The Necromancer's Pact VI: Lake of Tears [closed]

[Yoric_Steele]

Trinark

After the time passed and people began to stir and move about, Trinark remained in his place. He had spent months in captivity in confined places, so keeping still wasn't a hardship for him.

He did however begin scanning in directions other than the way his friends had left. He would hate for something else to sneak up on the group and catch them flatfooted.

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

*Thokk shifts about, trying to find a comfortable position while wearing such heavy armor*

"Ach, this be like training, waiting in ranks for something to happen! Lets get this beastie over here so we can kill it!"

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

Lumpy remains almost stock still, save for the occasional flex at the knees to keep them from locking. He was used to waiting; if there was anything a military life had taught him, it was how to wait. Waiting on walls, on battlefields, in barracks, there was no doubt he'd done more waiting in his life than fighting.

But to a degree it suited him. He liked getting a little time to think. Free time was free time, and he seldom liked to mull over business while he was eating or sleeping. That time was his. The waits though. No such compunctions existed there. The thoughts that drifted through his misshapen head were of Sethra, of his companions, their situation, and just how he fit into it all.

The campaigner tried not to let the long silence discomfit him. He'd seen scouts go to their deaths before; it was part of the risks they bore, just as his shouldering of physical combat imposed upon him in different circumstances. But it did make things complicated, forcing the rest of them to make a hard choice. They couldn't really afford to break position to search. on the off chance the runners were still alive, it followed that they'd show up to the vacated clearing shorlty therafter with a hungry hydra on their tail. Fate demanded it. but sending off one or another folk to look for them might be just as harmful. Gods forbid the Hydra was setting ambushes; he didn't know enough to judge just how smart the thing was.

---

Lumpy keeps quiet on the matter of the tardy runners, even as Tiriel breaks ranks to look for them. He leans slightly against his polearm as she leaves. Some bonds were stronger than blood; he had no words that would dissaude her from going after her companion, and it wasn't worth trying.

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

From his position a way back, Achkbyb leans against a tree. After all of the long waiting, he has almost forgotten that they his friends are lying in ambush.
His thoughts do, though, cavort about the subject of hydra and their kin.

[OOC]
While waiting, Achkby ceases seizes (wow, it's late) the opportunity to use Knowledge (Arcana).
Knowledge (Arcana) (1d20+10=29)
[/OOC]

When pulled from hsi reverie by Yix's comment, however, he moves from his rough hiding place towards the group, grimacing at his stiff muscles and the wasted time.
"So... are you all just going to sit here and duel with frostbite instead of the hydra-beast?"

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

Looking up and sighing, Aeroz pokes at the ground with his sword. The stiffness from crouching in anticipation is beginning to set in.

"You know, the second we get up to change position, that hydra is just going to come out of nowhere." he remarks jokingly.

"Anyone knows any good jokes?"

[Callos_DeTerran]

Callos

"Hmph. I dunno maybe the fact that he keeps leaving on business trips, your slightly cold demeanor when approached, or the fact you seem to isolate yourself here is what tipped me off. And you might be surprised about what I can solve....given a loose set of morals and unlimited supplies but even without those."

His tone was fairly matter-of-fact as he leaned over the scrying pool and peered into it with interest. The divination magicks had intrigued him when he was younger but the pursuit of necromancy had been too much of a time consuming activity for him to put much thought into them...besides his mind reading spell that is.

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

"Wait"
He stretches out an arm to hold onto Tiriel's. More to give her pause than to restrain her. He had far too much respect for her.

In answer to her questioning look , he looks pointedly at Nyssa's owl.

"Better way", he hisses.

[Dr._Bob]

Tiriel shrugs off the lizardman's warning. "I'll be fine," she reassures him.

Without hesitation, she plunges into the forest and is soon lost from sight.

Another hour passes. It is past midday, and there are probably only four or five more hours of daylight left ...

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

sSomething'ss wrong", he says after pacing uncomfortably for an hour.

"No more sscouts", he mutters to Lumpy

Examining the surroundings and tha tracks again
(knowlegde:nature = 20), returning to Lumpy he shakes his head.

"The hunters must move.". Trniark translates for him.

He advocates quickly that with nightfall, the hydra probably had the advantage when it came to vision being repitilian. Moving forward with caution was the best option. A hydra may not be the only thing in the forest.

He starts moving with whomever joins him. He casts Detect magic periodically and sweeps it as a cone before him.

He alsos checks for tracks and other signs by the side of the path and will be at the front unless Hjih or Lumpy track.

[kuja.girl]

Tiriel
oh, crap crap crap crap crap crap crap crap!

Tiriel runs through the forest back towards the clearing. She takes no care to conceal her movement, knowing that it won't matter. She suddenly bursts from the forest into the clearing, scaring the lizardman. His posture quickly changes from hostile, to alert. "Sorry." she says.

She takes a moment to catch her breath before shouting "There's 2 hydras coming this way! Everyone had better be ready because they're hot on the halfling's heels and she's going to need help! She redraws her sword and leans agaist a nearby tree.

nothing ever goes as planned...

[blackfox]

Katrin

Katrin, who had been about to come out of hiding to help the lizardman, thinks better of it, and stays put behind the bush. She scans the trees to find any that could be quickly and easily climbed, and high enough to escape the hydras' long necks.

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

The big orc flicks his head in annoyance at the lizard's inability to wait,

"Impatience'll kill ya one'a these days. Compassion too."

However, he seems uncertain as to whether or not he'll follow the lizardman- Tiriel's reappearance clears that concern up rather quickly. Shifting back into full cover, he barks gruffly,

"Alright! Form up then, and get ready ta drop the hammer quick! We'd best have one'a them hydras beheaded and torched before they know we're all here. If it comes ta stalling action against one'a them, we'll be in fer a rough time of it."

[Spaz]

Yix

Yix tenses up next he stands next to Lumpy waiting to for the hydras. Yix is hodling the torch so hard his muscles begin shaking, then something comes to Yix's mind he hadn't thought of before. Casually turning to Lumpy the tiny dragon asks "Got a light?"

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

It takes a moment for the words of the scarred mercenary to sink in and another for the nuance to be clear.

Screwing up his face in anger, he snarls back at the half-orc.

By the wood and waters, how dare this little warmbllood call me weak?

He was more than a little annoyed. It had taken him self-control to remind himself that Lumpy had not challenged him, ignorant as he would be about lizardpeople ways.
The lack of faith in his instincts neither helping.

The burst of noise through the brush distracts him and he spins in a position of readiness.
[hr]
When he sees it to be only Flamesword, he moves to place an arm around her back, supporting her as she regains her breath.

with his other hand he quickly weaves his spell before placing it on her forehead.

The spell catches and Tiriel 's skin begins to grow dark and gnarly like the bark of a tree

[kariokie]

Nyssa

Nyssa waits tensely until she hears the hydras come, then begins to chant a few words and move her right hand into a claw-like shape. A ghostly hand takes shape in front of her, pulling itself from her body.

{Spectral Hand.}

[HempRope]

Achkby, Halfling Sorcerer

Two.

"By the Gods above, how the hell are there two of them now? May Tiamat smite down whoever attracted the second!"

Hurriedly, Achkby backs away from the group again, hunkering back down into his somewhat safer position.

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

The half-orc responds in kind to the the lizardman's body language, more than accustomed to expressing himself in simpler manners. If anything, it leaves little doubt that he understands the unvoiced criticism he'd levied against the druid and dared him to react openly. But it fades as he turns back to his position, distracted by the psuedodragon's mental request. He glances at his feet, almost surprised, as if he'd forgotten the little dragon was there,

"Yeah, yeah.."

Thick fingers, stiffened by mail gloves overlapped by bracing steel plates, fish clumsily through on of the pouches on his belt, procuring a small chunk of flint. Not bothering to dig out the matching finger of steel that completed the set, the orc kneels briefly, striking sparks directly off his armored thigh to catch the torch. once it's lit, he resumes his stance.

[Ludo]

Nolan

The hours of waiting motionless took little toll on Nolan. His years of training at the monastery more than conditioned him for the task. But the news of a second hydra on the way wasn't something he was prepared for. He glanced over at Nyssa. One was to be a challenge but he was certain that would mean little danger for his twin sister. But now two... Nolan shakes his head and follows the pseudodragon's example and strikes his tindertwig to light his weapon. His jaw clenches with anticipation.

[Yoric_Steele]

Trinark

It figures we have tangled with a mated pair, or something equally unfortunate...

At the sound of Tiriel crashing through the brush, Trinark moved into action. He quickly brought to mind the spell of Eilistraee's blessing. He did his best to include as many members of the group as possible, which was no easy task.

With the spell complete, he moved back to his semi-concealed position to wait for the beasts. It was certain not to be an easy affair, but he was determined to seek revenge on the vermin responsible for his untimely demise.

"Steady everyone, lets still try to maintain some element of surprise..."

[sacreddeamon]

Thokk

"Oh balls..."

*Thokk continues to duck behind his shield for full concealment, and prepares himself to leap out and start slashing heads when they come near him*

[Erikkin]

Fizahn:

Fizahn shivers in his position as the long hours pass. He remains ready for the hydra to appear at any second. The boredom however, takes its toll and he is only half alert when Tiriel reappears. He quickly readies himself for the hydra and stops fiddling with his dagger. He gimaces slightly as Tiriel talks. There are two hydras. I swear I speak common better than most of these humans...

Wait...

THERE ARE TWO HYDRAS? DAMNIT! And they're hot on the halfling's tracks? What about the elf? I'll find out later, but it might not be pleasant.

[Dr._Bob]

In the tower ...

Lady Ulrich leans forward over the pool of water. "This should be interesting ..."

Callos and Elthan lean forward as well.

[hr]
In the clearing ...

It seems like only seconds after Tiriel runs back to her position when Delphinia's dog scrambles into the clearing, the halfling ranger leaning forward, a warning on her lips.

Her words, however, are drowned out by a cacophanous screeching and the splintering of trees as a massive hydra crashes into the clearing. Its six heads whip around as it skids to a halt in the center of the glade ...




OOC: Surprise round. Each character gets an action.

With so many players, combat will need to be "self service" - meaning each player should roll their own to hit and damage, applying whatever bonuses are relevant.The hydra's flatfooted AC is 15. Backstabbing bonuses apply this round.

A head can be severed with each successful sunder that deals 11 points of damage. To prevent the head from growing back, 5 points of fire damage must occur with the sunder or be applied by a successful touch attack vs AC 9.

Yes, runehawk, fire damage is multiplied by 1.5.

Good luck!

[bhdrake]

Lumpy

This was the hardest part, the last few moments before the fray. Waiting was easy, until one came to terms with what lay ahead. Death and pain, not even Lumpy was immune to the rigors of war, scarred as his mind body were by it. But he steeled himself, holding until the last moment, the most opportune instant.

"NOW!" His call trails off wordlessly into a wordless battlecry as he flings himself from his position, throwing his bulk across the ground haphazardly, drawing his guisarme into position. Resisting the urge for a wild overhand strike, he drops it low. As he skids to a stop at the fringes of his weapon's reach, heels digging ruts in the snow and soil, he whips the blade upward in a diagnal slash, catching one neck with a powerful blow. For an instant, it seems like his blow is clean, carving deep into the affected member, but as he jerks his blade free with a grunt, it is evident that he didn't quite finish the cut, leaving the head attached- Barely

((OOC
Sunder vs Hydra, PA -1/+2, Bless +1 (1d20+10, 2d4+8=[15 + 10 = 25], [1 + 1 + 8= 10])

Absolutely amazing, I debated using PA +2 for so long, and decided for accuracy. yay minimum damage and bing one point short.))

[kariokie]

Nyssa

Nyssa steps further back as the hydra crashes into the group. Orestes returns to her shoulder as she does, hooting excitedly. The ghostly hand floating next to her wings out from her, towards the hydra, striking it in its body.

She speaks a few words in an arcane language as it does, and gestures towards the hydra with her right hand. She then pulls that hand back in towards herself as if she was drawing something away from the hydra.

Her spell wouldn't harm the hydra for long, but the power of unlife would protect her, should its ire turn her way.

{OOC:
Melee Touch Attack. (1d20+5=15) {Will need to know the touch AC of the hydra, but this round it doesn't matter, the roll was high enough.}
Vampiric Touch Damage. (3d6=11)
Lost HPs from Spectral Hand. (1d4=1) {Prep last round.}

Final New HPs: 26/16
}

[Phasm]

Lissa

"Two hydras?! May the gods have mercy on our souls..." Lissa dismounts as soon as she hears Tiriel's warning, not having trained to fight from dog-back. The gnome loads her crossbow with a click, training it on the woods Tiriel came running out of. Just in time, as it turns out.

TWANG! Lightning crackles around the bolt as it leaves Lissa's crossbow, scorching the monster's icy hide as the bolt buries itself in its body. Lissa swears, reloading. "Yell when one of you manages to chop a head, I've got alchemist's fire in my pack!"


OOC: Unfortunately, I have neither Called Shot nor Ranged Sunder, and no slashing weapons. So body shots are the best I can do.

Attack = 22
Damage, normal + sneak = 13
Damage, shock = 5
Total damage: 18 pts

[Ludo]

Nolan

Gods... The beast is impressive, majestic even. More than that, Nolan doesn't allow himself. His mind empties and his focus is as pure as the snow that fell earlier that morning. Wordlessly he gathers his ki and springs from his crouch, whirling in mid-air. He lands on ball of his left foot with his back to the hydra, bends his knee and spins around, attempting to land a solid kick with his right and stun the beast. However Nolan's focus breaks at the last second and he lands wide of his mark.

[Stunning blow: 1d20+6+1(bless)=9 :(]

[Frojoe21]

Aeroz

Aeroz runs from hiding, drawing his cutlass. He swings at a head, trying to get to sever it as cleanly as possible though trying to keep a good defensive posture.

[Melee Sunder: Cutlass +8= 18+8-3=23; Dmg 1d6+2d6 sneak attack +1=4+4+1+1=10
AC 22
HP 35]

[runehawk]

Lizardkin Druid

Taking a step back from Tiriel, Ssathiya surprising doesn't leap into the thick of things, he seems to be a figure of calm in the melee and missiles around him.

He stares at the creature not with anger or hatred but with an understanding.

An understanding of a mistake that had to be corrected.

He chants , a series of sounds that make no sense in any language. A call to another place, another time. The words faster and faster repeatedly until until they merge seamlessly. the tooth on his neck throbs with accumulating power.
As he raises his palms up, tendrils of flame dart to one another coalescing into a ball in between.

A ball of fire that expands slowly with every heartbeat.

With a gentle push he releases it towards the beast. It gains momentum and moves inexorably forward.

OOC: Cast flaming sphere, move it to engulf the creature ( make it jump up to the head if i'm allowed) dmg:12 flaming (mod applied) He will choose a path where it will not hit anyone else.

[dauphinous]

With the trap sprung, Delphinia takes a moment to breathe a small sigh of relief. How long had those damn things chased her to get here? Gladi could take it, but the strain of the forced run was getting to her. It was in the droop of her shoulder, the minute faltering of the rhythm of her paws. They'd been lucky. Damn lucky. Any number of disastrous outcomes had failed to come to fruition.

It made her heart sing to see the others. To know without a doubt that not only had she led these two monstrosities in the right direction, but these people, still strangers, had stayed and waited. They'd trusted her. And they had her back.

Yep, that was pretty daft. But I'll be damned if it didn't work anyway. Orris, I know you're watching out for me, and I'm glad.

She let Gladi slow down as the passed through the clearing, but didn't let her stop as she drew back her bow, turned, and fired. The arrow flew with a tiny trail of icy sparkles and planted itself in the beast's chest. She'd let Gladi stop when they got a little farther away. Staying up with the others would just be plain stupid for an archer.

{to hit = 1d20+8 (+10, -2 for mounted movement) = 24, damage = (1 - 1 + 2 for favored enemy) 2 + 5 cold}

[blackfox]

Katrin

Katrin rises up out of her hiding place in the shadows, loosing her crossbow bolt at the monster. It hits the body of the hydra squarely, but it lodges in the beast's thick hide before doing much more than piercing the skin. Damn it... that won't hurt it much. I bet it'll heal from that before I could shoot it again.
Katrin reloads her crossbow.

((OOC: Attack Roll (1d20+8=15)
Damage, Sneak Attack Damage (1d8, 1d6=[8], [1])))