Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

[TekHed]

"Aye." Shard replies.

Rather than heal itself however, it instead manifests it's glowing energy shield, it's fearsome crystaline face presenting a menacing barricade to the soldier threatening Shard. It then moves past the soldier, preparing to charge upon the caster.

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Manifest Force Screen. AC now back up to 27, so hopefully I won't get hit when I take the AoO from the soldier...Shard moves to E8.

[Sallera]

The soldier barely manages to deflect Daiya's glowing blade, the brief touch of the energies contained within leaving a burnt scar on the haft of his mace. As Shard pauses to summon its shield, the two flanking him take the opportunity for a coordinated strike from both sides.

"Cut him off!" one calls, and the two chasing Grimmgang circle around him, moving to interpose themselves between the dwarf and their commander. The hammers fall once more, the three in the mist turning to the more immediate threat Daiya presents as Shard retreats - at least from their perspective.

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AoO on Shard (these are for manifesting): (1d20+5)[12]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
Concealment (miss on 1): (1d5)[2]
AoO on Shard: (1d20+5)[24]
Damage: (1d8+1)[7]
Concealment: (1d5)[1]

Attack on Drasil: (1d20+5)[9]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
Concealment: (1d5)[5]
Attack on Drasil: (1d20+5)[15]
Damage: (1d8+1)[8]
Concealment: (1d5)[2]

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+5)[12]
Damage: (1d8+1)[2]
Concealment: (1d5)[4]
Attack on Daiya: (1d20+5)[7]
Damage: (1d8+1)[9]
Concealment: (1d5)[3]
Attack on Daiya: (1d20+3)[16]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
Concealment: (1d5)[4]

Grimmgang and Drasil's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

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ah, did they double move to take a route that avoids AoOs? Poor fools, Tumble ruins their day

Despite the soldiers' best efforts, Grimmgang went past their line and confronted the caster, but he was off-balance and a single blow wouldn't be enough. He drew back his axe, feinting a wide swing, but then suddenly stepped in, wrapping his arms around the 'knight' and kneeing her in the unmentionables. Trying to hold her down would leave him more exposed than he liked, but it might prevent her from casting another spell and give Shard and Daiya an opening.

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tumble to D2, DC 25 (1d20+14)[16]
Swift: regain maneuvers
initiate grapple, provoking AoO
Touch - (1d20+5)[17]
Grapple - (1d20+5)[17]
damage - (1d3+1)[4] Skirmish - (2d6)[11]

Drasil bites CB (1d20+7)[20] (1d6+4)[8]

Possible Action Point use incoming for the grapple

[Sallera]

Drasil continues to find gaps in chain and boots, her wooden teeth tearing through leather with an unexpected efficiency. The soldiers swing hurriedly at Grimmgang as he bypasses their small blockade, but they cannot prevent him from jumping at the leader, who gasps in pain as the dwarf collides with a few sensitive areas; clearly, her spell hadn't left him as weakened as she had hoped, and she seems to have noticed Shard's less than stealthy approach as well. "Very well... then. We will continue this... another time." A rough, unremarkable pebble in her hand crumbles to dust, and she vanishes entirely.

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AoO on Grimmgang: (1d20+3)[16]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
AoO on Grimmgang: (1d20+3)[6]
Damage: (1d8+1)[4]

Shard and Daiya's turn.

[MoleMage]

Daiya sidesteps each attack as it comes, and ends up several steps from where she started...too late her attackers realize that this new position means she is no longer surrounded as she swipes at one of them again with her sword.

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5 foot step to K9
Attack - (1d20)[13]
Miss Chance - (2d4)[5]
Damage - (1d10+5)[11]
And Spell Storing weapons only discharge on a hit when the wielder allows, right? That thing where it charred his weapon was just fluff?
Zap - (5d6)[16]

[TekHed]

Badly wounded but still surging with energy, Shard frowned at the caster's flight.

"Coward. Next time I will be prepared for you..." it said to the thin air into which she had vanished.

Undaunted however, Shard charged forward to aid Grimmgang, shield floating in the air, massive blade cleaving towards the nearest soldier.

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Charge to E5, attack on C0, spend 2 PP to charge sword. Crusader's Strike.

Charge: (1d20+7)[14]
Damage: (4d6+5)[17]
Action point if needed: (1d6)[3]
Crusader Strike heals (1d6+3)[4] to Shard.

[Sallera]

Daiya's blade surges with electricity as she slices through the soldier's chain, and the smell of burned flesh accompanies the thud of his body hitting the ground. The remaining two follow her retreat, undeterred by the loss. Shard crushes another into the dirt with a massive swing, and the only one left, judging his chances, turns to the damaged warrior with a desperate blow that threatens to match the Shard's in ferocity. One of the two fighting Drasil takes a step back, pulling a potion from his belt and downing it.

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In the interests of finishing this off so we can bring Posty in, have a midday update. No map, but we should be fine without one for now.

C0 and C2 are down (and yes, just fluff. He is thoroughly zapped.) C3 5ft steps to F4. C7 and C8 move to J10 and L8, respectively.

Attack on Shard: (1d20+1)[20]
Damage: (1d8+5)[7]

Attack on Drasil: (1d20+5)[8]
Damage: (1d8+1)[2]
Concealment (miss on 1): (1d5)[3]

CB heals (1d8+1)[3] damage.

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+5)[8]
Damage: (1d8+1)[9]
Concealment: (1d5)[5]
Attack on Daiya: (1d20+5)[12]
Damage: (1d8+1)[8]
Concealment: (1d5)[2]

Party's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

A deep howl of frustration and anger echoed over the battlefield when the Emerald Claw leader vanished from between Grimmgang's arms. Gripping his axe so tightly his knuckles turned white, he rounded on the soldiers behind, lining up a bonecrushing blow between the shoulderblades of the man trying to fend off Shard.

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move to F3, Mountain Hammer
Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+6)[8]
Slashing damage - (1d10+2)[6] + Maneuver damage - (2d6)[5] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[8]

Drasil keeps biting CB (1d20+3)[21] (1d6+8)[10]

[TekHed]

Shard gave a glare of menace, though the deep chips and cracks in it's body seemed to make the wounded warrior an especially attractive target...one lucky blow might shatter it into pieces. Just the impression Shard wanted to give the enemy, summoning power into his body to press the attack, and allowing Grimmgang an opening to keep slicing at the soldier with his axe.

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Iron Guard's glare of course to draw his attention from Grimmgang, Cast Bull's Strength defensively: DC 17 (1d20+13)[21]

[Sallera]

Drasil finishes off the second soldier, even as the third presses the attack from behind. Grimmgang manages to strike a few links off his target's chainmail, and Daiya swings just an inch too short to strike her target, the fog dampening sound as well as vision. The remaining soldiers, cut off from each other by the mist, cannot see how poorly the battle is going for the others, and continue swinging bravely.

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Attack on Shard: (1d20+1)[4]
Damage: (1d8+5)[7]

Attack on Drasil: (1d8+3)[7]
Damage: (1d8+1)[3]

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+4)[20]
Damage: (1d8+3)[6]
Concealment (miss on 1): (1d5)[1]
Attack on Daiya: (1d20+4)[15]
Damage: (1d8+3)[8]
Concealment: (1d5)[2]

Party's turn.

[TekHed]

Shard pressed the attack, creating an opening for Grimmgang to take advantage of...

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Maneuver: Leading the Attack: (1d20+9)[13] confirm AP spent for result: 18

If succeeds Grimmy gets +4 on his next attack roll.

Action point if needed, will confirm after I see result: (1d6)[5]

Damage: (2d6+7)[13]

[TheFallenOne]

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I don't quite get why you use an Action Point on an already won battle to be honest. Well, my plan was to leave that soldier to Shard and move into the smoke to support Daiya, but now you did use the AP I shouldn't let the Leading the Attack go to waste

Holding back his strike until the soldier dropped his guard, Grimmgang swiftly lashed out with his axe when Shard's blow brought their enemy off-balance, then quickly hustled into the smoke, where from the sound of clashing swords the battle wasn't decided yet.

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regain maneuvers
attack - (1d20+12)[15] damage - (1d10+2)[5]
move to K6

Drasil steps to N5, bites (1d20+7)[12] (1d6+4)[5]

[Sallera]

Shard and Grimmgang strike the enemy from both directions at once, sending him sprawling, and Daiya scores a long cut down another's arm. Taking advantage of his foe's blindness, he downs a potion, while the other strikes again and Drasil struggles with her own target.

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C8 heals: (1d8+1)[2]

Attack on Daiya: (1d20+3)[19]
Damage: (1d8+1)[2]
Concealment (miss on 1): (1d5)[5]

Attack on Drasil: (1d20+3)[21]
Damage: (1d8+1)[6]
Concealment: (1d5)[1]

Party's turn.

[TheFallenOne]

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damn bastards, stop drinking our loot

Noticing the sounds of battle mere feet away, Grimmgang slowed his advance to get a surprise advantage. Finding his targets, an axe suddenly parted the fog, cutting at two soldiers at once with a wide roundabout swing.

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sneak to M7
Hide - (1d20+10)[21]
Move Silently - (1d20+10)[27]
edit: misremembered stealth modifiers, should be 2 higher each

Steel Wind
CA Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+6)[13]
Slashing damage - (1d10+2)[7] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[10]
Concealment - (1d100)[14]
C8 Dwarven Waraxe - (1d20+6)[11]
Slashing damage - (1d10+2)[9] + Skirmish damage - (2d6)[3]
Concealment - (1d100)[80]

+2 unseen attacker vs FF AC if Hide successful

Drasil
(1d20+7)[8] (1d6+4)[10]
should CA have fallen move to the next available soldier instead

well I would have preferred those stealth rolls on my attacks instead

[TekHed]

Grimmgang and Shard moved in perfect coordination. Together they cut down the enemy soldier like the two blades of a shear. As the dwarf broke away to assist Daiya, Shard broke fast in the opposite direction, making a beeline for the enemy to the other side of Daiya. The mist began to glow in hues of red and blue as Shard closed in on the enemy.

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Double Move to I9 Threatening C7 with Iron Guard's Glare

Charging Minotaur at C7
Miss Chance: (1d5)[5]
Strength Check: (1d20+6)[7] *sigh* once again the RNG seems to hate Shard...
Damage if Shard's Strength check beats C7s (2d6+4)[8]

If Shard knocks him back more than 5 feet, I believe he will get an AoO.

In that case: (1d20+9)[13] Miss Chance: (1d5)[5] Damage: (2d6+9)[15]

[MoleMage]

Sensing an advantage, Daiya strikes at the foe nearest Shard, hoping to keep it off of her damaged friend.

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Attack - (1d20+10)[14]
Damage - (1d10+5)[15]
Miss - (2d4)[3]

[Sallera]

Grimmgang slices through the mist, shaving hairs from the back of one soldier's neck and cutting the other off at the knees as Shard advances from the other side. With the combatants all in place, a final, brief flurry of motion ensues and then the battle is over. The mist clears to reveal a dozen bodies scattered over the clearing, all of the soldiers save their vanished leader having fallen to blade and tooth.

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Hope you don't mind; I just rolled out the last round there once we were down to four-on-two. They didn't really pose a noticeable threat at that point.

Searching the bodies, if you do so, will net you ten potions and some entirely mundane armour and weaponry.

[TheFallenOne]

The batte concluded, Grimmgang casually cleaned his weapon on the clothes of one of the fallen soldiers. "We'll see that one again... Thought I had her, but she somehow teleported out of my grip before Shard could move in to wreck her." He stepped over to the crystal warrior, knocking twice against his fractured body. "Get yourself patched up man, you look worse than a suit of armor dropped down ten flights of stairs."
The Dragon's Eye he recalled the Emerald Claw's demand, furrowing his brow in thought. Rummaging in the bag of holding, he drew out the two artifacts they recovered, inspecting them closely. "The 'Dragon' part is easy enough with the shards. Do any of these look like an Eye to you though?"

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no idea what skill check fits best(Appraise?), I'll just give you a blank d20 and let you sort it out (1d20)[10]

[Sallera]

Grimmgang:

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You've never heard of a Dragon's Eye before, unless it be the literal organ. Neither artefact seems to really resemble an eye, either; perhaps a Dragon's Claw or a Dragon's Breath, at best.

[MoleMage]

Daiya likewise cleans her weapons and as Grimmgang pulls out the items and asks his question, she removes her combat blindfold and looks him seriously in the eye, inspecting it, and then looks at each artifact they had recovered.

"Neither of them looks much like your eye, Grimmgang. Though I've not seen a dragon's eye before. I wonder if the eye is the reason we were being watched. Hey! Your eye is kinda roundish. What about the third pedestal, the one missing the roundish object?"

[TheFallenOne]

The dwarf looked quizzically at Daiya, left brow raised high and right eye squinting. "If you want to see a dragon's eye - the corpse in the back of our sled has two of them", he pointed out.
"But you are right, these look nothing like eyes. Perhaps whatever was in the third niche... Or something that could be placed in the altar's circular depression. But if so, who took it and when? The Emerald Claw is now hunting us for something we don't have, and they won't believe us until they searched our cold dead bodies."

[TekHed]

The battle now over, Shard did truly look quite worse for wear, and barely able to stand upon it's near shattered legs. One of the crystals on it's arm started pulsing however, and the cracks began to visibly recede, making some tinkling, crackling noises that were at once beautiful and sickening.

"Are either of you injured?" It asked.

It turned to the dwarf and added.

"How could they have come to this conclusion?"

[TheFallenOne]

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just 5 damage

Grimmgang paused some moments, going through everything they knew. "Let's not be hasty, we can't even know this Eye was ever in the temple to begin with. Though the Claws certainly thought so...
Let's ask our dear employer. If this assignment got the Emerald Claw hunting us he has a lot to answer for. He has a decent chance to know about the Eye, whatever it is and as long as we hold the artifacts he wanted..."
He stopped, letting the implication dangle.
"But there's something else to take care of for now." He stashed the artifacts again and stripped the bodies of their armor, showing no hesitation or disgust when handling the corpses. "As said, they like undead and I'd rather not fight these guys again, if you know what I mean... Fire should do the trick."

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what kind of armor were they wearing, and does it show Emerald Claw insignia?

[Sallera]

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They were wearing chainmail; the armour itself is unmarked, and only their tabards bear their heraldry.

[TekHed]

"Could Circle be one of these Emerald entities?" Shard asked, refusing to refer to them as knights.

"It may be wise to arrange our meetup with him on terms favorable to us..."

[TheFallenOne]

Calling their employer 'Circle' irritated Grimmgang, but he chose to ignore that point.
"Makes no sense. They wouldn't have tried to rob us then. We gave no indication of being unwilling to give the artifacts away as promised."

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well, chainmail is worth decent money, but not sure how much more we are able to transport. Anyway, crossbows have a better money/weight ratio so take those first, then however many chainmails we can manage.

Make a little pyre and burn the bodies. Crush skulls beforehand with one of their maces just in case fire isn't enough to prevent skelettification.

[Sallera]

Xaxhan:

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The temple looms ahead as you traverse the jungle floor; after sighting it from afar when you happened to climb a tree for a hint to your current location, the stone roof promised a usable landmark, at least. It seems it is to be more than that, though. Signs of battle, abandoned huts; dead lizardfolk, who would have stood ten feet tall in life, seemingly left strewn about the floor as you step inside. Whoever these temple-dwellers were, they appear to have made a formidable foe.

Draconic imagery and inscriptions cover the back wall; they speak of the great blue wyrm Kha'shazul, and the sacrifices he made defending the land from creatures so ancient you do not recognize the words used for them. A map tucked away in the corner of the wall indicates a larger complex below; driven by curiosity, you soon discover an open well that leads into the basement.

A great dragon's headless skeleton lies in the middle of an empty cavern; at the back of the chamber, a most curious hole sits in the rock. It leads, as far as you can see, into a carved hallway, yet it is extremely difficult to look at. Something grasps hold of your attention whenever your gaze lingers too long in its direction, subtly directing it elsewhere; were it not for the gaping hole in the rock, you feel you would never have been able to find that hidden passage no matter how long you searched. Touch and sound lead you through where eyes fail, however, and once on the other side, the odd sensation passes.

The wall starts moving toward you from behind as you find a hidden pressure plate; were it not for the demolished walls ahead and behind, it might be a threat, but now it is easily ignored. Two swinging bridges lead you over a chasm that radiates heat from the magma far below; there is a scar in the ceiling, as though something was recently removed, but nothing of interest remains. A room of spinning blades and broken constructs follows, half the whirling traps already dismantled to clear a path through, and any hope that this place holds undiscovered secrets is rapidly diminishing - a hope that appears to prove true as the path opens up into a dead-end cavern, with a bridge perched above the flowing magma sixty feet below. The walls are covered with twisting designs that seem to be burnt into the rock, and the other side holds an empty sarcophagus, a plain stone altar with a circular depression on the top, and three empty niches in the stone - a disappointing end to the trip, perhaps, although once back above, you do at least discover a path you can use to regain your bearings.

Your trip to the temple might have faded away to an unnotable memory, forgotten in time in favour of more interesting journeys, but as you near the path's end, not half an hour from setting foot in Adderport, a spot on your skin that has been itching for the past hour suddenly flares into pain, and as you strip away layers of armour and cloth to see what's wrong, you find a twisted mark, not unlike a tattoo, but far more detailed and true, and you know instantly that it contains power - a dragonmark, even if it is not quite the same as the ones you know of. And the twisted designs burned into the chamber beneath the Temple of Kha'shazul come to mind once more...

You may have left your people behind, but on one matter, at least, even the scholars of Khorvaire seem to agree with them: dragonmarks are significant. Strange ones, even more so, although on whether such abnormalities are good or bad there is much dissent. It may serve you well to seek out one who has made a study of such matters, for power ever attracts power, and strange with strange alike will deal. Put both together, and you can see easily enough where this story is going...

Everyone else:

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Loading what you can onto your now very bulky sledge, you leave the pyre behind and continue down the road to Adderport. The sunset is already fading by the time you step onto the final approach to town, and civilization (such as it is) beckons eagerly, waiting to welcome the victors and their coin. So it is, perhaps, only appropriate that events see fit to interrupt. The last rays of the sun diffuse through the Shard's crystal body, mixing with its own glow to paint the dull dirt in a brilliant palette - and with a sudden twisting of the light, a scarlet mark unfamiliar to any of you shivers into place on the Shard's surface. Seconds later, both Grimmgang and Daiya feel an irritating itch, then a sharp flare of pain, and closer inspection reveals similar marks of their own, although these, perhaps, more closely resemble the dragonmarks you have occasionally seen. None of the three, however, are quite the same as the ones you remember.

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Everyone choose one Least Dragonmark (from an eligible house for your race only) or Aberrant Dragonmark, which you will receive for free.

[TheFallenOne]

The burning sensation slowly waned, and the angry red pattern on the inside of Grimmgangs left forearm faded to a blue-white, looking - and still feeling - like made from fire of a different color.
The dwarf blinked a dozen times in rapid sucession. He recognized the Mark of Warding, and he knew his clan had a distant relation to House Kundarak, but you'd need to go back at least a dozen generations to find the link.
He opened his mouth, but then closed it again when he belatedly realized he was at a loss for words. After a few moments, he raised his hand and opened his mouth again to speak, but again no words came out, and finally he let his arm fall down limply, giving up.

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I think total speechlessness is the appropriate response here

hey, I finally get those +2 on Search I failed to take on level up :happyface:

[TekHed]

"What is this?" Shard asked. "This does not come from my Source." Glancing at the gaping Grimmgang, he remarked. "Sir Dwarf, you have also been affected by this strange rash...but how?"

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Trying to visualize how this looks... Shard's face, which shows through his open face helmet glows blue. Also many of the baroque designs and symbols on his ruby crystal armor are clear so the blue shines through contrasting against the red like a medieval version of a tron suit. A dragonmark would look very out of place over the otherwise symmetrical Shard, and also, most other creatures can hide their mark under clothing and armor.

So...what if the mark exists as a pattern of light within the armored out shell of Shard, since the light being inside the crystal suit is the real being anyway... Would that work for you Sal?

Also, wondering if I can pick a differnt SLA since none of them really appeal to me. Was thinking something that would scale decently, since there are no feats for advancing aberrant marks, and I can't spare feats anyways. Perhaps Divine Favor, Entropic Shield, or maybe Divine Shield, since I've realized the concentration cost is too high for Shard to ever use his Deflection Field and I should probably swap it out for something I will use.


Since, one is not listed, may I also pick a skill to give a +2 bonus?

[TheFallenOne]

"It's a Dragonmark", Grimmgang answered distantly, turning his arm to inspect it from every angle, as if it would fade away if he questioned its presence hard enough.
"And Daiya too", he said, pointing. "If it was just me I'd look more closely at my family tree's connection to House Kundarak, or maybe have a serious word with my mother and grandmothers... But all three of us at the same time can't be a coincidence. This didn't happen naturally."
He pulled down the chainshirt's sleeve again and grabbed their sled. "One more thing your 'Circle' has to answer for. Let's go."