Magic and Myth, Steam and Steel (or, "The Adventures of the Fey-Team") IC

[PairO'Dice Lost]

"It's too late to abort now!" the dispelling assassin calls out in a time-to-get-serious tone of voice. "We must make the best of this situation. Beta, the insect is right ahead of you, take it down! Zeta, the witch is ahead and to your right, prevent her from using her magic again! Epsilon, the traitor is near the center of the false snowbank, get in position to remove him! I'll take the last one." After calling out orders, he stares directly at Grimnir through the concealing illusion and trudges forward, raising his hands into a spellcasting gesture.

The mentioned assassins spring into action to obey their apparent leader's commands. Well, from the sounds of it, the camouflaged gnome actually staggers and hops into action with much muttered cursing, but he still does what he's supposed to do. As Tahl lands the gnome becomes visible, his skin becoming flesh-colored again as he leaps up at her and slashes with his feyslayer. He manages to catch her in the head, on her left side just above the neck, and the crunch of crumpled exoskeleton echoes in the mostly-silent air. She staggers back a step, reeling from the blow.

The well-dressed human, meanwhile, takes a few long strides through the snow and leaps at least six or seven feat up into the air to land next to Silverwind inside the illusion. He quickly looks to his right to get his bearings now that he's inside the illusion, focuses on Silverwind, and snaps his arms out to the sides, causing two long and thin swords to slide out of his sleeves and into his waiting hands. Even before the blades have fully emerged from his sleeves he is moving forward, slashing at Silverwind and hoping to press her back. Unfortunately, his disorientation from suddenly entering (and then trying to see through) the illusion causes his attacks to miss by a wid margin and leave Silverwind untouched, albeit still within his reach.

Spoiler

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Baewyn recognizes Assassin 2's fancy jump-and-slash technique as Sudden Leap combined with Sapphire Nightmare Blade.

Assassin 2 vs. Tahl
Concentration check: (1d20+16)[24] vs. AC 22
If the check is successful, the assassin deals an additional (1d6)[5] damage, otherwise his attack is at -2.
Attack: (1d20+20)[22]; Damage: (1d6+13)[18]
If the attack hits, Tahl must make a Will save ((1d20+5)[11] vs. DC 18[/roll]) or be deafened for 3 rounds, and another Will save ((1d20+5)[12] vs. DC 18) or be stunned for 1 round.

Assassin 6 vs. Silverwind
Attack: [rolll]1d20+12[/roll] Rolled in OOC, got a 16; Damage: (2d6+9)[16]; Crit Confirm: (1d20+12)[21]
On a successful crit, Silverwind must make a Ref save ((1d20+12)[25] vs. DC 20) or be knocked prone.
Attack: [rolll]1d20+12[/roll] Rolled in OOC, got a 17; Damage: (2d6+9)[19]; Crit Confirm: (1d20+12)[25]
On a successful crit, Silverwind must make a Ref save ((1d20+12)[28] vs. DC 20) or be knocked prone.
Attack: [rolll]1d20+12[/roll] Rolled in OOC, got a 15; Damage: (2d6+9)[15]; Crit Confirm: (1d20+12)[13]
On a successful crit, Silverwind must make a Ref save ((1d20+12)[17] vs. DC 20) or be knocked prone.

Assassin 4 is readying an action, most likely to counterspell. Assassin 5 moves around, nowhere to be seen. Assassins 1 and 3 are still wishing they'd stayed home today.

EDIT: Tahl takes 23 damage and is deafened and stunned, Silverwind is fine.

Map--Round 3

[Snowfire]

Silverwind dances away from the second blow - the first going awry due only to luck, but giving her warning that her concealment is ineffective against her challenger - and Breeze flicks out in her hands to deflect the final attack away from her into the snow around her. The motion is terribly easy, as if the long weapon weighed less than a feather, and her recovery into a position set to attack does little but amplify that perception even as blinding energy gathers within the second otherworldly gem set into the blade.

<< I don't think they like us, Baewyn. >> She quips, but there's a sadness on the end of the joke. << I will try to take this one alive, but if he resists my Light as he did before I will have little choice but to strike to kill. >> Power seems to ignite the very air around her, blazing up like a bonfire as the far from simply mortal shell of her physical form seems to fall away entirely to reveal the essence that is Silverwind's heart. A figure of white-cored flame trapped within edges of green and gold is what appears in her place, a blinding avatar of Summer's Light made manifest in this place of Winter, and Breeze lashes out ahead of her. Radiant energy bursts from the weapon's tip at its passing, shockwaves of the power embedded within as the figure of ethereal light sends the blade slashing forward.

And even as the blade strikes, a ring of light blazes out of the snow around the two. A projected feeling in Baewyn's mind lets him know that the ring is no barrier to movement, but those on the other side might not realise this.

Spoiler: Actions!

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Free action: Use Cartridge to activate the Boost on Weightless. Silverwind now counts as incorporeal for the next five rounds.

Standard action: Attack!

Single attack, evoking Needlepoint.

Attack roll: (1d20+15)[30] - Targeting touch AC
Damage: (1d12+9)[20] + (2d6)[7]
Attack also inflicts 20' knockback up the map and renders target prone (no save). Additional damage is untyped.

Mote pool: 8/12

Free action: If attack hits, move 5' closer to enemy. If attack misses, ignore this action.

Move action: Evoke Eye of the Storm. If the attack hits the barrier is centred so that Silverwind and her target lie within it - it's a 10' radius. If it misses, centred on the current combat - going for an archetypal Ring of Combat bluff here. Barrier grants +4 AC and +2 to reflex saves to Silverwind and all allies within it. Lasts until the beginning of her next turn. The AC is counted as a form of cover bonus.

Mote pool: 4/12

Swift action: Evoke Wave of Light. 10' radius aura centred on Silverwind that grants a +4 Radiant bonus to AC. Treat Radiant bonuses as similar to Sacred/Profane/etc in regards to how they function. Lasts until the beginning of her next turn.

Mote pool: 0/12

AC: 44 Touch: 31 Flat-footed: 41
96/96 hp

[Chambers]

Baewyn

Not what I expected... Baewyn frowns as the assassins choose martial aptitude over more spellcasting. Adjusting the grip on his longsword he hustles through the snow towards the leader that attacked Silverwind. "The battle is already over, the Praetor is under arrest. Stand down!" He shouts as he brings his sword crashing down from high above.

Spoiler

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Swift Action: Change to Thicket of Blades stance.
Move Action: Move 25ft, adjacent to Assassin 6, avoiding Assassin 1 on the way. Baewyn can reach him regardless of whether Silverwind pushes him back. Vanguard Treads ignore the difficult terrain.
Standard Action: Divine Surge

Attack (1d20+11)[17]
Damage (1d8+4)[7] and (8d8)[34]

Readied Maneuvers: Elder Mountain Hammer, Shield Block
Granted Maneuvers: Divine Surge, Revitalizing Strike, White Raven Tactics
Stance Active: Thicket of Blades. He'll attempt to Trip the Assassin with any AoO. Trip +6.

Newly Granted Maneuver: (1d2)[2]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The assassin lying sunburned in the trench turns his head away from Silverwind's blinding brilliance with a yelp of surprise, and even if he were capable of doing anything to impede Baewyn as the centurion passes by, the light would prevent him from trying anything anyway.

Silverwind's target doesn't even blink at the light, instead whipping his blades up and crossing them in an X over his chest in an attempt to defend himself; normally this would be a ridiculously ineffective response to a magical attack, but Silverwind and Baewyn both notice a dark tint to the blades indicating that they are wholly or partially composed of cold iron, so they may offer some protection against the magic of Summer after all. His feet leaves wide tracks in the snow as the sheer force behind the burst of light forces him three or four feet backwards, but some combination of the assassin's skill and the cold iron in his blade grounds out the power and it fizzles away without harming him.

Once the blast is fully negated he manages to get his left blade up in front of his face just in time as Baewyn's blade comes crashing down, and though he doesn't seem to put much effort into the block his blade doesn't move an inch even against Baewyn's superhuman strength. The assassin looks like he wants to back away from the two fey attacking him, but glances around at the ring of energy that sprang up around them and decides not to take his chances with whatever that barrier is just yet. Instead, he responds to Baewyn's demand: "That is irrelevant. The Praetor's status is of no concern to us; he has served his purpose."

Spoiler

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Baewyn recognizes the crossing-his-swords technique Assassin 6 uses as the Wall of Blades maneuver.

The attack is deflected if (1d20+12)[31] beats Silverwind's 30.

Y'know, it would be pretty handy if Assassin 6 had the ranks in Spellcraft to call Silverwind's bluff right about now (not that he can move through it on this round anyway, but still).

No map in this post since nothing changed except Baewyn moving next to Silverwind and Assassin 6. Grimnir's up now, as is Tahl, so you guys can go ahead and pick her actions again.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Seeing that Tahl is reeling and vulnerable, Grimnir stalks towards her, glaring at the assassin next to her. When he gets close enough, he softly rhymes,

"Strike our Tahl?
That just won't do.
We must make an
Example of you.
Take this beam
Of gray and blue,
And be ashamed..."

He extends a finger, and a thin ray of gray light with blue sparkles around it streaks through a pair of Tahl's arms to strike the assassin.

"...and frozen, too!"

The ray just barely grazes the assassin's arm, but that's enough. Frost bursts out from the point of impact to cover the assassin's body in moments, and he instantly begins shivering; he isn't likely to try to attack Tahl again any time soon.

Spoiler

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Grimnir moves 6 squares southwest and casts a suitably-fluffed ray of exhaustion against Assassin 2.
Touch attack: (1d20+6)[15] vs. touch AC 15; Assassin 2's Fort save: (1d20+12)[14] vs. DC 19

EDIT: Whew, lucky rolls there. Assassin 2 is exhausted (half speed, -6 Str and Dex) for 9 minutes.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Assassin Delta, the spellcasting one in back, growls at calls out "Get out of there, Beta! You're vulnerable!" "T-trying," barks the recently-frozen gnomish assassin as he scuttles back out of Tahl's reach as best he can, then hops up and shuffle-jogs back through the snow. Tahl hears him mumble something about Why c-couldn't he just c-counter it like the others as he goes, but Delta has stopped paying attention to him and is focused on Baewyn and Silverwind now.

Zeta, the well-dressed assassin, looks between Baewyn and Silverwind as if assessing the greater threat...then looks to his right, nods, and suddenly swings both blades at Baewyn in a furious flurry of coordinated strikes, hoping to knock Baewyn away and separate him from Silverwind. Baewyn manages to deflect all of the assassin's swings, a testament to his skill with a blade, and the one strike that gets under his guard is deflected by Silverwind's magical barrier.

Meanwhile, Silverwind feels a sudden rush of wind behind her and catches a glimpse of a blurring in the air out of the corner of her eye. The blurring clears and she finally gets a good look at the assassin who had been hiding this whole time: a tall, muscular human with white-streaked black hair, piercing green eyes...and a feyslayer swinging towards her, aimed right at the center of her chest.

She feels some pressure and a distant sensation of pain as the feyslayer passes through her, followed by its wielder who didn't expect the almost total lack of resistance. He backs up a step and raises his weapon into a guard position. "Gods damn it! Go to phase two!" Assassin Delta shouts angrily as he sees the assassins' plan to capture one of their foes fall apart.

Spoiler

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Assassin 2 withdraws 3 squares west.

Assassin 6 vs. Baewyn
Attack: (1d20+12)[16]; Damage: (2d6+9)[17]; Crit Confirm: (1d20+12)[28]
On a hit, Baewyn is bull rushed (Assassin (1d20+14)[28] vs. Baewyn (1d20+10)[12])
On a successful crit, Baewyn must make a Ref save ((1d20+5)[23] vs. DC 20) or be knocked prone.
Attack: (1d20+12)[15]; Damage: (2d6+9)[16]; Crit Confirm: (1d20+12)[16]
On a hit, Baewyn is bull rushed (Assassin (1d20+14)[28] vs. Baewyn (1d20+10)[17])
On a successful crit, Baewyn must make a Ref save ((1d20+5)[19] vs. DC 20) or be knocked prone.
Attack: (1d20+12)[23]; Damage: (2d6+9)[17]; Crit Confirm: (1d20+12)[21]
On a hit, Baewyn is bull rushed (Assassin (1d20+14)[34] vs. Baewyn (1d20+10)[13])
On a successful crit, Baewyn must make a Ref save ((1d20+5)[23] vs. DC 20) or be knocked prone.

If a bull rush pushes Baewyn only 5 feet, the assassin will 5-foot step closer and continue his full attack. All bull rushes are towards the northwest.

Assassin 5 vs. Silverwind
Attack: (1d20+33)[52]; Damage: (1d6+3)[7] nonlethal plus (4d6)[14] precision nonlethal; Crit Confirm: (1d20+33)[35]
On a hit, Silverwind must make two Fort saves, one to avoid taking (1d6)[2] Con damage ((1d20+13)[21] vs. DC 23) and one to avoid being rendered paralyzed and helpless for (1d6+12)[14] rounds ((1d20+13)[23] minus any penalties from the Con damage vs. DC 23).

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Map--Round 4

[Snowfire]

The crackling figure of light that is Silverwind spares a moment to - one would assume - glare at the assassin who attacked her, and then launches herself into the air away from the two around her. The light of the barrier around herself pours upwards, to surround Breeze as she moves, weaving through the air so quickly that there's barely time for the two around her to even start to strike before she's out of their range. And a slight twist to her course places her right above the feyslayer wielding assassin, the radiance about her weapon blazing up with a furious power before she stabs it down at him.

Once more a beam of blinding light stabs out across the battlefield. This time though, it has only one target.

Spoiler

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Activate flight! Move under the effects of a half-speed tumble so I don't get AoO'd up and one square over so that Silverwind is 20' above assassin 5 (Zeta, right?). DC of the first avoidance is 15, one from the other opponent is 17 and even if the penalties stack for the next square it still only reaches a DC of 21. Silverwind's tumble modifier is +24.

Evoke Cleansing Blaze straight down. Damage: (9d4)[24]

96 damage to all the objects they're carrying, ignoring hardness. I suspect this also affects the ground beneath them - that'll be fun.

All of the damage is lethal this time, unless it hits some creatures beneath the ground at which point it's nonlethal for them. Breeze is a little bit pissed at the person that almost feyslayer'd its wielder and that's affecting her.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Assassin Delta takes a long step forward and thrusts his holy symbol forth as soon as he sees Breeze begins to glow. "Enough of this heathen magic!" he shouts, and a faintly-visible light blue barrier springs up around Silverwind, just barely wide enough for her to stretch out her arms all the way.

The rest of you see the air around her turn into a solid globe of white light for a second or two as her magic rebounds off the barrier and bounces around a few times until the power disperses; she is unharmed by the discharge, of course, but so is the assassin she was hoping to destroy, whose only reaction is to flinch and raise an arm to shade his eyes from the sudden blinding glare. Assassin Zeta shields his eyes as well, but slowly, as if just going through the motions.

Spoiler

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Assassin 4's readied action triggers, causing him to 5-foot step southeast and cast a spell.

Silverwind must make a Reflex save ((1d20+12)[18] vs. DC 22) or be trapped and have her Cleansing Blaze fizzle due to interruption of line of effect.

Spellcraft 19

Spoiler

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He cast Otiluke's resilient sphere.

[Chambers]

Tahl & Grimnir

Shaking her head as she comes to her senses Tahl sees the dual wielding assassin holding fencing with Baewyn. "Look, the human is using two swords. How quaint." She says. She flaps her wings to carry her into the air and with each wing beat a duplicate of Tahl splits and hovers next to her until she's surrounded by them. Flanked above, behind and in front by herself she dashes across the snow field and whips and whirls her blades at the assassin faster than the eye can follow.

Grimnir chuckles and taps his foot on the snow drift.

"Swords made of metal are no toy for boys
Watch my friend show you what they can do."

He bends down and picks up a handful of snow and quickly forms a handful of snowballs, then begins juggling them.

"You play with magic
like an ape with a doll.
If it's game that you want
let's have a ball!"

At the end of his rhyme the snowballs hover in the air and then zoom towards two of the assassins, changing in mid-flight to become balls of pure force.

Spoiler

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Tahl

Immediate (before turn): Cast Greater Mirror Image. What's her Caster Level for Greater Mirror Image?
Free: Weapon Rune. Expend all Spellfire levels to add +Xd6 damage to all her attacks. How many Spellfire levels does Tahl currently have? She could have used Master Rune during our buff time to charge up to full (max capacity without danger of bleeding off spellfire levels).
Full-Round: Charge-Pounce Assassin 6 (flying 5ft above the ground)

Full-Attack. Trying to figure out the attack bonus, here's my math.
Single weapon attack = +13
Full Attack = +13/+8

Improved Multiweapon Fighting = -2 for all attacks, gains two additional attacks for each weapon (first at -2, second at -5)
Full Attack (Improved Multiweapon) = +11/+11/+11/+11, +6/+6/+6/+6

Whirling Frenzy is actually pretty bad for Tahl as it imposes another -2 for all attacks but only grants 1 extra attack. She will not be using Whirling Frenzy.

Charge bonus +2 applies to all attacks, so the final tally is +13/+13/+13/+13/+8/+8/+8/+8 to attack, and 2d6+7 for damage (+4 bump from Favored Enemy: Humans).

1
Attack (1d20+13)[16]
Damage (2d6+7)[19]

2
Attack (1d20+13)[16]
Damage (2d6+7)[12]

3
Attack (1d20+13)[32]
Damage (2d6+7)[15]

4
Attack (1d20+13)[18]
Damage (2d6+7)[12]

5
Attack (1d20+8)[15]
Damage (2d6+7)[17]

6
Attack (1d20+8)[28]
Damage (2d6+7)[15]

7
Attack (1d20+8)[24]
Damage (2d6+7)[14]

8
Attack (1d20+8)[9]
Damage (2d6+7)[13]

Critical Confirmations (if needed)

Spoiler

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1 (1d20+13)[22]
2 (1d20+13)[27]
3 (1d20+13)[21]
4 (1d20+13)[21]
5 (1d20+8)[10]
6 (1d20+8)[18]
7 (1d20+8)[28]
8 (1d20+8)[13]

+Crit Damage
1 (2d6+7)[16]
2 (2d6+7)[14]
3 (2d6+7)[11]
4 (2d6+7)[14]
5 (2d6+7)[15]
6 (2d6+7)[18]
7 (2d6+7)[15]
8 (2d6+7)[14]

Grimnir

Free Action: Activate Dread Necromancer Fear Aura (5ft). Doesn't target anyone right now, just in case someone comes flying up to him.
Full-Round: Cast a Heightened (2nd) Fell Frighten Silent Image. Mimics Magic Missile, targeting Assassin's 5 & 6. 3 Missiles at Assassin 5, 2 Missiles at Assassin 6.

Assassin 5: (3d4+3)[11]
Assassin 6: (2d4+2)[7]

They must make a DC 17 or 18 (not sure which) Will save to disbelief. If they disbelief then they take partial damage (50%), but they still take damage and thus are affected by Fell Frighten (shaken for 1 minute).

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Assassin Zeta does his best to deflect Tahl's storm of flaming slashing death, but two blades can only do so much good against four and several of her attacks manage to slip through his defensive bladework. No tears in his clothing appear when her blades hit, nor are any bleeding wounds visible, but when the silvery fire on her blades makes contact with the assassin's flesh he jerks to a halt--and not an "Ouch, that hurt, I'm going to stop swinging my swords for a second" sort of halt, but a total freeze without blinking or breathing. If there was any doubt in your minds that this assassin is not a standard human, there is none now.

The force-missiles-formerly-known-as-snowballs impact the two assassins near the rest of you with solid thuds. Assassin Epsilon grunts in pain, then his eyes spring open wide in nervousness; he was already looking uncertain about being exposed and outnumbered, but the hint of Unseelie magic infused into Grimnir's spell flared that uncertainty into full-blown fear. Assassin Zeta doesn't directly respond to the spell in the slightest, but a small facial tic indicates that he'll probably return to normal (whatever "normal" is for a creature such as he) momentarily.

Spoiler

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Assassin 5 is shaken for 1 minute.

Assassin 6 is stunned for 1 round.

Baewyn is up.

[Chambers]

Baewyn

<< That is not a normal reaction to spellfire, if there is such a thing. >> Baewyn sends to everyone as he steps out of the snow and onto the lance of scorched earth, still close to the defenseless assassin. "I don't normally hit an unarmed man...but I don't think you are a man." He says as he raises his longsword up overhead and brings it down with all his might, his strike powered by his conviction.

Spoiler

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5ft step Northwest. Should be directly above #6.

Revitalizing Strike vs Assassin 6. Stunned makes him drop everything held, gives him a -2 penalty to AC and he's denied his Dexterity bonus to AC.

Attack (1d20+11)[19]
Damage (1d8+4)[7]

Tahl will heal (3d6+9)[16] damage.

Readied Maneuvers: Elder Mountain Hammer
Granted Maneuvers: Divine Surge, Shield Block, Revitalizing Strike, White Raven Tactics
Stance Active: Thicket of Blades.

Newly Granted Maneuver: Elder Mountain Hammer

Attacks of Opportunity (Thick of Blades is active + Combat Reflexes)
If the Assassin provokes an AoO he'll Trip him at +6. Free Attack afterwards will be a normal attack (+11, 1d8+4).
If the Assassin provokes an AoO while already on the ground (for example if Baewyn trips him, then the Assassin tries to pick up his weapons), Baewyn will use his AoO to Disarm the Assassin. Disarm at +16.

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Baewyn, Silverwind, Grimnir, and Tahl

Baewyn's sword cleaves down through the assassin's head and chest with a screeching of metal on metal, coming to rest in the assassin's sternum...yet there is no visible sign of any wound. A moment later a ripple passes over the assassin's skin and clothing and his human visage flickers away to reveal a humanoid golem formed of copper, iron, and brass, its left side covered in ugly clashing greenish patina and red rust where Silverwind's energy beams struck him; dozens of small dents and cuts dot its body where he was struck with weapons, tiny whirring gears visible through the holes while they slowly wind down.

Another few seconds later, the gears come to a halt and the metal man jerks straight up into a pose of military attention. Its two swords flip to point straight down and suddenly retract into its palms, and with a whump it falls face-first onto the snow. Baewyn's sword slips out of the golem as it falls, many tiny gear bits coming out with it.

"Frig frig frig frigging frig..." the other assassin near Baewyn and Silverwind swears to himself as he quickly backs away from them, stumbling every few steps on the snow as he doesn't look where he's going. "They got Zeta, I'm still refreshing, it's over!" he calls, and upon hearing this the shivering gnome decides to get himself further out of danger as well. "This is no time to give up!" Assassin Delta yells angrily. "Yes it is!" the gnome barks, "we trained for a weather fey and an illusionist, not this! I'm--" "Stop giving everything away, you imbecile!" Delta shouts at him, waving a hand to indicate that you all are listening to this. "There are thousands of kinds of fey infesting this continent, and if you must break and run like a coward as soon as you see one you haven't trained for, at least have the decency to do it in silence!"

Fed up with his compatriots, Delta jogs over to the scorched trough left by Silverwind's energy beam and hops down into it, then presses his holy symbol to the ground while making arcane gestures with his other hand. That done, he speaks quickly to the air: "We've run into unexpected opposition. Have you started phase two? ... No, too late for that now, move on to phase three. ... That doesn't matter, I've lost half my team as well. If we-- ... I don't care. If we don't do it now, this whole mission will have been pointless."

Spoiler

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Assassins 2 and 5 both withdraw, the former directly west and the latter moving southeast until he's out of reach and then circling back west.

Assassin 4 cast whispering sand (Sandstorm).

Back to the top of the round, party's turn.

Bluebell and Tula

From the vantage point of Countess Freista's ice-mirror, the battle against the assassins seems to be coming to a close. The party of assassins to the east has shrunk from six to two, as Countess Daudanna and the two valkyries with her have encircled and methodically slain the assassins one by one; the handful of mortals with them have stayed out of the battle proper, knowing that they are no match for the assassins, but the loose perimeter they've set up among the trees with slings and bows ready has prevented the assassins from retreating without leaving themselves open to the valkyries' parting shots. The assassins to the west have been largely neutralized by your friends, with the onlooking townsfolk cheering as Silverwind blasts the cloaks off the assassins, laughing as Grimnir mocks the assassins with his rhymes, and oohing and ahhing at Tahl's impressive swordswomanship.

A collective cry of triumph goes up as Baewyn finally kills the dual-wielding assassin who'd been a sword in their side, followed by gasps as it is revealed to be a golem. Jeers follow the assassin's apparent leader as he rages at their loss and retreated into the dirt. Unfortunately, the good mood isn't to last; as the townsfolk finish their jeering, you two see the illusory image of one of the valkyries halt her attacks to speak into the amulet around her neck, and a moment later her voice can be heard in the center of the command tent: "My Lady Freista, another mortal has revealed itself, near the trees to the south. What can you tell us about its capabilities?" The Countess leans over her ice-mirror, a hint of confusion on her face. "I see no new mortal. What do you mean, revealed itself?" A moment's delay, then: "A mortal man, in the same camouflaged garb as the others, has stood up behind one of the trees and nocked an arrow to its bow. My sister and I must know if it is a threat to us or Our Lady Daudanna."

The Countess examines her ice-mirror again, then shakes her head. "I see nothing," she replies, voice still showing the strain of concentration. "Mayhap he has some sort of vision-blocking enchantment as the others did, and I am simply stretched in too many directions to see through it. Worry not; I am sure that a single additional mortal cannot tilt the battle against you, and should be easily slain once you have dealt with his allies."

The two of you have had enough experience with "mere" mortals by now to know not to underestimate them, though, so while Tula attempts to convince Countess Freista to advise the valkyries and Countess Daudanna to take the threat more seriously, Bluebell decides to warn the others.

Baewyn, Silverwind, Grimnir, and Tahl

A few seconds pass in silence, the only sound the crunching of snow under the retreating assassins' feet and the constant muted rumbling from the dark storm clouds overhead, and then you hear Bluebell's voice whisper in your ears: <Um, bad news everyone. Silverwind, remember how you said that this whole thing might be a trap? Well, one of the valkyries with Daudanna says she just saw another camouflaged mortal with a bow in his hand pop up out of the snow, and Freista can't see him in her scrying mirror. Keep an eye out for any other assassins near you, and let us know if you see one with a bow.>

[PairO'Dice Lost]

Map--Round 5

[Chambers]

Baewyn

"Grimnir, don't let them escape! Tahl, get in the trench and take whatever he's got in his hands. Spell components!" Baewyn is busy shouting orders to try and contain the escaping assassins and doesn't notice the change in his opponent until he jerks on his sword to free it and really looks at what it's stuck in. His eyes widen as a gear tumbles to the ground as he finally pulls his sword free. << Bluebell...distance....and direction...to the archer. I'll set my...clock. >>

"What...how..." Baewyn asks as he bends down to pick up one of the fallen gears. He holds it up to his eye and looks through it. "Amazing. Such precision..." His mouth falls open and he drops the gear, terror in his eyes. "What have I done?" He says in a panic. Dropping to the snow he grabs at the parts splayed out and frantically tries to put them back inside the golem. "Silverwind, help!" He says as he jams gears into the construct with fear in his eyes.

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Hi, you've reached Baewyn's answering service. He's currently in the midst of an iron compulsion panic attack, please leave your message after the beep.

[Snowfire]

<< Tell Friesta that if she can't see him he's certainly a threat! They've still got layers running, and if we don't tangle them before it goes any further they might pull off whatever they're trying to do despite our limited successes. >> Silverwind cries across the connection, even as light blossoms below her invisible form. Similar layers of light ripple into being across the battlefield, two not more than three yards from the spellcasting leader of the team.

<< Baewyn. >> She reaches very carefully for the quasi-fey below her, in full awareness that he'd likely never experienced this before. But even losing himself to it, he was trying to hold on. << It was not you who did this, Baewyn. It was the one who sent it. Focus on that. >> Light flickered around him, a part of her spread, and her voice was gentle. << Trust me. Take the light. >>

Then she refocuses on the situation at hand, and her (still invisible) form snaps out of the sphere of force conjured around her, and when next she speaks she is suddenly very close to Assassin Delta.

"I know you can see me." Her voice crackles, shot through with the power she has unleashed here. "You move, you die."

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Standard action trade-down to move, evoke Windfall. Nine squares. Place one over the remains of the golem so that both Tahl and Baewyn (if he breaks free) can use it, another in the same 'square' as Silverwind. Then one beside Assassin 5, another two squares south and one west from Assassin 4's position, one 15' southwest from Grimnir, one directly southeast of Assassin 2, another right below Assassin 3 and one 50' west and south of Silverwind.

Move action, Recall to the square 10' from both Assassin 5 and 2. Breeze has 10' reach, so if either of them try to move they'll provoke.

Can I try a skill check to break Baewyn out of his compulsion attack?

Oh, and on the off chance (assuming it's allowed):
Spot: (1d20+14)[15]

[PairO'Dice Lost]

The snow crunches loudly as Assassin Delta takes a sudden step back--but no more than one step, as he can indeed see the angry fey practically on top of him and does not wish to give her any incentive to harm him more than she already has. He slowly raises his hands to show he's not about to try to cast another spell with Silverwind right there, though he does not let go of his holy symbol. His eyes flicker off to his right, taking in Baewyn's distraction and Tahl's proximity to his troops, and his mouth firms into a line: he might not be about to take any direct action, but he's not going to tell his men to stand down yet, either.

Silverwind doesn't need her full attention to keep an eye on a defenseless naked man crouched in the dirt, so she can let her eyes wander in search of any assassins you all might have missed before. None present themselves to her, so either only the other group of assassins had an extra member or the extra one in this group is exceptionally skilled at hiding.

The Baronet of Iron, meanwhile, is completely consumed with examining his namesake. The assassins near him look at him as if he's gone crazy, which of course he has, from their perspective. The words Silverwind speaks to try to make him focus reach his ears, meander their way into his head, and begin knocking loudly on the door to his mind, but it seems as though no one is home at the moment to hear them. He does pause for a second in his frantic attempted reassembly of the golem when she tells him to focus, so perhaps some part of Baewyn heeded her words and might be able to throw off the faerie compulsion.

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Diplomacy check to snap Baewyn out of it (1d20+20)[37] vs. DC 30. If it's successful, Baewyn will snap out of it in 3 rounds, minus 1 round for every 5 points by which she beat the DC.

EDIT: Looks like Baewyn will be fine in 2 rounds.

[Chambers]

Baewyn

Focus focus focus... The words echo in Baewyns mind and he looks up to see Maya standing over him, her face determined and urgent. "Focus, Baewyn!"

He nods and looks back down at the scattered gears and parts and he breathes deep, holding it until stars explode in his vision. Gasping for breath he watches the trails of the stars merge as they fade, tracing the pattern they leave. "Of course!" He says and grabs a different component and slams it onto a gear, fusing it together with a short blast from his gauntlet. He grabs other pieces and fuses them to the strange device that's starting to take shape.

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I don't know how you intend to handle treasure and such but I've got an idea that seems relevant to the scene. What if in his fey induced madness he experiences a moment of clarity and is able to make something new out of the jumbled parts of the assassin? The Reforged Savant has the ability to use embedded and attached warforged components, this seems like an unique opportunity for him to make one.

If youd prefer not to have him make one of those, perhaps he makes a mystery device. It does something, maybe only once before falling apart, but it'll work. What it actually does, Baewyn will have no idea.

[Snowfire]

"Toss the symbol away. Now." The glaive twitches in her hand, giving a direction.

<< Grimnir, you can use my power to come here. Please do so, we need someone to keep an eye on these two, if you would be so kind. >> Then she raises her free hand, ghostly energy rippling around the crackling light, and - regardless of if he has tossed away his symbol - draws deep on the powers of her being. A wall of light erupts out of the air, building in an eyeblink to encircle the two assassin's nearest to her in subdivided cells.

"If you will not order your men to stand down, then you leave me little choice." She shakes her head, almost sadly, then reaches for the light beneath here.

<< Tahl, if you would help me with the last one? And keep your eyes open, there may be another one, still hidden. >>

She flashes away, appearing beside the last unconstrained or incapacitated assassin, and takes a single swift step away to remove herself from easy strike range. In the brief moment, her thoughts touch on Tula and Bluebell, and she sends a swift message to them, to try and ensure that this mystery bowman is dealt with.

<< Tula, emphasise that we have already lost Nobles to these people. If there is an assassin with a bow, one who has been cloaked from magesight, then there is a reason and it cannot be good. They tried to capture me, in a way that I feel quite certain would have incapacitated me. They may well intend to do the same - or worse. >> A thought suddenly strikes her. << And keep your eyes open. If magic cannot see them, and illusions certainly do not hinder these assassins, an attack on Countess Freista may be imminent.

"Same choice, mortal." The crackle in her voice is stronger this time, for this one almost did great harm to her. "Move and you die." Light ripples around them, pulsing from her soul as she holds Breeze easily in her hands, prepared to strike or defend with equal certitude.

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Standard Action: Fae Powers, Activate! Wall of Force to contain Assassins 2 and 4. With a CL of 9, I should have enough length to manage that and subdivide their 'cells'. Sure, it's only a wall, but with someone there to guard them I doubt it'll be easy for them to escape. Doesn't Grimnir have summoning magic?

Move action: Use Windfall to appear in the spot next to Assassin 5. Free action 5' step away from him so that I have the advantages of reach.

Swift action: Evoke Wave of Light, +4 Radiant bonus to AC.

Oh, and some intimidate rolls, just for a lark, trying to get them to do what Silverwind wants them to:

Assassin 4: (1d20+5)[6]
Assassin 5: (1d20+5)[25]

If allowed, due to different viewpoint
Spot: (1d20+14)[32]