Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

[TheFallenOne]

"Yes, let's just wait, I think they're going to pick up someone who speaks common. Or a kind of chief", Grimmgang said convinced. And one of you better do the talking. I had no plan beyond 'present prisoners and ancestral spear' to be honest."

[MoleMage]

"If they don't speak common, I saw fit to prepare a spell that will assist us in communicating. I can do some talking. It is part of the knight's training to be a diplomat."

[Sallera]

It is nearly half an hour before someone finally returns, the hidden scout's silent presence the only indication that you have not been forgotten - although the treasures you bear ensure there is little chance of that. Eventually, the leader from before comes into view again, accompanied by a familiar-looking lizardfolk. Kristach's mouth is open slightly in what is probably a grin, and he bows slightly to you before speaking.

"Ah, things heard true then. You are stronger than us, braver too, to face blackscales and Children and live. But where is tree-that-walks?"

[TekHed]

Shard finally spoke up, it's polyphonic voice both lilting and rumbling at the same time.

"Brother Trunk was cast into the lake of fire by the demon hidden beneath the temple, sacrificing himself in vanquishing our foe. It is hoped his spirit has returned to the forest from whence it came, to sprout once again into the great circle of life..."

With the nature of it's voice it is difficult to tell, but there seems some emotion, and some detachment.

[TheFallenOne]

"Vanquish, sprout... Go easy on the fellow, he barely speaks common", Grimmgang muttered reprovingly.

[MoleMage]

"We called the tree-that-walks Trunk. What my glowing friend is trying to say is that he fell honorably in combat. We were unable to save him from burning up. We, and he, wanted you to have your artifact back. We also brought you these prisoners, which we expect to be tried honorably for any crimes against your people. If they are innocent, you will release them."

[Sallera]

Kristach approaches slowly and takes the spear, mouthing words as though working through what he wants to say in Common. Eventually, he returns to where he was standing and bows deeply. "Whyever you chose Children of Rhashaak as your enemies, you have been ally to Cold Sun. That for, and memory to tree-that-walks, in next year we will let no blackscale near newcomer cities. With these prisoners, is something we can promise."

[TekHed]

Shard stepped forward and knelt in a knightly fashion before Kristach.

"Your people are honorable. We thank you for allowing us safe passage. Go forward in peace, and dwell in the light."

[Sallera]

Kristach signals to the trees, and several other lizardfolk come forward to bear the prisoners. With a final bow, all of them vanish into the jungle, and this time no watchers remain behind.

Despite the delay involved in leaving the path, you make fairly good time once you reach the road again, and it is only another two days before you see the waters of the Adder Bay in the distance as the trail passes along the edge of a plateau. The late afternoon sun is nearly blinding, and it would almost be a relief to enter the shade of the jungle again, but for the three figures that step into the open, blocking the road as you approach a narrow gap in the stone and trees. The woman in the centre is tall and dark-haired, and her bearing suggests the possession of a certain imposing nobility. Two nondescript soldiers flank her, both holding crossbows and wearing half-helms and grimy tabards bearing the symbol of a green claw.

"You are in possession of something that does not belong to you," the woman states without a hint of doubt. "The knightly Order of the Emerald Claw demands that you return the Dragon's Eye at once, lest we be forced to take it from you."

Grimmgang/Daiya:

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There are another ten soldiers hidden in the undergrowth to the sides.

[TheFallenOne]

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ah, the Emerald Claw... They were the main antagonist in Shadows of the Last War, so Grimmgang is somewhat familiar with them

I assume I would have noticed rotting flesh or complete lack of flesh on the soldiers

"Don't bother negotiating with them, they will try to kill us even if we cooperate", Grimmgang said with utter conviction. "The Emerald Claw leaves no loose ends."
He raised his voice, adressing the woman. "I'm wondering though, why didn't you bring any skeletons or zombies along like last time? The other ten goons hidden back there seem oddly alive. Perhaps you ran out of corpses to animate? Hard to believe given how little you people care for your minions' lifes."

[TekHed]

"They do not appear to made of Emerald. I do not understand the significance of their moniker." Shard replied in it's strange diction to Grimmgang. The made-of-mineral warrior was oddly eloquent, yet still quite naive to many corporeal concepts.

[Sallera]

"If mockery is all you have to offer our Order," the woman replies with a frown, "then we will take what is ours in the traditional manner." Raising a closed fist, she nods to her soldiers. "Kill them. Perhaps we will raise them afterward, if they are so fond of the concept of undead warriors."

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Initiative:
Drasil: 19
Daiya: 18
Claws: 15
Grimmgang: 12
Emerald: 12
Shard: 10

Drasil and Daiya's turn.

[MoleMage]

"You call yourselves a knightly order, but you would still attack those who have shown you no offense? Our weapons are sheathed, you jumped us in our travels, and threatened us. That does not a knight make you. A crook, perhaps, but not a knight."

Daiya pointedly doesn't draw her weapon while she talks, but she does mentally prepare to unleash a spell on them.

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I'm chivalric, not stupid. Prepare to cast Inflict Serious Damage defensively if I'm attacked.

[TheFallenOne]

At Shard's comment, Grimmgang furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak, but after a short pause he closed it again, lacking any idea how to answer to that. In light of this, the beginning of hostilities came somewhat as a relief and he reached for his axe, sidestepping to the left to let Drasil pass by who bounded to a lone soldier taking cover behind some rocks.

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Drasil moves to N6
attack - (1d20+7)[14] damage - (1d6+4)[8]

[Sallera]

Drasil's bite clamps down on chainmail, the soldier shrugging it off and pulling out a mace. "Unrepentant thieves need no mercy," the woman declares, as a hail of crossbow bolts comes from the Claws. The nearer ones throw their bows aside and advance, drawing morningstars, while the ones in the trees reload.

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Attack on Drasil: (1d20+3)[9]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
Attack on Drasil (cover): (1d20-2)[0]
Damage: (1d8)[1]
Attack on Drasil (cover): (1d20-2)[18]
Damage: (1d8)[2]

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+2)[19]
Damage: (1d8)[1]
Attack on Daiya: (1d20+2)[13]
Damage: (1d8)[4]

Attack on Shard: (1d20+2)[12]
Damage: (1d8)[6]
Attack on Shard (cover): (1d20+2)[18]
Damage: (1d8)[3]
Attack on Shard (cover): (1d20+2)[5]
Damage: (1d8)[3]
Attack on Shard (cover): (1d20+2)[8]
Damage: (1d8)[8]

Attack on Grimmgang (cover): (1d20+2)[7]
Damage: (1d8)[8]
Attack on Grimmgang (cover): (1d20+2)[16]
Damage: (1d8)[5]
Attack on Grimmgang: (1d20+2)[12]
Damage: (1d8)[4]

Grimmgang's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

The dwarf noticed with dismay the soldiers were blocking his path to their leader, so he stopped his advance when meeting their line, spinning on his heels to deliver a horizontal stomach-height cut at the two Emerald Claws in front of him.

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tumble to J7
Steel Wind
on C4 Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+8)[18]
Slashing damage - (1d10+4)[9] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[5]
on C5 Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+8)[19]
Slashing damage - (1d10+4)[6] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[9]

[Sallera]

One of the men collapses to the ground, and the other staggers back a step, fumbling for a potion at his belt. The leader raises a symbol and lets out a ringing cry before sidestepping into the forest, and Shard feels an answering chime from within its body, one that rapidly grows to painful levels, threatening to tear it apart.

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Shard takes (6d6)[32] * 1.5 sonic damage, Fort 15 for half.

Shard, Daiya, and Drasil's turn.

[MoleMage]

"Shard, that one on your left!"
Daiya points to the Claw just off the path near Grimmgang, and pulls her blindfold down as she steps forward, drawing and swinging while she does.

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Suggest C2 as Shard's target, free action blindfold, step forward while drawing sword, swing.
Attack on C6 (1d20+10)[21]
Damage on C6 (2h) (1d10+5)[12]
Inflict Damage on C6 (assuming hit)(Fort half) (3d8+5)[22]

[TheFallenOne]

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Drasil keeps biting
(1d20+7)[21] (1d6+4)[6]

[TekHed]

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As she shouted to Shard, just before pulling her blindfold down, Daiya noticed her crystalline companion seemed to be having some kind of seizure. It's body was vibrating and the noise emanating from it's body was a cacophony to her heightened hearing. Grimmgang however could only watch in horror as Shard finally shrieked out a piercing thunderous wail as it's body split with the seams of several cracks, webbing out into a thousand tiny facets. Suddenly, the sound ended and their stalwart front-liner crumbled, literally, to the ground as it's legs shattered beneath it. The light-shield vanished, the mighty blade fallen, and it's brilliant light sputtered and died, though the dwarf could see that the faintest of glimmers yet sparkled somewhere deep inside, barely visible.

...but wait!

In the wake of the crippling sonic attack, Shard's light flickered...yet did not die. Though horribly wounded, it's body disfigured, the light within surged suddenly, allowing the Shard to remain standing, but barely.

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From full hit points to -6 in a single attack. Was wondering when that was going to happen...

Steely Resolve keeps me at -1, spend 4 pp to negate 2 points leaving me at 1, then cast Bear's Endurance bringing me up to 11... and that's Shard's turn...

[Sallera]

Daiya slices through the man's armour, the destructive energies contained in the blade snapping links as easily as they tear flesh, and he falls bleeding to the ground. Drasil manages to sink her teeth into the soldier's leg below the chain, and he yelps in pain before retaliating with a furious swing of his mace. Two of the others move to surround Grimmgang, offering steady, measured blows as their partner retreats and pulls a potion from his belt, and the ones in the trees fire once more before most switch weapons and move forward with a professional detachment to fill the gaps in the line.

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Attack on Drasil: (1d20+1)[16]
Damage: (1d8+5)[8]
Attack on Drasil: (1d20-2)[17]
Damage: (1d8)[6]
Attack on Drasil: (1d20-2)[8]
Damage: (1d8)[7]

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+2)[13]
Damage: (1d8)[4]
Attack on Daiya: (1d20+2)[14]
Damage: (1d8)[7]

Attack on Grimmgang: (1d20+3)[19]
Damage: (1d8+1)[5]
Attack on Grimmgang: (1d20+3)[10]
Damage: (1d8+1)[4]
Attack on Grimmgang (cover): (1d20-2)[9]
Damage: (1d8)[3]
Attack on Grimmgang (cover): (1d20-2)[10]
Damage: (1d8)[3]

Grimmgang's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

None of the attacks managed to get past the dwarf's shield or dodging, but still he was now surrounded from three sides. Grimmgang forced his way through their lines to put his back safely against a small formation of rocks, then rounded on the soldiers now behind him, smashing the rim of his shield into the face of the wounded one while simultaneously chopping with his axe at another.

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tumble to I5
autosucceed vs C2
DC 17 vs C3 (1d20+14)[31]
DC 19 vs C7 (1d20+14)[27]

Wolf Fang Strike
Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+6)[11] at C3
Slashing damage - (1d10+4)[12] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[7]
Shield spikes - (1d20+6)[17] at C4
Piercing damage - (1d6+1)[5] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[8]

[Sallera]

The wounded soldier's neck snaps backward with an audible crunch at Grimmgang's blow, and the unused potion rolls in the dust as he slumps to the ground, but the other turns the axe aside. The leader circles around the battle, pointing a finger at Grimmgang with a twisted gesture from her other hand, and the dwarf can feel a shell of tainted air closing about him like a gauntlet.

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Will DC15 from Grimmgang, please. On failure, you're paralyzed.

Daiya, Shard, and Drasil's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

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damn, that chic is dangerous. Maybe should have gone after her with Mountain Hammer...

Will - (1d20+4)[16] +2 racial vs spells

Drasil PA for 3
(1d20+4)[20] (1d6+7)[13]

[TekHed]

The fractures in Shard's body crack a bit more, but it does not fall. It opens it's mouth and a scintillating mist filled with motes of color emerges to engulf the melee.

"I need time to recover. Daiya...keep them busy..."

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Take the 5 damage delayed by steely resolve. Hit points are now at 6, cast obscuring mist centered on enemy C8.

[MoleMage]

Daiya, now hidden in the cloud, casts a spell into her sword while calling out to Grimmgang.

"Grimm, do you think you can reach the spellcaster? I can't sense where they are."

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Being restricted to a 30 foot sight radius...one of the downfalls of this class of mine.

Casting Shocking Grasp into my sword.

[Sallera]

Drasil drags one of the soldiers to the ground, but the sudden appearance of the fog delays them only slightly, and they move to surround you as best they can, abandoning any attempts at ranged attacks for steady, if not especially skilled, blows of their maces.

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Attack on Drasil: (1d20+5)[19]
Concealment (miss on 1): (1d5)[5]
Damage: (1d8+1)[2]
Attack on Drasil: (1d20+5)[7]
Concealment: (1d5)[4]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
Attack on Drasil: (1d20+3)[15]
Concealment: (1d5)[1]
Damage: (1d8+1)[8] - not that it mattered, just forgot to take this one out when I removed the soldier Drasil nommed

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+3)[4]
Concealment: (1d5)[1]
Damage: (1d8+1)[7]

Attack on Shard: (1d20+5)[23]
Concealment: (1d5)[1]
Damage: (1d8+1)[7]
Attack on Shard: (1d20+5)[7]
Concealment: (1d5)[3]
Damage: (1d8+1)[7]

Attack on Grimmgang: (1d20+3)[17]
Concealment: (1d5)[4]
Damage: (1d8+1)[9]
Attack on Grimmgang (cover): (1d20+3)[23]
Concealment: (1d5)[4]
Damage: (1d8+1)[8]

Grimmgang's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

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drat, could have reached the caster with a better roll

"Those chumps are blocking my way!" Grimmgang hissed when a blow got past his shield and the soldiers stubornly held their ground. Circumventing them cost too much time and he had to abandon his advance on the caster for now, instead lashing out at one of the men surrounding him.

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move to G4
Mountain Hammer on C1
Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+8)[23]
Slashing damage - (1d10+4)[11] + Maneuver damage - (2d6)[6] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[7]

[Sallera]

One of the soldiers takes the opportunity for a low swing as the dwarf tries to bypass him, but Grimmgang hammers the man's partner hard enough to snap his spine. Now that he is no longer shielded by the rocks, however, the woman steps out to the edge of the trees and fires a pale purple ray of light.

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AoO: (1d20+3)[14]
Damage: (1d8+1)[8]

Ranged touch on Grimmgang: (1d20+7)[17], for a (1d6+3)[4] point penalty to Strength.

Shard, Drasil and Daiya's turn.

[MoleMage]

"Heal yourself, Shard. I'll watch your back."

Daiya follows up true to her word as she swings for the nearest enemy.

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Attack (1d20+10)[14]
Miss on 2 (2d4)[7]
Damage (1d10+5)[11]
Shocking Grasp Damage if hit (5d6)[15]