Three Goddesses - IC (Thread #2)

[Debbie_D]

(In the interests of moving the game along, you seem to have settled on visiting Lysindra first so...)
The city of Kethiria sits on the wild, untamed east coast of South Enicom. But unlike New Kroy, where normal order and government has broken down because no one cares, Kethiria does have a government, its just that being the constant target of monsters intent on making you their breakfast tends to make you overlook the rules sometimes. Any young adventurer looking to make a name and reputation for themselves would do well to look into Kethiria, theres always something needing to be done there.
And where else therefore would the world's greatest warrior goddess establish her high temple then, other than a gathering point of warriors. Lysindra's temple is the greatest in the city of Kethiria, home to the high priestess of Lysindra, Elinon Darasis-Domar.
For now however, the party stands just outside the gates of Kethiria, the city's constant seige mentality makes teleporting into the city not the best idea in the world, and the group decides it might be best to come down about 10-15 minutes walk away from the gates, so as to not be surrounded by armed guards right after arrival.

[Toliudar]

Evaluating the nature of the city ahead, Dot issues silent commands to her companions before the teleport. Clyde transforms into a tall, muscular ascetic warrior. Tasha resumes her role as amazon warrior-woman. Zippy grows into s fiftysomething man in travelling clothes. Dot hops up onto Clyde's shoulder with a practiced turn.

After the teleportation, Dot and Clyde lead the way towards the gates.

"I'm assuming, Melinda, that we are in no way disguising our affiliation?"

[Kalirren]

"The City of Gardens, I meant. Because you took passion in love for granted." Melinda inexplicably switches to telepathy. I wasn't brought up that way. But honestly, now I don't really know why I said that. Everyone comes in inseparable layers. Nocticula's part of your perspective too. Your understanding of Her surpasses mine.

I think I'm just a bit jealous that I didn't think of that. Our Ladies willing, that truth was for you to see, not for me. Don't let me disparage you.

Tali

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Melinda's mental voice grows fainter yet. I told you, I thought you would be the First, not me. Thank you, Tali. I appreciate you for being who you are.

The bardess rubs her nose. "Let's go. The coffee's cold."

**

"Yes, that's right," replies the bardess. "True colors today. Doesn't it feel liberating?" She follows Dot, eager to pay some overdue and official respect to another deity whose blessings had been with the group in its travels.

[PSinger]

Atareth clangs her hammer against her shield and says with a sporting smile, "As far as Prime towns go, this one is more of the fun ones."

[Telasi]

Taleira Ulharvyth

Melinda

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I'm getting there. That reminds me; I've got a story for you. I'm not wearing the rose for nothing, after all.

***

Tali, now back in human form, is content to leave her weapons sheathed. She doesn't seem particularly worried by Kethiria's reputation; if anything, she looks nostalgic. "A little intimidating the first time, though," she muses idly. Realizing she'd been thinking aloud, Tali hastily explains. "Long story, that. The short of it's that I was sixteen, next to unarmed, and with people who were little better than strangers. I had no idea what might happen to me. As it turned out, I got my start in adventuring."

[Debbie_D]

The party is walking towards the gates of the city, when they suddenly hear an unfamiliar sound, the twang of arrows. All of them are fired at Melinda, and given her totally surprised status, 2 of them strike true. The damage done is vicious, she takes a total of 75 points of damage, and worse yet, the arrows are enchanted specifically to slay humans, she has to make 3 Fort saves to survive their magic power. (DC:27)
The party turns and sees a woman, carrying a bow, dressed in an outfit of black and red.
Know: History or Know: Religion, DC:30

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She is dressed as an "Angel of Death" an old assassin order of Silescia Domar

As she fires her bow, she cries out....Freedom from debauchery

[Debbie_D]

The powerful magic infusing the arrow manages to overcome Melinda's various protections and her own innate power and with a cry of agony, she turns an ashen color and drops to the ground. The female assailant lifts her bow in the air, crying out VICTORY!

[Kalirren]

Melinda felt only the percussion of the two impacts, for she did not have time to feel the pain. She reeled, and as time dilated, she instinctively felt one missing pulse. Then a second. And then came a great wrenching, shooting up her spine with unnatural alacrity, as her soul was unceremoniously ripped free of its mortal coil.

[Toliudar]

Zippy

Zippy whirled, the proximity of death hitting him like a whiff of flowers. Still in his guise of an older man, he turned and spots the strangely-dressed woman with a bow nearby. He speaks with an odd fervour.

"OOH! You like to kill people. What a coincidence."

Dot nods, seeming to conclude a hasty mental communication. Zippy leaps towards the archer with great excitement, actually lifting a few feet off the ground as he goes. As he gets closer, he forms a harsh three-syllable word that seems to rely on a throat structure he shouldn't currently have.

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Zippy has See Invisibility, Fly and Cloak of Chaos active.

Move action: fly up to 60' towards the archer.
Standard action: target the archer with Power Word Blind. CL check, in case the archer has SR: (1d20+15)[34]

[Debbie_D]

The woman appears to be blinded by the spell, how long that state will persist is unknown. With his move of 60', Zippy is about 20' away from her.
Tali up

[Telasi]

Taleira Ulharvyth

Taleira crosses the distance to the assassin in a heartbeat, casting Wraithstrike as she draws her blade. She carries her momentum into a single vicious blow with the flat of the adamantine blade, evidently wanting to take the assassin alive.

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Full-round: charge for non-lethal, drawing sword in the process. Swift: Extended Wraithstrike using metamagic mastery. Karmic active, Power Attack -15/+30

Attack 1
Hit: (1d20+13)[2](15) vs. Flat-footed Touch AC, threat range 15-20.
Damage: (2d4+46)[54] non-lethal (adamantine) + (1d6)[3] Vampiric
Critical: (1d20+13)[19], (2d4+46)[50] extra damage.

[Debbie_D]

Benefitting from the fact that the assassin has been blinded by Zippy's spell, Taleira is able to land a blow against her foe.

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Even with a crappy 2, but no threat

She's still up however, so Dot is up for her attack.

[Toliudar]

Dot

Dot is horrified as she watches Melinda's body tumble to the ground, but there is very little that she can do about that at the moment. She whirls to face their attacker, her expanded senses checking to make sure that this is in fact a lone - and suicidal - assassin.

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Dot has blindsense out to 130', see invisibility and Greater Anticipate Teleport active. If she's picking up other potential opponents, disregard this action and let me know what she's sensing.

She sends a quick mental message to the others.

"We need to learn if this maniac is acting alone, or is really sanctioned by Silescia's church."

Focusing on the hateful archer, the little wizard gestured. The ground rumbles behind the assassin, just opposite where Taleira has just tore into her. A by-now-familiar shape, the craggy vaguely humanoid form of an earth elemental, rises out of the ground. Dot calls out to it in its harsh, rumbling language:

"Hold and silence her, but do not kill her, my friend!"

The elemental does its best to oblige. Meanwhile, Dot launches into a longer and more complex spell, an effort to snare the woman's body and take away the very freedom that she had just called out for.

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Swift action: using quicken conjuration to cast Summon Monster VIII, bringing in a Greater Earth Elemental behind the blind archer. It attempts to make touch attacks to grapple her. If she has blindsight, she'd be able to make AoO's, but won't otherwise. If the first attack succeeds in the grapple attempt, the second attack will not require an attack roll, but will simply attempt to pin and muzzle the archer.
Slam one touch attack: (1d20+25)[38] Opposed Grapple: (1d20+35)[38] Nonlethal damage if successful: (2d10+12)[27]
Slam two touch attack (if the first attack failed): (1d20+25)[29] Opposed Grapple: (1d20+35)[43] Nonlethal damage and muting if successful: (2d10+12)[19]

Standard action: Dot casts Dominate Person on the archer. Will DC 27 negates.

[Debbie_D]

The lumbering earth elemental has no problem grappling the woman, restraining her in his earthy mitts. Dots spell fails to ensnare the woman's will however, but with her in earth elemental's paws, it would seem she is powerless to cause more harm.
Faced with a whole party to oppose her, her own blinded condition and with her mission accomplished however, the assassin did have a back up plan, given her fanaticism to the cause. Her mouth makes a motion as if she is biting down on something, and then without a word of pain, her face takes on an ashen pale, and she goes limp in the elemental's "hands".

[Toliudar]

Dot clenches up as she sees the assassin slump. She signals for the elemental to hold her securely. There were ways to get information from the dead. More urgently...

She whirls to look at Melinda, and gestures for Clyde to dash to the fallen priestess' side. She sends through the ruby to the others.

"Quickly - can any of you raise the dead? Otherwise, I'll take her as quickly as possible back to the temple."

[PSinger]

Atareth looks sadly upon Melinda. "Of all the powers granted my race by Arborea and Ysgard, my power over life and death is limited to battle and healing. What you ask is far beyond my power, for I am no priestess.

"The good news is that this bastion of a battle goddess is sure to have more than enough holy persons to aid us in not only reviving her, but ensuring that she returns with no loss of her life force. I am sure that we have the money for such services.

"Dot, I would like the honor of carrying her body. I am sure you understand that it pains me that demons carry her about."

[Toliudar]

Dot

The little mage arches an eyebrow at Atareth.

"You didn't object to being fellows with Lil. And it wasn't this temple that I was speaking of, but to get back to Zanthia. Time is of the essence. We'll be right back. Keep talking via the rubies."

Dot reaches down to touch Melinda's hair. Abruptly, she, Clyde and Melinda vanish.

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Dot and Clyde take Melinda straight to Zanthia to request emergency aid in restoring life to Melinda.

[Debbie_D]

Before Dot reaches Melinda, there is a flash of light beside the priestess. A drow steps forth from the flash, one that no one recognizes. A look of shock crosses her face as she sees the fallen Melinda.
Too late for the warning, now for plan B
Reaching into her robe, she pulls out two items, a holy symbol of Nocticula, and a medium sized, flawless cut diamond.
If you will allow me?, waiting for a cue from the party that they wont decapitate her if she touches Melinda's prone form.

[PSinger]

Atareth towers over the drow, warhammer at the ready. "If you wore anything that didn't show you as a Nocticulan, you'd be a heap of meat in a black skin sock just for the blot of evil your people represent in this world, and in your case the next.

"But I know that the purity of diamonds are for healing and restoration ... and that is a pretty big rock so I imagine what you have is pretty powerful. You have my vote until you do something treacherous."

She looks to the others.

[Telasi]

Taleira Ulharvyth

Taleira nods her approval, sparing Atareth a dirty look after her last two comments. "Do it." Unless shooed away, Tali kneels by Melinda's body so she'll be on hand when her friend is revived.

[Toliudar]

Dot keeps hold of Melinda's remains, but nods her acceptance of the drow woman's ministrations. What was she going to do, kill Melinda more? Any questions about how this woman could be ready to do this in literally seconds could wait until they had their colleague back.

[lostsole31]

The drow woman is 5' tall, and weighs barely more than 80 pounds .... meaning she does not have the typical big boobs of badly realized drow/ elf women. She is slender, but sensuous. Though beautiful, she is still not quite as incredibly gorgeous as most members of the party. Classic white hair of the drow, but her eyes are grey, not red or violet.

Here's where we do get into some oft-seen tropes .... She wears a minimized form of catsuit. Very minimized, showing a lot of skin in a lot of places. It if weren't for the rest of her costume, she would look like a whore with a budget .... not necessarily style ... and definitely one that brazenly tries to to be sexual without any higher-order of allure, and yet is just as alluring because of that open earthiness.

Her Nocticulan holy symbol is made of finest gold inset with rubies. She has an equally stunning, matching ring on her left hand. A velveteen cloak is the only thing that might hide some of her features and just-barely-clothing. She carries a perfectly accessorized cross-shoulder purse (makeup is important), but a very spare-looking belt pouch. Given her minimal clothing, her bracers are easily seen, no doubt maical. Again, perfectly matching with everything else, but there is a quality to the design that makes one think of less flowing like her symbol and more streamlined.

Her most interesting worn item, however is a type of belt that cross her chest (which is well that she isn't large-chested) and comes together at the waist. The waistbelt goes all the way around her, but the crossing belts cross at center chest and center back. Yet this strange baldric, for you are seeing that is what it must be now, is brimming at all of the forward facing parts of the cross-belt, and all around the body of the waist-belt with daggers. Lots of daggers. Lots and lots of daggers. [Effectively, a bandolier .... but think of a Pancho Villa style bandolier, but with daggers instead of bullets.)

This isn't subtle at all. In fact, the whole getup entirely lacks any sense of subtlety. The very fact that his is a drow AND a Nocticulan priestess seems to make the very concept of non-subtlety actually a little mind-boggling.
.........................................

She motions for Melinda to quickly be set flat-back on the ground, limbs splayed.

She casts a spell that takes several minutes. She sets the large diamond in the hollow of Melinda's throat and distributes a vial of holy water on her forehead, eyes, ears, lips, heart, and genitals. She incants the whole time.

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Spellcraft DC 24 to recognize this spell as true resurrection ... a 9-th level spell.

She finishes the spell in vernacular, "As the Beautiful Bitch demands, so I obey. Spirit of Aunt Melinda, return undiminished to this body. Body of Aunt Melinda, Wake the F*** up!"

And with that, she slaps Melinda's face hard enough across the left cheek that her right cheek bounces against the ground. It is hard to tell what is more shocking: how she referred to Nocticula; slapping the crap out of Melinda to fully resurrect her; or to cast so amazing and powerful a spell, only to curse at the end of it.

With that slap, it is likely the party is about to commit great violence against this new person for her brazen strike. (It's like beating a dead whore. HA! Sorry, tasteless humor. Couldn't resist.) But as the drow woman cringes (only a little) against possible retribution ....

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And here, I hope the DM quickly RPs Melinda's revival before new-girl is absolutely pasted by the party.

[Debbie_D]

With that slap, it is likely the party is about to commit great violence against this new person for her brazen strike. But as the drow woman cringes (only a little) against possible retribution ...Melinda suddenly opens her eyes, wondering at where she finds herself, seeing as only moments ago, she was wandering the Astral Plane, headed for the plane of Tishtina/Sabrina/Nocticula

ten characters to fill

[Toliudar]

Dot gestures for Clyde to draw back. The little wizard sizes up the Nocticulan drow.

"You have a fascinating bedside manner. Um. Hello?"

She glances down at Melinda, waiting expectantly for some word that showed that she was all right.

[lostsole31]

The drow woman, seeing her "patient" has pulled through, stands and backs off. She purses her lips to the side and looks at the little girl. "Yeah, actually I do. If you were any older, you just might find out. I have friends who are midg-, er, little people-prostitutes. They have the energy of a 6-year old hopped up on coffee and sugar."

She points to Melinda, still looking at Dot, "But perhaps you should ask your mommy to have your growing-up talk about the rocs and the wyverns, and the wonderful baby-making changes in your body that you'll soon experience."

She looks about. "My name's Drisae. I was being tutored by Lia and Dalcar. S*** happened all of a sudden and now I'm here. Great, now that that's done, I'll care about your names after business.

"Who in the Happy F***ing Heavens is going to pay for the 25,000 gp diamond? Those things don't grow on stalagmites. I might've been given a quick ticket back home to Kethiria from Erandol, but sometimes things can be a little too short-fused to be supplied with external equipment. I don't have much to my name for wealth."

[Kalirren]

"...aach." Even as the pallor recedes from her face and limbs, her first instinct is to give Taleira, who is standing directly over her, a hug and a deep kiss.

"Hi," she smiles, sensing no rush in the air. "Wherearewe? What just happened? And who..." She reaches without thinking for the wounds in her chest and abdomen, and finds them not there. Then realization dawns. "Oh, she killed me, didn't she? By Silescia, that bitch killed me! I'm going to...Where is she?", she demands, flailing herself upright. "Where - !..."

Her jaw drops open. She shakes her head. "Oh, no. Oh, no, no no. What a waste. What a profound f***ing waste~!" She presses her fingers up against the assassin's neck, and agonizes for a brief moment. Then her face turns sullen, and she lays the body down again. "Lady, I pray that Silescia gives you whatever fate you sought in trading your life for less than an hour of my death. Otherwise it's just going to be a deep, deep, irony that I buried you. Dot, help me?"

"That was so foolish," she says despondently after the deed is done. She turns to the drow newcomer. "It's a pleasure to live again, Drisae. I set aside money for a diamond in my will, so you'll be compensated. The will is in the archives in Varstok, and Dot here was witness."

[Toliudar]

Dot shrugs over at the drow with a faint smile, a smile that spreads as Melinda sits up. She nods, remembering the solemnity of that moment with the will.

"If it were me, Melinda, I'd keep those arrows as souvenirs. A great reminder that we are ephemera. Any of us can be gone, just like that. A sense that what we're doing each day needs to have some meaning."

She gestures for the elemental to bring the assassin's body over for closer examination. The lumbering mass of dirt is remarkably gentle as it complies. Dot slides down off of Clyde's shoulder to take a closer look. Her left hand nips into a slit pocket of her robe and emerges with a single gold loupe, which she swaps into place as she tucks away her spectacles. Dot's small hands glide lightly over the assassin's body, assessing the possibility of any lingering dangers that outlast the fanatic.

As she works methodically up and down, she glances up at Drisae.

"Lia and Dalcar's faith in you says volumes. Welcome, Drisae. I am Peridot, or Dot if you prefer. Tasha, could you come take a look at this face?"

The big amazon woman goes over to the dead assassin, long fingers stroking the hair and face experimentally, dispassionately. She smiles. Rising, her form ripples and becomes a near-perfect duplicate of the assassin. Tasha hands her sword over to Zippy, and goes to retrieve the assassin's fallen bow. Dot nods approvingly. A few simple magic words fix the tears in the woman's clothing where Taleira's sword tore through and left bloody marks. Dispassionately, she rises and gestures to the body. Zippy and Clyde roughly strip off the woman's outer clothing, handing it over to Tasha, who slips it all on.

"This zealot brought only exactly what she needed for this task, which means that she's left the rest of her belongings somewhere nearby, or else teleported here. If it turns out that this woman is not working alone, it may be useful for her to not be quite so deceased."

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Searching the remains, aware of the possibility of trapped objects. (1d20+42)[43]. Using her artificer's monocle to identify any lingering magic.

Tasha's disguise checks will have a +33 modifier.

[Kalirren]

Melinda stoops to break off the arrowheads from the arrows, then wraps them in a layer of cloth. "True, Dot. I was planning on keeping them anyway, because they have my blood on them," Melinda responds as she drops them into her pack. She'd learn to think like a rogue yet. But paranoia would suffice for the near term.

Once they had her assassin in the ground, they could be off to the city. They'd always be able to find the site again. "Drisae, you said you're a local?" probes Melinda, trying to make conversation. Ordained or not, Melinda was still uncomfortable with the Nocticulan culture. No student of Lia's and Dalcar's would have missed that Dot was in disguise, so Melinda figured that the drow was undoubtedly putting on the air of haughty ignorance, as a matter of habit. "Did Dalcar send you to take Lil's place with us, or will you be staying here after you get your pay for the diamond?"

[lostsole31]

""Lady...a deep, deep, irony that I buried you." ... after the deed is done.

(I'm assuming that you are just glossing over burying over the assassin.)
"Stop right there. Don't bury her or I'm just gonna dig her back up, and I'm not into menial labor, men-ial labor, maybe, but not that. I got some questions for her, and death ain't gonna stop me."

She turns to the drow newcomer. "It's a pleasure to live again, Drisae. I set aside money for a diamond in my will, so you'll be compensated. The will is in the archives in Varstok, and Dot here was witness."

"I know you mean the best, really I do. But, I'm inferring from what you said ... and you might be too good a speaker for me to tell ... that what you're really saying is that you have a diamond that you would have willed for just this instance, but nothing really about teleporting to get it. Just that you have it .... and that a particular future tense was used to make me feel that this would be less than immediate for a group who seems to be teleporters-par-eggsalade.

"That said, remember who we are here. We're all bores and whores that look for pay upfront.

"Maybe," she says to the intimidating angel, "some of you are the bores that want flowers and chocolates and to wait for the sparkles of ... twue wuv ... before we give it up. Or, some of us - for whatever reason - want cold gold. I'm the latter.

"I'm a whore and I'm proud of it. And Kethiria here? Regardless of the happy, hearty handshakes you've heard of berks, bashers, and battlemages ... but sponsored by a 'good' priestess of heroes and other foolhardy jackasses ... plenty of my people scrabble and scramble and have to protect each other against the other gangs. There are no deferred debts, and there is no charity. There is the transaction.

"So, please .... please tell me that you are going to use your powerful teleporty magic, go and get that diamond and come back. A piece of paper witnessed by I-don't-care-who in a far-off land means nothing, unless you are telling me that is where you are going as soon as your grateful-to-be-alive butt, or a teleport-capable ally here manages to go there."

[COLOR="Purple"]Dot: "This zealot brought only exactly what she needed for this task, which means that she's left the rest of her belongings somewhere nearby, or else teleported here. If it turns out that this woman is not working alone, it may be useful for her to not be quite so deceased."

"Yeah, more on that after business," says Drisae.

"Drisae, you said you're a local?" probes Melinda, trying to make conversation. Ordained or not, Melinda was still uncomfortable with the Nocticulan culture. No student of Lia's and Dalcar's would have missed that Dot was in disguise, so Melinda figured that the drow was undoubtedly putting on the air of haughty ignorance, as a matter of habit. "Did Dalcar send you to take Lil's place with us, or will you be staying here after you get your pay for the diamond?"

"Reasons are not a a condition of return payment, but for stalling. I will be elated to discuss such things .... after payment."

[Toliudar]

Dot

Dot whirls from her examination of the assassin to glare up at Drisae.

"Oh, put a sock in it. If payment up was so important to you then you should have asked for payment up front. We had this handled when you stepped in un-asked for. Melinda has promised to compensate you for your work. Her word is good."

She turns back to Melinda. At a gesture from her, Clyde picks up the dead assassin. Dot switches to speak with the group via the rubies.

"Melinda, you mentioned something about having buried this woman. Is this a story we need to hear? Should we relocate to a place of safety?"

She reaches up, and Zippy steps over to cup her hand in his. She murmurs a simple enchantment that hides him from view.

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Spellcraft DC 17 to tell that she's simply casting invisibility on Zippy. For those who can see invisible creatures, he flies up and does a quick aerial reconnaissance at a height of about 50'.