards into the cart and takes his place on the drivers seat, striking the speedster.

Spoiler

Show

Due to Hronus being unresponsive I'm having his use Wolf pack tactics to shift Peldoe backwards into the cart and then he closes to melee range to make his attack.

(1d20+8)[14] vs. AC 17
(1d12+5)[14]

Hronus shifts Peldoe back into the cart, but does not hurt the inhumanly quick enemy, who sidesteps his swing lithely.

The scond speedster leaps into blurring motion and zips across the cart, too fast to follow. He strikes at Kix and Bermuda as he passes, stopping on the back edge of the cart.

Spoiler

Show

Second shorty uses his Quick Cuts racial power to make two melee basic attacks at a -2 penalty as he moves across the cart.

(1d20+7)[11] vs. Kix
(1d4+2)[3]

(1d20+7)[15] vs. Bermuda
(1d4+2)[5] + (2d8+2)[6] Sneak attack because Bermuda hasn't acted yet.

The speedsters first strike glances off of Kix's armor ineffectually. The second gives Bermuda a nasty gash along her side.

Spoiler

Show

Currently, From the back of your cart the order is.

--------------------
Shorty#2
Bermuda
Peldoe
Kix and Hronus
Shorty#1
---space---
Durthas and Driver
---------------------

Next up is Peldoe, and then Bermuda.

[Connor Darkdart]

Peldoe looks at the new scar and the gash in his armour. He looked at the shorty who had caused this gash. In his eyes, if you happened to look deep enough, you would be able to see the hundred painful deaths he had planned for the shorty. For now he would only kill him once. He drew his wand, and with speed not seen before from him, he cast two spells.

Spoiler

Show

So I am quick drawing the wand (Its such a useful feat!) and using an action point to cast 2 Spells at the shorty, Overkill? Yes Make it any less awesome? No

First Spell: Chill Touch
Second Spell: Thunderwave
Note that I have 6 bonus from Int, and +1 from using my wand as an implement
(1d20+7)[10] "Chill Touch
(1d20+7)[11] "Thunderwave"

Im too much of a lazy ass to fetch my PHB, so can Limos please do damage rolls for me?

[Limos]

Spoiler

Show

Oh no no no, that will never do. Rolls called foul on account of Forum roller Asshattery. Reroll is called. :D

(1d20+7)[13]
(2d8+6)[14]
(1d20+7)[18]
(1d6+6)[10]

Much better.

The Shorty gets blasted with the freezing spell and becomes confused, just in time to be smashed with a thunderwave and sent spinning into the grass on the side of the road. He begins to bleed heavily from where he is crouched in the grass.

[Kamatari]

Bermuda grins as the first shorty is sent flying and focuses on the second, pondering just how bad his day is about to get. Conjuring up images of pounding waves in an ocean of his own blood to insert into that feeble mind.

Spoiler

Show

ok so looking at the order we're in I've got a dastardly plan for Shorty 1. I shall cast curse of the Dark Dream, inflicting a nightmare upon him and sliding him three squares, I'd like to slide him straight towards me causing him to stumble by kix, peldoe, and Hronus which ought to provoke attacks of opportunity from all four of us. Even if it fails to hit, he will slide one square provoking an attack from the first two.

Here goes nothing...
(1d20+6)[21] vs. will
(3d8+6)[16] damage if hit, if not just the slide and I'll let the others make their attacks.

Spoiler

Show

I'm assuming that's a hit so i'll make my melee attack
[roll]1d20+4[/roll]
[roll]1d4+1[/roll] damage

[Kamatari]

let's try that again...
(1d20+4)[14]
(1d4+1)[3]

[Limos]

Bermuda rifles rudely through the creatures mind and it stumbles into the midsts of the larger attacker, beginning to hemorrage from the nose and ears as the eldritch magics eat into his psyche.

The first Shorty rises out of the grass with two handfuls of small daggers and murder in his beady eyes. He winds up with both arms and lets fly a barrage of knives into the cart.

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+10)[24] vs. AC Shorty#2 (17)
(2d4+3)[10]
(1d20+10)[16] vs. AC Kix (23)
(2d4+3)[9]
(1d20+10)[26] vs. AC Hronus (18)
(2d4+3)[8]

The barrage of knives plink against Kix's armor, but cut deeply into Hronus and the second Shorty. They become temporarily blinded by the dripping blood.

The Driver stands up from his seat next to Durthas and chants a spell.
Expeditious Retreat

He slips away from Durthas and across the cart, twisting between combatants to come to a stop on the opposite side of the cart. As he slows back down to normal speed he raises both arms, pointing them at the cart.

Web!

A blast of magical filaments settle over the cart, snaring those within in it's sticky embrace, including both shorties and all of the party except for Durthas.

Spoiler

Show

(1d20+7)[24] vs. Reflex, Shorty #1 (16)
(1d20+7)[8] vs. Reflex, Shorty #2 (16)
(1d20+7)[15] vs. Reflex, Hronus (11)
(1d20+7)[15] vs. Reflex, Kix (15)
(1d20+7)[10] vs. Reflex, Peldoe (16)
(1d20+7)[18] vs. Reflex, Bermuda (14)

Everyone in the cart with the exception of Peldoe and the second shorty become immobilized by the clinging webs and are held down to the cart frame. The Driver looks across the cart to Durthas.

I believe we have had a misunderstanding. He pulls off his hat and lowers the scarf covering his face, revealing the insectoid features of a Bansrae and his total lack of mouth. The shorties pull of their masks, revealing their grayish skin, pointed ears, and fanged mouths of Quicklings.

[LittleCarp04]

Durthas

As the driver speeds away and ensnares the others, Durthas was thinking of his next move. When the driver unveils that he is in fact more akin to the group than he had expected.

Why do you have these others in chains if you aren't our enemies? I do not like seeing my distant kin in chains...

As Durthas says this he jumps down and heads over to where the driver is and sheaths his blades.

[Limos]

The Chains are there to fool any passing soldiers. We've been pooling our wealth together so that we might purchase as many of your kin as we can from the slave markets. These are as many as we could get a hold of at this time.

One of the goblins sheepishly slips off his manacles and raises his hands to show his unbound wrists. "They aren't locked..." Several other monsters show their unbound wrists as well.

The Banshrae turns back towards you, You are far from the Spine as well. What brings you into human lands?

[LittleCarp04]

Durthas

Durthas eases up after seeing that the goblins weren't in chains.

We came from the Spine to get this wagon of supplies, and as you can see, we have it, from here I'm not sure where our road will take us.

[Kamatari]

"You are Raolin I assume, your reputation with the magiks is not exaggerated. It's a pleasure to be on your good side now that we know who you are. One of our party has led us out here in search of you"

[Limos]

Raolin appears surprised that you already know who he is. Yes, I am Raolin. What brought you so deep into these lands in search of me?

[Connor Darkdart]

In his mind Limos laughs at his companions. They had been caught in a magical web and he had not!

"We came in search of you because of this sword. It is possesed and talks to the wielder. It appears to be quite powerful, as it was unable to be bound." he says as he points at the sword. He also smirks at the fact the sword could not be bound.

[[So what do we gain on 3rd Level?]]

[Surrealist]

Hronus struggles to break free of his magical webby restraints.

Now that we're all friends here, d'you mind dispelling your magic web?

[Kamatari]

bermuda struggles in the web for what seems like days...

[Limos]

((Apologies my friends. Hectic week.))

Oh oh yes, of course. Raolin pats at his robes for a few moments. Now where did I leave that scroll... Ah! Here it is! He pulls out a thin tube of yellowed parchment and quickly dispells the sticky webbing.

The two Quicklings immediately blur out of the cart to stand next to Raolin. "Why do we bother with these clodhoppers anyway?" One of the Quicklings says to Raolin, earning a quick snap across the back of the head.

Cieonefus! Be polite!

[Kamatari]

Bermuda looks at her companions and then decides to speak. "We have accomplished our mission that we've been dispatched for and I personally do not wish to remain in the human lands any longer than I have to. Do you have a shelter of any sort? or would you like to return to the spine with us? then we can discuss this artifact and the nature of it."

[Limos]

I suppose we were headed your way in any case. We can head to the Spine together.

With that decided on and there being not much else to do in this empty stretch of pointless grassland you turn your cart around and get moving. After a few hours of travel it begins to get dark and set up camp for the night.

Much fun is had and the night passes uneventfully (not even requiring any particular PC interaction). You break camp in the morning and travel for yet more hours across this boring green expanse.

Finally you arrive back in the Spine mountains (then travel some more) and drive into the main throughofare of the Spine Fort.

Well now, that was a long and uneventful journey. Now maybe you can tell me about what brought you my way? says Raolin from the drivers seat of his cart. He steps down and one of the Quicklings takes the reins. He immediately begins driving back out of the mountains again with the empty cart. The former slaves disperse into the town. The second Quickling remains beside Raolin, acting as a bodyguard.

Seargeant Dalto can be seen stumping his way down the road towards you. Faint calls addressing you as worthless maggots can be heard, along with shouted calls of "what the hell took you so long." He will arrive at the main square in a few minutes.

[Kamatari]

"My companion's sword was acquired from some bandits not long ago. It seems to have great power, but a mind of its own. It also does no good to the weilder either. I won't lay a hand on it myself, but our little lizard felt the need to end his life prematurely and draw it in battle. He is lucky to be breathing. If it were up to me it would be buried in a solid mountain never to be found, but we have decided to bring it to you."