Eyes of the Lich Queen IC

[Sallera]

Ethras weaves around the incoming projectiles, knocking Grimmgang's aside with a flick of her lash. The strands once again glow a dull red as she whirls the weapon above her head, and another tongue of orange flame flickers through the air in response, striking down at Xaxhan. Almost as soon as the flash fades, she retreats up into the shadowed corners of the ceiling.

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Xaxhan, I adjusted your movement slightly to compensate for the difficult terrain. The affected area's been marked on the map with some random scatter now.

Ranged touch on Xaxhan: (1d20+6)[14]
Damage: (6d6)[22] fire

Ethras is at +35ft.

[MoleMage]

Muttering curses under her breath, Daiya advances again to keep the foe within sight and fires another arrow.

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(1d20+11)[21]
(2d4)[5]
(1d6+3)[6]
(3d6)[8]

[TheFallenOne]

Perhaps this will work. Drawing one of his last two poisoned arrows pilfered from the lizardfolk, Grimmgang aimed almost straight upward and loosed.

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(1d20+9)[20]
(1d8+6)[7] (3d6)[8]
Strength damage - (1d6)[3]

[Postmodernist]

Livid with pain, Xaxhan tried to shrug off the burns that now covered his scaly body. He muttered an assortment of Argon curses as he drew his bow, took aim at his assailant, and fired.

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(1d20+9)[16] for (1d6)[5] damage plus (3d6)[7] cold.

[TekHed]

Seeing their quarry well out of reach, Shard moved up behind the silver-haired Seren and gave him a dose of healing energy as it had Grimmgang but a moment before.

"Daiya, use your magic, and bring me your bow." Shard called out to it's knightly companion.

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I figure keeping Xaxhan from buying the farm takes precedence over recasting True Strike? Assuming Xax takes a 5 foot step back: Move to I20 and cast Cure Moderate Wounds: (2d8+3)[13]

[Sallera]

Xaxhan's arrow falls short, but Grimmgang and Daiya nearly pin Ethras to the wall, and she hisses in pain, lashing out at the brilliant sun crowning the portrait on the nearest stained-glass window. As golden shards rain down into the distant ocean, the smoke filling the room is swiftly drawn toward the opening before it can become a danger, and Ethras scuttles outside with it, fleeing upward out of sight.

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Is Drasil going to continue trying to escape?

Ethras exited at F24+30, where there is now a hole in the window.

[TekHed]

"Grimmgang, can you get to her?" Shard shouted over the sound of the crashing waves below, added to by the fury of the fast encroaching inferno.

The crash of timbers falling in the distance brought new urgency to the situation. "I think we should make haste in our exit." it added, taking a look at the long fall below. Jagged rocks jutted up from the base of the cliffs, promising death to Shard's brittle body. "Although we may need some magical assistance if we wish not to perish. I do not like the odds of surviving such a plummet."

Shard touched the wand to Grimmgang just as he prepared to chase after the Claw, then turned the wand on Xaxhan once more.

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Since I had delayed the round before I think that means I can pop Grimm with another Cure Moderate Wounds as he passes by me. (2d8+3)[7] Presumably this round someone is going to cast Feather Fall also, so next round I'll also CMW Xaxhan before we move to the window: (2d8+3)[9]

[Postmodernist]

Xaxhan barely notices the Shard gently contact him with the wand and the last of the burns disappear from his skin, so intent is his magical focus. He calls upon the magic of fate to align his fortunes before moving toward the window and looking upward to assess the prospect of climbing and giving chase to Ethras.

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Cast Improvisation, buring two 0th level slots for a level 1 with Versatile Spellcaster. +12 points of luck, distributed however I deem fit to rolls for the next six rounds.

[TheFallenOne]

"Bitch is a faster climber than me, but I can keep on her tail. Get out of here, take Drasil. We meet at the shore." Jamming the bow between his teeth he gave chase, climbing up he rough surface of the windows as fast as he could.

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first turn brings me to F24+20, turn after out the hole and then we'll see.

[MoleMage]

"Grimmgang, do you want my sword? The spell would help your first blow."

When the gruff dwarf rushes past to begin climbing the window, Daiya changes plans and hurries over to the other window.

"Take care, friend. We will meet you below. Shard! Bring Drasil, we have to get out of here before the fire reaches us." Drawing out her sword, Daiya begins shattering the next window over from where Grimmgang is climbing.

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(1d4+1)[4]

I think she's still in the 110ft range of Magic Missile (level 1 caster). Disregard, as apparently there is no line of effect.

[TekHed]

Shard returned near the doors to the room, noting the noxious smoke seeping through the doors. It was good for it's air breathing companions that it was billowing out into the window.

Shard looked at the mountain of knowledge strewn about the room. Such a waste, but there was just no time. It bent down and hoisted the lifeless form of it's slain foe up onto it's shoulder and made its way back to the window where it seemed that Drasil had handily freed herself.

"Time to go."

[Postmodernist]

Xaxhan looks around desperately, trying to find a means of aiding his comrade, but to no avail. The wall is simply too sheer a surface for him to climb under these circumstances. In frustration, he snatches the wand from Shard's hand and taps it against Grimmgang's shoulder, activating it as best he can. "Catch her. She deserves death for her hairstyle if nothing else. We'll meet you back at the boat. Fight with ferocity, Thunderbreaker."

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UMD: (1d20+21)[40] MIGHT AS WELL BLOW THE IMPROVISATION POINTS GUARANTEEING THAT UMD WORKS, RIGHT? CMW: (2d8+3)[9]

[TheFallenOne]

Once out the window Grimmgang saw Ethras above him and he supported himself with his right hand only, making a quick halfturn to avoid her swing. Pulling himself further up, he drew one of his hammers and aimed for her ankle.

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Tumble DC 25 (1d20+15)[34]

Mountain Hammer, sacrifice Skirmish to regain Emerald Razor
attack - (1d20+10)[29] (1d4+6)[9] Maneuver - (2d6)[2] cold - (3d6)[8]

[Sallera]

Daiya creates a second escape route, her enchanted steel easily shattering the base of the nearest king's grey throne, and Grimmgang evades Ethras's defenses to land a crippling blow with his small hammer. Ethras makes a wide, low swing with her lash, but it is only a distraction with little power, and she snatches at Grimmgang's arm with her other hand, wrapping the weapon around his leg. With a swift pivot, she tests her strength against his, attempting to launch him out into the ocean. As her attempt fails, she curses and retreats, rolling back several feet out of reach.

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Touch attack: (1d20+7)[9]
Opposed trip check: (1d20+6)[17]
Damage: (4d6)[18] (+ (8d6)[15] fall damage, Swim/Jump/Tumble DC25 for half, but that's unlikely to stick with Daiya in range)

Edit: And since that failed, she'll Tumble away 15ft along the edge of the roof.

[Postmodernist]

"To the Abyss with this," Xaxhan mutters as he draws his bow. "Get our belongings and get everyone out of here," he shouts to his comrades as he leaps through the shattered window. He twists in the air, attempting to draw a bead on Ethras as she skitters away. As he catches sight of her, he draws back and looses a shot at his quarry as he falls toward the sea. "This is for making me chase you," he says as the frost-rimmed shot courses through the air. As he falls, he calls upon his ancient draconic blood and drastically reduces the rate of descent.

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As per my PM, Xaxhan jumps out of the window and takes a shot. (1d20+10)[29] (minus any range modifiers) + AP: (1d6)[6] for (1d6+3)[6] damage + (3d6)[11] frost damage. Activate Feather Fall before he splates.

[TheFallenOne]

When the metal strands wrapped around his foot Grimmgang was the faster to react, and he stomped down hard, bringing all his body to weigh down on her weapon arm. Thus off-balance, she couldn't prevent him from rolling onto the roof and he drew a second hammer as he pursued along the edge, launching a flurry of jabs and swings in a complex pattern.
He settled into a close quarters stance he hadn't used in a long time; a decade ago a monk named Haerlok had introduced him to his unusual fighting style, designed for use with short wooden sticks or other close range blunt instruments. He didn't have to go through the Day of Mourning and the aftermath; a stray arrow killed him months before that fateful day. But Grimmgang remembered. Even when the names and faces had faded in the mists of memory he remembered those who were once there and died in the fires of a war that wasn't their own, raging from the time before they were even born. Back then he fought soldiers just like himself, men forced into a conflict who happened to be on the other side. But the Emerald Claw was different. He had found an enemy who deserved all the pain and suffering the victor brings upon the defeated, and he eagerly provided with barely repressed fury.

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Tumble - (1d20+15)[24]

Wolf Fang Strike
attack - (1d20+8)[12] damage - (1d4+6)[8] Skirmish - (2d6)[7] Cold - (3d6)[14]
attack - (1d20+8)[22] damage - (1d4+4)[8] Skirmish - (2d6)[8] Cold - (3d6)[7]

[Sallera]

Ethras knocks the first blow aside, her lash spinning furiously, but the second lands solidly, and she is already spinning from the impact when Xaxhan's far-shot arrow pierces her heart. The weapon slips from her frozen fingers, and she is dead before she hits the roof.

[TheFallenOne]

When Ethras fell Grimmgang relaxed his posture and stored his weapons. He felt like there was something he should say, a quip, a taunt to her dead body, an expression of joy and relief, anything, but he came up dry. He quickly seized the diary from where he saw her put it previously and stuffed it into the bag of holding, just in case he had further fire or water to go through today. With a grunt, he put her body over his right shoulder after securing her weapon and made for the entrance they came through to climb back down to the ground and leave this hall of dead to the flames.

[Sallera]

As Grimmgang returns with his prize, he, Shard, and Daiya follow Xaxhan down to the ocean, followed several minutes later by the far less graceful fall of the once-glorious library in a cascade of flames and coloured glass. Arielon and his comrade are dead and progressing towards cremation before you finish climbing back to the entrance, although whether the cause was smoke inhalation or the flames from both sides is less clear than the fact that they won't be answering questions any time soon.

Thaddeus answers your signal once you are ready to leave, sending the boat out to pick you up and eyeing the pair of bodies with what might be an approving look upon your return. "I take it this is the end of that matter. I'd say old Vorgaard would be happy, but I suspect he'd be too furious over his collection catching fire to worry about his own person. Did you meet him in there?"

[TheFallenOne]

"Well, that's kinda embarassing", Grimmgang mumbled, pushing against the corpses with the tip of his boot. "Not as bad as what Shard did, but still, there are rules to observe." He departed with an odd feeling of sacrilege; it's not he'd shed tears for any member of the Emerald Claw, but in decades of war you learn one thing: it is a place where ideals die quickly with the ones who hold them, but you do need some rules on how to treat prisoners and civilians. Something to separate yourself from the animals.

"They confessed to killing him", Grimmgang answered the captain, unceremoniously dumping Ethras's corpse. "We didn't see the body, I expect it was close to where they started the fire. But they payed for it to the last man, and we got what we came for. Let's get out of here. We should know the next stop soon enough."

[Postmodernist]

Xaxhan, thoroughly soaked from his jump into the drink, is visibly relieved to see his comrades return, Grimmgang carrying the body of Ethras. "Glad you're alright, Thunderbreaker. I trust we retrieved the journal?" He takes in the trio of comrades, beaten and bloodied, bearing the bodies of their slain enemies, framed by the cataclysmic flames of the manor behind them. An impressive group of companions, indeed.

"A shame about Vorgaard and his collection. I almost hope they killed him, for he certainly would have died if he came home to this. To desecrate so much knowledge and so many artifacts is such a disgusting waste. These bastards deserve no quarter. They've no respect for anything save their own inscrutable ends." Xaxhan shakes his head in disgust. "Where to next? Should we contact Sur'kil, or have a round or twenty back in Regalport and sort this all out?"

[Sallera]

"As you wish." Thaddeus tips an imaginary hat to the mansion's corpse, before turning to get the ship back out into open water. "We'll head for the nearest open sea route. If you haven't decided your next destination by then, we'll continue back to Regalport if you have no objections."

With the journal finally safe in your possession, you are free to seek its secrets. Each entry in the log is signed with an elegant flourish by one Eliam ir'Veldras, who from the occasional complaint or reference appears to have been the disaffected son of a wealthy textiles merchant. The majority of his words are devoted to his expedition to the "haunted" isle of Trebez Sinara, a dangerous rock surrounded by cursedly treacherous waters that it seems he was unable to obtain adequate maps of with any amount of coin or effort. Eventually chartering an airship to bypass the problem, he ended up with half his expeditionary force and all of the ship's crew dead after it was brought down by a fierce storm. The remainder perished on his journey inland, save for Eliam himself and a gnomish artificer by the name of Thraxis, of whom the kindest description contained in the pages of the journal is "twitchy and cantankerous."

However, it seems they did indeed find Jheamast's tomb - or at least its entrance, which was marked by a stone column covered in various runes and symbols resembling dragonmarks. Unable to get any further, they copied down most of the symbols that Thraxis thought significant for later research, and the two made their escape along a surprisingly well-mapped and annotated route, given their condition - easily enough to retrace their steps to the entrance, should you be able to find a way of reaching the island itself.

Following a stretch where several pages seem to be missing, there is a single note, apparently written at a later date, cursing Thraxis, whom it seems briefly obtained the journal prior to his parting with Eliam and removed all copies of the symbols, as well as his notes and interpretations that might have led to a means to open the door.

[TheFallenOne]

"Oh, look what that bitch did to my beard!" Grimmgang complained loudly once he had time to inspect himself in a mirror. The lengths of the left and right halves were rather mismatched now, and the missing eyebrow didn't help matters. "Got any idea how long I had to grow this thing? Gotta find a barber in port to salvage what can be salvaged." He's quite sour the next couple of hours - even notably more than usual.

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"I don't expect someone happened to find a safe, reliable route to a place called Trebez Sinara in the last thirty years or so?" he asked Thaddeus, pretty sure of the answer. "If not, Regalport it is I guess. Do some more research."

[Sallera]

Thaddeus raises an eyebrow. "I hope so, because we're certainly not visiting the old haunted isle without one. Worst waters on the ocean, I've heard." He rubs at one temple, a seemingly unconscious gesture as he considers the question. "I don't have a map myself, and I've never seen one in person, but I think I know where you could get one, if you don't mind dealing with royalty. Prince Rygar's a great lover of maps, and he probably has every bit of his domain and plenty beyond covered by one or another. He's a fickle one, though; you'll need a silver tongue or a stroke of luck to impress him."

[MoleMage]

"Well, Xaxhan, do you think your tongue is silver enough to get us a map?"

[TheFallenOne]

"I don't particularly mind dealing with royalty, even if Prince just means glorified pirate. But what reason does he have to deal with us? What can we offer, and how do we get his attention in the first place? He might have us run an 'errand' as payment, and we are short on time.

So, if we do meet him, should we all go or just send our sweettalker? I have to visit a barber anyway, and maybe there's something else I'd like to check out."

[Postmodernist]

Xaxhan muses a moment before replying, "Rygar tends to frequent a tavern known as the Rusty Anchor, or at least he did last I saw him in Regalport. Finding him shouldn't be too difficult, though gaining his attention might require more cunning. Things tend to be done either at the point of a sword or not at all in the Principalities, and unless we impress our usefulness upon Rygar we may not be able to get what we want. Still, what's the worst he can do, beyond having us all keel-hauled in public on a whim?"

[TekHed]

"What is this keel-hauled?" Shard asked. "Is it related to buggery?"

"Perhaps we ought tell him the truth? We are accursed, and require a map to lead us to our cure. Would he not help? Perhaps he will be grateful we are cleansing the Claw from his waters?"

Shard looked thoughtful, though its words were given weight by the dull red light coming from the Aberrant mark now "tattooed" upon its otherwise clear-glowing-blue crystal face.

"The again, I am no courtier...perhaps it would be best for those with experience to approach him. Daiya...your words as a knight may carry weight; perhaps you ought go with our silvered Seren. I of course am happy to attend with Grimmgang to his barbary..."

[TheFallenOne]

Shard's offer to accompany him made Grimmgang twitch, but there were more pressing matters. "He might be grateful we take care of the Emerald Claw. He might also be quite upset we're leading a small-scale war on his territory without his knowing. Just food for thought.

And I doubt he'll help us out of the good of his heart because of some obscure curse. We need something he wants, something we can offer in exchange. Was Vorgaard by any chance well regarded by him? We can deliver the body of his murderer, and that spell we've used before proves the truth of it. Seems this man was a well known and respected scholar; killing him was a great disrespect to the lord of the isles, and to maintain order you need to show such transgressions are swiftly and efficiently punished. Think you can work that angle Xaxhan?"

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shot in the dark, but it does sound sensible.

[Postmodernist]

"Sounds plausible enough, although legality is notional at best here in the Principalities. It's possible that Rygar won't even care about the Claw's activities, or he might not have been on good terms with Vorgaard. Still, it's better than anything else I can conjure up. One doesn't become the king of a feuding pirate nation without being shrewd, so I'm sure Rygar will want something in return for his cooperation." The Seren song-spinner looked over at Shard with a sly grin before continuing, "They're even known for their unusual appetites here. They might take a shine to our crystalline friend, here, and bugger him before they begin their keel-hauling. It's often difficult to tell with these barbarian people."