Avengers of Mer'kah Vol. 1 TPB

[The Demented One]

Elsa

"Oh. That's annoying." Elsa kvetchs, watching the giant centipede as it entirely ignores her illusion. After she put all that thought and time into crafting it, all the magical energy she wove into the perfect image of a gigantic prey animal for a gigantic centipede, and what does she get? Nothing. Ungrateful little colossal monstrosity.

"Fine, then." Elsa begins rubbing the fingers of one hand against those of the other, arcs of scarlet lightning sparking between them. She fingers move faster and faster, the arcing lightning growing larger and brighter until it reaches a brilliant crescendo, and then...does nothing. The arcs of lightning fade away, and Elsa seems entirely satisfied with what she has done.

Now, if one were capable of perceiving time as a multi-dimensional space, rather than a simple one-dimensional linear space, Elsa's spell would not have seemed to do nothing. Nothing is exactly what it would not have done. From such a temporally transcendent viewpoint, one would notice that the Captain has somehow managed to come just slightly distant from the present, his existence a few fragments of a second, so small as to not be worth having units of measurement capable of quantifying them, ahead of the present (for those of you incapable of perceiving time as a multi-dimensional space, rather than a simple one-dimensional linear space, don't feel bad. It's really tricky. You have to cross your eyes just right, and then find a convenient temporal vortex to stare into. Or just be a god. But that's cheating).

The Captain, lacking the temporal transcendence required to understand the quantum mechanical operation of Elsa's spell, fails to understand the quantum mechanical operation of Elsa's spell. He does, however, notice the fact that suddenly his hands are shaking, his blood surging, his muscles quivering. It is like a boundless speed has come over him, a superhuman...haste.

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Ceasing to concentrate on my cow. It'll remain for 3 more rounds, then fade away. Worth a try, I guess.

Casting haste on the Captain. He'll get a +1 on attack rolls and a +1 dodge bonus to AC and on Reflex saves, as well as an extra attack on every full attack, for the next 7 rounds.

[Obscurejones]

Ares
As Elsa weaves her magics Thokk attempts his own arcane mustering.

"Ares, I would your power lent me strength. These beasts labor for a false god and I would strike them down in your name."
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Thokk will use a free action before the next monster action to request that Ares Enlarge him at the start of the next player action.

[Ascension]

The Captain's blows wound the spider... El Carmesi's kick shatters its exoskeleton completely, introducing his foot to the contents of a monstrous spider's head.

Strangefate simply rides forward, biding his time until he has a chance to enter the fray.

A horrible rustling sound emanates from the corpse of the dead centipede in front of Spiderman. Moments later a horde of centipedes burst from their larger cousin's corpse, having cleaned out its contents in mere moments in a perverse sort of cannibalism. The wave of chittering centipedes quickly engulfs Pietro.

Dam: (2d6)[9]
DC 13 save vs. nausea
DC 13 save vs. (1d4)[3] Dex damage

A similar stream shoots through through the gap between the freshly plundered corpse and the ragged edge of the broken wall. Some of the insects even swarm up to crawl along the jagged vertical surface. They quickly overtake the Captain and his horse.

Dam: (2d6)[5]
DC 13 save vs. nausea
DC 13 save vs. (1d4)[1] Dex damage

Ion flies by a spider which decides to make an attempt at ensnaring the flying man. It gets under him before throwing a web.

Ranged Touch! (1d20+6)[21]

If that hits, you are entangled! The web's Break DC is 24, Escape Artist is DC 20.

Somewhat luckily, the nearby centipede ignores his mad dash forward, but the nearest scorpion and spider both take interest in Ares' advance. He finds himself flanked by two massive monsters!

The spider strikes first, before the scorpion has a chance to get into position, without the benefit of the flanking bonus.

Att: (1d20+9)[15]
Dam: (2d6+6)[15]
Poison DC 16 vs. (1d8)[2] Str damage

The scorpion then moves in, lashing out with one of its massive claws!

Att: (1d20+13)[14]
Dam: (1d8+6)[14]
Grapple if Att hits: (1d20+21)[40]
Constrict if Grapple succeeds: (1d8+6)[12]

Three of the giant bugs focus their attentions on Elsa's cow, none noting its unreality even in close proximity to it.

At the start of the players' phase 'Ares,' with a clearly audible war cry, will answer his avatar's plea, so take that size increase into account, Obscurejones.

Player Phase Starts Now. Please Post Actions.

[Obscurejones]

Ares

As the monsters surround him Thokk's face splits into a savage snarl of anticipation.
"Now these are monsters fit for a god."

As the spider sinks its venom soaked fang deep into Thokk's breastplate he roars and back flames course from the wound. With this shout he begins to grow, shrugging off the encroaching scorpions claw.
As black smoke streams from Ares wounds he chuckles.
"So this is magic... I can see why mages like it."
With this he sweeps his blade into the side of the spiders head.

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The spider hits and the scorpion misses.
Fortitude Save(1d20+9)[24]
1st Attack (1d20+15)[21]
Damage (3d6+12)[17]
2nd Attack (1d20+10)[28]
Damage (3d6+12)[25]

[Copacetic]

Nikola


Ion flies farther, ignoring the spider as its Web shoots way target, and spots Ares in a fight. Now he looks like he could use some Help.. .And so could I "Hey Ares! Come hlpe me Kill the Big Ugly One!"

And with that, He Unleashes a bolt of Emerald Fire at the bugs.

[spoiler]

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Damage - (8d6+8)[44]

Moving 60 Feet, Then an Energy Bolt of Fire at Both the Scorpion and Spider.
DC 18 Reflex For Half Damamge.

[Woodsman]

Pietro avoids being nauseated and shrugs off the poison, attempting to scrape off the swarm.

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(1d20+2)[18]
(1d20+2)[14]

[pingcode20]

El Carmesi
HP: 63/63
AC: 26
Attack Bonus: +16/+8/+8/+8/+8
Damage: 1d6+3/1d6+3/1d3+3/1d3+3/1d3+3
Effects: Inspire Courage (Active), Fist of Stone (68 rounds), Child of Shadow (Stance)

Extricating his foot from the spider-flavoured smear and placing it upon the dead arachnid's head, El Carmesi show-scowled at the fallen enemy.

"I have no time for deadbeats like you." he said, going through the all important motions.

Then he ran up to the Cap's horse and leapt on, clearly moving for agility rather than the more defensive stance he had been in before.

"Quickly, Senor Mer'kah, before we are overrun!" he said, as he grabbed the back of the Cap's costume (and discreetly wiped off the spider brains on the saddle).

[Dacia Brabant]

Marcus & Cassio

Though their bites are no more than a nuisance thanks to the might of his shield the Captain instinctively swats at the swarm of vermin trying to engulf him and his steed, who whinnies in pain but being well-trained endures it. The sheer disgust of the little beasties worming around is another matter:

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Marcus vs. Nausea: (1d20+6)[8]
Horse vs. Nausea: (1d20+7)[14]
Horse vs. Poison: (1d20+7)[26]

It was too much for him: nausea overtook Marcus and he felt the contents of his stomach surging upward. But suddenly another sensation took hold of him as he felt a supernatural-fueled adrenaline rush coursing through his very being--Cervus began bucking in place as well, clearly overtaken by the same force. Encouraged enough to at least direct his horse out of the miserable mass of millipedes, the Captain gritted his teeth lest he lose his lunch.

He turned back, intending to yell a tactical command to El Carmesi but thought better of trying to open his mouth at the moment. Instead he just nods and they wordlessly proceed past the centipede corpse, making their way through despite the difficult terrain, skirting to their left to stay just out of reach of the two huge disgusting spiders in front of them.

Cassio, still narrating though more than a little apprehensive about those swarms after seeing how they went after his commander, slowly brings up the rearguard.

[The Demented One]

Elsa

Whirring like a spear-cast from a strong right hand, Elsa comes up in front of her Kobold comrade. She holds her hands out in front of her, fingers splayed elegantly like lotus blossoms, and watches as a ball of crimson light begins to coalesce above her palms. As the sphere of light grows, Elsa's eyes flick back and forth from foe to foe as she performs a few quick mental calculations.

"Damn it!" she swears, realizing she's too far away to do anything to her foes. She waves her hands, the sphere of crimson light dissipating into streamers of scarlet clinging to her fingers. She whirls her hand up above her head, twisted the trails of light into a vortex of red, and then stabs her hand through the heart of it, releasing the magic stored within in a nova of red light that spreads over her allies, bolstering their strength and speed.

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Haste on El Carmesi, Strangefate, Pietro, and the Scout.

[Ascension]

A pulse of unidentifiable chaos magic unexpectedly emanates from Strangefate. A wave of crimson energy sweeps over the battlefield, stopping only at the city wall, presumably halted by some sort of magical wards placed by university officials. When it passes it reveals that Strangefate has vanished and his mount's flesh has been completely consumed, leaving only the skeleton of a horse behind as a reminder of where he was before the pulse. The slain arthropods' exoskeletons have also been consumed by scarlet flame, and the swarms have dispersed.

Some residual chaos energy from the blast clings to Elsa, Scout, and Pietro's bodies. A red aura surrounds each of you, and if you attempt to use any spells or spell-like abilities, including spells cast by your items, you will have to roll for a 10% chance of the spell producing a Rod of Wonder effect (that effect will be determined by another percentage roll).

Ares grievously wounds the spider that dared to bite him. Ion's blast of emerald fire then wipes away all traces of the aggressive arachnid. Ion's other bolt scorches the sinister scorpion but fails to end its life... its killing claws and deadly tail lash out at the orc who would be a god.

The scorpion's full attack:

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Claw: (1d20+11)[13], (1d8+6)[10]
Claw: (1d20+11)[28], (1d8+6)[11]
Sting: (1d20+6)[15], (2d4+3)[10]
Poison if sting hits: DC 18, (1d6)[4] Con damage
Grapple if claw hits: (1d20+21)[33]
Constrict if grapple succeeds: (1d8+6)[9]

The spiders nearest the wall turn their attention to the Captain. They both charge, teeth gnashing at the thought of a tasty morsel like their equestrian prey.

The spiders' attacks:

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Charging bite: (1d20+11)[16] (2d6+6)[17]
Poison DC 16, (1d8)[3] Str damage
Charging bite: (1d20+11)[31] (2d6+6)[15]
Poison DC 16, (1d8)[5] Str damage

The remaining swarms are still busy cleaning the buildings in town, the smaller centipede is still captivated by... something... and out of the battle, and the final trio of arthropods is still distracted by Elsa's illusory cow.

[Woodsman]

Pietro

Pietro feels the haste come over him, and is filled with a boundless energy. He also notices the red aura, and takes note of it.

He also notices that Strangefate is gone, but doesn't worry about. There are bigger, more Colossal problems to worry about.

He pulls out his nunchaku, turns back, runs, then turns around and runs straight toward the gap in the wall. He jumps over the rough terrain and lands by the Captain and El Carmesi, ready to help them.

[OOC: Based on the Runner PrC, my skill bonus, and the +4 for running 20', I figured +24 to a check with a DC of 25 made the check rather pointless. And the haste helped too, of course.]

[Obscurejones]

Ares

Thokk roars with anguish as the battle is joined once more. Batting aside the scorpions first advance with a few swift parries he is caught by one of it's massive claws as it's stinger sinks into his flesh.
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Grapple[roll]1d20+15[/roll]
Fortitude Save[roll]1d20+9[/roll]

---

* post roll count doesn't match database

[Obscurejones]

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Grapple(1d20+15)[22]
Fortitude(1d20+9)[16]

[Dacia Brabant]

Marcus

The Captain shakes off his feelings of sickness just in time to be bitten by the monstrous spider, growling in pain as its hideous mandibles force their way past a gap in his armor. He clinches hard to fight off the affects of the poison:

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Fort save: (1d20+6)[7]

[Dacia Brabant]

Marcus & Cassio

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((Huh, I guess that's karma for those two crits earlier. Oh well.))

Once again an insectoid's ichor exceeds our illustrious Captain's intestinal fortitude, as he visibly falters a bit under the weight of his equipment following the arachnid's furious bite. Nevertheless, he fights on undaunted, stabbing the spider in front of him thrice in rapid succession:

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(1d20+11)[22] for (1d8+2)[4] + (1d6)[6]; [roll=1d20+6[/roll] for (1d8+2)[4] + (1d6)[3]; (1d20+11)[19] for (1d8+2)[8] + (1d6)[3]

He then swiftly turns back and, seeing Pietro spring up past the dead centipede, shouts: "Ares is in trouble! Spidey, see if you can stop these things while Carmesi and I charge ahead!"

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((Swift action: White Raven Tactics, Pietro may act again this turn before the spiders go.))

The Scout brings up the rear, his story turning to the unlikely hero who stung with both steel and starlight a spider several times his size.

[Obscurejones]

Ares
Ares struggles to draw the knife he keeps with him at all times for just this sort of constricting situation.
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Grapple as a move action to draw a light weapon.(1d20+17)[32]

[Ascension]

Scorpion's Grapple: (1d20+21)[23]

The scorpion's grip slips! You have access to your weapon!

[Obscurejones]

Ares
Ares does his best to slip his palmed blade into the grotesquely gargantuan beast's eye.
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Attack (1d20+10)[19]
Damage(1d6+8)[10]

[pingcode20]

El Carmesi
HP: 63/63
AC: 30
Attack Bonus: +16/+11/+11/+11/+11
Damage: 1d6+3/1d6+3/1d3+3/1d3+3/1d3+3
Effects: Inspire Courage (Active), Fist of Stone (67 rounds), Stonefoot Stance

El Carmesi vaulted off the horse, landing with a thud more suited of Ares than the tiny dragonblooded lizard-creature that had just jumped.

There was little time for such lofty considerations, though, as said lizard's rock-solid fist connected with the bottom of the spider's head.

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Bonecrusher maneuver, +4d6 damage, DC 16 Fortitude or suffer a +10 bonus on all critical threat confirmations.

Combat Expertise for 2 points, AC increases to 30.

Attack - (1d20+14)[23]
Damage - (5d6+3)[29]