The Necromancer's Pact VII: Lake of Tears II

[namo]

Adalmar

He is about to fire another volley when he realizes that Khazrael is searching the possessions of someone lying prone. He eyes the scene curiously.

He asks in a demanding tone :
"What are you doing ?"

But the man doesn't hear him over the multitude of noises coming from downstairs. He then runs to one of the storerooms.

Why is the half-elf unconscious ? Oh, so that's what they were talking about... Did he fight with that other armored guy ?
Wait, is that sorcerer trying to loot all our fallen companions ?

Shaking his head, he realizes he has already lost precious seconds. He will keep an eye on the Khazrael, but deal with the closest threat first.

He glances quickly outside the window, then fires a few arrows into the swarming mass. Only then does he realize something's not right.

One figure outside... How many before ? Damn ! And he starts swearing aloud.

At the top of his lungs, he tries to warn everyone : "Vampiiiires approaching ! Two of them !"

[OOC: oops, missed a round. Let's say he was gawking at Khaz. I suspect the 2 riders are demons, but since everybody's been obsessing about vampires...
Att 1: (1d20+10)[14]; Elec Dam 1: (1d6)[4]
Att 2: (1d20+10)[23]; Elec Dam 2: (1d6)[1]
Att 3: (1d20+5)[19]; Elec Dam 3: (1d6)[1]
total dam = 2 !!
33 arrows used
]

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn stares in confusion at the stone. A secret passage with no means of opening it. What was the point of that? Maybe the opening lever was somewhere else. He turns to go look somewhere else when he hears Callos. "Oh, absolutely not, quite the opposite. We're sure that there's nothing on the other side the stone. No ground, nothing. It's either a secret passage or a treasure cache. Either way, we want that stone gone."

[Dark_Stalion]

Trinark

Trinark makes his way to Callos only to find him not bleading. He puts pressure on the worst of his own wounds, stopping the bleading.

"Callos, how badly are you hurt? I saw you blow yourself across the room!" There is an element of admiration in his voice. "You know we are stuck here for the momentand so we are stuck with our own resources," he says reproachfully.


[ooc: Heal check (1d20+8=20)]

[runehawk]

Lizardman Druid
He couldn't get thru to them. Not in time. Grunting in frustration, he resigns that the bats have to die. He sees Trinark steady himself and stops beside him. Turning he catches sight of the door, and sees the severely bloodied Thokk and Lumpy.

The lizardman blinks in surprise as Trinark lay a hand on him. Truthfully, he had seen the drow bleeding from a head wound and had rushed to help him.

A rough short rumble of laughter is heard from the druid as Ssathiya doesn't fail to appreciate the irony. He grabs Trinark by the arm as he is about to rush off. As the drow's smooth features mar with a puzzled frown, he tears a strip of cloth and ties a quick bandage across his head.

They both nod in understanding then Trinark rushes to Callos's side.
Ssathiya then waits for an opening in the cloud of bats before rushing to Thokk.
He takes in the sight of Fizahn and Yix crouching by the floor but barely has time to think about it.

OOC:
Heal Check on Trinark: 12 +3 =15
HP:40 (thanks DS!)
Move to Thokk and next round: feed him with CLW potion.

[Phasm]

Lissa

Lissa clamps her teeth down on several choice curses, ducking and dodging the bats currently impeding her vision. She doesn't dare swat at them; that might break the invisibility spell. And on top of it all, the wings brushing her face and the musky smell of bat are making her nauseous. "Hang on, Achkby!" An eddy in the cloud of bats reveals her friend for a brief moment. Lissa dashes in that direction, nearly colliding headon with Achkby. "Sorry, the bats are making it hard to see..." She touches him again with the wand, speaking the activation word.


OOC: CLW from wand on Achkby - (1d8+1)[4]

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Things were getting out of hand, that was for sure. Wiping blood from his forehead and eyes, LUmpy growls his displeasure. They could have held the skeletons off all day without any trouble if it weren't for the bats. Now though. . .

With a grunt he retrieves a bottle from his belt, tearing free the stopper and downing it thoughtlessly before pulling out another. If the vampires really were on their way, they were in for it,

"Dwarf! Fall back! Need ta regroup fer incomers"

He wasn't sure why the dwarf, or all of them, really, was so torn up, while Tiriel was untouched. He didn't like it though. It was an unknown factor, and even if she was on his side, it was disconcerting. One more thing to settle when this was over. For now he was content to use it to their advantage.

((OOC Drinking a potion of CLW, readying another to give to Thokk if he decides to back up.

CLW (1d8+1=5)

))

[Dr._Bob]

The bats continue to envelop Thokk, Aeroz, and Tiriel. Katrin joins them at the doorway and finds herself attacked by the swarm as well.

Achkby and Lumpy fall back to the second barricade, where the druid and the drow are waiting.

Without much preable, Callos strides over to the middle of the floor casts a spell that cracks the large flagstone but fails to shatter it completely. Fizahn and Yix cringe when he does so, afraid he might set off some undiscovered trap, but nothing dramatic happens.

Upstairs, Adalmar sees Khazrael disappear into the storeroom after rifling through Elthan's gear. When he turns back to the window, he is horrified to see two riders flying through the air on their fiery black horses toward the upper level.

The two nightmares phase through the stone walls of the meeting house, materializing on the wooden planks of the upper level. Immediately, the wood begins to burn as the air fills with acrid smoke from the nightmares' nostrils ...



OOC: Thokk (5 + 1), Aeroz (2 + 1), Tiriel (0), and Katrin (1) take bat damage. Two more skeletons destroyed (68). Two nightmares appear on the upper level.

[Koji]

Khazrael

With a soft sigh he rises from his crouch and scoops up Evendur's severed head by the hair. Thoroughly bloodstained, he mumbles, "Turn for turn--I won't leave you out to dry either."

He almost casually strolls out of the storeroom with a bold gleam in his eye and a look of grim determination.

((OOC: Knowledge (The Planes) check on these horses, substitute religion if necessary
1d20+3=17))

[Dr._Bob]

Khazrael recognizes the creatures as nightmares, horse-like creatures that are indiginous to various evil planes.

The nightmares can travel easily between the astral and ethereal planes. Their hooves can set combustible materials alight, and their breath is a dense, choking smoke.

The two nightmares appear to be riderless at the moment. If they had riders earlier, there is no sign of them now ...

[runehawk]

Lizardman Druid
Having arrived beside the injured dwarf, Ssathiya unplugs the sole flask of CLW with him and feeds it to Thokk.
With the appearance of the nightmares above,
"ABOVE US", he yells to Thokk.
He starts casting a spell.

OOC:
Feed Thokk: Thokk's HP +4 (stops bleeding until round after next hit)

[namo]

Adalmar

He is so shocked his mind goes blank. Luckily, his instincts are honed.

Since he can't take the two monstrosities head on... retreat. And regroup.

"Kir, to me !"

[OOC: if possible, he will run all the way to the back of the room and the stairs. Otherwise, he will move away as far as possible and then jump downstairs (Tiriel/Rasko-like !).
If that would make him land in the middle of the bats, he won't jump.

In any case, he will draw his sword while moving and discard his bow at the end of his turn.

Sorry for all the conditionals ! ]

Facing the beasts and awaiting their next move, he is surprised to find that he is not trembling...

"Two monsters coming my way !"

Unfortunately his mind hasn't yet caught up with the disappearance of the riders...

[Phasm]

Lissa

At the shouting and smoke, Lissa looks up... and sees two all-too-familiar equines. Oh gods... hey wait, where's the vampires? A memory of Callos lecturing on the subject of undead surfaces. "Watch out for mist around the doors and windows! Vampires can turn into mist!", she shouts.


OOC: Okay, who's looking worst wounded? I intend to move and heal somebody.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

Damn bats...Why are they doing this? Never liked em' in the tunnels, they were noisy, pooped all over, and feed things that shouldn't have existed...

"Ach, Thanks Scaley. Half breed, I'm backin up. Lass, can yer hold the skelies off for the time bein?"

Thokk quickly quaffs down the potion that Ss feeds to him. He lashes out at a skeleton, destroying it, then starts retreating towards Lissa

Thokk Fort (1d20+10=30) Waste of a crit...

Thokk To Hit (1d20+9=17) (Hit)

Thokk Damage (1d10+10=19) (Dead)

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

"I'm not going anywhere dwarf - but it's not like I can ask them to wait and line up!"
Tiriel glances at the nightmares with unease, I'd like to help them out up there, but if I leave, then those on the ground will be in trouble. And if their riders show up...

Tiriel swings her club one more time at the surrounding skeletons,
attack/damage: (1d20+9=26, 1d6+5=11) ("dead")
cleave attack/damage: (1d20+9=12, 1d6+5=11) (miss, stupid 3)

and then draws her sword and moves backward.

[ooc: I have no idea how far away Tiriel is from everyone else! and I don't want the riders to be able to flank her easily if they show up soon, so maybe she'll move w/in 10' of the others? She also has her sword in one hand and a club in the other, she's ready to drop the club as soon as something other than a skeleton shows up...& yes, amazingly, all these actions count as one round.]

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy sets the second potion down on the barricade for Thokk, then another, before turning to consider the new threat. The dwarf would have to procure his own healing from there until they could reform,

"Someone stay with the doors. Those blood-drinkers are somewhere! And dwarf, try not ta pitch back in 'til yer passable!"

The burly orc begins moving towards the stairs. He wasn't sure if he intended to fight them up there, but he knew they'd be fighting them somewhere, and that he'd be involved.

"If yer cut off upstairs, Ya best work on getting down somehow!"

((OOC Set down the potion he pulled out, then pull out another and set it down to. Move towards the nearest stairway))

[HempRope]

Kuja, I think cleaving is a full attack which means you can't draw your sword?

Phasm, Achkby is at 12/28 HP.

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Clearing his head, Achkby eventually realizes where he is.

The bats! Where are... wait, where am I? How did... Hlal have mercy, they were just too much! But they're still all over the others. Who else can...? No one. Looks like it's my job.

Breaking away from Lissa's ministrations and shuffling back to the swarm, he starts in on the same little verse he's been muttering, and brings his hands together before him to burn away the rest of the bats in another burst of flame.

[OOC]
Achkby will aim his Burning Hands up and away from any allies in the bats, especially the not particularly hardy Aeroz and the injured Thokk (if he's still there).
Spell Failure (1d100=39)
Burning Hands Damage (5d4=13)
(Reflex Save DC 15 for half damage)
AC: 19 HP: 12/22
[/OOC]

[kuja.girl]

{ooc: the SRD doesn't say if cleave is a full-round action, only that you can't attack, take a 5'-step, and then cleave... if it is a full-round action, then she won't use cleave, and will still draw her sword and move. She's just trying to keep the skeleton's attention anyhow.}

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

The necromancer growled in frustration as his spell failed to break the stone block completely. That wouldn't stop him, getting down unto his knees Callos raised up his hand, curled it into a fist, and began to slam it down on the loosest looking portions of the stone block. Looking to Fizahn and Yix as he pounded on the stone.

"There has to be some kind of switch or lever around here to open this up, go and find it, quickly!"

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

Aeroz continues to swat at any skeletons near by, but the bleeding from the bat swarm is beginning to take its toll.

"Trinark? Lissa? I know there are a lot more people who need healing right now, but these bats are trying to drink me dry!"

[hr]
Move to closest skeleton
Quarterstaff 1d20+7=16 (7 damage)

[blackfox]

Katrin

Katrin hears the warnings of the lizardkin and Lissa, and briefly looks upstairs to see the nightmares. Several bats fly around her face, and she spends precious seconds batting them away so they won't scratch her eyes. Swearing and slapping at the bats, she backs out of the swarm, switching the club into her left hand so she won't have to drop it, and draws her shortsword with her right hand.

((OOC: Fortitude Save (1d20+3=9)
Katrin takes a 5-foot step backwards, out of the bat swarm. She draws her sword as a move action.))

[Dark_Stalion]

Trinark

Trinark sighs as his question remains unanswered. Still, he could not blame Callos for being distracted,concideriong the battle all arround. Trinark redides that he will heal Callos some, enough that he would not be in iminand danger of death should he come face to face with the nightmares. He then makes his way over to Aeroz.

"I am coming, Aeroz."

[Ooc: Casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Callos (2d8+4=11)]

[Phasm]

Lissa

Torn, Lissa looks from Aeroz to Thokk. Both are badly wounded and Trinark is over with Callos. Then she hears the drow priest calling out to Aeroz. Righto then, Thokk it is. Lissa ducks and weaves through the bats toward Thokk, trying not to lose her dinner in the process. "Over here, Thokk! I'm under an invisibility spell," she calls in her native language. "I'm going to heal you up a bit, so for Baravar's sake don't swing at me when I touch you!" She touches Thokk's chest with her wand, activating it once more.


OOC: CLW from wand on Thokk - (1d8+1)[3] Well, that was a craptastic roll. Oh well, at least it'll stop the bleeding.

[Dr._Bob]

Thokk, Tiriel, Katrin, and Aeroz destroy several more skeletons before falling back to the second barricade. Other than Tiriel, each of them is bleeding from numerous small cuts. With their backs literally to the wall, they watch Achkby disperse the last of the bats with his burning hands.

Lissa and the druid, who were already at the barricade, heal Thokk, who looks as pale as a ghost from all of his blood loss. The color returns to the dwarf's cheeks, but he remains uncharacteristically subdued, perhaps feeling more drained than he'd like to acknowledge.

On the other side of the barricade, Fizahn and Yix watch in puzzlement as Callos pounds his bare fist on the cracked flagstone to little effect. Trinark kneels next to the necromancer and gently lays his hands on his back. Callos slowly regains his sanity and stops punching the floor.

Lumpy runs up the stairs from the lower level, meeting Adalmar who has fallen back to the top of the stairs. Khazrael stands next to Adalmar, holding Evendur's severed head. The enigmatic sorceror holds the head as casually as one might carry a small sack of oranges.

The two nightmares snort and whinny, slowly walking towards the rear of the building and the staircases, filling the upper level with thick, black smoke. With every step, they leave a burning hoofprint. The flames catch quickly and begin to spread across the old, dry floorboards with alarming speed.




OOC: Thokk (6 + 1), Tiriel (0), Aeroz (3 + 1), and Katrin (4 + 1) each take damage. Achkby burns the last bat swarm. Thokk and Callos receive healing. Three more skeletons are destroyed (total 71).

[Phasm]

Lissa

"Um, if anyone has a create water or similar spell handy, this would be a really good time to cast it. 'Cause those nightmares are burning down the house up there. Maybe a mage hand to scoop up some of that snow from outside?" Lissa looks up nervously. Can nightmares see through invisibility spells? She has no idea- but if she goes into the smoke, that'll be kind of a moot point. "Dunno about any of you, but fighting while the upper floor is burning and crashing down around us doesn't appeal to me." Taking a deep breath to focus herself, Lissa touches her wand to Aeroz. White light flares once more. Hope this thing lasts through the battle... it should, but with the way things have been going...


OOC: CLW from wand on Aeroz - (1d8+1)[8]

[namo]

Adalmar

D*mn, the wood is starting to burn. Where are the vampires ?
Could it be their way to flush us out ? If they really can't enter a place without being invited...

"I need help ! I can't fight those things by myself !
Can a non-fighter prepare the horses ? The building has started to burn !! "
It all comes out a bit jambled, but hopefully still understandable.

Concentrating on the nightmares, he still senses Khazrael approaching. He turns and is about to ask him to provide magical assistance when... he sees the still dripping head.

"Mielikki protect me ! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ?"

Feeling nauseous, he recoils from the sorcerer - now unsure where the threat lies.

[OOC: he backs off against the closest wall, away from Khaz and the nightmares (if possible he drags his bow with him, but he has his sword in hand). Total defense for the round.

I know it's a bit too dramatic, but I did mention he was firing arrows and not paying attention when Lumpy provided the quick explanation, so I feel it's appropriate. Sue me !
]

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

The lizardman steps aside to let Thokk pass, quickly casting an enhancement on his weapon before stepping up beside Tiriel. He feels the life-force of the world around flow into him up from the ground into his feet. Centering at his Tooth talisman, it builds up rapidly before starting to send spurts of verdant energy intermittently to his club via his arm making it throb with power and radiate a faint aura of its own.

For a split second, Ssathiya beholds his right hand resting on an intangible image of an oak tree. The vision fades leaving him wonder if it was just his imagination.

Noticing the humungous pile of bones lying tangibly at Tiriel's feet, he remarks
"That... is a.. lot of bones" , in a flat tone devoid of humor.

OOC:
Cast Shillelagh on club
New stats: +7/2D6+3
HP: 42 AC:23/22
move action to block my tile in front of the door.

[Koji]

Khazrael

Khazrael turns a stoic gaze to Adalmar and nods to the severed head. With a stern, loud tone meant for all of the fighters to hear over the din of the fight, he says, "He helped save our lives. His body's too heavy, but I'm not about to leave his head behind for the necromancers."

He keeps his eyes locked with the stout man as he speaks, the ice-blue irises shining unsettlingly. Unable to tell whether his intent is coming across, he nods quickly and dashes to prove it through action.

His passage leaves bloody footprints on the floor as he thumps across the loft. With a short hop, he is clinging to the wall, and a quiet incantation heralds the arrival of a brilliant lance of electricity which blazes through the air towards the demonic horses.

((OOC: Moving to a point on the wall where I can fire a lightning bolt through both nightmares. Damage: 6d6=21, save DC 16))

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel

Tiriel nods a silent affirmation to her scaled friend. But there many still standing, and the worst is still to come. Tiriel glances over her shoulder noting that many, no, all of those who had joined her near the door have been injured and there are still some receiving treatment.

The thick smoke rolling down from the burning second floor reminds her that she needs to make a decision. The dwarf had asked her to take care of the skeletons - the archer had said something about saddling horses. Tiriel tightens her grip on her sword. Leaving the building by the front door didn't sound like a good idea, not when it meant running towards the vampires.

Damn it all.

Tiriel drops her club and swings at the closet skeleton, wielding her sword with both hands.
Attack/damage/fire: (1d20+9=22, 1d8+9=14, 1d6=2,) [hit and dead]
Cleave: 1d20+9=15, 1d8+9=13, 1d6=1)[/url] [hit and dead]

ooc: so I just realized that I haven't been adding in Tiriel's +2 damage bonus when she uses her longsword (feat:wpn Specialization)...doh! With that added in she can probl'y take out skeletons just as well as with the club. Oh and cleave does not require use of a "full-attack."

[Spaz]

Yix

Yix seeing Callos's desperate effort to open the flagstone redoubles his efforts to find any sort lever, switch, or doo-dad that will get the blasted thing open.

[blackfox]

Katrin

Katrin swears as she smells the smoke from the upper floor and sees the wooden planks start burning. My bag! It'll burn, and everything inside it... She runs up the stairs, dropping her club, and grabs at the Handy Haversack, hoping to get to it before the flames do.

((OOC: Double move action to go back upstairs, then grab the bag next round.))